Head Chef: Sponsorship Available

Subsidised shared accommodation available and Skilled Worker visa sponsorship for candidates outside the UK. Please ensure you satisfy all skilled worker visa requirements before applying.

Company Information

Lucky Lychee is an award-winning pub & restaurant based in the historic Green Man in Winchester. Known for our unique Malaysian menu, quality drinks range and informal atmosphere, we’re growing and need the team to underpin and drive this growth. The Head Chef will lead a diverse and talented chef team to create consistently delicious food.

The right candidate will be energetic, hard working and creative, capable of serving up to 150 covers a night. We are a dynamic team who look after people – all overtime will be paid and you’ll be treated with respect, enjoying free food on shift and a staff discount on food & drinks.

Overall Objective

Manage the BOH team, planning their work, training and supervising their results while communicating clearly with the owners. Oversee the preparation and cooking of consistently high-quality dishes to agreed standards, controlling stock to ensure availability and minimise waste. Train and uphold the company food safety management system. Drive the commercial success of the business by growing sales and controlling costs. Set the highest example to junior team members through your leadership and personal results. Be able to create suitable new dishes to drive company strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Understand, contribute to and drive company strategy to achieve financial KPIs.
• Follow, train and uphold our Food Safety Management System (FSMS) & company procedures to ensure the highest standards of food safety and health & safety.
• Lead the training and development of BOH, delegating appropriate tasks and supervising them. Show leadership in the kitchen, directing individuals for the best team result.
• Do accurate stock takes, orders and prep lists to ensure availability and avoid waste, controlling stockholding to avoid unnecessary spend. Supervise the management of food stock.
• Plan BOH labour schedules to balance BOH capacity with labour cost.
• Uphold high standards of organisation and cleanliness in all preparation and storage areas.
• Plan, supervise and contribute to the preparation of mise en place to ensure efficient service and full menu availability while controlling waste.
• Supervise the use of recipes to ensure consistent results, tasting frequently and presenting food in a visually appealing way.
• Maintain a pipeline of new dishes, creating recipes which consider: customer appeal; margin; degree of labour & skill; equipment requirements; seasonality; shelf life & waste.
• Maintain accurate records for opening & closing checks, always acting on issues identified.
• Maintain equipment and report defective equipment to a member of management.
• Design and manage BOH SOPs to ensure efficiency, compliance, food safety and quality cookery.

Essential Qualities

• Reliable attendance and punctuality, never be lazy or sloppy.
• Be truly passionate about our food: be an expert in Malaysian cuisine.
• Show leadership and management to drive the performance of the BOH team.
• Be positive and proactive, always developing your own skill set and performance.
• Work efficiently and methodically, planning tasks to ensure thorough and efficient completion.
• Work as a team within BOH and alongside FOH, show utmost respect for your colleagues.
• Be adaptable and able to switch between tasks.
• Work safely and act on anything unsafe, showing care for colleagues and customers.

Qualifications & Experience

• Senior experience with Malaysian cuisine from quality establishments.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the ingredients, techniques and dishes of Malaysian cuisine
• Experience of managing kitchen teams, show expertise in planning, delegation and supervision.

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Discounted or free food
• Employee discount
• Relocation assistance
• UK visa sponsorship

Experience:

• Malaysian cuisine: 3 years (required)