Head Chef

Can also be called: Chef de Cuisine, Food Service Supervisor, Kitchen Manager, Executive Chef, Dietary Manager, Dietary
Supervisor, Food Service Director, Food Service Manager, Restaurant Manager, Supervisor of Food and Nutrition Services,
Cafeteria Manager

Salary: From £20k - £45k

Job Description

You are in charge of the kitchen: planning menus, negotiating prices and delivery arrangements with suppliers, ordering and storing
food, organising staff rotas, supervising everyone in your team, recruiting and training new staff. You have a hands-on involvement
in the cooking - the reputation of the restaurant largely depends on your food, and the imagination and skills which you bring to it.
At service time, you will co-ordinate the orders as they come in, issuing instructions to your team. You have to keep your eye on
progress with earlier orders, and see that every dish that goes out to a customer is up to standard: the correct temperature,
presentation and portion size. The job requires careful planning, good timing, and excellent team work to bring together orders for
large parties, or maintain good service when the restaurant is very busy, When you have time, you might make an appearance in
the restaurant to talk to the customers, in particular the regulars and any VIPs. Menus need to take account of the needs of
vegetarians, other religious and ethical diets, those with an allergy to certain foods, such as flour or nuts, and people that avoid fats
or other ingredients. Food hygiene and health and safety are also major concerns, and you will have visits from an environmental
health officer to check standards and discuss your food safety management system. You are also responsible for making sure that
the cost of food is within the budget: wastage must be kept to the minimum, production quantities and portion control accurate.
You will need to liaise closely with the general manager to whom you will be responsible for budgets, including staff costs. You
will also work with the restaurant manager and waiting staff, to ensure that service runs smoothly and that staff can accurately
describe dishes to customers. Depending on the type of operation (e.g. hotel, pub, restaurant), the kitchens may prepare food for
a number of self-service restaurants, snack bars and directors' dining rooms, as well as cocktail parties, business meetings,
conferences and other special events. For example in a high street restaurant your kitchen may be preparing meals for 30 guests
for lunch and 60 guests for dinner, whereas a hospital kitchen might be preparing meals for several hundred patients three times a
day, as well as the doctors, specialists, nursing and ancillary staff.

Qualifications

The order of these qualifications is taken from the ratings of you and other users.

Safe and Legal

● Certificate in Supervising Health & Safety CIEH CIEH

● Award in Practical Supervision of Food Safety in Catering OCNW ASET NCFE
● Award in Practical Food Safety in Catering NCFE ASET OCNW
● Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering CIEH CIEH RSPH RIPH
● Award in Risk Assessment: Principles & Practice CIEH CIEH
● Award in Food Safety in Catering RIPH RSPH CIEH CIEH
● Appointed Person for First Aid at Work
● Award in Managing Food Safety in Catering RSPH CIEH CIEH RIPH

Job Specific

General Craft

● Hospitality Operations SQA

● Home Economics: Health and Food Technology - Advanced Higher SQA
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 ● Hospitality:General Operations SQA
● Culinary Arts with Management SQA
● Diploma for Pastry Cooks and Patissiers ABC
● Professional Cookery-HNC SQA
● Professional Cookery (patisserie and confectionary) HAB
● Professional Patisserie-HNC SQA
● Professional Patisserie - Higher SQA
● Intermediate Certificate in Nutrition RSPH
● Professional Cookery HAB
● Certificate in Pan-Asian Cookery ABC
● Award in Healthier Foods & Special Diets CIEH
● Certificate for Pastry Cooks and Patissiers ABC
● BTEC Professional Award in Staff Training and Development for Hospitality Edexcel
● Certificate in Customer Service HAB
● BTEC Diploma in International Cuisine Edexcel
● BTEC Certificate in International Cuisine Edexcel
● BTEC First Diploma in Hospitality Edexcel

Management & Leadership

● Hospitality Supervision HAB

● Professional Award in Aspects of Financial Management for Hospitality Edexcel
● Professional Award in Human Resource Practices in Hospitality Edexcel
● BTEC Professional Award in Managing Business Performance in Hospitality Edexcel

Customer Service

● Fish
● Certificate in Customer Service for Hospitality, Leisure, Travel & Tourism NCFE

What skills do I need?

