Events Sous Chef

Company of Cooks; Greater London; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Personal development

Life assurance

Pension

Holiday allowance

Wellbeing programme

Employee Assistance Programme

Healthcare app access

Family friendly support

Holiday purchase scheme

Social events

Long service awards

Discount vouchers

Job summary

Company of Cooks in London seeks an experienced Events Sous Chef to support the Head Chef and lead culinary delivery for diverse events at Southbank Centre. You will oversee high-volume operations across cafes, a Pizza Bar, and event catering, ensuring excellence in food quality and service.

The role requires strong leadership, extensive events experience, and a commitment to top-tier hygiene and standards. Salary £45,000 per annum; 40 hours per week, 5 out of 7 days.

Qualifications

• Previous Sous Chef experience in a large, fast-paced catering operation.
• Strong events and large-scale catering experience.
• Background in contract catering, venues or high-volume environments.
• Excellent food hygiene and kitchen standards.

Responsibilities

• Support the Head Chef in delivering high-quality food across a busy catering operation.
• Lead planning and delivery of events from small functions to large-scale events.
• Oversee day-to-day kitchen operations across cafes, a Pizza Bar, and event catering.
• Organise and manage food preparation for smooth service.
• Maintain excellent food hygiene, safety and kitchen standards.

Skills

Sous Chef experience

Events catering

Leadership

High-volume operations

Job description

We are Company of Cooks, and we believe brilliant food and drink start with brilliant people. For over 25 years, we’ve been part of some of the UK’s most loved cultural destinations, from historic palaces and botanical gardens to buzzing galleries and performance spaces, running the cafés, restaurants, bars and events that bring these incredible places to life.

Our values - Craft, Creativity and Community - guide everything we do. They shape how we work together, how we support our partners, and how we make each guest feel welcome. If you care about food, people and doing things properly, you’ll feel right at home here.

Wherever we are, we do more than serve. We bring places to life through food, service and creativity and we’re looking for a Events Sous Chef to join our team at Southbank Centre in London.

Salary: £45,000 per annum
Location: Southbank Centre, London, SE1 8XX
Working Pattern: 40 hours per week, 5 out of 7 days

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Head Chef in delivering high-quality food across a busy, high-volume catering operation.
• Take a lead role in the planning and delivery of events, from smaller functions through to large-scale events.
• Support day-to-day kitchen operations across cafés, a Pizza Bar, table service and event catering.
• Organise and manage food preparation to ensure smooth and efficient service.
• Maintain excellent food hygiene, safety and kitchen standards at all times.
• Lead and support the kitchen team during busy services and events.
• Work closely with permanent and agency chefs to ensure consistent standards.
• Stay calm, organised and hands-on in a fast-paced environment.

Our Ideal Candidates

• Previous Sous Chef experience within a large, fast-paced, high-volume catering operation.
• Strong events and large-scale catering experience.
• A background in contract catering, events, venues or similarly high-volume environments would be ideal.
• Excellent food hygiene knowledge and a strong understanding of kitchen standards.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Confident working under pressure and during busy event periods.
• A supportive team player with strong communication and leadership skills.
• Flexible and comfortable working across different styles of service.

What's in it for you?

Working with Company of Cooks has its perks! People are at the heart of everything we do, so we've developed a range of benefits to keep you happy.

• Personal Development and Training opportunities
• Life assurance scheme
• Pension scheme
• Holiday allowance
• A great wellbeing strategy – including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, salary finance
• Access to Healthcare Support App which includes Annual health check, Digital GP, Mental Health Consultations, Nutritional Consultations, Second Medical Opinion
• Family friendly support
• A holiday purchase scheme
• Regular social events and communication with our leaders
• Volunteering days
• Recognition schemes and people awards
• Long service awards
• Access to some great high street discount vouchers