Head Chef

Head Chef £36k per annum plus gratuities, plus performance related-bonus Daytimes (1 Sunday a Month) Guildford The Client We are looking for a Motivate, Passionate Head Chef to lead a small cafe team. Our client are a busy, independent cafe / Restaurant located on the outskirks of Guildford and pride themsleves on serving high quality, freshly-cooked food for breakfast/brunch and lunch, desserts and Cakes. They have recently benefitted from a full kitchen refit making a fantastic area to work. Responsibilities As Head Chef you will - Lead from the front in delivering high-quality, fresh, and consistent food, at a fast pace, ensuring excellent presentation and timely service. - Take full ownership of the kitchen’s performance, working in the best interests of the business to maximise profitability while maintaining an outstanding customer experience. - Create, cost, and develop seasonal menus, carefully managing gross margins and minimising waste. - Lead on allergens – maintain accurate and up-to-date allergen information and processes, ensuring both front and back of house teams are trained regularly. - Manage kitchen rotas in line with agreed labour budgets, ensuring appropriate staffing. -Recruit, train, and develop the kitchen team, maintaining high standards of food quality, consistency, and compliance with all relevant legislation. Carry out staff appraisals, performance management, and, where necessary, disciplinary procedures. - Build a strong, collaborative relationship with the Front of House team to ensure seamless service and a positive working environment. - Oversee kitchen ordering, deliveries, and stock control, including checking and processing supplier invoices accurately. - Implement and maintain effective cost controls: portioning, waste management, stock rotation. -Ensure the highest standards of food safety, health & safety, and cleanliness are consistently met, maintaining a 5* EHO rating at all times. Reuirements: As Head Chef You will be an experienced and organised head chef and kitchen leader with a passion for fresh, seasonal food and a strong understanding of brunch-led service. You’ll be able to work at a fast pace and be equally comfortable leading a busy service, managing a team, and handling the administrative side of the kitchen, including EHO requirements, stock and invoices. A positive attitude, attention to detail, and a genuine love of food and hospitality are essential. Benefits: Extensive benefits package including staff discounts and pension. All tips go directly to staff in addition to salaries. Free onsite parking. Company pension Discounted or free food Employee discount Free parking On-site parking Please note that by applying for this position, you are giving your consent for Nourish Recruitment to process your personal data in line with our GDPR policy and consent declaration, which can be viewed on our website. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by informing the Company that you wish to do so. Please note that if you have not heard back within 7 working days, your application for this role has not been successful, but we may still contact you in relation to alternative positions