Development Chef

Dream Lab (Enterprise); Greater London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Dream Lab (Enterprise) in London is seeking an experienced Development Chef to lead the creation and rollout of new dishes and concepts. The role blends high culinary standards with commercial and operational thinking across high-volume settings.

You will develop menus, test recipes, cost and implement production standards while collaborating with Operations, Finance and suppliers. This hands-on leadership role suits a chef with Michelin/fine dining exposure and strong project management.

Qualifications

• Strong culinary background, ideally including Michelin/fine dining.
• Experience across high-volume catering, luxury hotels, events, aviation or multi-site operations.
• Proven experience in menu and concept development.
• Strong understanding of food costing, GP, yields and labour.
• Operationally minded with an emphasis on scalability and consistency.
• Highly organised, proactive and self-sufficient.
• Creative, technically strong and commercially focused.
• Excellent communicator across departments.

Responsibilities

• Develop new dishes, menus and concepts from idea through to launch.
• Lead recipe development, testing, costing and implementation.
• Manage GP, yields, waste, portion control and procurement.
• Factor labour, efficiency and scalability into menu development.
• Create recipes, specifications, allergens and production documentation.
• Support new openings and concept development.
• Lead menu rollouts and train teams to deliver consistently.
• Work closely with Operations, Finance, Procurement, suppliers and clients.
• Research food trends and develop creative, commercially viable menus.
• Manage multiple projects while maintaining exceptional attention to detail.

Skills

Culinary excellence

Fine dining experience

Menu development

Costing & GP

Operations mindset

Team communication

Job description

We are looking for an experienced Development Chef to join an exciting and growing hospitality business in London.

This is a hands-on role combining high culinary standards with strong commercial and operational thinking. You will develop dishes, menus and concepts from initial idea through to testing, costing, implementation and rollout.

The Role

• Develop new dishes, menus and concepts from idea through to launch
• Lead recipe development, testing, costing and implementation
• Manage GP, yields, waste, portion control and procurement
• Factor labour, efficiency and scalability into menu development
• Create recipes, specifications, allergens and production documentation
• Support new openings and concept development
• Lead menu rollouts and train teams to deliver consistently
• Work closely with Operations, Finance, Procurement, suppliers and clients
• Research food trends and develop creative, commercially viable menus
• Manage multiple projects while maintaining exceptional attention to detail

About You

• Strong culinary background, ideally including Michelin/fine dining
• Experience across high-volume catering, luxury hotels, events, aviation or multi-site operations
• Proven experience in menu and concept development
• Strong understanding of food costing, GP, yields, waste and labour
• Operationally minded, with an understanding of scalability and consistency
• Highly organised, proactive and self-sufficient
• Creative, technically strong and commercially focused
• Excellent communicator and comfortable working across multiple departments

Ideal for a chef who can combine creativity and culinary excellence with the commercial and operational realities of a growing business.

Development chef, London, England, United Kingdom