School Menu Development Chef

Octave Recruitment Ltd; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A recruitment agency is seeking a passionate School Menu Development Chef to lead and innovate school meals across multiple sites in Nottingham. This hands-on role involves inspiring school cooks, designing seasonal menus that meet food standards, and promoting meals through events. Ideal candidates are creative, adaptable, and have leadership skills, with a focus on improving the culinary experience for students.

Qualifications

• Experience in a school catering environment or adaptable culinary knowledge.
• Ability to travel between school sites as needed.

Responsibilities

• Inspire and upskill school cooks to deliver exceptional food.
• Design and implement seasonal menus adhering to School Food Standards.
• Promote school meals at events through tastings and demonstrations.

Skills

Knowledge of school catering standards and allergen management

Strong leadership and mentoring skills

Creativity in food trends and menu innovation

Job description

Are you a passionate chef looking to make a real difference in school catering? We are seeking a School Menu Development Chef to inspire, innovate, and elevate the school meal experience across 52 schools, serving over 2 million meals a year.

The Role

This isn't your standard development chef role - you'll be hands-on, creative, and a mentor to our catering teams.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Inspiring and upskilling school cooks to deliver exceptional food and service.
• Working alongside management to maintain high kitchen standards through audits and recommendations.
• Designing and implementing fresh, seasonal menus (in collaboration with the Food Development Officer) that meet School Food Standards and Food for Life criteria – menus change only twice per year.
• Promoting school meals at events through tastings and demonstrations.
• Driving continuous improvement across school and commercial kitchens, including scaling recipes for large numbers and checking portion sizes.

About You

• Knowledge of school catering standards and allergen management.
• Experience in a school catering environment or the ability to adapt culinary knowledge to schools.
• Strong leadership, collaboration, and mentoring skills.
• Creative and passionate about food trends, flavours, and menu innovation.
• Flexible to travel between school sites as needed, based at Loxley House.