Job Title: Head Chef – Relocation Package – Beautiful West Sussex
Location: Knepp Castle, West Grinstead, West Sussex RH13 8LJ
Salary: £37K – 45K depending on experience
Job Type: Permanent/Full Time – Approximately 40 hours across five working days.
Knepp is a 3,500-acre estate devoted to a pioneering rewilding project. Using grazing animals as the drivers of habitat creation, and with the restoration of dynamic, natural water courses, the project has seen extraordinary increases in wildlife.
As part of this project, Knepp has created a butchery, producing award-winning beef, venison and pork from excess animals raised in the rewilding project. As part of this new venture, the restaurant is able to showcase the best quality, wild range, organic meat, as well as produce from our new 3-acre organic market garden. Our aim is to create one of the most exciting and sustainable culinary locations in Britain, with a dedicated local and national following.
The role:
This is a fantastic opportunity for a dynamic, enthusiastic, talented and passionate chef looking for a new challenge and to make a difference to the planet. Working alongside a team of expert growers, butchers, stockmen and ecologists they will lead the creation of a unique restaurant at the heart of one of the UK’s pioneering rewilding projects, establishing it as a trusted and revered food destination.
Responsibilities:
People:
- To act as a role model to your team
- To work within the management team to recruit the best people for the right roles
- To develop, train and coach your team through appraisal and ‘learning & development’
- To own the delivery of all mandatory and craft training within your team
- To bring fun to the workplace and ensure a happy, motivated, and focused team
- To include and oversee the creation of new dishes/recipes
Customer experience:
- To ensure high customer experience and promote our ethos
- To champion swift, efficient, knowledgeable and engaging restaurant, retail and tour service ensuring compliance by the team of standard operating procedures
- To engage with the wider Estate team in the delivery of events
P&L:
- To prepare and deliver achievable sales and EBITDA budgets
- To manage the rota effectively to deliver target wage costs
- To assist in engaging the team in the weekly targets and deliver agreed spend-per-head and transaction targets
- To take full and meticulous responsibility for stock levels, to ensure minimum variance between actual & book
- To ensure the daily banking and cash reconciliation is undertaken
Operation:
- To maintain a safe workplace
- To ensure the café/restaurant environment is well maintained and meets internal brand standards
- To be responsible for the execution of paperwork and GP sales relating to restaurant
- To continuously develop recipes on Knepp’s behalf
- To explore ingredients that are in line with Knepp’s ethos and sustainability standards
- To help create occasional pop-up/evening events
- Working on the line and the pass to ensure quality and organisation of kitchen during service hours:
Statutory:
- To own legal compliance and operating standards across the restaurant, retail and tour areas
- To ensure the kitchen operates to 5* EHO compliance
Job Requirements:
- As well as experienced Head Chefs, we are open to candidates who are eager to step up and run their first kitchen.
- Food Hygiene Standard level 3
- HACCAP Level 3
Essential skills:
- Team management
- Work ethic
- Menu creativity
- Enthusiasm about sustainability
Employee perks benefits:
- Wine training/tastings
- Coffee on tap
- Fixed days off
- Team trips, safaris of the rewilding project, and annual parties
Please click on the APPLY button to submit your CV for this role.
Overseas candidates will NOT be considered for this role. We are not sponsoring Visa’s at this time, so please refrain from applying unless eligible to work in the UK
Candidates with the relevant experience or job titles of: Chef, Head Chef, Cook, Kitchen Manager, Catering Manager, Sous Chef, Experienced Chef, Qualified Chef, Head Cook, Senior Chef, Executive Chef, Senior Cook, Experienced Cook may also be considered for this role.
