Head Chef

About Craftels

We are building a culinary destination in South Goa where food, design and hospitality come

together. Our kitchen direction combines Goan and global influences, distinctive sauces,

thoughtful advance preparation, documented recipes, quick finishing and low wastage. We

are looking for practical cooks and leaders who can develop a reliable team and make good

food consistently through busy services.

About the role

Craftels is developing its next culinary destination: a drinks-first venue where food, beer,

cocktails, design, music and nature come together. We need a chef de cuisine who will build

the kitchen from the first trial to the plate in front of the guest.

This is a hands-on commercial kitchen role. You lead the team, and you own the food.

What this job delivers

• Run disciplined, documented culinary trials, and turn the best ones into commercially strong recipes
• Combine Goan ingredients with global techniques; fusion and multi-cuisine ideas are welcome
• Build the systems and train the kitchen, so every guest gets the dish exactly as intended
• Keep creativity alive at commercial volume (250 to 300 covers)

Every approved dish becomes a full recipe with

• Ingredients in grams; method; yield and portion size
• Ingredient and plate cost
• Equipment, preparation and service time
• Holding limits and shelf life
• Allergen information
• Plating photograph
• Acceptable quality range and rejection criteria

Your first mandate

Before the launch menu is frozen, complete at least 100 documented trials. Each trial ends with one clear decision: Approve, Improve and retest, Hold for later, or Reject.

What you will own

• Culinary identity and menu development of the venue
• A focused launch menu of about 24 to 28 dishes
• Recipe development, costing and documentation
• Ingredient and vendor specifications; delivery quality checks
• Kitchen trials and service simulations
• Quality at the pass during service

And you will

• Lead the main kitchen and the floor kitchens, and train and certify station chefs
• Roster, hire and review the kitchen team
• Control food cost, wastage and portions
• Enforce FSSAI, HACCP, labelling and veg and non-veg separation
• Review guest feedback and improve recipes
• Work with the General Manager, Culinary Lead, procurement, finance and the Founder

What you need

Required

• 5+ years as a chef, having led a serious commercial kitchen (250+ covers a day)
• Exceptional palate; menu development and recipe standardisation
• Food cost, yield, wastage and throughput control
• Can write recipes another chef can reproduce, and train without being the bottleneck
• FSSAI and HACCP knowledge; Hindi or English
• Willing to live and work full-time in South Goa

Good to have

• Opening a new restaurant or kitchen
• Bar, brewpub or beer-pairing experience is welcome
• Indian, continental, fusion or multi-cuisine experience is welcome
• Goan, tandoor or Indo-Chinese cooking

Shortlisted candidates will do

• A portfolio review
• A talk about three experiments, including one that failed
• A live cooking and improvisation trial
• A recipe-standardisation exercise
• A costing exercise
• A high-volume service simulation

Please include

• Your CV and expected pay
• Notice period and joining date
• Photos or portfolio of your food, and your most interesting dish

Apply to [email protected] with the role title and your name in the subject.

Pay: ₹65,000.00 - ₹75,000.00 per month

Benefits:

• Food provided
• Health insurance
• Leave encashment
• Life insurance
• Paid sick time
• Paid time off
• Provident Fund

Work Location: In person