Head Chef - Local Italian

seek.com.au; Sydney; On-site; AUD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus Scheme

Career pathways across a growing group

Job summary

seek.com.au is seeking a Head Chef for an intimate Italian restaurant & wine bar in inner east Sydney. You will lead menu development, set the tone for service, and shape the venue’s direction over the next 12 months with creative input and strong team leadership.

You will manage food cost, build and train a kitchen team, and collaborate with floor and wine teams to deliver exceptional dining experiences. Full Australian work rights are required.

Qualifications

• Previous Head Chef or strong Sous Chef experience in a quality venue.
• Commercial understanding of food cost, labour and margin.
• Leader who builds people up and keeps the kitchen calm.
• Reliability, consistency and pride in the details.
• Full working rights in Australia.

Responsibilities

• Leading menu development: seasonal, Italian led and built to sit alongside an Italian wine list.
• Owning food cost and GP against budget.
• Building, training and managing the kitchen team.
• Running rosters and labour against trading patterns.
• Managing suppliers, ordering and stock.
• Setting and holding food safety and HACCP standards.
• Quality control on every plate that leaves the pass.
• Working with the floor and wine team on pairings, events and private dining.

Skills

Head Chef

Food cost control

Team leadership

HACCP compliance

Italian cuisine

Job description

Head Chef | Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar, Inner East Sydney

About us

We’re an established Italian restaurant and wine bar in Sydney’s inner east, set in a heritage building with a serious wine list and a room built for long dinners and date nights. We’re part of a growing Sydney hospitality group with multiple venues across the city.

The venue is a small and intimate restaurant & wine bar with 50 seats.

The role

We’re looking for a Head Chef to take our food to the same level as our wine and our room. This is a chance to put your name on a menu, build a kitchen team you’re proud of, and shape what the venue becomes over the next 12 months. You’ll have real creative input, the support of a group that backs its people, and a room that already has the bones of something special. If you cook Italian food with care, lead calmly under pressure, and want to build something rather than just run a service, we’d love to talk.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading menu development: seasonal, Italian led and built to sit alongside an Italian wine list
• Owning food cost and GP against budget
• Building, training and managing the kitchen team
• Running rosters and labour against trading patterns
• Managing suppliers, ordering and stock
• Setting and holding food safety and HACCP standards
• Quality control on every plate that leaves the pass
• Working with the floor and wine team on pairings, events and private dining

What we’re looking for

• Previous Head Chef or strong Sous Chef experience in a quality venue
• Commercial understanding of food cost, labour and margin
• A leader who builds people up and keeps the kitchen calm
• Reliability, consistency and pride in the details
• Full working rights in Australia

What’s in it for you

• Bonus Scheme
• Career pathways across a growing hospitality group