Head Chef
| Company: | Houston & Hawkes |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £55,000 to £55,000 a year |
| Hours: | Full-time |
| Location: | London, W1J 5AE |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Posting date: | 3 Sept 2026 |
| Closing date: | 3 Oct 2026 |
Summary
HEAD CHEF
Houston & Hawkes | Central London | £55,000 per annum | 40 hours per week | Monday to Friday
Great food, beautiful presentation and the opportunity to create something genuinely special from the very beginning.
Houston & Hawkes is looking for a talented Head Chef to lead an exciting new Central London opening within an exceptional luxury workplace. You will shape a fresh, modern food offer where quality ingredients, seasonality and creativity are at the heart of everything we do.
From vibrant everyday dishes to elegant fine dining, beautifully executed canapés and high-end events, you will set the standard across the entire kitchen. This is your opportunity to build a talented team, develop exciting menus and create food you are genuinely proud to serve.
THE ROLE
- Lead the kitchen and establish exceptional culinary standards from day one
- Create fresh, seasonal menus across a modern workplace dining offer
- Deliver outstanding fine dining, hospitality, events, working lunches and canapé service
- Bring creativity, flavour and beautiful presentation to every part of the food offer
- Build, lead, motivate and develop a talented kitchen team
- Develop seasonal dishes, specials and new food concepts
- Work closely with the hospitality team to ensure every service and event is delivered seamlessly
- Take ownership of food quality, consistency and presentation
- Manage food cost, labour, ordering, stock and wastage effectively
- Build strong relationships with clients and understand their requirements
- Maintain the highest standards of food safety, allergen management, hygiene and compliance
- Create a positive kitchen culture where quality, creativity and pride in food come first
WHAT YOU’LL BRING
- Strong Head Chef experience within premium contract catering or another exceptional high-quality food environment
- A proven background across workplace dining and high-end hospitality
- Excellent fine dining, events and canapé experience
- A genuine passion for fresh, seasonal food and beautifully executed dishes
- Creativity and confidence to develop menus and bring new ideas to the table
- Strong commercial awareness across food cost, labour and kitchen performance
- An inspiring leadership style with the ability to build and develop a great team
- Exceptional organisation, consistency and attention to detail
- Confidence working closely with clients and senior stakeholders
- The ambition to create a food offer that genuinely stands out
WHY JOIN HOUSTON & HAWKES?
- £55,000 per annum
- The opportunity to shape an exceptional new opening from day one
- Birthday off every year
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
- Free meals on duty
- Contributory pension scheme
- Life assurance
- Employee Assistance Programme
- CODE Hospitality membership
- Exclusive masterclasses with award-winning chef Sally Abé
- Foodie Socials bringing our chefs together to explore new flavours, techniques and ideas
- Ongoing learning, development and genuine career progression
- Summer Awards Party celebrating our people and achievements
- An unforgettable Christmas Party at one of London’s outstanding venues
ABOUT HOUSTON & HAWKES
Houston & Hawkes is an award-winning independent caterer creating vibrant, creative and exceptional food and hospitality experiences across some of the UK’s most prestigious workplaces.
We’re a Certified B Corp, recipient of the King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2026 and proud to be ranked No. 14 in The Caterer’s Best Places to Work in Hospitality.
If you are a Head Chef who loves great food, wants the freedom to create and is excited by the opportunity to shape an outstanding new opening, we would love to hear from you.