Valamo Monastery is located in Heinävesi, in the middle of the peaceful nature of Lake Finland. It is a living Orthodox monastery that offers its visitors the opportunity for silence, cultural experiences, and high-quality accommodation and restaurant services. Valamo is a lively tourist and cultural destination, especially in the summer.
Ravintola Trapesa is a 260-seat, fully licensed restaurant in the heart of Valamo Monastery, serving tourists, groups, and special occasions. The restaurant serves traditional and modern dishes, many of which are made from local ingredients and the monastery's own products. Valamo cuisine draws on Orthodox culinary traditions, which combine feasts and fasting times, the aromas of Byzantine vegetarian and herbal cuisine, the warmth of Slavic cuisine, and the hearty, deep-rooted warmth of Karelian home cooking. Vegetarian food and natural seasons are an important part of the monastery's dining table - simple can be delicious and profound at the same time. The operations also include order and party services, a café and the monastery's own winery, whose products are an important part of Valamo's food culture.
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We are looking for a competent and enthusiastic restaurant manager or kitchen manager to develop and be responsible for the monastery's restaurant operations comprehensively - with heart and professionalism. We expect the key person at Trapesa to have several years of work experience working in a kitchen and restaurant and a desire to develop the monastery's food tradition and service package. You will be responsible for the daily operations of the restaurant, managing personnel and the quality of the customer experience. You lead by example, value quality food, service and presentation, and know how to lead a team in a relaxed but responsible manner. You are used to leading change and developing teams - now you have the opportunity to be part of building the future of Trapesa. You will take care of the daily operations of the kitchen and hall and maintain a good atmosphere in the work community. You will participate in food preparation and other daily operational work as needed, and you will be responsible for shift planning, orientation, orders, self-supervision, inventory management, cost monitoring, and planning menus, drinks, and café products.
We expect from a restaurant or kitchen manager
- appropriate education, e.g. restaurateur or other restaurant and kitchen education
- several years of work experience in responsible positions
- evidence of competence in food preparation and food product development
- strong evidence of restaurant operations management
- understanding of kitchen operations and food preparation
- excellent teamwork and interaction skills
- good organizational and pressure tolerance and cooperative approach
- supervisory skills and experience
- ability to work in the midst of the rush and pressure of the high season
- creativity and enthusiasm for development and experience in development
- strong professional competence in diverse kitchen and/or restaurant work tasks
- interest in developing and nurturing the monastery's culinary traditions, which combine Byzantine, Slavic and Karelian influences
In addition, we are looking for a skilled restaurant worker who will participate in both kitchen and hall tasks in the restaurant. The work includes food preparation, serving, sales and customer service, as well as ensuring the cleanliness and cleaning of the premises. You are genuinely service-minded and enthusiastic about contributing to maintaining and developing the quality of restaurant operations together with the team.
From a restaurant employee we expect
- suitable restaurant or kitchen training
- various work experience in similar tasks
- excellent, positive service attitude
- ability to work amidst the rush and pressure of the high season
- good teamwork and interaction skills
- hygiene and bartending experience
We offer both:
- various work in a unique monastery environment
- support from the team and your own supervisor
- the opportunity for an affordable for meals
- e-passport as an employment benefit
- permanent, full-time work
The main language of work at Valamo is Finnish, but you must be prepared to serve customers in English and, if possible, in other languages.
We will adapt the job descriptions according to the strengths of the selected individuals. We want you to be able to use your skills in the best possible way so that they also serve the operations of the café-restaurant Trapesa. Send a free-form application with your salary expectations no later than 31.1.2026. Please note that we will fill the positions once a suitable person has been found.
Employment relationship: permanent
Start of work: by agreement, no later than April 2026
Salary: Mara TES or contract salary
Probation period: 6 months
More information about the position and applications:
Markku Puustinen
Director of Tourism Services
Valamo Monastery
tel. 040 351 7074
markku.puustinen@valamo.fi
