White Rabbit Projects
Banqueting Head Chef
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Banqueting Head Chef, Graduate Cambridge | OTE £44,500 per annum
Own the kitchen behind Cambridge's most memorable celebrations.
Graduate Cambridge, our landmark hotel on the banks of the River Cam, is looking for a Banqueting Head Chef to lead our events and conference kitchen. From 200 cover weddings in the marquee to corporate dinners, college celebrations and summer garden parties, this is a role for a chef who loves volume, loves precision, and gets a genuine kick out of pulling off a flawless service at scale. OTE £44,500 per annum.
Who We Are
We're White Rabbit Hospitality, the team behind some of the UK's most celebrated hotels and restaurants, including Rusacks St Andrews and The Randolph Oxford. At Graduate Cambridge, that reputation lives across Garden House, our bars and one of the finest event offers in the city, set in gardens that run down to the river. As Banqueting Head Chef, the food that people remember from the biggest days of their lives is yours to deliver.
Why this role is different
This isn't a role where you're handed a fixed banqueting menu and told to repeat it. You'll shape the events offer with our Executive Chef and events team, build menus that actually reflect the season and the setting, and take real ownership of your section of the business. You'll have your own brigade, your own budgets and your own standards to set. Banqueting at this level is a craft, and we treat it that way.
What We Stand For
Our values aren't a poster on the wall. They show up in every function sheet, every plate up and every service you lead.
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Our Values, In Every Service
- HOSPITALITY IS AT OUR CORE: Behind every function sheet is somebody's wedding day, graduation or once a year celebration. You cook like you know it.
- WE DO THE RIGHT THING: Allergens, food safety, dietaries and your team's welfare come first, on the calmest day and the busiest one.
- WE PURSUE EXCELLENCE: The 200th plate leaves the pass looking exactly like the first. That's the whole job, and you take pride in it.
- WE ARE ALL ENTREPRENEURS: You watch the GP, challenge the waste, build menus that sell, and bring ideas the sales team can actually take to market.
What Will You Be Doing?
- Leading the banqueting kitchen end to end, from menu development through to the last plate of the night.
- Running all banqueting, conference, wedding and private event food operations.
- Leading, training and developing the banqueting brigade, including rota planning and recruitment.
- Designing and costing seasonal event menus alongside the Executive Chef and events team.
- Delivering high volume services to consistent standard, from canapés for 300 to plated dinners for 200.
- Managing food GP, ordering, stock control and supplier relationships.
- Owning allergen management, dietary requirements and full HACCP compliance.
- Working closely with the events, sales and operations teams on function sheets, timings and BEOs.
- Supporting the wider kitchen operation across the hotel during peak periods.
- Maintaining kitchen health and safety, cleanliness and audit readiness at all times.
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What Do You Need?
- Proven experience as a Banqueting Head Chef, Senior Sous Chef or Head Chef in a high volume events or hotel kitchen.
- A track record of delivering plated services for 150 covers and above.
- Strong understanding of food costing, GP management and stock control.
- Confident leadership skills with real experience developing a brigade.
- Level 3 Food Safety, or the appetite to gain it with our support.
- Thorough knowledge of allergen management and HACCP.
- Flexibility to work evenings, weekends and peak event seasons.
- Right to work in the UK.
What We Offer:
Aside from an OTE salary of £44,500 per annum, we provide:
- Team discount across White Rabbit venues.
- Discounted hotel stays across the group and wider Graduate portfolio.
- Free meals on duty.
- Structured training, external courses and professional development support.
- Access to our full training and development platform from day one.
- Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support.
- Refer a friend bonus scheme.
Where this takes you
We promote from within wherever we can. With hotels and restaurants in Cambridge, Oxford, St Andrews and Lisbon, there are genuine routes from here into Head Chef and Executive Chef roles across the group. Tell us where you want to go and we'll help you build the path.
Ready to Lead Something Memorable?
Apply now to become Banqueting Head Chef with White Rabbit Hospitality, Graduate Cambridge.
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