London - Development Chef

Ivy Restaurants Ltd; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Employee dining discount across The IV

Birthday day off

Dining vouchers on work anniversaries

Long service holiday reward

Wellbeing & safety support

Job summary

Ivy Restaurants Ltd is seeking a Development Chef to shape the food strategy across Harry’s Restaurants in London. You will create, test and refine menus, ensuring dishes are exciting, cost-effective and scalable while staying true to the Harry’s brand.

Work closely with Operations, Marketing, NPD and Supply Chain to bring new concepts to life, maintain high quality, and support kitchen training and menu launches across the group.

Qualifications

• Proven track record as a chef with menu, concept or product development experience.
• Strong passion for food, creativity and emerging culinary trends.
• Commercial awareness: cost control, scalability and operational delivery.
• Excellent knowledge of food safety, allergens and quality standards.

Responsibilities

• Create, test and develop new dishes, seasonal menus and set menus.
• Evolve existing dishes to improve quality, consistency and guest experience.
• Present concepts and dishes during tasting sessions with the senior culinary team.
• Stay ahead of trends and ingredients to inspire future menus.
• Support menu launches and marketing campaigns with brand-led development.
• Lead culinary preparation and food styling for photoshoots.

Skills

Menu development

Culinary creativity

Costing & profitability

Food safety

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Drawing inspiration from mid‑century Italian elegance, Harry's beckons you to experience its warm ambiance, where rustic charm seamlessly blends with culinary excellence amid rich, dark wood accents and the heartfelt spirit of traditional Italian hospitality. Our establishments are sanctuaries of Italian culture, creating an inviting atmosphere that transports guests to the very heart of Italy.

We’re looking for a talented and creative Development Chef to play a key role in shaping the food and menus across Harry’s Restaurants.

Combining culinary creativity with commercial awareness, you’ll create, test and develop dishes that are exciting, cost‐effective, scalable and true to the Harry’s brand. Working closely with Operations, Marketing, Menu Development, NPD and Supply Chain, you’ll bring new concepts to life and help ensure quality and consistency across our restaurants.

What you'll be doing

• Creating, testing and developing new dishes, seasonal menus, specials and set menus.
• Evolving existing dishes to continually improve quality, consistency and guest experience.
• Presenting new concepts and dishes during regular tasting sessions with our senior culinary team.
• Keeping ahead of food trends, new ingredients and emerging concepts to inspire future menus.
• Supporting menu launches and marketing campaigns with creative, brand‑led food development.
• Leading the culinary preparation and food styling for Harry’s photoshoots.
• Working with NPD and suppliers to test new ingredients and products.
• Monitoring the performance of new dishes and using operational and sales feedback to refine them.
• Maintaining accurate recipes, imagery and specifications within Apicbase.
• Visiting restaurants to support menu implementation, test dishes and ensure consistency.
• Working with Area Chefs and L&D to support kitchen training and create food training content for new menu launches.
• Ensuring all development work meets the highest standards of food safety, allergen management, hygiene and brand compliance.
• Supporting the smooth running of our North Acton Development Kitchen.

What we're looking for

• Strong experience as a chef, ideally with exposure to menu, concept or product development.
• A genuine passion for food, creativity and emerging culinary trends.
• Strong commercial awareness, with an understanding of cost, scalability and operational delivery.
• Excellent knowledge of food safety, allergens and quality standards.
• Confidence working collaboratively across culinary, operations, marketing and supplier teams.
• Strong organisation skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and menu launches.
• Someone who can balance creativity with the consistency required across a multi‑site restaurant business.

Benefits & Rewards:

• Competitive Salary: Benchmarked to industry
• Enjoy the Ivy Magic as a Guest: Enjoy an employee dining discount across The Ivy Collection, so you can experience the restaurants you help bring to life.
• Your Birthday Celebrated: Enjoy a guaranteed day off on your birthday, giving you the time to relax, celebrate, and enjoy the occasion your way.
• Career Milestones Recognition: We commemorate each work anniversary with a dining voucher, our way of recognising the contribution you make to the team over time
• Long Service Holiday Reward: With our long service holiday reward, you receive additional holiday allowance with length of service, rewarding loyalty and dedication as your career with us grows.
• Get Paid, Your Way: Through the app, you can make use of practical tools and guidance to help you earn, learn, save, spend and borrow with greater confidence.
• Always-On Wellbeing & Safety Support: Support should always be there when it matters most. That is why we offer 24/7 confidential wellbeing and safety support, whenever you need guidance, reassurance or practical help.
• Retail & Lifestyle Discounts: Access discounts on hundreds of retailers, plus health, entertainment, travel and more

About us:

Our shared CARING values help create an environment where we are happy and engaged, care for ourselves, our colleagues, and our guests, and celebrate our individualities and differences.