Seven Must-Have Qualities To Look For In A Chef
Being a good chef is about more than culinary skills and food hygiene qualifications. A chef must have key qualities and "soft skills" to excel in a kitchen environment. So what are those skills and characteristics, and how will you know when you've found them?
In our latest blog post, we're exploring the most important qualities to look for in a chef to make sure your hospitality business runs smoothly.
Top chef qualities to thrive in a fast-paced hospitality environment
When you train to become a chef through an apprenticeship or college course, you gain certain cooking skills and health and safety certifications for working in kitchens.
Yet as you begin to progress in your career and move up through the ranks, you need a host of non-culinary knowledge and skills to lead the team and run a successful kitchen.
From our experience matching the right chef with the right kitchen, these are the skills we know a fantastic chef must have.
Leadership skills
If you've worked your way up to become a sous chef, chef de partie, or a head chef in a professional kitchen, it's especially important to have strong leadership skills.
After all, you're responsible for overseeing what goes out of (and on in) the entire kitchen, and as a leader you need to set the tone for the type of kitchen you want to run.
To become a great leader, key skills include adaptability, listening, professionalism, and a strong work ethic.
Ability to work under pressure
In a fast-paced kitchen, pressure can feature highly on the menu. So, you need to be able to make quick decisions, stay cool when things go wrong, and set a great example to your kitchen staff.
Organisational skills
Staying organised is an essential skill to thrive in the hospitality industry. To become a successful chef, you need to be in control and on top of all kitchen operations, from all aspects of food preparation to cooking processes and presentation. A good system sets you up to work efficiently and ensure the quality of the food is of the highest standard.
A good head chef needs to also organise inventory, schedules, food safety and hygiene processes - so organisational skills are an absolute must!
Delegation
Professional cookery is a team effort, so it's a chef's job to delegate tasks and motivate fellow chefs to develop key skills and experience.
And while delegation can feel challenging to some at first, it's rewarding to see junior staff members grow in confidence, learn new cooking methods and master different dishes. Plus, sharing the load takes the pressure off you!
Communication
To produce quality food, maintain a positive atmosphere in your kitchen, and have a successful career as a chef generally, communication skills are a non-negotiable.
Clear communication makes it easier to divide out tasks, offer instructions where needed, and promote teamwork in the kitchen.
Plus, as a head chef you also need to maintain strong lines of communication with front of house, serving staff, suppliers, and management.
RELIABILITY
You need to be confident your chef will do what they say they’ll do and show up for you and your business.
During our screening process, we speak to previous employers and get an honest take on a chef’s reliability to determine whether we think they’re capable of doing an excellent job for you.
This means when we send you a chef, you know we’ve gone through this process and have confidence they’ll be someone you can depend on.
PUNCTUALITY
Good time-keeping in a chef is essential for your kitchen to run like a well-oiled machine (and to keep your sanity in-check).
Working hours can be demanding as a chef, but you need to know they’ll turn up on time for every shift so you can plan accordingly, keep your rotas operating successfully, and make sure your diners are happy customers.
Find a chef with all the qualities you need
Here at CJUK, we place great chefs with great kitchens.
Every chef we work with undergoes a full screening process to ensure they have all the right qualities, creative skills, experience and expertise to succeed in all areas, from the food they produce to the attitude they bring into the workplace.
Plus, we get to know our client's sites to understand what kind of chef will fit well into the existing team and environment, and we only work with sites that promote a healthy workplace culture for our chefs.
Interested in joining our brigade of relief chefs and enjoying better work-life balance? Check out our live vacancies in kitchens across the UK.
Looking for a chef to fill a short or longer term gap in your kitchen team? Find out more about how to hire a relief chef.
Got a question we haven't answered on our website? Drop us an email here.