This is NOT a restaurant kitchen.
If you're looking for a service-led restaurant role, this isn't it.
We're looking for a Head Chef who thrives on organisation, production planning and leading an exceptionally busy events kitchen capable of delivering multiple events simultaneously.
On a typical summer week, our kitchen produces food for dozens of events, ranging from intimate luxury picnics and afternoon teas to weddings, corporate hospitality, festivals and large-scale catering. During peak periods, we can be preparing food for hundreds - sometimes over a thousand guests across multiple events in a few days.
This is a high-volume production kitchen where planning, efficiency and consistency are just as important as creativity.
If colour-coded prep lists, production schedules, logistics and getting 15 events out of the door before 10am excites you, keep reading.
About Us
The Luxury Picnic Company and Bar Brothers Events deliver luxury catering and event experiences across the UK.
Each year we deliver hundreds of events, with our teams producing everything from luxury picnic hampers and elegant canapés to grazing tables, BBQs, food truck menus and large corporate catering.
As our business continues to grow, we're looking for an exceptional Head Chef to take ownership of our kitchen operation.
The Role
You'll oversee every aspect of our kitchen, ensuring food is produced to an exceptional standard whilst managing an incredibly demanding production schedule.
You'll be responsible for leading the kitchen team, planning production, maintaining GP targets, controlling stock, creating menus and ensuring every event leaves on time and looking exceptional.
This role is as much about leadership and logistics as it is cooking.
What You'll Be Doing
- Leading a busy, high-volume events kitchen.
- Managing simultaneous production for multiple events every day.
- Producing food for anywhere from 20 to over 1,000 guests, depending on the event schedule.
- Creating detailed production plans to ensure every order is completed accurately and on time.
- Builing and managing a team of kitchen staff, prep chefs and kitchen assistants.
- Maintaining exceptional presentation across every dish.
- Overseeing food ordering, stock control and supplier management.
- Managing food costs and achieving GP targets.
- Reducing waste whilst maintaining quality.
- Developing seasonal menus and new catering concepts.
- Ensuring full compliance with HACCP and food safety legislation.
- Working closely with the Events Team to deliver seamless service.
What We're Looking For
We're looking for someone who genuinely enjoys working at scale.
You'll already have experience running a high-volume catering kitchen, production kitchen or banqueting operation and understand the pace, organisation and leadership required.
You'll be someone who:
- Has experience producing food for large-scale events.
- Can confidently manage multiple productions simultaneously.
- Remains calm under pressure & is a natural problem solver.
- Has exceptional planning and organisational skills.
- Leads from the front and motivates their team.
- Understands food costing, labour planning and kitchen profitability.
- Takes enormous pride in presentation and consistency.
- Is adaptable and enjoys that no two days are ever the same.
Essential Experience
- Previous Head Chef or Senior Sous Chef experience within events, banqueting, production catering or large-scale hospitality.
- Experience managing high-volume food production.
- Experience leading a busy kitchen team.
- Strong knowledge of HACCP and food safety.
- Excellent organisational and communication skills.
This Role Isn't For Everyone
This role is demanding. It's not your standard restaurant kitchen and it's definitely not a 9-5 job.
Summer weeks are fast-paced.
You'll often be overseeing production for numerous events at once, managing large prep schedules, coordinating staff and ensuring every event leaves the kitchen on time.
If you enjoy a quiet kitchen producing one service at a time, this probably isn't the role for you.
If you love the buzz of organised chaos, thrive under pressure and get genuine satisfaction from delivering incredible food at scale, you'll fit right in.
What You'll Get
- A senior leadership role within one of the UK's fastest-growing luxury events businesses.
- Creative freedom to develop menus and concepts.
- A diverse role with no two days the same.
- Career progression as the business continues to grow.
- A supportive, ambitious team.
- The opportunity to cater everything from intimate luxury picnics to large-scale corporate events, weddings and festivals.
This is an opportunity to lead in a busy events kitchen. If you have the experience, resilience and drive to deliver exceptional food on a large scale, we'd love to hear from you.
Pay: £35,000.00-£45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Discounted or free food
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