General/Craft Skills

● Advanced Baking
❍ Prepare, process and finish complex chocolate products

❍ Prepare, cook and finish complex pastry products

❍ Prepare, cook and finish complex cakes, sponges, biscuits and scones

❍ Prepare, cook and finish complex bread and dough products

❍ Prepare, cook and finish complex cold desserts

❍ Prepare, cook and finish complex hot desserts

❍ Prepare, process and finish marzipan, pastillage and sugar products

● Advanced Beverages
❍ Maintain the drink service

❍ Prepare and serve spirits and liqueurs

❍ Prepare and serve wines

❍ Maintain the wine cellar and dispense counter

❍ Maintain cellar and drink storage operations

● Advanced Commodities
● Advanced Meat and Offal (Meat, Poultry & Game)
❍ Prepare meat for complex dishes

❍ Cook and finish complex game dishes

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 ❍ Cook and finish complex poultry dishes
❍ Cook and finish complex meat dishes

❍ Prepare game for complex dishes

❍ Prepare poultry for complex dishes

● Advanced Poultry (Fish/Shellfish)

❍ Cook and finish complex shellfish dishes

❍ Cook and finish complex fish dishes

❍ Prepare shellfish for complex dishes

❍ Prepare fish for complex dishes

● Advanced Stocks, Soups and Sauces

❍ Prepare, cook and finish dressings and cold sauces

❍ Prepare, cook and finish complex soups

❍ Prepare, cook and finish complex hot sauces

❍ Produce sauces, fillings and coatings for complex desserts

● Advanced Vegetables and Pulses

❍ Prepare, cook and finish fresh pasta dishes

❍ Cook and finish complex vegetable dishes

● Basic Commodiites and supply chain

● Basic Food Prep
● Basic Nutrition Awareness
❍ Prepare, cook and finish healthier dishes

● Customer Service & Communication Skills

❍ Resolve customer service problems

❍ Identify and provide tourism related Information and Advice

● Food Safety & Haccp Awareness

❍ Maintain food safety when storing, holding and serving food

❍ Maintain food safety when storing, preparing and cooking food

● Gastronomy
❍ Contribute to the development of recipes and menus

❍ Prepare, cook and serve food in a food service area

❍ Carve, joint, fillet and serve food in a food service area

❍ Prepare and serve food in a food service area

❍ Contribute to the development of a wine list

❍ Maintain the food service

● Health & Safety in Catering

● Introduction to kitchen Resources and knife skills
● Kitchen Costings and Menu Planning
● Kitchen Operations,
❍ Set up and close kitchen

❍ Complete kitchen documentation

❍ Order stock

● Methods of Cookery
● Nutrition and Allergies
❍ Maintain food safety when storing, holding and serving food

❍ Maintain food safety when storing, preparing and cooking food

❍ Prepare, cook and finish healthier dishes

● Personal Workplace Skills

❍ Contribute to effective team work

● Prepare and Cook Desserts and Puddings

❍ Prepare and cook basic cold and hot desserts

❍ Prepare, cook and finish basic cakes, sponges and scones

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 ❍Prepare, cook and finish basic pastry products
● Prepare and Cook Fish and Shellfish
❍ Cook and finish basic shellfish dishes

❍ Cook and finish basic fish dishes

❍ Prepare shellfish for basic dishes

❍ Prepare fish for basic dishes

● Prepare and Cook Meat, Poultry and Offal

❍ Cook and finish basic poultry dishes

❍ Cook and finish basic meat dishes

❍ Prepare offal for basic dishes

❍ Prepare game for basic dishes

❍ Prepare poultry for basic dishes

❍ Prepare meat for basic dishes

❍ Cook and finish basic offal dishes

❍ Cook and finish basic game dishes

● Prepare and Cook Pasta, Grains, Rice and Egg dishes

❍ Prepare, cook and finish basic grain dishes

❍ Prepare, cook and finish basic egg dishes

❍ Prepare, cook and finish basic pasta dishes

❍ Prepare, cook and finish basic rice dishes

● Prepare and Cook Pastes and Fermeted Doughs

❍ Prepare, cook, finish and present flour, dough and tray-baked products

❍ Prepare, cook and finish basic bread and dough products

● Prepare and cook Stocks, Soups & Sauces

❍ Make basic stock

❍ Prepare, cook and finish basic soups

❍ Prepare, cook and finish basic hot sauces

● Prepare and Cook Vegetables and Pulses

❍ Prepare, cook and finish basic pulse dishes

❍ Prepare vegetables for basic dishes

❍ Cook and finish basic vegetable dishes

● Quality Control Points

❍ Maintain food production operations

❍ Contribute to the control of resources

❍ Ensure appropriate food safety practices are followed whilst food is prepared, cooked and served

