We are excited to offer a full-time role for an experienced Head Chef to join the team, working closely with the owners in a fast-paced, quality-driven restaurant.

We are looking for a responsible, dedicated individual to assume ownership for the day-to-day running of the kitchen, working alongside the General Manager to further build upon the ongoing success of the restaurant.

We’re looking for someone who shares our love of hospitality, who understands Brawn and the ethos behind what we do, and who cares deeply about the produce we work with and the stories behind its provenance. This is a role for someone for whom cooking extends beyond the kitchen itself — someone excited by the restaurant culture of our city and motivated to contribute to our place within it.

Working closely with Ed, the role offers an exciting opportunity to help shape Brawn’s future whilst staying true to its foundations. As such, we are looking for someone familiar with the restaurant and with significant experience in a previous Head Chef role.

The ideal candidate:

• Has at least 2 years of working experience as a head chef in a similar standard of restaurant
• Must be knowledgeable and passionate about food, ingredients, seasonality and cooking techniques and be able to transfer their enthusiasm on to the team
• Has the skills and experience necessary to effectively help train, manage and grow teams
• Have excellent attention to cleanliness, organisation and detail
• A thorough understanding of current food hygiene regulations
• Ability to remain calm in a fast-paced environment
• Provide excellent and consistent customer experience

Responsibilities include:

• Be responsible for the day-to-day running of the kitchen
• Recruitment and building a strong, structured team around them
• Opening and closing duties
• Preparing the kitchen and team for service
• Maintaining the standards set in all areas of the kitchen from food production, cleaning and health & safety
• Complete daily invoice work that’s required to obtain a maximum GP
• Costing of dishes, inputting flash reports, managing budgets
• Weekly stocktaking, stock and waste management
• Working with Ed Wilson on developing new dishes and seasonal menus
• Heading up training and development of all kitchen staff
• Produce weekly rotas and accurate timesheets, that staff adhere to and these are handed in on time each week for processing
• Work with the General Manager and teams to ensure areas of concern are dealt with, particularly the safety side, fire alarm drills and testing, HACCPS etc
• Suppliers – Continuing the relationships built over the years with our existing supplier network and ensuring the quality of the produce is always at the forefront of decision making. Working with an eye on costs to ensure we can use ingredients effectively and economically.
• Sourcing – working with Ed and suppliers in sourcing the best examples of ingredients for the menu
• Setting the standard with regards to the effective and efficient use of your time, for the kitchen teams to use as a benchmark for what is expected of them

Working Schedule:

• 48 hours a week, based on 6 shifts a week, across 4-5 days

The benefits of working with us at Brawn:

• Competitive salary relevant to experience
• Hourly rate with all hours worked paid, no lieu accrual
• Working in a beautiful period, warehouse building on Columbia Road with a fully equipped kitchen
• The opportunity to work in a casual dining environment, alongside hospitality professionals
• Working with the best produce and a dynamic ever-evolving wine list
• Company sponsored training
• Company pension
• 24-Access to Hospitality Action – our wellness employee assistance program
• Monthly cash and card tips in addition
• A good work/life balance – Sundays off
• 50% off when dining at Brawn and sister restaurant Sargasso (Margate)
• Involved in fun, interesting hosted events throughout the year – wine dinners, guest chef dinners, Brawnswood at We Out Here