Head Chef

COREcruitment Ltd; Camden Town; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

COREcruitment Ltd is seeking a Head Chef to lead a brand-new gastropub and upstairs chop house at King's Cross. The role involves shaping menus from day one, building a brigade, and delivering high-quality seasonal British cooking with in-house production.

Openings are planned for Spring 2027 with a Christmas pre-start. You will manage costs, staffing and systems to ensure a successful launch and ongoing 7-day operations.

Qualifications

• Experience as Head Chef or strong Sous Chef ready to step up.
• Solid fresh food background from gastropubs, chophouses, grills or similar.
• Confident with butchery, grilling and cooking prime cuts.
• Opening or pre-opening experience is a real advantage.
• Hands-on leader able to train and build a brigade.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full kitchen operation across downstairs pub and upstairs chop house.
• Write and develop seasonal menus built on fresh British produce, cooked from scratch.
• Play a key part in the pre-opening, including kitchen set-up, suppliers, systems and launch menus.
• Recruit, train and develop a new brigade, building kitchen culture from the start.
• Run busy services across a 7-day operation, including a strong Sunday lunch trade.
• Manage GP, food costs, labour, ordering and stock control.
• Keep food safety, health and safety and allergen standards at the highest level.

Skills

Head Chef

Hands-on leadership

Butchery

Menu development

GP cost control

Job description

Head Chef - New Opening Gastropub and Chop House - King's Cross £55,000

A rare chance for a Head Chef to open a fresh food-led pub and upstairs chop house from scratch in King's Cross.

An exciting new opening near King's Cross is looking for a Head Chef to lead the kitchen from day one. The site will run a fresh food-led pub downstairs and a chop house restaurant upstairs, built on seasonal British produce, proper cooking and everything made in house.

The venue opens in Spring 2027. The ideal start is before Christmas, so the Head Chef can be part of the pre-opening, shaping the menus, building the brigade and setting the standards before the doors open.

The Head Chef role

• Lead the full kitchen operation across the downstairs pub and the upstairs chop house.
• Write and develop seasonal menus built on fresh British produce, cooked from scratch.
• Play a key part in the pre-opening, including kitchen set-up, suppliers, systems and launch menus.
• Recruit, train and develop a new brigade, and build a strong kitchen culture from the start.
• Run busy services across a 7-day operation, including a strong Sunday lunch trade.
• Manage GP, food costs, labour, ordering and stock control.
• Keep food safety, health and safety and allergen standards at the highest level.

About you

• An established Head Chef, or a strong Sous Chef ready to step up to a Head Chef role.
• A solid fresh food background, ideally from quality gastropubs, chop houses, grills or restaurants.
• Confident with butchery, grilling and cooking prime cuts.
• Opening or pre-opening experience is a real advantage.
• A hands-on leader who can build, train and keep a team.
• Commercially aware, with a good understanding of GP and kitchen costs.

The package

• £52,000-£55,000
• Full ownership of a new kitchen and the chance to shape the food offer from launch.
• Pre-opening involvement ahead of a Spring 2027 opening.
• Interviews taking place now, with a view to starting before Christmas.