Head Chef

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.