Pond Hill Farm

Last Updated On: junio 4th, 2021 at 11:59AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
5699 S Lake Shore Drive
Harbor Springs, Michigan, 49740

Primary Contact: Marcello Molteni
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 231-526-3276
    Email: mmolteni@pondhill.com

Website: https://www.pondhill.com

Internship information

General Farm Description: Pond Hill Farm is an eclectic family farm located in Northern Michigan on 197 acres in the lakeside community of Harbor Springs. Starting as a vegetable farm in 1995, it has grown to become an agricultural tourism destination known for its free-spirited and welcoming vibe that is enjoyed by all generations. Visitors are warmly embraced while connecting with the farm’s bounty within a relaxed and beautiful setting that produces vegetables, berries, grapes, beer, wine, flowers and canned goods, which are shared via the café, tasting room, market and farm-to-table events. As a seasonally driven business, operations fluctuate depending on the time of year, which fosters an innovative, flexible and cross-functional work environment. This unique community ecosystem has created an environment that attracts tens of thousands of customers each year, who come from all around the country to enjoy what our land has to offer.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: Mid June 2021
Internship Ends: October 31, 2021
Number of Internship Available: 2
Application Deadline: June 25, 2021
Minimum Length of Stay: 4 months

Internship Details:

As a culinary trainee, your main focus will be daily preparation and execution of daily lunch service, assisting with private farm-to-table events, and canning production. While it is preferred that you arrive with some basic cooking skills and knowledge of proper sanitation, it is not required. Trainees need to be prepared for a challenge and to take on a significant degree of responsibility in our fast-paced kitchens. You will have the opportunity to explore other areas of the farm as time permits.

Areas of focus:
Café Kitchen – most of your time will be spent working in the café kitchen preparing lunches, with responsibility for the daily set up, operation, cleaning, and closing of the kitchen area as directed by the chef. These duties include, but are not limited to, preparation and execution of lunch menu items, washing dishes and other various kitchen equipment and utensils, and advance preparation of food items in accordance with production requirements. These processes must be held to our quality standards while maintaining a safe, sanitary work environment, ensuring quality and consistency by following recipes and production and portion guidelines. You will also participate in special events including farm-to-table dinners, of which trainees may take a larger role in each subsequent dinner. The spring/summer/fall season(s) of 2021 will introduce a new, expanded service. This service will include new hours of operation beginning Memorial Day Weekend and continuing throughout the rest of the high season. Our anticipation for this year is to expand our pizza program from 1 night per week to 4 nights per week, while also introducing a new, small dinner menu, composed of various products from the farmland and surrounding areas. Culinary trainees will be expected to aid in the preparation and execution of this expanded service, as directed by the head chef. Canning Kitchen – On occasion you will work in canning production. Your duties will include but not be limited to, prepping vegetables and other ingredients according to FDA approved recipes, processing jars in hot water baths, assisting with record keeping, labeling finished product and cleaning. All production is overseen by the Pond Hill Farm employee with commercial canning credentials, and maintaining a sanitary environment will be of utmost importance.

Head Chef: Marcello Molteni
This season we welcome our new Chef, Marcello Molteni. Marcello was born in Geneva, Switzerland, but has spent the majority of his life here in Michigan. He is a first generation Italian-American, with strong roots in the north of Italy. Marcello was formally trained in the culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and has worked in several prestigious restaurants, including: Osteria Francescana (Italy), Alinea (Chicago), Marea (New York City), and SheWolf (Detroit). His anticipation for the 2021 season and beyond is to refine the food program at Pond Hill Farm by introducing new menu items and concepts based upon the changing seasons and the produce that is grown on our land. He is a passionate young man, full of desire to work with and teach a new team of eager individuals. His style of cooking leans heavily on his Italian heritage and the rusticity of the food he was surrounded by growing up. Marcello is someone that loves to be involved with nature. You will find him out in the hoop houses, picking tomatoes in the morning, foraging wild mushrooms in the woods during the various mushrooms seasons, or chopping wood somewhere on the farm–he is a lover of the freedom that the great outdoors provides, and derives great enjoyment from sharing his knowledge and love for these activities. His expectation is that any candidate who desires to work with him and his team be humble, hungry for knowledge, willing to work with others to achieve a common goal, and most importantly, desiring to become a better, more conscious cook and steward of the land. Days/Hours: 5 days/40 hours per week

Educational Opportunities: Trainees discuss goals with the chef and choose additional areas of interest. We strive to use as much as we can from our own farm, so there is an opportunity to learn how to rotate menu items with seasonal availability and how to turn excess or slightly damaged produce from a liability into a profit. Opportunities exist to design, prepare, and execute a course at a Farm to Table dinner for up to 60 guests, learning to work with a diversified, professional staff, adjusting preparation of all menu items in accordance with fluctuating business due to seasonality, and the purchasing/receiving of raw materials. Other opportunities exist for product development in the canning kitchen. We are always looking for ways to incorporate our produce into new products. Research and development in this area will be overseen by the Pond Hill Farm employee with credentials for commercial canning.

Skills Desired: Skills Desired: Trainees need to be prepared for a wide range of challenging experiences, and be ready to take on a significant degree of responsibility on a farm that serves thousands of customers a day and grows more than just vegetables! Commercial cooking is physically and mentally demanding, but fun and rewarding too! Trainees must have the following characteristics: Desire to learn Self-motivated Hard-working Creative Curious Energetic Detail-oriented Independant Attention to customer service and comfortable engaging with others Ability to lift 50 pounds Previous restaurant experience preferred but not required

Meals: Trainees will prepare their own breakfast, lunch and dinner. Staples and vegetable produce is provided. There is a discount on food from the Farm Market and Café onsite.

Stipend: $9.65/hr plus a portion of tip sharing from front of house. Employees will receive discounts on farm merchandise. Produce and other staple food items will be provisioned, as well as wild protein (lake trout, salmon, and venison), and pizza (pizza nights only) when in season and the hunting/fishing is good.

Housing: On property housing with two kitchens and two bathrooms is provided in a rustic, shared cabin. Each trainee has their own room, and wi-fi, washer and dryer are available.

Preferred method of Contact: Send letter of interest and contact information of three references to mmolteni@pondhill.com