Junior Food Development Chef

JR United Kingdom; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company known for its vibrant Italian restaurants across the UK is looking for a Junior Food Development Chef to join their team on a 12-15 month fixed term contract. This role will focus on culinary creativity, recipe development, and collaborating with various departments to enhance food offerings. Candidates with a passion for food development, strong communication skills, and 1-2 years of experience in a culinary setting are encouraged to apply. The position is partly remote and offers various employee perks including generous holiday and dining discounts.

Benefits

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Life assurance & income protection

50% off dining, 25% for family & friends

Ongoing learning & development

Free coffee and breakfast twice a week

Regular lunch treats

Qualifications

• 1-2 years' experience in a food-led role (culinary, NPD, QA, or operations).
• Experience in a commercial kitchen or test kitchen environment beneficial.
• Understanding of allergen legislation and food data systems.

Responsibilities

• Support the Food Development Manager in creating and developing new dishes.
• Lead on managing food systems and monitoring quality complaints.
• Collaborate with teams to validate dish information and train staff.

Skills

Excel

Communication

Stakeholder engagement

Passion for food development

Job description

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Junior Food Development Chef - Interim (12-15 Month FTC, Maternity Cover)

Location: London

Contract: Full Time | 12-15 Month Fixed Term

Reports to: Food Development Manager

A Bit About ASK Italian

We are a large family of restaurants across the UK with every ASK serving its own unique community, taking our inspiration from the Italian way of life and putting our heart and soul into the details. So when people come to our restaurants, they can relax, unwind and be themselves. Behind the scenes we are working together to build a better business, strengthen our communities and care for the planet for generations to come.

What You'll Be Doing

This is a 12–15-month fixed term role supporting the delivery of exciting, delicious dishes that align with ASK Italian’s food vision. This role combines culinary creativity with strong technical and administrative capability. The Junior Development Chef will assist in recipe development and showcases, support food systems and collaborate cross-functionally to ensure data integrity and kitchen-friendly execution of menus.

Day To Day Responsibilities

• Support the Food Development Manager in the creation, testing, and development of new dishes, prep methods, and kitchen processes.
• Act as lead chef for food showcases and tastings, presenting new dishes to the Senior Team.
• Lead on drafting and proofreading dish and prep specifications alongside Chef Trainers.
• Liaise with suppliers to manage samples, collect product information, and test yields to support innovation and quality improvements.
• Lead on managing and updating Food systems: managing existing recipe database and uploading new recipes.
• Monitor ingredient-related quality complaints and liaise with suppliers to raise and resolve issues.
• Collaborate with the QS team to input allergen and nutritional data into relevant systems, create and maintain shelf life charts, and own the label printing database.
• Support the marketing and commercial teams by validating the accuracy of dish names, descriptions and pricing on digital platforms and printed menus.
• Act as chef lead for marketing photoshoots, ensuring all new ingredients and prep requirements are organised in advance to support a successful shoot.
• Contribute to training materials including “Stuff to Know” and support training rollout via operational teams.

What You Bring To The Table

• Confident with Excel and comfortable working with food tech systems.
• Detail-oriented with a methodical, organised approach.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Passionate about food development with a growing confidence in recipe creation and kitchen systems.
• A hands-on attitude and willingness to learn, test and improve.

Experience & Development

• 1–2 years' experience in a food-led role (culinary, NPD, QA, or operations).
• Experience in a commercial kitchen or test kitchen environment beneficial.
• Understanding of allergen legislation and food data systems (training provided).
• Opportunity to grow into a Development Chef or NPD Manager role over time.

Location: Based in West London 4 days per week, time will be split between ASK Italian Spring Street restaurant in Paddington and the Azzurri Head Office on Edgware Road. There is opportunity to work 1 day per week from home.

What You’ll Get from Us

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Life assurance & income protection
• 50% off dining, 25% for family & friends
• Ongoing learning & development
• Free coffee, breakfast twice a week & regular lunch treats