Hospitality Sous Chef - Brighton College

Lodestone House is proud to partner with Brighton College, delivering exceptional food, hospitality and guest experiences within one of the UK's leading independent schools. We’re looking for an experienced and passionate Hospitality Sous Chef to join our team at Brighton College. This is an exciting opportunity for a talented chef who thrives in a premium hospitality environment and is passionate about creating outstanding food for high-profile events and special occasions.

Working closely with the wider culinary and hospitality team, you’ll help shape and deliver an exceptional food offering that reflects the high standards of Brighton College.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading, motivating and inspiring the hospitality kitchen team to consistently deliver exceptional food and service.
• Taking a hands‑on role in the preparation and delivery of high-quality food.
• Planning, organising and overseeing food production for hospitality events across multiple venues within Brighton College.
• Delivering exceptional hospitality experiences for a wide range of events, including formal dinners, receptions, lunches and special occasions.
• Supporting the preparation and delivery of food for sports events across the College and at selected external locations.
• Developing innovative, seasonal menus that reflect current culinary trends and client requirements.
• Writing and costing recipes to ensure menus deliver both exceptional quality and strong commercial performance.
• Ensuring all dietary, allergen and cultural requirements are fully understood and catered for across every service.
• Maintaining consistently high standards of food quality, presentation and consistency.
• Working closely with the Hospitality Manager and wider operational team to develop and continually improve the hospitality food offer.
• Keeping up to date with current culinary trends, ingredients, techniques and presentation styles.
• Supporting purchasing, stock control and food cost management.
• Monitoring food production and labour costs to support agreed financial targets.
• Ensuring excellent levels of organisation and preparation across all hospitality services.
• Supporting the development and training of kitchen team members.
• Maintaining a clean, safe and professional kitchen environment.

A bit about you…

We’re looking for a talented chef with a genuine passion for exceptional food and hospitality. You’ll be an experienced and confident kitchen professional who enjoys leading from the front, takes pride in presentation and quality, and remains calm and organised when delivering multiple events at the same time.

You’ll ideally have:

• Previous experience as a Sous Chef, Junior Sous Chef or Senior Chef de Partie within premium hospitality, events, contract catering or a similar environment.
• Experience delivering high‑end hospitality across multiple events or venues.
• Proven experience developing, writing, costing and delivering seasonal menus.
• Excellent knowledge of current food trends, modern cooking techniques and presentation.
• Outstanding culinary skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Experience leading, developing and motivating kitchen teams.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• A proactive and positive approach, with the ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Strong commercial awareness, including food costing, purchasing and stock control.
• Good IT skills and confidence using catering or hospitality management systems.
• A genuine passion for outstanding food and exceptional customer service.
• Good knowledge of HACCP, food safety and food compliance standards.
• Strong knowledge of allergen management and dietary requirements.

Desirable

• Level 3 Food Safety qualification, or willingness to obtain.
• Experience working within an independent school, premium hospitality or high‑end events environment.
• Experience managing food budgets and supporting financial targets.
• Experience delivering large‑scale sporting or hospitality events.

Why join Lodestone House at Brighton College?

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a professional hospitality operation where food quality, service and guest experience are at the heart of everything we do. You’ll have the opportunity to work across a diverse range of events at Brighton College, developing creative menus and delivering food to a high standard for students, staff, clients and VIP guests. No two days will be the same, and you’ll have the opportunity to bring your creativity, culinary expertise and leadership skills to an environment where quality really matters.

Our service commitment

At Lodestone House, we believe exceptional hospitality starts with exceptional people. We expect everyone in our team to:

• Provide a friendly and approachable service to every guest.
• Arrive fully prepared, engaged and ready to deliver an exceptional service.
• Take pride in their appearance, work and professional standards.
• Care for colleagues and speak up when something isn't right.
• Lead by example and support those around them.
• Remain focused on delivering the best possible experience for every guest.
• Work collaboratively as part of a professional and supportive team.

Health & Safety

You’ll be expected to follow all relevant Health & Safety, HSE and See, Care, Share standards. You’ll also ensure that all food safety, allergen management and dietary procedures are followed at all times, raising any concerns or issues promptly with the appropriate management team.

If you’re a passionate chef looking for an exciting opportunity to showcase your skills within a premium hospitality environment, we’d love to hear from you.