Head Chef – Twenty-Two 22
Location: Plymouth
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience
About Twenty-Two 22
Twenty-Two 22 is an independent restaurant in Plymouth serving creative tapas and small plates, brunches and Sunday roasts, with a focus on great ingredients, bold flavours and food that people genuinely want to come back for.
We’re looking for an experienced and passionate Head Chef to take ownership of our kitchen and help us continue developing our food offering.
This is a hands-on role for someone who loves being in the kitchen but also understands the organisation, leadership and commercial thinking required to run one successfully.
As an independent restaurant, you'll have the opportunity to put your own stamp on the food, develop new dishes and seasonal menus, and work closely with the owners and management team to shape the future of Twenty-Two 22.
The Role
As Head Chef, you'll have overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the kitchen, maintaining consistently high standards while creating a positive and well-organised working environment.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Leading the kitchen team through preparation and service
- Taking ownership of the quality, presentation and consistency of every dish leaving the kitchen
- Developing new dishes, specials and seasonal menus
- Managing kitchen rotas and ensuring appropriate staffing levels
- Organising prep and ensuring the kitchen is fully prepared for service
- Managing stock levels, ordering and supplier relationships
- Monitoring food costs, portion control and wastage
- Completing regular stocktakes and helping maintain agreed GP targets
- Training, developing and supporting chefs and kitchen team members
- Maintaining excellent standards of food hygiene, cleaning and kitchen organisation
- Ensuring allergen procedures and food safety requirements are followed correctly
- Working closely with the FOH and management teams to ensure smooth services
- Taking responsibility for the kitchen and resolving problems proactively
- Helping us continually improve the food, systems and overall operation of the restaurant
Who We're Looking For
We're looking for someone who is passionate about food but equally passionate about running a great kitchen.
You'll ideally be:
- An experienced Head Chef, strong Sous Chef ready to step up, or similar senior kitchen professional
- Confident leading a busy fresh-food kitchen
- Creative and genuinely interested in menu development
- Comfortable working with tapas, small plates and different styles of cuisine
- Highly organised with strong prep and time-management skills
- Calm and capable during busy services
- A confident and supportive team leader
- Knowledgeable about food costs, stock control and waste management
- Experienced with food hygiene and allergen management
- Reliable, proactive and willing to take ownership
- Someone who leads by example rather than simply giving instructions
Most importantly, we're looking for somebody who cares about what leaves the kitchen and takes pride in building a strong team around them.
Why Twenty-Two 22?
We're independent, which means you won't simply be handed a corporate menu and asked to follow it.
We want our Head Chef to have real creative input and ownership. You'll be encouraged to develop dishes, experiment with specials, work with seasonal ingredients and help evolve the identity of our food.
We expect high standards, but we don't believe a successful kitchen needs an old-fashioned or toxic culture. We want a kitchen where people work hard, communicate properly, respect one another and enjoy being part of the team.
This is an opportunity for the right person to take responsibility for an established kitchen while having the freedom to help shape where we go next.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary based on experience
- Full-time, permanent position
- Genuine creative input into menus and specials
- Opportunity to shape and develop the kitchen
- Support from an experienced management team
- Staff discount
- Workplace pension
- A growing independent business where your ideas can actually make a difference
If you're an ambitious chef looking for a Head Chef position where you can take real ownership of the kitchen and the food, we'd love to hear from you.
Please apply with your CV and a little bit about yourself, your experience and the style of food you enjoy creating.
Pay: £37,440.00-£41,600.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Store discount
Work Location: In person
