Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine is currently accepting applications for the following positions. Please send resumes and cover letters (required) to jobs@pastoralartisan.com.

Gourmet Counter Sales Associates:  This is a counter sales position which is service and education intensive. Pastoral requires self-starters with strong communication skills who wish to work in a dynamic, fast-paced, front-of-house culinary environment. Applicants must show excellent people skills, a strong desire to learn and educate customers, and a good service ethic. In addition to general counter service, responsibilities include preparing gourmet sandwiches, artisan catering trays and gift baskets. Prior food industry experience and proficient knife skills are required.

These positions are part-time, 25-35 hours a week. Shifts generally run from either 9:00am -3:00pm or 3:00pm - 9:00pm, Monday – Friday, and 10:00am – 7:00pm weekends. Please do not apply unless your schedule meets at least some of these shift times. Employees receive a 25% store discount.

Sandwich Bar Associates: These positions are based primarily in our Loop and FrenchMarket stores, and focus on an always-growing segment of our business: fulfillment of sandwich, salad and picnic orders. Candidates must be energetic self-starters with customer service experience and a desire to work in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment. Prior food experience and proficient knife skills are necessary. Sandwich Bar Associates may also assist with building trays and gift baskets for catering and gift order fulfillment.

This position is part-time, and requires weekday availability. Sandwich Bar Associates are needed for at least two morning/mid-day shifts (8:30am - 3:00pm), two evening shifts (2:30pm - 7:30pm), or a combination thereof. Please do not apply unless your schedule meets these requirements. Employees receive a 25% store discount .

OPEN POSITION: Wine Buyer/Educator
Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine is a European-inspired, authentic neighborhood cheese and wine shop, offering the highest quality fine and artisan cheeses from America and around the world, select small production wines and freshly baked breads along with a full complement of related items such as charcuterie and olives. The company was founded in 2004 in the East Lakeview section of Chicago, and now operates two additional locations in Chicago’s Loop and the Chicago French Market at the Ogilvie Train Station.

Pastoral is currently seeking an experienced wine professional to steward our robust wine and spirits program. Applicants must have a strong working knowledge of wine and spirits in the context of food (especially cheese), and possess skill purchasing and managing wine stock in a retail setting. Applicants must be educated in major grape varietals and critical wine tasting, and be comfortable with and excited about educating staff and consumers alike. Pastoral’s wine program focuses on small-production, sustainably-produced wines – applicants must be educated in wines reflecting this approach. Sommelier certification is strongly preferred, but not absolutely necessary.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• seeking out and choosing wine and spirits representing Pastoral’s tightly-focused, small- production, food-friendly approach to its wine selection;
• organizing and placing orders with distributors;
• maintaining accurate wine databases, including price and margin management in Pastoral’s point-of-sale system;
• writing lively, focused descriptors of each wine for display on the wine walls;
• with Pastoral’s buying team, strategically choosing weekly wine and cheese pairings for optimal sales capacity, as well as educating staff in writing on such pairings;
• coordinating monthly and quarterly wine tastings for consumers;
• organizing monthly selections for Pastoral’s Wine of the Month and Pairing of the Month
membership clubs, including written descriptions of selections;
• and, most importantly, educating staff and consumers on both Pastoral’s approach to the wine program, and overall wine education.

The wine and spirits buyer position is part-time (20-25 hours per week). Compensation is commensurate with experience. Resumes should be sent to jobs@pastoralartisan.com. Resumes not reflecting the above qualifications will not be considered. For more information about Pastoral, please see our website: www.pastoralartisan.com.