Executive Head Chef

Bespoke Hotels Ltd; Kingswear; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Bespoke Hotels Ltd in Dartmouth is seeking an Executive Head Chef to lead the hotel’s culinary operation, shaping a distinctive, high-quality food offering across outlets and events while maintaining safe, sustainable practices.

Reporting to the General Manager, you will recruit and develop a brigade, drive profitability, and ensure menu development balances creativity with operational practicality and dietary needs.

Responsibilities

• Set and deliver the culinary strategy for the hotel, ensuring the food offer supports the brand, business plan and target market.
• Take full accountability for food quality, taste, presentation, consistency and speed of service across every outlet, function and event.
• Lead from the kitchen floor during key services, providing visible direction and maintaining calm, disciplined and effective operations.
• Recruit, induct, coach and retain a high-performing brigade, with clear objectives, regular feedback, performance reviews and succession plans.
• Create a positive, inclusive and accountable kitchen culture that promotes teamwork, professional standards, wellbeing and continuous learning.
• Develop, cost and implement seasonal menus that balance creativity, guest appeal, operational practicality, dietary requirements and profitability.
• Own food gross profit, payroll, purchasing, stock, portion control and waste performance, taking timely action to achieve agreed budgets and targets.
• Forecast demand and plan staffing, production and resources for breakfast, restaurants, room service, weddings, conferences, banqueting and special events.
• Maintain exemplary standards of food safety, hygiene, allergen management and health and safety, ensuring full legal, company and audit compliance.
• Maintain accurate kitchen records, risk assessments, cleaning schedules, temperature controls, training documentation and due-diligence systems.
• Manage supplier relationships and product specifications to secure consistent quality, traceability, availability, sustainability and value for money.
• Partner with the General Manager, Food and Beverage team, Sales and Events teams and other department heads to optimise revenue and service delivery.
• Use guest feedback, financial results and operational data to identify trends, resolve issues and drive measurable improvements.
• Ensure kitchen equipment and facilities are used safely, maintained effectively and supported by appropriate repair and replacement planning.
• Support environmental and social responsibility objectives by reducing waste, improving resource efficiency and considering responsible sourcing.
• Act as a credible ambassador for the hotel, demonstrating the company’s values and the highest standards of professional conduct.

Job description

The knowledgeable individual who shares stories; the guide who knows both the coastal path and the nautical lifestyle

What are we looking for - Confident, quietly surprising, warm, witty, respectful.

Our Values

Everything we do ties people closer to each other, to nature, and to the Dart.

We are proud of our connection to the region, producers and traditions. Our people are ambassadors for Dartmouth sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm.

We create experiences that connect people – to each other, to nature, and to the stories of this place. Guests feel part of something larger – a living community, a heritage that matters, a landscape that restores. It’s connection that sparks curiosity, nurtures relationships, and ensures every traveller feels in their element

At Noss on Dart everyone is welcomed with warmth, enriched by heritage, and inspired by the pause between tide and trail.

Here, the menus shift with the tide and the hedgerow, bringing food and drink that are rooted in place and served with generosity. The crew carry a rare instinct for service, quick to notice, quicker to connect, and always approachable.

Heritage is never hidden away but woven into the experience, with stories of shipbuilders, sailors, and writers alive in the spaces. As a true waypoint, the setting opens equally to sea and land, past and present.

The spa and surrounding nature move guests from salt to stillness, restoring balance inside and out. And throughout, partnerships with local producers, neighbours, and voices ensure the spirit of Dartmouth flows through every stay.

Role Overview

Reporting to the General Manager, the Executive Head Chef will lead the hotel’s culinary operation and take overall responsibility for food quality, kitchen performance, team capability and commercial results. The role will shape a distinctive and consistently high-quality food offering across all outlets and events while ensuring safe, efficient and sustainable working practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Set and deliver the culinary strategy for the hotel, ensuring the food offer supports the brand, business plan and target market.
• Take full accountability for food quality, taste, presentation, consistency and speed of service across every outlet, function and event.
• Lead from the kitchen floor during key services, providing visible direction and maintaining calm, disciplined and effective operations.
• Recruit, induct, coach and retain a high-performing brigade, with clear objectives, regular feedback, performance reviews and succession plans.
• Create a positive, inclusive and accountable kitchen culture that promotes teamwork, professional standards, wellbeing and continuous learning.
• Develop, cost and implement seasonal menus that balance creativity, guest appeal, operational practicality, dietary requirements and profitability.
• Own food gross profit, payroll, purchasing, stock, portion control and waste performance, taking timely action to achieve agreed budgets and targets.
• Forecast demand and plan staffing, production and resources for breakfast, restaurants, room service, weddings, conferences, banqueting and special events.
• Maintain exemplary standards of food safety, hygiene, allergen management and health and safety, ensuring full legal, company and audit compliance.
• Maintain accurate kitchen records, risk assessments, cleaning schedules, temperature controls, training documentation and due-diligence systems.
• Manage supplier relationships and product specifications to secure consistent quality, traceability, availability, sustainability and value for money.
• Partner with the General Manager, Food and Beverage team, Sales and Events teams and other department heads to optimise revenue and service delivery.
• Use guest feedback, financial results and operational data to identify trends, resolve issues and drive measurable improvements.
• Ensure kitchen equipment and facilities are used safely, maintained effectively and supported by appropriate repair and replacement planning.
• Support environmental and social responsibility objectives by reducing waste, improving resource efficiency and considering responsible sourcing.
• Act as a credible ambassador for the hotel, demonstrating the company’s values and the highest standards of professional conduct.