Prep Chef

In Residence Dining; Greater London; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Part time

Job summary

In Residence Dining is seeking a Prep Chef & Production Kitchen Coordinator for fixed-term work in London. You will learn resident chefs’ menus and translate them into a weekly production schedule, ensuring accuracy and consistency for events.

The role involves ordering, stock control, and allergen management, with a focus on efficient prep and on-site handover for events across London and the South East. 24 hours per week, Wednesday–Friday, 9am-5pm.

Qualifications

• 2–3 years’ professional restaurant kitchen experience.
• Experience as a Chef de Partie (CDP).
• Level 2 Food Safety certification before working independently in the kitchen (if you don’t have it yet, you can still apply as long as you’ll get it before starting unsupervised work).

Responsibilities

• Learn and reproduce each resident chef’s menu and write weekly production plans.
• Order ingredients with the lead chef and monitor yields and costs.
• Keep kitchen standards, allergen controls, and stock organized.
• Pack, handover, and load prep for events, with handover notes for staff.

Skills

CDP experience

Independent work

Education

Level 2 Food Safety certification

Job description

Prep Chef & Production Kitchen Coordinator. In Residence Dining.

Location: Unit 72, 7 Emma Street (Containerville), E2. Contract: Fixed term, 12 October 2026 – 31 January 2027 (for review in Jan.). Hours: 24 hours per week. Typical pattern: Wednesday–Friday, 9am-5pm, with flexibility by agreement. Salary: £25,000 annualised (Gross Pay). Reports to: Chef Lead.

About the Role

In Residence works with resident chefs to bring six-course menus to events across London and the South East. You’ll learn each resident chef’s menu and turn it into an efficient, reliable weekly production system.. . At the start of each residency, you’ll train with the resident chef for 2–3 working days. They have the final say on how every dish is prepared, and you’ll reproduce their techniques and standards accurately – then take charge of planning and delivering the weekly prep.. . Events run Thursday–Saturday (occasionally Sunday), serving around 90–240 diners per week.. .

Key Responsibilities

Menu and production.

• Learn and accurately reproduce each resident chef’s menu.
• Keep clear records of recipes, techniques and quantities.
• Write a weekly prep and production schedule, scaled to live booking numbers.
• Prepare food for each week’s events efficiently and consistently.

Ordering, stock and costs.

• Order ingredients with the resident chef, supervised by the Chef & Menu Lead.
• Monitor portion sizes, yields, waste and food costs as guest numbers change.
• Receive and check deliveries, querying and escalating any issues.
• Organise fridges, freezers and dry storage.
• Order routine kitchen consumables and report maintenance issues.

Kitchen standards and allergens.

• Keep the kitchen clean, equipment in good condition and stock organised.
• Run kitchen-side allergen controls, making sure dietary portions are properly prepared, separated, labelled and traceable.

Packing and handover.

• Safely store and pack prepared food ahead of events.
• Write a handover sheet telling the event team what’s packed and what needs finishing on site.
• Help load the event vehicle on Thursdays and Fridays – once food is correctly packed, documented and loaded, responsibility passes to the event operations team.

What We’re Looking For

Essential.

• 2–3 years’ professional restaurant kitchen experience.
• Experience as a Chef de Partie (CDP).
• Level 2 Food Safety certification before working independently in the kitchen (if you don’t have it yet, you can still apply as long as you’ll get it before starting unsupervised work).

You’ll be.

• A strong, consistent cook who’s confident working independently.
• Highly organised and methodical.
• Comfortable following another chef’s techniques precisely.
• Confident scaling recipes and production volumes.
• Good at managing storage, stock and kitchen organisation.
• Attentive to waste, cost control and food safety.
• Reliable and ready to take ownership of the weekly prep operation.

Desirable.

• Experience in production kitchens, events, catering or high-volume preparation.

Hours and Contract

Hours.

• 24 per week, normally Wednesday–Friday. Days and hours can flex by agreement, as long as all production is done and food is ready for each event.

Contract.

• Fixed term, from approximately 12 October 2026 to 31 January 2027. The role will be reviewed in early January as we plan the production kitchen’s next stage of growth.

Experience: Required
Employment: Part-time
Schedule: Wednesday-Friday, 9AM-5PM
Salary: from £19 hourly
Starting time: Immediate start!

About In Residence Dining:
In Residence Dining is a touring pop-up bringing story-led, six-course tasting menus from exciting chefs to local spaces across London and the South East, with a new chef residency every two months.