The Opportunity
We are recruiting for one of London’s most anticipated new restaurant openings. This premium dining concept is built on high-quality ingredients, elevated yet approachable cuisine, and genuine hospitality. The vision is to deliver world-class restaurant standards in a relaxed, welcoming environment, combining Michelin-level culinary expertise with strong commercial discipline.
We are seeking a high-calibre Head Chef with a Michelin-star background to be the creative and operational engine of this new site, leading from the pass and setting the blueprint for gastronomic excellence.
Role Review
The Head Chef will lead the kitchen brigade, set the culinary operational standard, and ensure the restaurant’s commercial success. We are looking for a "pass-first" leader—someone who stays organized under the pressure of a high-profile launch, inspires their team through technical mentorship, and maintains a kitchen that is both a center of excellence and a place people love to work.
In Your First 12 Months, You’ll:
- Culinary Leadership: Execute and refine a menu that reflects Michelin-level precision while remaining approachable for a premium dining audience.
- Team Building: Recruit and retain a full BOH brigade, implementing clear onboarding, technical training, and development pathways to achieve high retention.
- Financial Ownership: Manage the kitchen P&L, including strict food cost management, butchery yields, waste reduction, and labor percentage targets.
- Operational Rhythm: Run high-impact daily pre-service briefings and ensure seamless communication with the General Manager and FOH team.
- Compliance & Safety: Maintain absolute compliance across Health and Safety and Food Safety (HACCP), ensuring "5-star" standards and flawless audit results.
- Site Standards: Drive impeccable daily kitchen standards, from mise-en-place organisation and cleanliness to equipment care and maintenance.
- Brand Ambassadorship: Act as the technical face of the kitchen, upholding the brand's reputation for quality in every dish that leaves the pass.
What You Bring
- Experience: A proven track record as a Head Chef or Senior Sous Chef within Michelin-starred or high-AA Rosette environments.
- Leadership: Confident ability to build, motivate, and hold a diverse kitchen brigade to a consistently elite standard.
- Commercial Acumen: Strong operational knowledge of food layering, gross profit (GP) management, rota planning, and BOH reporting.
- Composure: A calm, organized, and solutions-focused approach to high-volume service and people management.
- Passion: A genuine, infectious passion for seasonal produce, modern techniques, and the guest journey.
The Package
- Salary: Highly competitive per annum, inclusive of service charge (DOE).
- Holiday: 5.6 weeks paid holiday.
- Perks: Staff meals, generous discounts, and regular team socials.
- Growth: Direct support from a senior leadership team and a pathway into Executive or Multi-site roles as the brand expands.
Why Join This Project?
- Culinary Excellence: Launch a brand-new, quality-first kitchen with the best equipment and ingredients available.
- Career Progression: Be the founding Head Chef of a high-profile launch with clear internal promotion opportunities.
- Balanced Culture: Respectful rota planning, fair scheduling, and a people-first, inclusive environment that shatters the old-school "kitchen ego" stereotypes.