The first plate sets the tone for the whole day.

 A guest who rode in from Denver yesterday wakes up at 8,000 ft, walks into breakfast, and decides right there what kind of place this is. That first plate is the answer. On our Head Cook’s days off, you’re the one who plates it.

The Role: Second Cook (Ranch Cook)

You’re the second set of hands in a small, scratch kitchen at one of Colorado’s smallest dude ranches. When the Head Cook is on, you cook alongside her as her right hand. When she’s off, the kitchen is yours: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, family style, for up to 24 guests plus our crew.

Some weeks we have no guests on the ranch. Those weeks, you’ll help with maintenance, grounds, housekeeping, and whatever else gets the ranch ready for the next group. A year-round ranch runs on people who’ll do more than one job.

Who You Are

You Can Run the Day Solo
Three meals for guests and crew, on time, with no one looking over your shoulder.

You Cook Breakfast Like It Matters
Because to the guest who just rode in from Denver, it does.

Clean, Organized, On Time
The basics, done right, every single service.

You Like a Small Team
Everyone here eats with guests and pitches in on dishes, wranglers included. There’s no back-of-house here.

Pressure Without Drama
You handle the heat without making the rest of the kitchen feel it.

You Back Your Lead
When the Head Cook’s on, you’re her right hand. When she’s off, the kitchen’s yours.

Room and Board
You’ll live on the ranch, with on-site housing and 3 meals a day included.

The Honest Part
We’re at 8,000 ft, 45 minutes from Fort Collins, and the cell signal is patchy. It’s physical work, with weekends and holidays included. If that sounds like the appeal, read on.

The Details

• Position: Second Cook, full-time, year-round, live-in

• Start: as soon as possible

• Pay: $18–$24/hr depending on experience, paid bi-weekly, plus tips, paid bi-weekly

• Benefits: housing and 3 meals a day, paid sick leave, Colorado FAMLI, workers’ comp from day one

• Requirements: current CPR and First Aid before your start date, and a background check

• Applications: Open until filled