Senior Pizza Chef - NEW OPENING

MJMK Restaurants; Greater London; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 23,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff discount across MJMK restaurants

Referral bonus £500

Career growth within MJMK Restaurants

Maternity and paternity pay after one

Sick pay after one year

Additional holiday days

Wellbeing support

Pension contributions

Anniversary scheme

Job summary

Lenny's, part of MJMK Restaurants, is opening a new pizzeria on Henrietta Street in Covent Garden, London. We are seeking a Senior Pizza Chef to lead the pizza section, own the dough process, and manage the oven through service, ensuring every pie is crispy, chewy and charred to our standards.

You will train juniors, set the example on shift, and help shape the menu as the team builds from the ground up. This hands-on role rewards ownership and high-quality pizza craft.

Qualifications

• Solid experience as a Pizza Chef, Senior Chef de Partie or similar in a quality-led kitchen.
• In-depth knowledge of dough, fermentation and cooking in high-heat ovens.
• Experience of training and developing more junior chefs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the pizza section through every service, holding Lenny's specs on each pizza that leaves the pass.
• Own the dough, from mixing and fermentation through to balling and portioning.
• Manage the oven throughout service, reading heat and timing to get the char right.
• Train and develop the pizza team, sharing technique and setting the example on every shift.
• Run quality checks on dough, toppings and finished pizzas before they reach the guest.
• Plan prep for the section so service starts ready and runs to time.
• Take charge of stock, ordering and rotation for the section, keeping waste to a minimum.
• Uphold food safety, HACCP and allergen procedures, and hold the team to the same standard.
• Keep the section clean, organised and efficient under pressure.
• Contribute ideas for specials and new pizzas as the menu develops.

Skills

Pizza dough

Fermentation

High-heat oven

Kitchen leadership

Staff training

Food safety HACCP

Job description

Senior Pizza Chef - Lenny's - MJMK Restaurants. KOL · Fonda · AngloThai · Luso · Casa do Frango · New Openings. (2 Michelin stars, World's 50 Best Restaurants). £16.50 to £17.00 per hour (dependent on experience). Location: Full time, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, site based, WC2E, London. Lenny's is a new pizzeria on Henrietta Street in Covent Garden, from Max Lewis and MJMK Restaurants. The result of Max's extensive travels to New Haven, Connecticut, it is built around pizzas that are crispy, chewy and charred, a revival of his much-loved pop-up now finding a permanent home in the heart of Covent Garden. We're building the opening team now. We're looking for a Senior Pizza Chef to lead the pizza section in our opening kitchen. You'll own the dough from mix to stretch, run the oven through service and make sure every pizza that leaves your station is crispy, chewy and charred, exactly like the last. This role suits an experienced pizza chef ready to step up, or a strong Senior Chef de Partie with serious dough and oven experience who wants to lead a section. You'll set the example for the pizza team, train new chefs on Lenny's specs and help shape the standard from the very first service. This is a hands‑on role for someone ready to help build something from the ground up.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the pizza section through every service, holding Lenny's specs on each pizza that leaves the pass.
• Own the dough, from mixing and fermentation through to balling and portioning.
• Manage the oven throughout service, reading heat and timing to get the char right.
• Train and develop the pizza team, sharing technique and setting the example on every shift.
• Run quality checks on dough, toppings and finished pizzas before they reach the guest.
• Plan prep for the section so service starts ready and runs to time.
• Take charge of stock, ordering and rotation for the section, keeping waste to a minimum.
• Uphold food safety, HACCP and allergen procedures, and hold the team to the same standard.
• Keep the section clean, organised and efficient under pressure.
• Contribute ideas for specials and new pizzas as the menu develops.

What We're Looking For

• We're looking for a pizza chef who lives for the craft and is ready to lead a section in a brand new opening. You will bring:
• Solid experience as a Pizza Chef, Senior Chef de Partie or similar in a quality‑led kitchen.
• In‑depth knowledge of dough, fermentation and cooking in high‑heat ovens.
• Experience of training and developing more junior chefs.
• Confidence leading a section through a busy service.
• A calm, focused approach under pressure.
• Working knowledge of food safety, HACCP and allergens.
• An eye for detail and consistency, pizza after pizza.
• Pride in your section and a sense of ownership over every pizza on it.
• Warmth, energy and an instinct for working as one team.

What we offer

• 50% team discount across all MJMK restaurants.
• Up to £500 team referral bonus.
• Opportunity to grow within one of London's most ambitious hospitality groups.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay after one year with us.
• Paid company sick pay after one year, up to 5 days.
• Extra day's holiday every year you're with us, up to 5 extra days.
• Mental health and well‑being assistance via Hospitality Action, offering free advice and counselling.
• Enhanced pension contributions after 5 years with us.
• Anniversary scheme reward for every year you're with us.

About MJMK Restaurants

MJMK Restaurants owns and operates a collection of award‑winning restaurants. Founded in 2018 by lifelong friends Jake Kasumov and Marco Mendes, our journey began with Casa do Frango. In 2020, we partnered with chef patron Santiago Lastra to open KOL, a restaurant in Marylebone celebrating Mexican cuisine with British ingredients. KOL has since earned a Michelin star and been named one of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. 2024 saw two new ventures: Fonda, a contemporary Mexican concept in Mayfair, our second collaboration with Santiago Lastra, and AngloThai in Marylebone, a debut restaurant from husband-and-wife John and Desiree Chantarasak, blending Thai flavours with British ingredients. Within three months of opening, AngloThai earned a Michelin star. In the 2025 National Restaurant Awards, AngloThai was named The Square Opening of the Year and ranked 7th in the Top 100 list, followed by KOL at number 50. Luso, a contemporary Portuguese restaurant in Fitzrovia, opened in September 2025. We're building ambitious restaurant brands with a focus on quality, creativity and guest experience, and we're just getting started.

Experience: Required
Employment: Full-time
Salary: £16.51 – £17 hourly