Head Chef, Padella Restaurant

About us: 

Padella is the result of 20 years of working with best of the best in the industry. We make everything from scratch every day with the best produce in the UK sourced from our friends who happen to be farmers, millers, fisherman, cheese makers, coffee roasters, winemakers, and the rest. 

We create bad ass award winning pasta, which we hand-roll every day. Our restaurants are gorgeous, busy places, filled with ninja teams who love food and drinks, and we provide a lot of perks to keep our teams happy. 

You’ll be working regularly with the owners Tim and Jordan who originally set up Trullo and wrote Trullo Cookbook. Before then, they‘ve worked extensively with Jamie Oliver, St John, Moro and The River Cafe.

We are on the lookout for an expert Head Chef, who is hyper organised and ready to lead our kitchen team in our Padella kitchen at Borough Market.

You are someone who has the ability to enjoy the challenges of a fast-growing business will be a key asset to be able to succeed in the role.

You’re a great leader who really cares about your people and food. Your big-hearted approach will make coaching and developing other members the kitchen team a natural focus.

What we offer: 

A Work life balance is important to us all, this role involves 45 Hours – 6 Shifts over 5 days – always having 2 days off per week including only one double shift within a week.

·      Two weeks of an induction program welcoming you into our Pasta family 

·      Wholesome Breakfast and Dinner on every shift

·      Regular supplier trips

·      Staff drinks after each working day

·      Discount in all our restaurants – 50% At Padella sites and 66% at Trullo restaurant

·      Pension plan 

·      On-going training and development with regular appraisals and check ins with your manager, over coffee or a bowl of pasta! 

·      28-day holiday entitlement (including bank holidays)

·      cycle to work scheme

Job Description:

·       Ensure the highest quality of food comes out of the kitchen of Padella.

·       The day-to-day Kitchen management of Padella, a 70-cover restaurant with a sales turnover in excess of £45,000 a week.

·       Be an expert on our menu, cooking techniques, provenance, supplier information and ethos in every sense.

·       Maintain & Drive the highest standards of staff product knowledge, through encouragement and detailed training plans and on-boarding.

·       Recruit, schedule and create development paths for all junior Chefs – keep chefs engaged and engaging.

·       Create a culture of nurturing, monitoring & celebrating success.

·       Be trained to at least Food Safety Level 3

·       Be fully conversant with health and safety, food safety and HACCP.

·       Continue Padella’s status as one of London’s great independent restaurants, with the highest standards of seasonality, artisan and ethically sourced produce at high street prices.

·       Oversee the creation and recording of orders in line with company policy and the needs of the business and coach any new senior chefs to be able to do so.

·       Ensure complete control of the food, costs of sale, GP and menu item costings through weekly stock takes and analysis.

You Are:

·       Experienced. You’ve worked and you thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with at least 2 years’ experience in a senior management position, with a strong financial understanding of how to run a profitable business and control cost

·       You get people. You have outstanding staff management, motivation and communication skills. You have a proven track record in developing and growing your team. You have a deep understanding of appraisals, the onboarding process and the importance of looking after staff.

·       You remain calm in the eye of the storm. You’re resilient in the face of adverse situations, you can diffuse and solve situations promptly, taking control of the issue and supporting your team.

·       Team Player. Sounds obvious but teamwork is truly the foundation of Padella’s culture and everything we do impacts each other. We’re looking for people who understand this and naturally use their initiative whether it’s going the extra mile for a customer, colleague or different department in need. 

·       You are passionate about food and talking about it, have a natural interest in ingredients, where they’re sourced, what’s the supplier’s ethos about their products and how you’ll translate that into a great employee and customer experience.

Skills: NVQ level 1, 2 & 3, HACCP Level 2 & Food Safety Certifications are all desirable and knowledge of BRC requirements is also an advantage.

Please get in touch with [email protected]