Head Chef: Lead Fresh, High-Volume Kitchen Team

Gather + Gather; Southampton; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Personal development

Life assurance

Pension scheme

Holiday allowance

Healthcare support app

Job summary

Gather & Gather is recruiting a Head Chef for Ordnance Survey in the UK. You will lead a compact kitchen team to deliver fresh, seasonal meals for a busy site catering up to 450 people daily.

You will manage food offers across hot counters, deli, salad, grab-and-go and hospitality, balancing classic British cuisine with street food concepts. You will work closely with the Catering Manager to maintain top standards of food quality, safety and presentation, while coaching the team and driving cost

Qualifications

• Experience in high-volume catering operations.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Hands-on chef with customer-facing approach.
• Excellent communication with front-of-house and clients.
• Ability to plan and control food costs and wastage.

Responsibilities

• Lead a small kitchen team of 3, working closely with 2 Front of House team members to deliver an excellent customer experience.
• Produce and serve fresh, seasonal food for a busy site catering for up to 450 people, with daily covers ranging from 200-400.
• Oversee a varied food offer including hot counter service, deli bar, salad bar, grab-and-go and hospitality for up to 80 guests per day.
• Work alongside the Catering Manager to create innovative menus that balance classic British cuisine, street food concepts and emerging food trends.
• Maintain exceptional standards of food quality, presentation, food safety and kitchen compliance.
• Be a hands-on, customer-facing chef, building strong relationships with customers and understanding their needs.
• Manage stock, ordering, food costs and wastage to achieve budget targets.
• Support, motivate and develop the team through clear communication and positive leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

High-volume catering

Food safety

Budgeting/ cost control

Job description

Gather & Gather is recruiting a Head Chef for Ordnance Survey in the UK. You will lead a compact kitchen team to deliver fresh, seasonal meals for a busy site catering up to 450 people daily.

You will manage food offers across hot counters, deli, salad, grab-and-go and hospitality, balancing classic British cuisine with street food concepts. You will work closely with the Catering Manager to maintain top standards of food quality, safety and presentation, while coaching the team and driving cost