About Pasha
Pasha Restaurant & Shisha Lounge is one of Bradford's established restaurant, shisha and entertainment destinations.
Operating from a large and vibrant venue, Pasha brings together quality food, premium shisha, live sports, DJs, entertainment and events, creating an experience that goes beyond simply going out for a meal.
Our food offering is a major part of the Pasha experience, with a varied menu including grills, burgers, pizzas, pasta, Asian-inspired dishes, sides, desserts and sharing dishes.
As we continue to develop and grow Pasha, we are looking for an experienced, passionate and highly capable Head Chef to take complete ownership of our kitchen operation.
About the Role
This is a senior and highly responsible position within Pasha.
As Head Chef, you will be responsible for the overall management, performance and standards of the kitchen.
We need someone who can lead from the front.
You will manage the kitchen team, maintain consistently high food standards, control food costs and wastage, ensure excellent food hygiene and develop systems that allow the kitchen to perform efficiently during extremely busy services.
This is not simply a position for a talented cook.
We are looking for somebody who can run a kitchen as a business operation.
You will work closely with the Restaurant Manager and Directors and have significant responsibility for developing Pasha's food offering.
Your Key Responsibilities
Kitchen Leadership
You will take overall responsibility for the kitchen and kitchen team, including:
- Leading and managing the entire kitchen operation
- Managing chefs, kitchen assistants and other back-of-house staff
- Creating an organised and professional kitchen environment
- Leading the team during busy services
- Delegating responsibilities effectively
- Setting clear standards for every member of the kitchen team
- Training and developing chefs and kitchen staff
- Supporting recruitment and selection of new kitchen employees
- Managing staff performance and addressing poor standards
- Ensuring appropriate staffing levels for each service
- Supporting kitchen rotas and holiday planning
- Creating a strong culture of discipline, teamwork and accountability
- Leading by example at all times
Food Quality & Consistency
Consistency is extremely important to us.
A customer ordering the same dish on a Tuesday afternoon or a packed Saturday evening should receive the same quality, portion and presentation.
You will be responsible for:
- Maintaining consistently high food quality
- Ensuring dishes are prepared according to agreed recipes and specifications
- Controlling portion sizes
- Maintaining presentation standards
- Checking food before it leaves the kitchen
- Monitoring preparation and cooking techniques
- Ensuring ingredients are fresh and correctly stored
- Developing clear recipe specifications
- Improving kitchen systems to maintain consistency
- Addressing quality issues immediately
- Maintaining standards even during extremely busy periods
Menu Development
We want a Head Chef who can bring ideas as well as experience.
You will work with management to continually develop Pasha's food offering.
This may include:
- Developing new dishes
- Improving existing dishes
- Creating seasonal specials
- Developing sharing concepts
- Reviewing presentation
- Improving recipes and cooking methods
- Testing new ingredients
- Helping develop promotional food items
- Understanding current food trends
- Identifying dishes that could perform well on social media
- Working with our Social Media & Content Manager when launching new dishes
We want our kitchen to evolve rather than stand still.
Food Hygiene & Safety
The Head Chef will take a leading role in maintaining excellent food hygiene and food safety standards throughout the kitchen.
You must have strong knowledge and practical experience of:
- Food hygiene
- Food safety management
- HACCP principles
- Allergen management
- Cross-contamination prevention
- Temperature monitoring
- Safe food storage
- Date labelling and stock rotation
- Cleaning schedules
- Personal hygiene
- Kitchen Health & Safety
- Safe equipment operation
- Record keeping
You will be responsible for ensuring that kitchen staff understand and consistently follow the required procedures.
A recognised Level 3 Food Safety/Food Hygiene qualification or equivalent is highly desirable.
You should be comfortable taking responsibility for kitchen standards during Environmental Health inspections.
Stock, Purchasing & Wastage
A successful Head Chef needs to understand the numbers behind the kitchen.
You will be responsible for helping control:
- Food purchasing
- Stock levels
- Stock rotation
- Supplier orders
- Deliveries
- Portion control
- Food wastage
- Overproduction
- Ingredient usage
- Kitchen consumables
You should understand the relationship between portion size, purchasing, wastage, menu pricing and profitability.
We want someone who can maintain excellent food quality while also understanding that unnecessary wastage directly affects the business.
Food Cost & Commercial Awareness
This is an important part of the position.
You will work with management to understand and control the cost of producing our menu.
You should be comfortable with:
- Recipe costing
- Portion costing
- Gross profit awareness
- Food cost percentages
- Supplier pricing
- Stock management
- Waste reduction
- Menu profitability
You don't need to be an accountant.
