Head Chef, Pantry

Hosted Home; City of London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A private members' club in London is seeking an exceptional Head Chef to lead the culinary team. You will oversee food preparation, innovate menus, and ensure food safety compliance while fostering a positive dining experience. The ideal candidate has extensive culinary management experience, a flair for creative menu writing, and strong leadership skills. This position offers competitive benefits including exclusive discounts and annual leave.

Benefits

Biannual company socials

Exclusive staff rates and discounts

Birthday day off

Shift meals provided

Health and life assurance schemes

28 days holiday

Recommend-a-friend bonus

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing the culinary department in a luxury/lifestyle restaurant.
• Experience in creative and profitable menu writing focusing on French gastronomy.
• Ability to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends.

Responsibilities

• Lead all food preparation and culinary activities for the restaurant.
• Develop innovative menus and culinary presentations.
• Manage culinary control procedures to ensure food safety.

Skills

Culinary management

Menu creation

Table-side cooking

Leadership

Health and food safety

Excellent communication

Flexibility

Job description

Who are we?

Maison Estelle is a private members’ club set in a Grade I-listed Georgian townhouse on Grafton Street, Mayfair. A ‘hosted home’, bringing people together that have plenty to say and nothing to prove. A new school club (no rules), with old school values of personalised service and discretion.

We are looking for an exceptional Head Chef to lead our brigade in The Pantry.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Planning and directing all food preparation and culinary activities for the restaurant.
• Ensuring that all departments and relevant colleagues are briefed on menu items, communicating all relevant provenance, allergen, nutritional, and other distinctive information.
• Delivering the food vision helping to develop innovative menus and identify new culinary techniques and presentations in line with the members club standards.
• Arranging for equipment repairs in line with health and safety requirements and budgets.
• Helping the Executive Chef to achieve budgeted food cost, sales, stock, labour costs, and profitability for the restaurant.
• Participation and input towards food and beverage activities helping to build innovative activations.
• Developing and maintaining culinary control procedures to ensure the safe delivery of all food-related products in line with UK food safety and health and safety legislation.
• Assisting in menu development planning and pricing and helping the Senior Leadership Team and our partners to build a rich program of events and original unique selling points which ensure longevity and credibility to ensure the club is always the first thought for our members to eat.
• Participating in vendor sourcing, quality control, budget management, and inventory purchasing.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Proven experience managing the culinary department in a luxury/lifestyle restaurant.
• Proven experience writing interesting menus that are both creative and profitable for a fine dining style concept with a focus on French gastronomy and British classics.
• Experience in delivering table-side cooking and food carving/preparation with flair creating a sense of theatre.
• You are an inspiring leader who relishes taking responsibility for running culinary teams and departments.
• Confident in using purchasing, health and safety and food safety, payroll, and rota systems.
• Stays up to date with current food trends and best practices.
• Must be able to work flexibly including evenings and weekends due to the operational hours of the club.
• Excellent communication skills and comfortable talking to colleagues, senior management, and coming front of house to talk to members.
• A genuine passion for hospitality and hosting.

What’s in it for you?

AtEstelle, we prioritise your well-being and growth, offering a range of perks to enrich your experience. Enjoy exclusive staff rates and biannual socials. Nurture your well-being with stocked colleague spaces and staff food. Engage in forums shaping The Estelle Way. Join us for a fulfilling journey where you arevalued,supported, andcelebrated.

Here at Estelle, we want to create a unified culture and sense of belonging across both Estelle Manor and Maison Estelle. We have a range of perks and benefits at your fingertips:

• Biannual company socials plus smaller social and sports groups.
• Exclusive staff rates and F B discounts across Ennismore brand.
• Birthday day off
• Goes without saying, but we will feed you during your shift.
• Added protection of our pension, health cash plan and life assurance schemes.
• 28 days holiday, inclusive of bank holidays, which increases with length of service.
• Recommend-a-friend bonus scheme.