❍ Work with others to improve customer service

● Supervisory Skills
❍ Maintain the health, hygiene, safety and security of the working environment

❍ Establish and develop positive working relationships in hospitality

❍ Supervise the work of staff

❍ Monitor and solve customer service problems

❍ Supervise a function

Management and Leadership Skills

● Achieving Results
❍ Manage the achievement of customer satisfaction

❍ Work with others to improve customer service

❍ Monitor and solve customer service problems

❍ Manage business processes

● Facilitating Change
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 ❍Encourage innovation in your area of responsibility
❍Implement change
❍ Plan change

● Managing Self & Personal Skills

❍ Develop your personal networks

❍ Manage your own resources and professional development

❍ Manage your own resources

● Providing Direction
❍ Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in your area of responsibility

❍ Manage risk

❍ Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, ethical and social requirements

❍ Provide leadership in your area of responsibility

❍ Put the strategic business plan into action

❍ Develop and implement operational plans for your area of responsibility

● Using Resources
❍ Ensure health and safety requirements are met in your area of responsibility

❍ Ensure your own actions reduce risks to health and safety

❍ Manage finance for your area of responsibility

❍ Manage a budget

● Working With People

❍ Provide learning opportunities for colleagues

❍ Allocate and monitor the progress and quality of work in your area of responsibility

❍ Recruit, select, and keep colleagues

❍ Develop productive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders

Customer Service Skills

● Customer Service Foundations

❍ Make customer service personal

❍ Know the rules to follow when developing customer service

❍ Understand customer service to improve service delivery

❍ Provide customer service within the rules

❍ Prepare yourself to deliver good customer service

● Image and Impression

❍ Champion customer service

❍ Organise the promotion of services or products to customers

❍ Use customer service as a competitive tool

❍ Deal with customers by telephone

❍ Deal with customers in writing or using ICT

❍ Go the extra mile in customer service

❍ Live up to the customer service promise

❍ Promote additional services or products to customers

❍ Give customers a positive impression of yourself and your organisation

● Delivery
❍ Build and maintain effective customer relations

❍ Evaluate the quality of customer service

❍ Plan, organise and control customer service operations

❍ Maintain and develop a healthy and safe customer service environment

❍ Improve the customer relationship

❍ Organise the delivery of reliable customer service

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 ❍Deliver customer service using service partnerships
❍ Recognise diversity when delivering customer service

❍ Deliver customer service on your customer’s premises

❍ Deliver reliable customer service

● Handling Problems
❍ Handle referred customer complaints

❍ Process customer service complaints

❍ Apply risk assessment to customer service

❍ Monitor and solve customer service problems

❍ Resolve customer service problems

❍ Recognise and deal with customer queries, requests and problems

● Development and Improvement

❍ Manage a customer service award programme

❍ Work as a member of a team to deliver seamless customer service

❍ Develop a customer service strategy for an area

❍ Plan and organise the development of customer service staff

❍ Implement quality improvements to customer service

❍ Gather, analyse and interpret customer feedback

❍ Lead a team to improve customer service

❍ Develop your own and others’ customer service skills

❍ Promote continuous improvement in customer service

❍ Work with others to improve customer service

❍ Develop personal performance through delivering customer service

❍ Support customer service improvements

❍ Develop customer relationships

What does this job involve?

● Building trust
● Coaching
● Communication Clearly communicating your ideas and giving instructions to others.
● Empathy
● Holding others accountable
● Integrity
● Providing Direction Clearly guiding team members, setting out goals and targets
● team working
● Analytical Thinking Being thoughtful and perceptive when assessing a situation or problem solivng, analysing data, and recalling and using information
● Assertiveness
● Conceptual Thinking
● Conviction
● Delivering
● Passion
● Self Confidence
● Showing Initiative
● Customer Orientation
● Quality Orientation

What other abilities will I need?

● Be able to train others

● Enjoy preparing and cooking food

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 ● Express your creativity, imagination and flair
● Need a good eye for detail
● Need to deal with emergencies from time to time and not be easily flustered
● Need to have good business skills
● Need to use your own initiative
● Spend time planning, organising, managing and motivating others

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