Sous Chef

Position Sous Chef

Department Catering

Responsible to Head Chef

Responsible for All junior kitchen staff

Salary £40,000 depending on experience

Location St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 4HJ

Full-time/Part-time Full-time, permanent

Role overview 

To deputise to the Head Chef; ensuring all food is prepared to acceptable standards, in a timely manner, with sufficient quantities, and with minimum wastage. A key part of this role is ensuring all working and cleaning practices inclusive of HACCP are carried out within all Health and Safety legislation.

Background

St Martin-in-the-Fields (St Martin’s) is an incredible place to work. Located in the heart of London on Trafalgar Square, we are a place for everyone, everywhere, every day – to worship, reflect, relax, meet, eat and drink, enjoy music and the arts, and much more. The church is a 300-year-old architectural jewel. We have iconic spaces that attract hundreds of thousands of people to our site each year.

Visitors to St Martin’s are delighted by the range, choice, and options available when they arrive to experience both our catering offering or when attending an event, private function, or conference. St Martin’s has hosted events & fashion shows for exclusive luxury brands, TV, Film, and Theatre Wrap parties (with celebrity guests), and multinational corporation conferences, meaning you’ll always have new avenues to stretch your skills & capabilities.

The Café is open every day (other than Christmas & Boxing Day) and generally serves lunch from 10.00 to 18:00 for up to 200 seated covers. We have 6 different available event spaces, where our largest events can command to 500 people standing for canapes. On top of this, the Café is host to many evening functions and a weekly jazz night. With a strong Café team, we deliver a unique service throughout the day and into our evening offerings.

Nature and scope of the job

The Sous Chef will play a pivotal role in our kitchen team, working closely with the Head Chef to ensure the smooth operation of the kitchen and the delivery of high-quality food. As a key member of our Café team, you will be responsible for assisting in menu planning, food preparation, and kitchen management.

Your primary responsibilities will include supervising kitchen staff, overseeing food production, and ensuring that all dishes are prepared to our standards of excellence. You will also be involved in recipe development, inventory management, and maintaining food safety and sanitation protocols.

Main duties and responsibilities

Operations

• Maintain a strong knowledge of all products, services, and promotions;
• Prepare and assist in all food preparation in accordance with kitchen standards, with minimum waste and budget impact;
• Assist in all menu planning, thinking creatively;
• Gain a logistical knowledge of the day-to-day catering business and assist with the smooth running of all catering activities;
• Adhere to opening and closing procedures;
• Follow and ensure kitchen standards, procedures, health regulations, recipes, portion control and cleaning schedules are adhered to;
• Monitor all recycling within the kitchen;
• Undertake food stock takes on a weekly/monthly basis;
• Ensure quality and rate of kitchen output is sufficient for trading requirements;
• Support the Head Chef to develop and enhance relationships with suppliers to meet business needs;
• Place orders on a daily basis, to maintain stock levels for the 7-day week operation;
• Check delivered goods are to required standard and delivery, credits, or returns are dealt with appropriately; and
• Manage events in the absence of the head chef from food production to delivery.

Quality Control

• Ensure quality and rate of kitchen output, whilst monitoring appearance of foods on public display, and making necessary changes when needed; and

·Support, maintain and improve catering standards and offers.

Health and Safety

• Follow kitchen standards, procedures, health regulations, recipes, portion control and cleaning schedules are adhered to, training staff where necessary;
• Ensure all food areas and chef cleaning rotas are maintained on an am/pm system according to cleaning schedules;
• Practise HACCP with all food areas;
• Use a full understanding of HACCP and COSHH; and
• Use extensive knowledge of evacuation procedures and ability to lead evacuation of the kitchen in the event of an emergency.

Personal Development and Performance Management

• Attend regular departmental meetings and relay information to staff;
• Be responsible for a team of professional kitchen chefs and kitchen porters, including training, development, delegating, scheduling, and monitoring of tasks to timely completion;
• Deputise for the Head Chef as and when required; and
• Assist Head Chef with staff appraisals and developing personal development plans.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive description of responsibilities; aspects of the role may reasonably change over time and the successful candidate is expected to contribute to the development and progression of this role.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

You will have:

•Experience working in a similar environment as a Sous Chef or a Senior Chef de Partie;

•NVQ Level 2 or equivalent;

•Basic Food and Hygiene certificate;

•An enthusiasm about food and for working in the catering industry;

•Excellent team working and communication skills;

•Desire to adhere to procedures and follow instruction;

•Positive attitude to learning; and

•High quality customer service skills and experience of working in a busy customer-orientated environment.

Who we are looking for

St Martin’s welcomes applications from all sections of the community and is committed to maintaining an inclusive working environment, with a diverse workforce. We value individuality, equality and representation and appoint on merit.

How to apply

To apply for this post, please email the following to peopleandculture @ smitf.org by Friday 17th of May.

·A supporting statement, explaining why you believe you will excel in this role;

·An up-to-date CV detailing your relevant achievements.

Interviews will be held as suitable applications are received. SMITF reserves the right to close and appoint to this role within the stated advertising period, and so advises early applications are submitted.