Operations & Finance

Chef Job Description

A Chef produces food to a defined standard, at the speed the pass demands, without letting quality drift when tickets stack up. The role sits inside a kitchen brigade, so a chef owns a section, runs the prep that section needs, and calls when something is running low before it becomes a problem during service. Consistency is the thing being bought: the same dish, plated the same way, at the same cost, whoever is on. Allergen handling and food hygiene discipline are not optional extras, they are the part of the job with legal consequences, and the exact regime depends on where the kitchen operates. Hire for someone who is fast, clean, and honest about what they can cook unsupervised.

Key skills

Cooking to recipe and plating spec under service pressureSection ownership, prep lists and mise en place disciplineKnife skills and safe use of kitchen equipmentPortion control and yield awareness on expensive ingredientsAllergen separation and accurate communication to the passTemperature control, stock rotation and hygiene record keepingReading and calling tickets in sequence with the rest of the brigadeDeep cleaning and close down of a section to inspection standard

Responsibilities

  • • Run an assigned section through service, holding plate quality and timing when tickets build
  • • Complete the prep list for the section before service and flag shortages early
  • • Follow recipe and portion specifications so dish cost and presentation stay consistent
  • • Keep allergen handling separated and communicate accurately when the pass calls an allergy ticket
  • • Record temperatures, check deliveries and rotate stock according to the kitchen's food safety system
  • • Keep the section clean during service and complete close down to the standard the kitchen sets
  • • Report equipment faults, ingredient quality problems and stock issues to the head chef
  • • Support other sections when service demands it and help train new starters on section basics

Requirements

  • • Practical cooking experience in a kitchen working at comparable volume and style
  • • Ability to hold plate quality and timing through a full service without supervision on the section
  • • Understanding of allergen handling and cross contamination control
  • • Food hygiene training that is current and valid in the kitchen's jurisdiction, confirmed against local rules
  • • Availability for evenings, weekends and the split or straight shifts the kitchen actually runs
  • • Physical fitness for extended periods on the line in a hot environment

Nice to have

  • • Experience with the specific cuisine or cooking method the menu is built on
  • • Butchery, fish preparation, pastry or larder specialism
  • • Experience contributing to menu development or recipe costing
  • • Exposure to banqueting, functions or high volume batch production
  • • Experience mentoring commis chefs or apprentices

Run a paid cook off, not a competency interview

Talking about food proves very little. Give shortlisted chefs a short paid trial on the section they would actually work, using your ingredients and your spec, during a real service if possible. Watch three things: whether the plate matches the spec without being told twice, how clean the station stays while they work, and how they behave when a ticket lands mid task. A chef who produces beautiful food on a wrecked station will cost you in hygiene scores and wasted product. Pay for the trial and be explicit that it is an assessment rather than free labour.

Ask what they can cook unsupervised, then check it

Kitchen CVs inflate easily because job titles vary wildly between venues, and a sous chef in a small site may have less exposure than a chef de partie in a busy one. Ask which sections they have run alone, what the covers were on a typical service, and which dishes they would not want to be tested on. The honesty of that last answer is diagnostic. Then call the head chef at the last kitchen rather than a general manager, because only the head chef can tell you whether the candidate held the section on a bad night.

Describe the certification category, then confirm it locally

Food hygiene and safety training requirements differ by country and often by state or city, and they are revised periodically. Say in the advert that the chef must hold current food hygiene training valid in your jurisdiction, and name the level only after you have confirmed it with the current local regulator or your environmental health contact. Never state that a particular certificate is required everywhere, because it is not, and never accept a candidate's assumption in place of a check. Record what you verified and when, since inspections ask.

Source through kitchens, colleges and word of mouth

Chefs move through networks more than through job boards. Tell your suppliers, your neighbouring venues and your own brigade that you are hiring, and pay a referral bonus that is worth someone's reputation. Local catering colleges are a reliable pipeline for commis and junior section chefs who will grow into the kitchen. Advertise the shift pattern and the rate honestly in the first line, because kitchen candidates screen adverts on exactly those two facts and will not read past a vague one.

How an ATS shortens the gap between resignation and cover

Kitchen vacancies are urgent by nature, since a missing section leaves the whole brigade short from the next service onward. Pitch N Hire's applicant tracking system keeps every previous chef applicant searchable by section and cuisine, so the first move after a resignation is a filtered list rather than a fresh advert. Availability and hygiene certification can be asked at application, trial shifts can be booked in batches, and each trial's notes stay on the candidate record for the next time the role opens. The free plan covers a single kitchen's hiring end to end.

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FAQ

Hiring a Chef — FAQs

What does a Chef do? +
A Chef prepares and cooks food to the kitchen's recipe and plating specification, runs an assigned section through service, completes the prep that section needs beforehand, and keeps the station clean and compliant throughout. The role also covers allergen separation, temperature and stock rotation records, reporting equipment or ingredient problems, and supporting other sections when service demands it.
What is the difference between a chef and a cook? +
Usage varies by country and by venue, so job titles are a poor guide on their own. In most professional kitchens a chef holds a defined section within a brigade and is expected to execute and hold a specification without supervision, while cook is often used for roles that follow simpler instructions in less structured kitchens. Because the titles are inconsistent, assess candidates on which sections they have run alone and at what volume rather than on the title they held.
What food safety certification does a chef need? +
That depends entirely on where the kitchen operates. Food hygiene and safety training regimes differ by country and frequently by state or city, and the requirements are updated from time to time. Describe the category of training required in the job description and confirm the specific certificate and level with the current local regulator or your environmental health contact before advertising. Do not rely on what a previous employer or the candidate assumes applies.
How should you trial a chef before hiring? +
Run a short paid trial on the section the chef would actually work, using your own ingredients and specification, ideally during live service. Assess whether the plate matches spec without repeated correction, how clean the station stays under pressure, and how the candidate reacts when a ticket arrives mid task. Tell the existing brigade it is an assessment, agree the hours and pay in advance, and give feedback the same day.
Why do chefs leave in the first few weeks? +
Shift reality and section reality are the two common causes. A chef who was recruited for one section and then used to plug gaps across the kitchen will look elsewhere, as will one whose actual hours turn out to be materially longer than the advert implied. Both are avoidable: state the section, the covers and the shift pattern honestly, and if the role genuinely floats across sections, say so in the advert and pay accordingly.

Related recruiting questions

How do I reduce time to fill?How do I hire faster without lowering quality?How do I post a job to multiple job boards?How do I improve candidate experience?
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