aKin is a Michelin starred fine dining restaurant in the heart of Toronto, led by Chef Eric Chong, the first winner of MasterChef Canada and recipient of the Michelin Guide Toronto 2025 Young Chef Award, alongside his mentor and partner, Three Michelin starred Chef Alvin Leung.
Since opening in November 2024, aKin has earned one Michelin Star, been named one of Air Canada’s enRoute Best New Restaurants 2025, and placed 27th on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list.
aKin offers a 10 course blind tasting menu that reimagines Asian flavours through a modern fine dining lens. The menu draws from Chinese, Malaysian, Singaporean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Hong Kong culinary traditions, combining classic techniques, modern applications, premium ingredients, and detailed plating.
This is a small, ambitious kitchen built for cooks who want to grow, learn, and be part of one of the most exciting restaurants in Canada.
- Gratuity sharing, with cash tips distributed weekly
- Direct mentorship from a Michelin starred team
- Hands on training in fine dining pastry, tasting menu execution, and precision plating
- Exposure to premium ingredients such as chocolate, seasonal fruit, specialty teas, nuts, dairy, caviar, truffles, and imported Asian ingredients
- Experience with modern pastry techniques including mousses, gels, sorbets, ice creams, pâte à choux, laminated elements, tempering, fermentation, clarification, and molecular applications
- A deeper understanding of Asian desserts, flavours, and traditions through a fine dining perspective
- The opportunity to work on composed desserts, petits fours, snacks, and savoury crossover elements
- The chance to be part of a small team where your work is seen, valued, and directly contributes to the guest experience
- A chance to grow within a Michelin starred restaurant that continues to push for more
aKin is looking for a motivated Pastry Cook to join our kitchen team.
This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about pastry, eager to learn, and excited by the precision and discipline of fine dining. The position involves daily pastry prep, dessert production, petits fours, service execution, plating, cleaning, and maintaining the standards expected of a Michelin starred restaurant.
Our pastry team works closely with the savoury kitchen to create a cohesive tasting menu experience. The right candidate should be organized, focused, clean, consistent, and willing to learn. Fine dining pastry experience is an asset, but attitude, work ethic, attention to detail, and a genuine desire to improve are just as important.
- Prepare and execute pastry components for a 10 course tasting menu
- Work closely with the Pastry Chef, Chef, Sous Chefs, and Chef de Cuisine
- Assist with desserts, petits fours, snacks, garnishes, and pastry related menu items
- Follow detailed recipes, prep lists, portioning, and plating standards
- Maintain a clean, organized, and efficient pastry station
- Assist with daily prep, service, and breakdown
- Handle premium ingredients with care and consistency
- Support production of creams, gels, mousses, cakes, sorbets, ice creams, doughs, crisps, and garnishes
- Receive, label, rotate, and store products properly
- Follow FIFO, food safety, sanitation, WHMIS, and MSDS guidelines
- Support the team wherever needed during prep and service
- Take pride in the details, from scaling recipes to final plating
- 1 to 2 years of pastry or cooking experience preferred
- Fine dining, tasting menu, or pastry production experience is an asset, but not required
- Culinary or pastry diploma is an asset
- Basic understanding of pastry techniques, scaling, recipe execution, and kitchen organization
- Ability to follow direction and stay calm under pressure
- Clean, organized, reliable, and eager to learn
- Strong attention to detail and consistency
- Comfortable standing for extended periods
- Valid Food Handler Certificate preferred
- A strong interest in Asian flavours, modern pastry, and Michelin level standards
aKin is a demanding but rewarding environment. This is the right kitchen for someone who wants to be pushed, coached, and surrounded by people who care deeply about food. We are looking for cooks who want more than just a job. We are looking for people who want to grow.
