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- Tasks: Lead a luxury catering kitchen, creating exquisite dishes for private aviation.
- Company: Join a premium aviation-focused catering company with a passion for culinary excellence.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career development, and a dynamic work environment.
- Why this job: Make your mark in the culinary world while working with high-profile clients.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in high-end culinary leadership and team management.
- Other info: Opportunity to mentor and develop a talented kitchen team.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 84000 £ per year.
As Head Chef, you will lead the culinary operations of our aviation-focused catering kitchen, ensuring every dish reflects the highest standards of luxury, precision, and consistency required for premium private aviation. You will oversee the full kitchen team, maintain exceptional quality control, and ensure flawless execution for both high-volume production and bespoke VIP requests.
Key Responsibilities
- Culinary Leadership & Menu Excellence: Lead the planning and execution of luxury menus tailored to private aviation, ensuring impeccable taste, presentation, and consistency. Set and uphold exacting culinary standards across all sections, ensuring every dish meets brand expectations and aviation-specific requirements. Oversee the creation of bespoke dishes for VIP clients, including tailored dietary requests and last-minute adjustments.
- Operational Management: Manage and supervise all daily kitchen operations, ensuring smooth workflow, organisation, and optimal productivity across the team. Ensure all mise en place is completed to exceptional standards and within strict timelines. Coordinate with procurement to forecast needs, maintain ingredient quality, manage stock rotation, and proactively identify shortages or quality concerns. Oversee precise labelling, packaging, and storage of all dishes to ensure safe transit and premium inflight presentation.
- Team Development & Leadership: Lead, motivate, and mentor the kitchen team, providing training, guidance, and development to junior chefs, sous chefs, and production staff. Uphold a disciplined, calm, and collaborative working culture that supports efficiency and high performance. Conduct performance reviews and support recruitment efforts to build a strong, skilled culinary team.
- Quality, Safety & Compliance: Maintain strict adherence to food safety, hygiene, HACCP standards, and aviation-specific protocols, ensuring full traceability and best-practice handling at all times. Implement and monitor quality-control procedures to ensure consistency across all dishes departing the kitchen. Work closely with operational and logistics teams to ensure seamless production and dispatch workflows.
- Communication & Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborate with management, operations, and client-facing teams to ensure client expectations are understood and exceeded. Communicate effectively with the wider team to ensure daily priorities, deadlines, and service levels are met. Represent the culinary team during internal and external tastings, audits, and client visits when required.
Seniority level: Director
Employment type: Full-time
Job function: Management and Manufacturing
Industries: Food and Beverage Services
Head Chef employer: Odyssey Dining
Contact Detail:
Odyssey Dining Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head Chef
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Connect with industry professionals on LinkedIn or at culinary events. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can land you that Head Chef role.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you can, create a portfolio of your best dishes or even host a tasting event. We want to see your culinary creativity in action, and it’s a great way to impress potential employers.
✨Tip Number 3
Be proactive! Don’t just wait for job postings. Reach out directly to catering companies or aviation services that interest you. We love seeing candidates take the initiative and express their passion for the role.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. We’re always on the lookout for talented chefs who can lead our culinary operations to new heights.
We think you need these skills to ace Head Chef
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Culinary Passion: When writing your application, let your love for cooking shine through! Share your experiences and what drives you in the kitchen. We want to see your personality and passion for creating luxury dishes that impress.
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to reflect the specific requirements of the Head Chef role. Highlight your experience with high-volume production and bespoke requests, as well as any relevant culinary leadership roles you've held. We appreciate attention to detail!
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to describe your skills and experiences, ensuring we can easily see how you meet our expectations. Remember, we’re looking for precision just like in your cooking!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Odyssey Dining
✨Know Your Culinary Craft
Before the interview, brush up on your culinary skills and knowledge. Be prepared to discuss your experience with luxury menus and bespoke dishes, as well as how you maintain high standards in a fast-paced environment. Show them you can lead a kitchen that meets aviation-specific requirements.
✨Showcase Leadership Skills
As a Head Chef, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead and mentor a team. Think of examples where you've successfully developed junior chefs or improved team performance. Highlight your approach to maintaining a calm and collaborative kitchen culture.
✨Understand Operational Management
Familiarise yourself with the operational aspects of running a kitchen. Be ready to discuss how you manage daily operations, ensure quality control, and handle procurement. They’ll want to know how you keep everything running smoothly while meeting strict timelines.
✨Communicate Effectively
Communication is key in this role. Prepare to talk about how you collaborate with other teams and manage client expectations. Share examples of how you've represented your culinary team during tastings or audits, showcasing your ability to engage with various stakeholders.
