City of London
Head Chef | Premium Corporate Dining | International Cuisine & Street Food Central London | Contract Catering £55,000 per annum + £10,000 Annual Bonus | Paid Overtime Monday to Friday | 7:00am – 3:30pm | 40 hours per week A leading contract catering provider is seeking an experienced and passionate Head Chef to lead a high-performing kitchen within a premium corporate environment in Central London. This is a fantastic opportunity for a creative and hands-on culinary leader to oversee a busy, food-led operation catering for up to 1,500 covers per day, delivering vibrant international cuisine, modern street food concepts, and high-quality staff dining within a fast-paced corporate setting. The business is known for delivering fresh, innovative food offers that go far beyond the standard corporate dining experience, with a strong focus on creativity, presentation, global flavours, and customer engagement. The Role As Head Chef, you will take full ownership of a large-scale kitchen operation, leading and developing a sizeable brigade while driving standards, innovation, and consistency across the retail food offer. This role would suit a chef who genuinely loves food, keeps up with modern trends, and enjoys bringing exciting concepts and fresh ideas into a high-volume environment. You'll be expected to lead from the front, inspire your team, and create a kitchen culture built around quality, energy, and development. Key Responsibilities • Leading, motivating, and developing a large kitchen brigade, • Creating and delivering innovative seasonal menus inspired by international cuisine and street food trends, • Driving creativity and engagement across the retail food offer, • Managing high-volume service catering for up to 1,500 covers per day, • Maintaining exceptional food quality, presentation, and consistency, • Managing labour, stock control, GP, and kitchen budgets, • Ensuring all food safety, hygiene, and allergen standards are maintained, • Working closely with senior management and clients to continually evolve the food offer, • Creating a positive, motivated, and high-performing kitchen environment What We're Looking For • Proven experience as a Head Chef or Senior Sous Chef within contract catering, premium B&I, hotels, or quality fresh food environments, • Strong knowledge of international cuisines, modern food trends, and street food concepts, • Experience managing medium-to-large kitchen teams in high-volume operations, • A genuinely passionate and creative chef with strong attention to detail, • Excellent leadership and people management skills, • Strong organisational and commercial awareness, • Calm and hands-on approach within fast-paced service environments, • Strong understanding of food safety and compliance standards What's On Offer • Salary of £55,000 per annum, • £10,000 annual performance bonus, • Paid overtime, • Monday to Friday working pattern, • Excellent work-life balance, • Daytime hours only, • Opportunity to lead a large, food-focused operation, • Strong progression opportunities within a leading contract caterer, • Supportive and people-focused culture, • Creative freedom to bring fresh ideas and concepts to the business This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate and ambitious Head Chef to join a forward-thinking contract catering business where food quality, creativity, and team culture are genuinely valued.