But you do need to understand that a Head Chef is responsible for both the food and the commercial performance of the kitchen.
Managing High-Volume Service
Pasha can become extremely busy, particularly during:
- Friday and Saturday evenings
- Major football matches
- Boxing and UFC events
- Special events
- DJ and entertainment nights
- Bank holidays
- Seasonal periods
The successful candidate must therefore have experience working within a busy, high-volume kitchen.
When orders build up, we need somebody who remains calm, organised and in control.
You should know how to position your team, prioritise tickets, communicate with front of house and maintain quality without allowing the kitchen to become chaotic.
Kitchen Organisation
You will be expected to maintain an exceptionally organised kitchen.
This includes:
- Preparation planning
- Prep lists
- Station organisation
- Opening procedures
- Closing procedures
- Cleaning schedules
- Stock organisation
- Fridge and freezer organisation
- Equipment maintenance reporting
- Staff responsibilities
- Daily kitchen checks
You should be the type of Head Chef who can walk into the kitchen and immediately notice when something isn't right.
Working With Front of House
The kitchen and Front of House must operate as one team.
You will work closely with the Restaurant Manager and Front of House team to:
- Manage service effectively
- Communicate waiting times
- Resolve customer food issues
- Manage large tables and group bookings
- Prepare for major events
- Plan for anticipated busy periods
- Communicate unavailable items quickly
- Improve the overall customer experience
Professional communication between the kitchen and Front of House is essential.
The Person We're Looking For
We're looking for somebody who is:
- An experienced Head Chef or strong Senior Sous Chef ready to progress
- A confident kitchen leader
- Highly organised
- Calm under pressure
- Passionate about food
- Consistent and disciplined
- Commercially aware
- Strong on food hygiene and compliance
- Able to manage and motivate a team
- Comfortable making decisions
- Capable of handling difficult conversations when necessary
- Creative and willing to introduce ideas
- Reliable and professional
- Able to communicate effectively in English
- Comfortable working within a fast-paced hospitality environment
- Willing to take genuine ownership of the kitchen
Experience We're Looking For
Previous experience as a Head Chef, Kitchen Manager, Senior Sous Chef or similar senior kitchen position is required.
We would particularly welcome candidates with experience in:
- Large restaurants
- High-volume kitchens
- Grill restaurants
- Asian fusion restaurants
- Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine
- Burgers and casual dining
- Pizza
- Events and entertainment venues
- Large hospitality operations
Experience managing a multi-section kitchen and kitchen team would be particularly advantageous.
Qualifications
Highly desirable:
- Level 3 Food Safety/Food Hygiene or equivalent
- Allergen Awareness training
- HACCP knowledge/training
- Health & Safety training
Relevant professional chef qualifications would also be advantageous, although practical experience and ability are extremely important to us.
What We Offer
- Salary up to £40,000 per annum, depending on experience
- Full-time permanent position
- Senior leadership responsibility within the business
- Free or discounted staff meals
- Opportunity to take ownership of a large kitchen operation
- Input into menu development and new dishes
- Opportunity to build and develop your own kitchen team
- Work directly with senior management and Directors
- Opportunity to help shape the future food direction of Pasha
- Career development as the business continues to grow
This Role Is About Ownership
We're looking for someone who treats the kitchen as their kitchen.
If food isn't right, you fix it.
If standards are slipping, you address them.
If wastage is too high, you find out why.
If a member of the team needs training, you train them.
If service isn't flowing properly, you change the system.
And when the kitchen performs brilliantly on an extremely busy night, you take pride in what your team has achieved.
We will give the successful candidate responsibility and the opportunity to make a genuine impact on Pasha's food operation.
In return, we expect leadership, accountability, consistency and high standards.
How to Apply
Please apply through Indeed with an up-to-date CV detailing your relevant kitchen and management experience.
We would particularly like to see details of:
- Restaurants or hospitality venues where you have held senior kitchen responsibility
- The size of kitchen teams you have managed
- Your experience managing high-volume service
- The types of cuisine you have experience producing
- Your food hygiene and food safety qualifications
- Your experience with stock, wastage and food-cost control
- Examples of menu development or dishes you have introduced
Shortlisted candidates may be invited to meet the management team and complete a practical cooking trial before an appointment is made.
Pasha Restaurant & Shisha Lounge
20 Edderthorpe Street
Bradford
BD3 9RA
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: Up to £40,000 per annum
Work Location: In person
Pay: Up to £40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
Work Location: In person
