The Dorchester
Events and Private Dining Head Chef
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Join us as an Events and Private Dining Head Chef at The Dorchester, recognised as one of ‘The Sunday Times Top 10 Best Places to Work for’ in 2024 & 2025 and ‘Hotel of the year – London’ at the 2024 AA Hospitality Awards. We continually strive to build and nurture a culture where inclusiveness is part of our DNA, reflected in our values of passion, personality, respect, working together, and creativity. We believe that a variety of perspectives enriches our culture and drives our success.
We care about your career and are known for having the absolute best people in the industry. When you join us as Events and Private Dining Head Chef, you start a unique opportunity to become celebrated as the very best in your field. You'll learn not only from your fellow Legends, but also through our award-winning learning academy, so that you can achieve the highest standards of craft, service, and leadership and become a legend in your own story.
What You'll Do
As an Events and Private Dining Head Chef, you'll love what you do and take pride in taking care of our guests:
- Oversee all culinary operations within the Events and Private Dining kitchens, ensuring the smooth, efficient running of both outlets throughout each service period.
- Lead, supervise, and inspire all cooking personnel, fostering a culture of excellence, discipline, and creativity.
- Take full responsibility for daily food preparation and execution, including informal à la carte dining, luxury room service, and The Dorchester’s award-winning afternoon tea.
- Collaborate with the Executive Chef and contribute to menu planning, regularly evolving offerings to reflect seasonality, guest preferences, and culinary innovation.
- Ensure full compliance with budgeted food and recipe costs, taking ownership of stock control, waste reduction, and kitchen profitability.
- Be accountable for staff training, coaching, and one-to-one development, maintaining a well-motivated team and providing consistent feedback.
- Oversee food safety and hygiene compliance, ensuring HACCP standards are followed at all times.
- Respond to special requests and dietary needs with creativity and care, whether fulfilling bespoke guest orders or catering for special occasions in rooms or suites.
- Work closely with front-of-house and operational leaders to deliver exceptional guest service, ensuring a seamless transition from kitchen to table - wherever that table may be.
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The items shared are the essence of a day in the life of an Events and Private Dining Head Chef, but we will make sure you are provided with specifics on how we care for our hotel. The operational hours of work are shift-based and we would require flexibility.
What You'll Bring
Essential Skills and Experiences
- Extensive experience as a Head Chef or Senior Sous Chef in a five-star hotel or high-end restaurant.
- Strong knowledge of menu development, food cost control, and supplier management.
- Ability to lead a high-performing team across multiple service styles (breakfast, à la carte, afternoon tea, and room service).
- Passion for British and European cuisine, with a flair for adapting to bespoke guest preferences.
- Rigorous understanding of food hygiene, safety standards, and kitchen compliance procedures.
Preferred Skills And Experiences
- Experience delivering luxury in-room dining and handling discreet special requests.
- Prior involvement in leading high-volume afternoon tea service or comparable high-profile guest experiences.
- Exposure to sustainability practices in food production and waste management.
- Familiarity with training programmes and succession planning within kitchen brigades.
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What You'll Get
- Complimentary Stays: Enjoy complimentary stays with breakfast at Dorchester Collection Hotels every year.
- Discounts with our hotels, and benefit from discounts at various high street and online shops
- Employee Perks: Enrol from day 1 into the Royal London Private Pension scheme (we contribute 8% towards your pension); Benefit from seasonal ticket loan, rental deposit scheme, private financial advice, and eye care vouchers.
- Training and Development: Advance in your career by accessing various apprenticeships from Level 2 to Hospitality Degree Level 5. We partner with outstanding nationally recognised Apprenticeship providers.
- Social Events: Participate in vibrant social events, including a summer party, winter ball, pub quizzes, and cultural and milestone recognition celebrations.
- Referral Bonus: Earn a £1000 bonus when you recommend a friend.
- Well-being Support: Access immediate well-being advice because we care about our employees.
We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. If you need us to do anything to support you during the recruitment process (such as adjustments to how you apply, alternative formats of information, or adjustments to the assessment process itself), please do call People & Culture team on 02073197011 or email PeopleAndCultureLondon.UK@dorchestercollection.com so that we can discuss how we can support you through this process.
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