Sous Chef

TN United Kingdom; Hertford; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is looking for a passionate Sous Chef to join their dynamic kitchen team. In this role, you'll support the Head Chef and lead the kitchen staff to ensure high-quality food preparation and safety standards. With a focus on fresh ingredients and a proactive approach, you will help maintain the renowned 5-star kitchen reputation. This is a fantastic opportunity to grow in a fast-paced environment, with benefits including overtime pay, staff discounts, and career development opportunities. Join a team that values quality and creativity in every dish!

Benefits

Overtime pay for extra hours

Staff food on every shift

50% staff discount outside working hours

28 days holiday (pro-rata)

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Company pension scheme

Personal development opportunities

Tips shared equally based on hours worked

Christmas and Boxing Day off

Qualifications

• Experience as a Sous Chef or Junior Sous Chef/Assistant Kitchen Manager.
• Strong skills in food preparation, hygiene, and knife skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead shifts and ensure kitchen operates effectively and safely.
• Manage stocks, health & safety, and maintain 5-star kitchen standards.

Skills

Food Preparation

Hygiene Standards

Knife Skills

Communication Skills

Leadership

Problem-Solving

Education

Culinary Training

Tools

Kitchen Equipment

Job description

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We love real cooking — and so do our customers. It's a no-brainer, yet many places overlook it. We do it right, with high-quality ingredients, customer focus, and freshness. As a Sous Chef, you'll be the Head Chef's support, leading and engaging the kitchen team to deliver 14 great shifts each week.

Your responsibilities include leading shifts, ensuring the kitchen operates effectively and safely. You will focus on details like stocks, Health & Safety, Hygiene, managing the pass to ensure food is on-spec and on-time, and maintaining 5-star kitchen standards. You are all over it, like a chef's bonnet.

The Good Stuff

• Overtime pay for hours worked over contracted hours
• Staff food on every shift
• 50% staff discount outside working hours from day one
• 28 days holiday (including Bank Holidays), pro-rata
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay after 2 years of service
• The renowned staff party - Loungefest!
• Competitions and incentives, including all-expenses-paid trips with suppliers
• Company pension scheme
• Long service awards
• Pay flexibility with Wagestream
• Support via the Licensed Trade Charity
• Opportunities for personal development and career growth in a fast-growing business
• Tips shared equally based on hours worked
• Christmas and Boxing Day off

What you'll bring

• Likely an existing Sous Chef or a Junior Sous Chef/Assistant Kitchen Manager ready for the next step
• Experience working with fresh ingredients and demonstrating strong chef skills (food prep, hygiene, knife skills)
• A proactive work ethic, leading from the front and delivering high standards as part of a team
• Driven and relentless in overcoming challenges
• Familiarity with KPIs and decision-making in the absence of the Head Chef (labour, stock, food safety, etc.)
• Excellent communication skills to manage stakeholders and build trust with Ops Chefs and Managers
• Knowledge of rota scheduling, sales, labour forecasts, reporting, recruitment, and HR
• Experience in training and recruiting kitchen staff, including Apprentices, KPs, Chefs, Junior Sous Chefs, and Sous Chefs

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