Event Chefs - Edinburgh and surrounding areas

We are currently recruiting Event Chefs to work at a variety of different events in Edinburgh, East and West Lothian, Lanark, Peebles and the surrounding areas. Most of our events are with a small selection of high-quality event caterers in interesting venues, working with top quality produce.

The standards of food at events can be anything from those expected in multi award winning kitchens with Michelin stars, AA Rosettes, and other accolades as well as more basic events with simple menus offering traditional Scottish classics and anywhere in-between. The most common requests are for chefs to come and support an event kitchen with on-the-day prep, set up, cooking, plating and clean-down of the event kitchen. Depending on the event, you may be asked to:

• Run a station or section during service.
• Prepare and carry out prep lists to ensure mise en place is ready.
• Be willing to adapt to kitchens that can be anywhere from a marquee set up, to a high-profile historic venue, all with their own different challenges.
• Log temperature checks, keep the kitchen clean and tidy and carry out any other health & hygiene practices.
• Take overall responsibility running the kitchen for more senior bookings.

The reasons chefs choose event work, and the type of person that takes on these roles are varied. Many have full or part-time jobs and enjoy working in a different environment for the occasional shift, learning new dishes and techniques, while earning some extra money. Some have other commitments from family, study, and hobbies through to other jobs such as offshore working or another part-time role. Many of the chefs we work with also have their own business and top up their work with event chef shifts as and when available. The most important thing is that you have a good attitude, are dependable, and are willing to work to the specs, recipes, and standards that each client requests.

Attitude is arguably the most important aspect of being a great relief chef. We look for people who can adapt to different kitchens, and have a helpful, positive, grown-up approach to work. Reliability and turning up in a timely manner to events. Try and be reasonably flexible when considering events the more you do well, the more you will be offered.

Having worked with thousands of relief chefs over a twenty-year period we understand that there are plenty of good agencies out there, and many who miss the mark. We build long-term relationships with our chefs, and our clients. We take the welfare of our candidates seriously and that is one reason why we have worked with many for such a long time. We promise we will:

• Do our best to offer events that will be suitable for you based on your experience and what you have told us you are looking for.
• Try to work with good employers who pay and treat their relief chefs well.
• Deal with any issues promptly, seeing them through until resolved.
• Ensure all details of bookings are communicated clearly, efficiently, and promptly.
• If a workplace repeatedly falls short of our expectations, we will stop working with them we want to send you to good, respectful, fair kitchens.
• Process wages, holiday pay and other queries quickly and accurately.

Event Chef work is paid weekly on an hourly basis, one week in hand. We pay good rates, for interesting and varied work. Depending on the booking you take on, hourly rates vary between £15 to £20 per hour. For events that are a little further afield, you will usually be paid your travel costs to the booking. For event chef bookings you will:

• Get paid weekly on a PAYE basis on a Friday.
• Accrue holiday pay in addition to the quoted hourly rate for every hour worked.
• Receive a weekly payslip.
• Be eligible for a workplace pension after 3 months.

Tomtain Recruitment offers the services of an employment agency for permanent work and an employment business for temporary work. Tomtain Recruitment is acting as an employment business in relation to this vacancy (except for any bookings where you are employed directly by the client, in which case we are acting as an employment agency).