Chef

Sodexo; Wootton Bridge; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading catering service is seeking a Chef for the Emirates Lounge at Gatwick Airport. The role requires excellent craft skills and kitchen experience, focusing on high-quality service and hygiene standards. Responsibilities include training the kitchen staff and ensuring customer satisfaction. Shift work is involved, offering up to £16.00 per hour.

Qualifications

• Excellent craft skills are required.
• Kitchen experience is essential.
• Attention to detail is a must.

Responsibilities

• Ensure highest quality of service and customer satisfaction.
• Monitor food and beverage presentation and hygiene standards.
• Train and guide kitchen staff effectively.

Skills

Excellent craft skills

Kitchen experience

Highly motivated

Attention to detail

Good communication skills

Able to work on own initiative

Job description

Chef at Emirates Lounge Gatwick Airport,

Responsibilities

• Ensure that all customers are afforded a highest quality of service through continuous improvement to product and services. Constantly seek customer feedback and opportunities to develop the lounge product and communicate such in a concise manner to Emirates personnel.
• Responsible for the presentation of all food and beverage, ensuring quality, quantity are consistently monitored, maintained and display is as per set specification.
• Where possible follow food ratio guidelines set out by Emirates are followed.
• Ensure buffet and stock levels of all food and beverage items are properly maintained and replenished regularly as required and in accordance with food and safety standards. Control and monitor hygiene standards as per HACCAP.
• Provide training and guidance to service staff on the presentation and display of food.
• Ensure personal and food hygiene, as well as housekeeping standards in the lounge food services areas and kitchen are adhered to, as per company policy.
• Ensure all food orders are completed daily to ensure sufficient supplies of food stocks and at all times.
• Ensure that at the end of each service the kitchen is cleaned down and ready for the following shift.
• Ensure that back of house is kept clean and tidy at all times, including fridge and freezers and other store areas.
• Ensure that all products stored or displayed are date coded, stock rotated and labelled correctly using the shelf life rule.
• Ensure that sufficient preparation is completed for the following shift.
• Interact with Lounge customers to gain feedback on service and product. Communicate findings to Lounge Supervisor / Lounge Manager / Emirates staff in a timely manner. Liaise with Sodexo and Emirates Lounge team for any irregularities and other important information that impact the lounge operations. Communicate product, service and customer issues to Sodexo and Emirates staff, so that corrective action can be taken in a timely manner.
• Adhere to standard recipes and food specifications and knowledge book.
• Planning/forecasting the food consumption for the whole week and manage the stock with the other chefs and store person as well as all the supervisors.
• Come up with responsibilities and duties for all kitchen staff and what they need training on, which tasks needs to be shared among the team.
• Weekly Team meeting with kitchen staff and supervisors to ensure continuous progress is being made.
• Prepare the food preparation list for daily operation for the chef and KA.
• Communicate with all the supervisors about everything related to the kitchen in terms of monitoring cooking process/times, cleanliness and paperwork.
• Create a hand‑over sheet/book to help all the chefs and kitchen assistants with communicating with each other as well as the supervisors and also monitor with the help of the supervisors that it is being followed.
• Help train the other chef and store person with ordering and recording what they are cooking or what is missing.
• Train other kitchen staff on correct labeling and date coding all food items in line with allergens.
• Train kitchen staff on correct use of food temperature probe and recording the temperatures and also in regards to probe calibration.
• Show and train staff about how to clean their sections/fridges/equipment.
• Train all chef/KA on how to check and prepare salads as per ratio and manage wastage.
• Train and guide staff with cooking times (how long does it take to cook a specific dish) and multi‑tasking.
• Train staff on correct way to record temperature (food, dishwasher) and checking/monitoring food temperature.
• Draw up new cleaning schedules for the chefs and KA.
• Ensure standard of cleanliness, sanitation and also all safety aspects are maintained throughout the kitchen area at all times.

Qualifications

• Excellent craft skills
• Kitchen experience
• Highly motivated
• Attention to detail
• Good communication skills
• Able to work on own initiative within a team environment

Desirable

• Lounge experience

Package

• Upto £16.00 per hour
• Shift work pattern – 4 days on 2 days off (2 earlies, 2 lates, 2 off)