Head Chef in Sudbury

Here at Perrywood Sudbury, we are recruiting for an experienced and motivated Head Chef to lead our brand-new kitchen, serving a 200-seat restaurant at the heart of our garden centre. This is an excellent opportunity for a strong kitchen leader who wants to deliver high quality fresh food in a professional daytime environment with no evening or split shifts.

We are looking for someone who will lead the kitchen team day-to-day, work closely with our Group Executive Chef and help shape a positive, organised, and supportive kitchen culture. Our menus are freshly prepared on site using high-quality ingredients, sourced locally wherever possible, reflecting our strong connection to the community we serve. We are especially proud of our commitment to inclusive dining, with a keen focus on our free-from menu ensuring every guest feels welcomed, valued, and well cared for.

Perrywood is an independent, family-owned garden centre and nursery group run by the Bourne Family. Our Tiptree, Buckhatch and Sudbury centres are all surrounded by beautiful countryside and our mission is to offer a memorable garden centre experience, delivering wow customer service and giving our employees and customers a reason to smile.

Head chef responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Leading, directing, and motivating the chef team and kitchen assistants.
• Running a busy open kitchen with calm, professional leadership.
• Work with the Group Executive Chef on menus, specials, and seasonal dishes.
• Managing stock control, ordering, margins, and waste.
• Support recruitment, training, and performance reviews to get the best out of your brigade.
• Managing and tailoring rotas to ensure effective staffing levels for fluctuating business requirements.
• Excellent allergen and free-from knowledge to uphold our reputation of delivering a wide free from offering.
• Ensure all chefs are complying with these standards.
• Ensure food safety, cleanliness, and hygiene compliance at all times to retain our 5-star hygiene record.

Capabilities

• Proven ability to lead and develop a kitchen team.
• Exceptional communication skills, listening as well as talking.
• Positive and enthusiastic approach to work to create a positive team culture.
• Good commercial awareness of GP, stock and labour control.
• Effective multitasker and problem solver.

Requirements

• Proven experience of managing and developing a team.
• You must be able to bend, lift and carry items as required and sustain periods of time on your feet.
• Ability to take customer and management feedback on board and effectively pass relevant instructions onto others.
• Smart appearance.

Working with

• Reporting to the Group Executive Chef.
• Work alongside Catering & Front of House Managers, leading all Chefs & Kitchen Assistants.

Rewards and Benefits

• Discount: From the start of your employment you will receive 10% discount on specific items. Following a successful probation period, the discount increases up to 20% discount on specific items and after one year's service up to 40% discount on specific items (some exceptions apply).
• Paid holiday: Holiday entitlement is 30 days per year, including bank holidays. Restrictions apply (part-time pro rata).
• Annual Christmas bonus.
• Part-uniform provided.
• Employee Assistant Programme: A confidential personal and professional support service available to all employees and their immediate families 24/7, 365 days a year.
• Training & development, as required. We have an e-learning scheme called GROW, and also take part in other training with product suppliers and external trainers.
• Company sick pay: Following a successful probation period employees are entitled to 10 days paid sickness (part-time pro rata, restrictions apply).
• Access to our Retail Discount Scheme: Savings on retailers including Tesco, Pizza Express, M&S, Waitrose, Argos, Apple, Currys PC World, Thomas Cook and hundreds more.
• Workplace pension.