Head of Development Chef

Head Development Chef | Premium Events & Venue Catering Group | South London | £55,000 to £60,000 + OT and OTE

Zeta Thomas Collective, are recruiting a Head Development Chef for a respected London catering group, someone who can turn real culinary ambition into distinctive, commercially successful menus.

This group delivers luxury events, private parties, workplace hospitality and exclusive venue catering. Working closely with the Executive Head Chef, operational chefs and the Sales, Operations and Finance teams, you'll lead development from brief and concept through testing, costing, training and launch. This is a position where creativity meets operational reality, not a standalone test kitchen.

What You'll Be Doing

• Creating seasonal menus, signature dishes and new concepts across the Group
• Developing dishes for client tastings and new business pitches
• Running tastings and trials to get every dish right
• Writing and costing recipes before launch
• Testing dishes at real event volumes
• Training kitchen teams on new menus
• Reducing waste and sourcing responsibly

What You'll Bring

• Experience as a Development Chef, Group Chef or similar
• A background in premium hospitality, events or luxury catering
• A track record of taking dishes from idea to launch
• Strong recipe writing and food costing skills
• Experience of high-volume events or multi-site catering
• Good knowledge of food safety and allergens
• A great palate and commercial awareness

Experience with client tastings, multi-site rollouts, digital costing systems or sustainability-led development would be a real advantage.

Interested? Send your CV or message me for a confidential conversation.

Pay: £50,000.00-£60,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person