Head Chef -Quality Pub & Restaurant Company -Up to 55k +Bonuses

Head Chef - Fresh Food Gastro Pub - Up to £55,000 + Bonuses, Live In opportunities available, Essex Areas

Expanding company

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Head Chef to join an expanding fresh food gastro pub company in the Essex areas who is looking to become a multi-site Head Chef of the future. As a Head Chef, you will be responsible for managing the kitchen operations, leading a passionate team, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality dishes that match the standards of the gastro pub concept. You will have opportunities to grow within the company with their major growth plans. This is a hands-on role where you will be leading by example and maintaining an excellent standard of food preparation and presentation.

Requirements

• Passion for cooking with creative ingredients
• A leader, not a boss
• Develop and design seasonal, creative, and unique menus that align with the gastro pub concept
• Managing large teams and helping support the region
• MUST have fresh food experience
• Used to working in a quality environment
• Work with the team to continuously innovate and improve the menu based on customer feedback, food trends, and local sourcing
• Branded or independent backgrounds welcome
• Manage inventory, ordering, and stock rotation to minimize waste and ensure cost control
• Must be able to deal with daily/weekly and seasonal menu changes
• Provide on-the-job training and development to junior chefs and kitchen assistants
• Likes to be hands-on and lead the team from the front
• Experience with GP, costing, wastage management, ordering, stock, etc.
• Strong health & safety knowledge
• A stable work history

The Ideal Person would have:

• Proven experience as a Head Chef in a senior kitchen role in a high-quality restaurant or gastro pub setting
• Ideally multi-site experience needed as this role will lead to a more senior multi-site role in line with their expansion plans
• MUST be able to drive
• Strong understanding of food costing, budgeting, and inventory control
• Experience dealing with suppliers, procurement, and a good understanding of kitchen inspections and compliance
• Knowledge of local food suppliers and seasonal produce
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Monitor and report on kitchen KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to ensure targets are met, including food cost percentage, waste management, and labor costs
• A passion for fresh, seasonal, and high-quality ingredients
• Creative and innovative with a strong understanding of current food trends
• Strong knowledge of food preparation, cooking techniques, and presentation
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to manage, train, and inspire a team

Ideally, you are an experienced, creative, and passionate Head Chef who is looking to take the next step in their career to becoming an Executive Chef in a restaurant, gastro pub, or hotel environment.