Head Pastry Chef in Colchester

£36,000.00 + per annum, 48 hour contract, Monthly Tronc, and 24/7 365 Bupa mental health support. Live in is available from £300.00 per month.

We have an exciting opportunity to join our kitchen family at Talland Bay Hotel as Pastry Chef. We have been operating at a 2 AA rosette level for the past 20+ years. We are heavily integrated into the AA rosette mentorship and have frequent visits from the AA to ensure we are at the top of our game and are striving for that high level of consistency.

To ensure our hotel runs as smoothly as possible, we hold ourselves to 4 main pillars - The Rooms, The View, The Food & The Service. It is significant that all departments work together to ensure a cohesive operation.

Glen, our Head Chef, uses only the best produce from, in & around Cornwall and the south west, cooking seasonal fare with influences from his childhood, favourite dishes & classic flavours. His style is comfort food executed well, underpinned by classic gastronomy and a passion to see every dish his best.

As we are a family, everybody is included; therefore, all of our chefs have a chance to have a dish on the menu, whether it be nibbles, starters, mains, desserts etc. Even if you have a starting idea, the brigade will work together to create something unique.

In Pastry, we strive to make everything fresh. Therefore, Afternoon tea is a special affair at Talland, and the top tier of the stand has to be 'top tier'. Throughout the year, we offer seasonal themed offerings from Valentines, Alice in Wonderland, Halloween & Festive themes being the most popular.

You will be 100% responsible for the creative direction. You will work closely with Glen to ensure the themes & offerings have synergy with the rest of the hotel's offering. We also have a lunch, dinner, tasting & Sunday menu which all have a different offering. Each dish needs to be tried, tested & tasted, along with method statement, ingredients, costs & an image of what the dishes should look like. Room biscuits & customer cakes are also tasks which need to be completed on a daily basis.

We are looking for someone with a positive attitude, who can execute tasks effectively & efficiently. Experience in a similar environment is needed; the right candidate will need to be able to complete day-to-day service with minimal faults, have mise-en-place to plate & be able to work with a fast-paced ticketed system. The right individual needs to be enthusiastic with a passion for excellence. Strive for perfection, accept excellence.

The right person will also have creative freedom with the pastry offering along with seasonality & connection with Glen, our Head Chef. The kitchen is fitted with gas solid tops, 6 burners & gas ovens. We also welcomed the addition of two rational XS ovens to pastry recently. We strive to make everything ourselves, from crisps, to scones, to cakes, to stocks, to individual dishes.

The next person to come into our kitchen must be a team player, someone who will look out for the person next to them & help in all sections of the kitchen, from larder, garnish, meat & fish & even the KP section.

Who Are We? We are the Talland Bay Hotel. Set within a 1100 dated building, the hotel started operating during the late 1940s. The hotel was made rather famous during the 70s & 80s and now has regained success with guests over the past 10 years. Owned by the Aikmo Group, we are one of 7 unique businesses within an expanding portfolio. We are however, the only hotel within the group at this stage. In 2016 we were graded by the AA at a 4 silver star level. We have been told that we are at the top of our game for the facilities which we boast and cannot achieve a further accolade due to the size & orientation of the hotel structure. Our service level however is on par with 5 red stars.

As we are a family, everybody is included; therefore, all team members are valued & part of the team. Normally working within a team of 4 plus support from the management team, we are required to be empathetic & genuinely look after our guests. The hotel consists of three dining areas, a bar & 20 bedrooms. Maximum covers tend to be 48-52 (Breakfast/Lunch/Afternoon Tea/Dinner).

People - The biggest & best resource you will have to hand are the team. You need them more than they need you. We strive to get the best out of people, by pushing them either to move up through the ranks, enrol them onto apprenticeships or fund their education in wine & spirits. The people are important. We want consistency of service, but we also want the team, the people to be genuine. No phoney smiles, but real people with a real interest in our guests. This is what sets Talland Bay Hotel on the map!

You will also be required to work closely with Glen, the head chef & the full kitchen brigade. Changing of menus, updating the EPOS & implementation of service standards & IT (Electronic Order Systems/Paper based methods). Guests above all else, you need to deliver to our guests what they need & even if they don’t realise what they want!

Do you have what it takes to be our Pastry Chef?