Who Are Absolute Taste and What Do We Do?
We are an innovative culinary and customer service provider, dedicated to delivering inspirational food and experiences that redefine customer satisfaction. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for pushing boundaries, we continue to grow from strength to strength.
As a small, dynamic team of event professionals, we specialize in creating exciting, well-managed, and sustainable events, while fostering strong working relationships. We're looking for individuals who share our fun, resilient, and hardworking values to join our supportive, high-performing team.
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a highly regarded organisation dedicated to success and a positive, empowering culture.
About The Role
We are seeking for an experienced and creative Head Pastry Chef to lead our pastry teams across an exciting portfolio of high-profile events, from Formula One and prestigious golf championships to private and corporate occasions.
A fantastic opportunity for a passionate pastry chef who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is driven to deliver exceptional food, creativity and memorable experiences.
Location: Bicester, Oxfordshire
As a Head Pastry Chef your key responsibilities will be :
Pastry & Menu Development: Lead the pastry function across events, creating, developing and costing desserts and sweet menu items in line with client briefs, budgets and current food trends.-
Event Leadership: Take a senior leadership role across culinary operations, managing kitchen teams, providing direction and ensuring high standards of food, service and hospitality.
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Kitchen Operations: Oversee the full kitchen operation before, during and after events, including production, staffing, set-up, pack-down, equipment, stock and waste management.
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Budget & Cost Control: Take responsibility for food and kitchen labour budgets, forecasting, tracking spend and ensuring all procurement and operational costs remain within agreed targets.
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Procurement & Suppliers: Manage ingredients, suppliers, orders, deliveries and stock, working closely with procurement, finance and logistics teams.
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Strategy & Innovation: Contribute to the overall F&B strategy, developing creative and commercially viable menus that reflect local food trends, client requirements and available ingredients.
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Team Management: Recruit, lead and motivate chefs, manage team performance and morale, and ensure effective communication across diverse and international teams.
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On-Site Event Delivery: Act as a key member of the event delivery team, remaining calm under pressure and ensuring kitchens operate efficiently and safely throughout the event.
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Food Safety & Compliance: Ensure all food safety, health & safety, allergen, quality and regulatory requirements are fully maintained and documented.
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Client & Stakeholder Management: Build strong relationships with clients, internal departments, suppliers and third-party partners, acting as an ambassador for the company.
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Planning & Processes: Develop kitchen packs, SOPs, packing lists and operational processes to ensure events run smoothly and consistently.
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Post-Event: Participate in debriefs, review performance and identify improvements for future events.
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Experience: Ideally requires experience with large-scale/international events, greenfield operations and/or F1 events, alongside strong organisational, communication and leadership skills.
What we are looking for:
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Proven experience in a senior Head Pastry Chef role, ideally within events, catering or hospitality
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Strong leadership and team management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate large, diverse kitchen teams
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Exceptional menu writing and culinary creativity, with a passion for pastry, knowledge of current food trends, dietary requirements and sustainability practices
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Excellent organisational and time management abilities, with experience planning and delivering greenfield events
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Proficiency in cost management, budgeting, and food ordering systems
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Thorough understanding of food safety, hygiene and allergen regulations
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Experience managing procurement, stock control and supplier relationships
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Calm and decisive under pressure, with the ability to troubleshoot logistical challenges at pace
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Excellent team relationship building and recruitment skills
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Flexibility to work evenings, weekends and travel internationally as required
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International event or Formula One experience desirable
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Organised, punctual and motivational, with confident and adaptable communication skills
Why Join Us at Absolute Taste?
Join a fast-growing and innovative company that is redefining customer experiences in the culinary and event space. We offer an empowering team culture, the opportunity to work on exciting, well-managed events, and a supportive, resilient team environment.
We are committed to supporting your career growth with thorough training and ongoing development.
You can also enjoy benefits such as:
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25 Days holiday + Bank Holiday
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Company Pension
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Life Assurance
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Employee Wellbeing Program
If you're ready to make an impact in a fast-paced environment and contribute to the success of Absolute Taste, apply today and join our team!
We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer.
