Head Chef, Luxury Five-Star Hotel

Head Chef | Luxury Five-Star Resort | Hertfordshire

Salary: Competitive, depending on experience | Full-time position

Are you a talented Head Chef who combines excellent cooking skills with the leadership to run a quality restaurant kitchen?

COREcruitment is working with one of Hertfordshire's leading luxury resorts to recruit a Head Chef for one of its established restaurant operations.

Set within 300 acres of beautiful Hertfordshire countryside, this five-star destination offers a distinctive working environment, with a strong focus on quality food, seasonal British produce and ingredients sourced from local suppliers and the resort's own kitchen garden.

We're looking for a chef who cares about the food as much as the numbers. Someone who can lead a team, deliver consistent standards and bring creativity to an established food offering.

The Role

This is an all-day restaurant operation serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. With a focus on seasonal British cooking and quality ingredients, the restaurant offers an opportunity to lead a dedicated kitchen team within a well-established luxury hospitality business.

Reporting into the senior culinary team, you'll take ownership of the kitchen's food quality, team development and commercial performance.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading, developing and motivating a kitchen team of approximately 13 chefs.
• Maintaining high standards of cooking, presentation and consistency across breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Developing seasonal menus that showcase British produce and reflect the restaurant's identity.
• Working closely with local suppliers and the resort's kitchen garden team.
• Managing food costs, gross profit, purchasing, stock control and waste.
• Planning rotas and deploying the kitchen team effectively.
• Maintaining excellent food safety, hygiene and allergen standards.
• Training and developing your team, building a positive culture and retaining good people.
• Working closely with the General Manager, Executive Head Chef and Culinary Director to improve standards and performance.
• Bringing fresh ideas and creativity while maintaining consistency and commercial awareness.

About You

We're looking for a Head Chef with a strong culinary background who can demonstrate both excellent cooking ability and sound kitchen management.

You'll ideally have:

• Experience as a Head Chef or a strong Senior Sous Chef ready to take the next step.
• A background in quality restaurants, hotels or substantial food-led operations.
• The creativity to develop dishes while maintaining consistency and profitability.
• Experience managing a sizeable team and delivering across busy services.
• A good understanding of kitchen financials, including food GP, labour costs, ordering and stock management.
• The ability to lead, motivate and develop a team.
• A stable employment history and a genuine interest in developing with a business over the longer term.
• A hands-on approach and the confidence to lead from the front.

Rosette experience would be welcome, but it isn't the deciding factor. We're interested in your cooking ability, creativity, leadership and long-term potential.

What's on Offer?

• A competitive salary, depending on experience.
• The opportunity to work within a five-star luxury resort.
• A well-established restaurant operation with a dedicated kitchen team.
• Access to quality British produce and ingredients from the resort's own kitchen garden.
• Support from an experienced Executive Head Chef and Culinary Director.
• The opportunity to make your mark on the food offering and develop your team.
• A beautiful countryside setting within easy reach of Watford and the wider Hertfordshire area.
• Free staff parking and a shuttle bus from Watford town centre.

You'll need reliable transport arrangements to accommodate a variety of early and late shifts. Staff accommodation is limited, although individual availability can be discussed.

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