Head Chef – Brownsea

John Lewis Partnership; Poole; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a passionate Head Chef to lead a dynamic kitchen team at a stunning hotel on Brownsea Island. In this pivotal role, you will craft exceptional dishes, mentor fellow chefs, and ensure high culinary standards. This position offers a unique opportunity to work in a beautiful setting while delivering outstanding culinary experiences. Join a team that values innovation and excellence, where your expertise will shine and contribute to creating memorable moments for guests. If you are ready to take your culinary career to new heights, this role is perfect for you.

Benefits

Live-in accommodation available

Flexible working hours

Access to private boat service

Team-building activities on the island

Opportunities for professional development

Qualifications

• Proven track record of leading a kitchen team effectively.
• Extensive experience in a professional kitchen environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire the kitchen team to deliver exceptional culinary experiences.
• Design and implement innovative food offerings aligned with guest preferences.
• Ensure adherence to food safety and quality standards.

Skills

Leadership

Culinary Expertise

HACCP Knowledge

Commercial Awareness

Communication Skills

Inventory Management

Food Safety Level 3

NVQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery

Education

NVQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery

Job description

About the role

At the John Lewis Partnership, we're passionate about using ingredients with provenance to produce fresh seasonal meals that are second to none. We are seeking an experienced and passionate Head Chef to join our dynamic kitchen team. In this pivotal role, you will work closely with the hotel management team to operate our kitchen and ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality culinary experiences across our diverse range of food outlets. Leveraging your culinary expertise and leadership skills, you will play a key role in menu development, crafting innovative and exceptional dishes that delight our customers. You will also be responsible for mentoring and developing our chefs, fostering a culture of excellence, and promoting teamwork within the kitchen. Your responsibilities will extend to inventory management, ensuring optimal stock levels while minimizing waste through efficient practices. You will also collaborate with the Executive Chef on all aspects of kitchen management, including menu planning, food preparation, presentation, and maintaining the highest standards of hygiene and food safety.

Salary - £29,000 - £47,000
Contract type - This position is a Permanent contract.
Working pattern - The working pattern will be 40 hours a week, with a mixture of early, late, and mid shifts depending on business: 8:30-16:00 and lates - 10:30-21:00. These will be over five days.
Location - This role is based at our Brownsea Castle Hotel on Brownsea Island, Poole.
Live-in accommodation is available, Room only.
Interviews will be held on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th May.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and inspire the kitchen team to deliver exceptional culinary experiences aligned with the hotel's brand identity.
• Design and implement innovative food offerings that cater to guest preferences and evolving culinary trends.
• Ensure adherence to food safety, quality, and cost control standards.
• Uphold the hotel's reputation for outstanding food quality and service.

Essential skills/experience you'll need

• Passionate chef
• Commercial awareness
• Excellent leadership, influencing, and coaching abilities
• Understanding of HACCP
• Awareness of trends and new technics
• Ability to interpret and enforce food safety Policy and health and safety regulations
• Commercial awareness and a strong understanding of the business side of the kitchen.
• Proven track record of leading a team effectively
• Food Safety Level 3 certification.
• NVQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery or equivalent
• Extensive experience working in a professional kitchen.
• Exceptional communication skills
• Competent in IT systems and able to use standard software

About Brownsea Castle:

Working on an island, living in a castle with red squirrels at your window sounds like a fantasy but due to the wonderful and unique Brownsea Castle this could be your reality.

It's our place by the sea, our island getaway across beautiful Poole Harbour offering an escape to our Partners with history and nature in abundance. Guests stay on the National Trust run island in the amazing Tudor castle, set amongst 17 acres of private grounds with stunning Italian gardens and a dedicated beach offering relaxation and beautiful nature walks.

If you are looking for a hotel with a difference, this could be it. You'll be surrounded by a team of passionate and dedicated hospitality Partners who give our guests the best experience possible. What is different about our guests though is that they are Partners with their friends and family.

As co-owners in the business, you'll see this difference in the way your teammates and you approach your job and carry out your responsibilities. With all of the island to explore or using any of the facilities on offer; a croquet lawn, children's play area, badminton, football, cricket, fishing, archery and frisbee golf you can guarantee that our guests will be hungry and looking to recharge with the fantastic food offering we give them.

Boats: We have our own private boat service from Salterns Marina to get Partners to and from work, these boats run approximately once an hour between 7am - 11pm. Castello Boat berths in the Marina.

Car parking: Parking can be found on BCP Council car park information page - https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/parking/find-a-car-park/quay-visitors-multi-storey-car-park

Buses: Buses stop at 7pm and all staff are required to cover late night shifts beyond the bus times.

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About The Partnership

We're the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We're not just employees, we're Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there's never been a more exciting time to join us.

We're ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we're free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.

Important points to note:

It's important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you'll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.

We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.