Early Years Chef

YMCA Dulverton Group; Tarnock; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

YMCA Dulverton Group is seeking an Early Years Chef to create healthy meals across our nursery settings. You will handle preparation, cooking, and portion control while maintaining high hygiene standards and meeting diverse dietary needs.

The role requires experience in catering, strong organisation, and the ability to work in a busy kitchen environment. Training and development opportunities are available within a supportive team.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a chef or catering role in a busy kitchen.
• Knowledge of dietary requirements and allergens.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, busy environment with attention to food safety.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and serve healthy meals and snacks for young children.
• Cater to dietary needs, allergies and cultural preferences.
• Manage food orders, stock levels and kitchen budgets.
• Maintain high standards of hygiene and food safety records.
• Coordinate meal production across multiple nursery settings.
• Work with nursery teams to meet individual dietary needs.
• Support healthy eating initiatives and positive food experiences.

Skills

Catering experience

Food hygiene awareness

Time management

Education

Food Hygiene Level 2

Job description

What we are looking for in you

Do you have a passion for creating healthy, nutritious meals for young children?

We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic Early Years Chef to join our friendly team. This is a rewarding opportunity to play a vital role in supporting children's health, wellbeing, and development through high-quality, nutritious food.

Our kitchen is a busy, fast-paced environment, preparing fresh meals and snacks for children across multiple Early Years settings. This role requires excellent organisation, time management, and the ability to work efficiently while maintaining the highest standards of food safety and quality.

What You'll Be Doing

• Preparing and serving healthy, balanced meals, snacks, and teas for young children.
• Catering for a range of dietary requirements, allergies, and cultural preferences.
• Managing food orders, stock levels, and kitchen budgets.
• Maintaining excellent food hygiene and health and safety standards.
• Completing food safety records and monitoring systems.
• Working closely with nursery teams to ensure children's individual dietary needs are met.
• Supporting healthy eating initiatives and positive food experiences for children.
• Coordinating meal production across multiple nursery settings, ensuring food is prepared, packed, and delivered to a consistently high standard.

We're Looking For Someone Who:

• Has previous chef or catering experience.
• Thrives in a busy, fast-paced kitchen environment.
• Can effectively prioritise and manage competing demands.
• Holds a Food Hygiene Level 2 qualification (or is willing to obtain one).
• Has a good understanding of allergens and dietary requirements.
• Is reliable, organised, and able to work independently.
• Has a genuine passion for providing healthy, nutritious food for children.

What We Offer

• A supportive and friendly working environment.
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• Employee wellbeing support.
• Generous holiday entitlement.
• The opportunity to make a real difference to children's health and wellbeing every day.

What you might want to know about us

We appreciate your interest in joining our team and exploring opportunities with YMCA Dulverton Group. At YMCA Dulverton Group, we are not just a charity; we are a dynamic and vibrant local community committed to fostering supportive, inclusive, and empowering environments. Our mission is to cultivate communities where young people can authentically belong, actively contribute, and truly thrive

We deliver life changing services to over 10,000 children, young people and, families across Somerset and Devon every year. We focus on 6 key areas of work, including Support and Advice, Housing, Family and Youth Work, YMCA Gym, Training and Education and Our Hotels.

We regularly adapt our services to help ensure we meet the needs of our community and the strategic priorities of the local authority. We strive to provide a consistent supply of high-quality housing and effective support

Our employees are on board with our constantly evolving organisation, and are dedicated to changing the lives of those who utilise our services. If the prospect of contributing to youth development, fostering positive community impact, and making a meaningful difference resonates with you, we would like to learn more about how your skills and passion align with our mission, aim and values

We are committed to providing equal opportunities for all. We are committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce, and eliminating unlawful discrimination. We are striving to be a care leaver friendly employer, and because of this, if you wish to disclose that you are care experienced, we guarantee you an interview as long as you meet the minimum requirements for the role. Following this, we also offer constructive feedback on your application process.