Head Chef : Roastery Café (paarl)

About The Role

• An established and vibrant roastery cafe in the heart of Paarl is seeking a hands-on, passionate Chef to lead the kitchen operations. Known for exceptional coffee and a warm community atmosphere, we are looking for a culinary professional who can elevate our Client's daytime dining experience while maintaining smooth, efficient daily operations.

Examples of Key Responsibilities

• Kitchen Operations: Oversee all food preparation, cooking, and plating of our Client's busy daily breakfast and lunch services, ensuring high and consistent culinary standards
• Team Leadership: Lead, train, and mentor a small, dedicated kitchen team, fostering a positive, collaborative, and high-performance environment
• Menu Execution & Development: Execute the current breakfast and lunch menus with precision, and collaborate with management on seasonal updates, specials
• Stock & Inventory Control: Manage stock levels, ingredient ordering, supplier relationships, and waste minimization to ensure optimal food cost margins
• Front of House Support: Assist with front of house management during peak trading hours, ensuring seamless communication between the kitchen and floor, and delivering exceptional guest service
• Compliance & Safety: Maintain strict health, safety, hygiene, and HACCP standards across all kitchen and food storage areas

Position Requirements

• Proven experience (minimum 3 to 5 years) as a Chef, Sous Chef, or Kitchen Manager in a fast-paced cafe, bistro, or restaurant environment
• Strong culinary background with a flair for crafting exceptional, fresh breakfast and lunch dishes
• Demonstrated experience leading and motivating a small kitchen team
• A hands-on, adaptable approach with a willingness to step into front of house management and support floor operations as needed
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and a head for numbers (stock control and costing)
• Formal culinary qualification is advantageous
• Valid working rights in South Africa and flexibility to work weekends and public holidays