Reporting to: Head Chef + Ops Director
Location: E8, Hackney
Contract: Full time, ~40 hours per week
Salary: £34K + Tronc
The Role
An exciting opportunity to work alongside our talented Head Chef, leading a mostly female team of skilled, creative chefs. We offer excellent work–life balance with no evening shifts and aim to keep hours to 40 per week.
You’ll support the Head Chef across our service kitchen in Hackney and production kitchen supplying two other sites, plus daily catering and weekend brunch. The role includes contributing to seasonal menus, catering, and events, with scope for creative recipe development.
We champion seasonal, organic British produce and make as much as possible in-house – from jams and marmalades to pickles, ferments, and condiments.
This position is perfect for an experienced Senior CDP, or someone who already has Sous Chef experience who’s looking to step back from the stress of restaurant kitchens and/or evening shifts. We want someone who can make an impact, working with our Head Chef to improve systems, nurturing and training our team as we move forwards.
Key Responsibilities
Cooking & Kitchen management:
- Cook delicious food with e5 principles in mind - seasonal, nutritious, avoiding waste.
- Be a role model for exceptional kitchen standards - maintaining a clean, tidy & organised space at all times.
- Cost dishes effectively, ensuring we are making a good margin on our products.
- Ensure everything sent out of our kitchen - daily dishes and catering alike - are of the highest standard.
- Assist Head Chef with menu development and recipe testing/
- Demonstrate and enforce exceptional food hygiene standards
- Develop new menu ideas for all of our offerings (catering, breakfast, lunch, brunch).
People Management & Communication:
- Be an e5 ambassador - live and breathe our ethos and share this passion with our team.
- Mentor and train junior staff; foster skill growth and a positive kitchen environment.
- Be an excellent communicator, ensuring kitchen staff and all other departments are well informed of everything that’s going on in the kitchen and elsewhere.
- Assist with performance reviews and feedback.
- Attend department meetings as needed and relay key information to the kitchen team.
- Lead the kitchen team alongside the Head Chef, as well as in their absence - ensuring shift structures and procedures are always followed.
- Have an approachable, positive and energetic outlook for the kitchen
Operational & Admin Tasks:
- Help manage inventory, stock control, ordering, and supplier communication.
- Support scheduling, rota management, and holiday cover for kitchen staff.
- Record issues and escalate equipment failures as needed,
- Assist with product costings, updating in systems (e.g., Jelly, Revel).
- Monitor sales and adjust production as necessary.
Experience
- At least 3-4 years cooking in professional kitchens
- Currently senior CDP level as a minimum (ideally junior sous or sous).
- Catering production experience preferred
