Hospitality Head Chef

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Family Definition
Roles within the Hospitality job family are dedicated to sourcing, creating and serving innovative, exciting and delicious food and drink in a variety of catering environments across Eden, enhancing visitors experience, understanding and enjoyment of their visit.

Role Purpose
Works with the Executive Chef on creation of menus and dishes that surprise and delight our daily visitors to Eden Project Destination. Focusing on local and seasonal ingredients, dishes will be created to offer something for all ages and dietary needs. Menus will be dynamic and flex with the season and themes on site. Producing food at scale and in a variety of outlets and above and beyond the typical visitor destination standard is paramount.

Key accountabilities

Manages the Hospitality Sous Chefs, leading by example to support and enable them to deliver high quality dishes, run efficient venues and plan ahead to create new and innovative menus.
Works with the Executive Chef and Procurement Team, to source food, and beverages and associated products, before approving the purchase of new ingredients and finished bought in products. Ensures expenditure is controlled within budget.
Works with the Executive Chef to ensure all staff understand food safety standards and allergen handling processes through effective training and ensures all monitoring, documentation and processes relating to food safety standards are compliant with legislation and the company Food Safety Management System.
By liaising with the Hospitality Manager, manages the relationship with the Front-of House (FoH) Hospitality team, ensuring FoH staff are fully conversant with food hygiene and safety standards and are informed and inspired to engage with visitors regarding seasonal menus and locally sourced products.
Liaises and collaborates with other key departments within Eden, keeping abreast of seasonal activities, themes and events to identify opportunities for the introduction of ingredients, dishes and menus that compliment and promote the Eden ethos and brand.
Manages and directs the Back of House team, ensuring all employees receive the appropriate induction, training and coaching to enable them to perform at the highest level within their respective roles, whilst dynamically flexing the deployment of staff to meet the needs of a highly seasonal business.
Is required to support the Event Head Chef in times where the Events team requires additional resource to deliver any events program.

Demands of the Role
Education & qualifications
An appropriate Catering qualification equivalent to NVQ2 is an essential requirement for this role. The jobholder will also hold current certification in the areas of food safety, food hygiene and COSHH.
Knowledge & skills
The jobholder will be able to demonstrate proven experience of catering and hospitality within large-scale operations. They will also have gained experience of managing and supervising junior staff. An in-depth knowledge of food preparation and the hospitality industry is essential as the jobholder will need to provide hands-on assistance during busy periods.
Decision- making
Planning ahead is key to running this highly seasonal operation, although day to day variations in visitor patterns requires constant adjustment to resources and volumes to meet the needs of Eden's multi-site food outlets.
Resourcefulness
Plans, organises and directs the preparation and cooking of food ensuring that the Eden’s reputation for sustainability, innovation and quality is maintained and enhanced.
People & asset management
Managerial responsibility for the Hospitality Department team of Chefs and kitchen porters. Custodial responsibility for the care and maintenance of Eden's catering equipment and for controlling expenditure within the allocated budget. Delegated authority to approve the purchase of new ingredients and pre-prepared products of up to £1,000. Accountable for minimising waste and for optimising recycling.
Communication & visitor experience
The jobholder regularly interacts with suppliers and key stakeholder. Oral communications involve the jobholder in training and coaching staff and issuing quick and clear instructions ahead of and during service.
Operational environment
The role is primarily 'hands-on' in a high-pressure catering and hospitality environment, working alongside the chef team. Visits to key and new suppliers and trips to relevant national exhibitions are also a requirement.

Additional features

It is essential that the jobholder ensures that their certification in the areas of food safety, food hygiene and COSHH remains current.