Head Chef

The Mill; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free meals

Pub discounts

Share save scheme

Pension scheme

28 days holiday

Apprenticeship scheme

Masterclasses

Food trips

Chef forums

Development programmes

Job summary

The Mill in Cambridge is seeking a Head Chef to lead the kitchen, crafting innovative menus from seasonal produce and delivering exceptional dining experiences at the pub by the River Cam.

You will recruit and develop the kitchen team, manage cost controls, uphold health and safety standards, and drive revenue through creative dishes and strong kitchen leadership.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a kitchen, ideally as Head Chef or Sous Chef.
• Ability to inspire and develop a high-performing team.
• Hands-on leader with strong communication and people skills.
• Proven track record with menu design, costing and seasonal produce.
• Proactive in driving sales and menu innovation.

Responsibilities

• Inspire and manage a kitchen team to deliver creative, seasonal menus.
• Cost, price and produce menus to maximise GP and meet targets.
• Lead health and safety, training and rota planning.
• Drive growth through front-of-house collaboration and new dishes.

Skills

Autonomy to create menus

Team leadership

Excellent communication

Kitchen rosta management

Cost & GP control

Creativity in dishes

Planning & organisation

Drive sales & growth

Job description

Head Chef

About us:

The Mill is one of Cambridge’s iconic pubs, located just down by a beautiful river, we are not the largest of pubs but, boy do we pack character. Idyllically located on the grassy banks of the River Cam overlooking Laundress Green, the 19th Century Mill is one of Cambridge’s most iconic pubs and renowned for its wide choice of well-kept real ales. The winner of numerous CAMRA Awards, the Mill is a really special place to visit whatever the season.

Being a Head Chef at Young's:

We believe every pub should be different. This means that you'll be writing your own recipes that match the food vision of your business using fresh seasonal ingredients. The food vision could be all about showcasing local produce, country pub classics, seafood, small plates and sharers, dry-aged meat - each pub is different and its up to you as head chef to put your own creative stamp on that vision. We work with fresh, seasonal produce, so the menu should constantly evolve to showcase these fantastic ingredients when they are at their best. Premium fresh food crafted by skilled chefs in Premium Pubs .

What we offer our Head Chefs:

• Head Chefs get to have full autonomy to create your own menus and specials
• Access to our Apprenticeship Scheme and Development Programmes
• Access to regular culinary masterclasses covering topics such as Game, Butchery and Shellfish
• Access to inspirational food trips with our top quality suppliers
• Regular Chef Forums with other Head Chefs to inspire and develop
• Free meals
• 20% discount in all Young's Pubs and 30% discount on overnight stays in our Pubs with Rooms
• Share save Scheme
• Enhanced Company Pension Scheme
• 28 Days Holiday per year

What we look for in a Head Chef:

This role requires someone that can inspire a team, to bring out the potential and lead by example whilst being able to develop, cost and produce fresh seasonal menus for the variety of revenue streams within the business.

• Have experience championing excellent service through quality food either as a Head Chef or in the position of Sous Chef
• Demonstrate a passion for leading and developing a team
• Be an active hands-on team player with excellent communication skills
• Be responsible and able to manage the kitchen staff rota, training and all health and safety effectively at all times
• Be able to demonstrate your creativity and ability to design and deliver new dishes for our menus and daily specials
• Demonstrate great planning and organisational skills, necessary to maintain effective controls with regard to both GP and labour
• Have a pro-active approach to driving sales and delivering growth, through engagement with both kitchen and front of house teams