Sous Chef (Caribbean Kitchen)

BARBS is a Bajan food brand. We cook the food of Barbados for London: bold, comforting, a little sweet, with proper heat. You'll find us at our Queen of Hoxton residency in Shoreditch and our kiosk at the National Theatre on the South Bank.

This is a small kitchen with a small team. There's nowhere to hide and nobody to hide behind, which suits the right person. We need a sous chef who's quick, calm under pressure and happy to own the kitchen day to day.

The food

Our core menu is Bajan comfort food, built for speed and consistency. On top of that, we're launching two new services. Fish Fridays: fried fish and prawns, cooked to order. And Sunday roasts. Both take proper technique. For fish, that means seasoning, batter, oil temperature and timing. For roasts, it means meat cooked right, and every element landing on the plate hot and together. It has to be spot on every time, even when the tickets are stacking up.

What you'll do

• Run service at Queen of Hoxton: prep, line, pass and close

• Cook the BARBS menu to spec, fast and consistent, every plate

• Cook confidently on Fish Fridays and Sunday roasts: prep, cooking to order and holding quality through a busy service

• Own the kitchen's gross profit. Hit our food GP target through portion control, waste tracking and smart prep

• Run the weekly stock take and report the numbers, including what moved, what was wasted and where GP slipped

• Raise orders against agreed par levels, and flag price rises from suppliers

• Own food safety, allergens and cleaning records

• Support and train the team, and help develop new dishes with the founder

What you'll bring

• Experience as a sous chef or strong CDP in a busy, fast-paced London kitchen

• Confident with fish and seafood, especially frying to order

• Experience running a Sunday roast service

• You've run stock takes before and you know how a dish's cost turns into GP

• A feel for Caribbean flavours. Bajan cooking is a bonus, and we'll teach you the rest

• Speed and reliability. You're on time, you're organised and your team can count on you

• Level 2 Food Safety as a minimum (Level 3 is a plus)

• The right to work in the UK

What you get

• £17 to £18 an hour, depending on experience (about £35,000 to £40,000 a year), 40 to 45 hours a week, paid hourly

• 28 days' holiday including bank holidays

• Workplace pension

• Direct access to the founder and a real say in the menu

• Staff food worth eating

How to apply

Apply with your CV and a line about the best dish you've ever cooked. We'll invite shortlisted candidates for a paid trial shift.

Pay: £35,000.00-£40,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Discounted or free food

Work Location: In person