Freelance Community Café Lead – Cafe Barr at the Dusty Forge
We’re looking for a freelance cook / café lead to run a weekly community café at the Dusty Forge in Ely (Cafe Barr).
Each Wednesday, you’ll coordinate and supervise a small team of volunteers to cook and serve a free, healthy breakfast and lunch for local residents. You’ll be working closely with our Grand Avenues Community Probation project, supporting men on probation and other community members to build skills, confidence and experience in a real café setting.
Could this be you? We’re looking for someone who:
- Loves cooking and believes in good food for everyone
- Has experience running or supporting community food / cooking projects or similar café / kitchen work
- Is confident supervising volunteers, including people with lived experience of the criminal justice system, in a respectful and non-judgemental way
- Holds a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate (or equivalent) and ideally Level 3 Food Hygiene / Supervising Food Safety, or is willing to complete this
- Understands basic food safety and allergen regulations and can keep on top of kitchen paperwork (temperature checks, cleaning schedules etc.)
- Is registered self-employed and able to invoice for their time
- Is able to travel to the Dusty Forge, Ely, Cardiff each Wednesday
Key details
- Freelance role – 1 day per week (Wednesdays), This will be approx. 7 hours incl. prep / clear-up. Hours will be typically 9.00 am to 4 pm.
- Location: Dusty Forge, 460 Cowbridge Road West, Cardiff CF5 5BZ
- Hourly rate – £18 / hour
- Contract: This is a pilot initiative until March 2026. We hope that this will become an ongoing project, subject to funding.
- Start date: December 2025
- Appointment subject to a DBS check
Application deadline: 5pm Weds, 26th of November
How to apply
If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
Please send a short expression of interest – no more than a side of A4 paper (who you are, your experience and why you’re interested) plus a current CV to: recruitment@aceplace.org. Application deadline is 5pm Weds, 26th of November.
Please state “Cafe Barr – Freelance Community Café Lead” in the subject line.
