Roaming Head Chef

Surya Hotels; Colchester; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading hotel group as a Roaming Head Chef, where you'll manage kitchen operations across various sites. Your experience and culinary flair will help shape innovative menus that exceed customer expectations while leading a talented team. This role offers discounts, ongoing training, and a dynamic work environment.

Benefits

50% discount on hotel and dining

Access to wages as earned

Increasing annual leave

24-hour Virtual GP

Employee Assistance Programme

Bike to work scheme

Training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years as a Head Chef running a successful kitchen.
• Experience in high-volume catering environments.
• Strong networking skills with suppliers for quality produce.

Responsibilities

• Manage kitchen operations across multiple hotel sites.
• Develop and design innovative menus while controlling costs.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety standards.
• Train and mentor kitchen staff, fostering talent.

Skills

Cooking

Talent Development

Menu Design

Cost Control

Food Safety Compliance

Education

Diploma in Culinary Arts or NVQ/SVQ

Job description

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You will be the Head Chef- Roaming who thrives in a changing environment to bring a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience to our teams.

This role will support all our sites across East Anglia and Surrey- such as The George in Colchester, The Mill in Sudbury, The Dukes Head in Kings Lynn and our newly refurbished Thatchers Hotel in Leatherhead, Surrey.

You should have demonstrable flare; inventive and creative in designing menus that are innovative and cost effective, but most importantly are enticing to our guests! You will work across all sites, supporting our brigades as as working alongside the Group Executive Chefs to bring forward new ideas, fresh menus and nurture our kitchen talent!

Main Duties of the Role:

• Cook to a high standard with skill and flair
• Identify, Develop, encourage and inspire talent
• Responsible for all operational aspects of the Kitchens and their success.
• Working across all hotel sites you will support with their recruitment and selection- previous experience advantageous
• To support the General Managers with the management of the Kitchen Division including controlling budget, cost of goods, rota planning and performance management.
• Lead by example- standards of cookery and presentation
• Development and design of new dishes and menus.
• Monitoring portion and waste control to maintain COGs and profit margins.
• Manage the day to day food administration ensuring systems compliance.
• Ordering stocks, taking deliveries of produce and stock rotation of food stuffs, auditing equipment and standards.
• Maintain a professional kitchen, with a positive attitude and proud workforce
• Ensure all documentation, i.e. daily/ weekly/ monthly checks are completed as necessary and carried out as per the Hotel and Company Standards.
• Ensure the Company Health and Safety, Food Safety and COSHH legislations are adhered to; including actioning and delivering appropriate coaching and training.

Key Requirements for the Role:

• Proven skills efficiently running the pass with a high volume of covers on busy shifts
• Evidence of managing a Team within a Catering / Hotel environment.
• A cooking qualification such as Diploma, NVQ or SVQ.
• Experience of presenting an environment that exceeds our Customer expectations.
• Experience preparing menus of a variety of cuisines is highly desirable,both creative, costed and profitable. .
• Strong networker to engage with a variety of suppliers, sourcing best quality produce to meet exacting standards.
• Experience as a Head Chef with the minimum of 3 years’ evidence of running a successful Kitchen.

We offer you:

* Significant discounts on hotel and dining across the 13 hotels and pubs in Group- up to 50% off

* Access to wages as you earn, along with savings options, and discounts off retail and supermarkets too

* Increasing Annual Leave

* Death in Service -*

* 24 hour Virtual GP

* Employee Assistance Programme supporting you and your family in any difficult times

* Bike to work scheme- making savings!

* Opportunities for training and development through recognised qualifications, including apprenticeships and ILM

If being ourRoaming Head Chef sounds like an ideal fit for you, please get in contact with us, we look forward to hearing from you soon!

We offer a great environment where you get to influence and shape the menus you're delivering and team's you're working with, you guide and mentor your team and are a key part of F&B success across the Group. It's an exciting role- take a look!

Surya Hotels is one of the UK’s leading niche hotel groups, with a rapidly expanding portfolio of outstanding properties, situated in some of the UK’s most idyllic settings, from historic Suffolk and Norfolk towns, Essex City or coastal resorts to picturesque Surrey villages.

Our hospitality family has a ‘best in class’ ethos to exceed our guest expectations; creating experiences that embrace our heritage locations, our people and the communities we work within.

We aim to consistently deliver best in class experiences with personality and warmth. From our warm welcome, to our ‘See-you-again-soon’ Goodbye.

Stay. Explore. Discover.