Job Title: Sous Chef
Location: Knepp Castle, West Grinstead, West Sussex RH13 8LJ
Salary: £30K – 35K depending on experience
Job Type: Permanent/Full Time – 40 hours across five working days
Knepp is a 3,500 acre estate devoted to a pioneering rewilding project. Using grazing animals as the drivers of habitat creation, and with the restoration of dynamic, natural water courses, the project has seen extraordinary increases in wildlife.
As part of this project Knepp has created a butchery, providing award winning beef, venison and pork that are biproducts of the project. As part of this new venture, the restaurant will utilise the high-quality produce coming off the project as well as our new 3-acre market garden. It is our hope that we can create an exciting and sustainable culinary location.
The role:
This is a fantastic opportunity for a dynamic, enthusiastic and passionate chef looking for a new challenge to work alongside expert growers, butchers, chefs, stockmen and ecologists to create a unique restaurant revered and recognised as a food destination.
Responsibilities:
People:
- To act as a role model to your team
- To work within the management team to recruit the best people for the right roles
- To develop, train and coach your team through appraisal and ‘learning & development’
- To own the delivery of all mandatory training within your team
- To bring fun to the workplace and ensure a happy, motivated and focused team
- To include and oversee the creation of new dishes/recipe’s
- To assist the Head Chef in any duties necessary
Customer experience:
- To ensure high customer experience and promote our ethos
- To champion swift, efficient, knowledgeable and engaging restaurant, retail and tour service ensuring compliance by the team of standard operating procedures
- To engage with the wider Estate team in the delivery of events
P&L:
- To prepare and deliver achievable sales and EBITDA budgets
- To manage the rota effectively to deliver target wage costs
- To assist in engaging the team in the weekly targets and deliver agreed spend per head and transaction targets
- To treat & monitor stock levels as if it belonged to you to ensure minimum variance between actual & book
Operation:
- To maintain a safe workplace
- To ensure Swallow’s environment is well maintained and meets internal Brand standards
- To be responsible for the execution of paperwork and GP sales relating to restaurant To ensure the daily banking and cash reconciliation is undertaken
- To continuously develop recipe’s on Knepp’s behalf
- To explore ingredients that are in line with Knepp’s ethos and sustainability standards
- To help create occasional pop-up/evening events
- Working on the line and on the pass to ensure quality and organisation of kitchen during service hours
Job Requirements:
- As well as experienced Sous Chefs, we are open to candidates who are eager to step up into a management position
- Food Hygiene standard level 2 (optional)
- HACCAP management (Optional)
Statutory:
- To own legal compliance and operating standards across the restaurant, retail and tour areas
- To ensure the kitchen operates to 5* EHO compliance
- To take and pass any required food hygiene and HACCAP training and implement where needed
Essential skills:
- Team management
- Work ethic
- Menu creativity
- Enthusiastic about sustainability
Employee perks benefits:
- Wine training/tastings
- Coffee on tap
- Fixed days off
- Team trips and annual parties
Please click on the APPLY button to submit your CV for this role.
Overseas candidates will NOT be considered for this role. We are not sponsoring Visa’s at this time, so please refrain from applying unless eligible to work in the UK
Candidates with the relevant experience or job titles of: Chef Assistant, Catering Assistant, Caterer, Support Caterer, Catering Support, Canteen, Canteen Attendant, Catering Officer may also be considered for this role.
