Find A Chef: How To Hire A Good Chef (And Fast!)
In a pickle and need to find a chef urgently? In our latest blog post, you'll discover how a relief chef agency can be a lifesaver for catering and hospitality managers who need a chef at shortmnotice.
Saving you valuable time and keeping your kitchen running smoothly, see why the right temp chef recruiting agency can help you find the perfect chef.
Where to find a chef for your kitchen urgently
If you're in a fix and need a chef for your restaurant, hotel, pub, educational establishment or care setting right now, a specialist temp chef agency is the answer.
When you hire a new chef short-term through an agency like Chefs Jobs UK, you cut out all of the time-consuming parts of the hiring process, like:
Writing a chef job description
Posting a job ad on social media and job boards
Screening and shortlisting chefs
Having to conduct interviews with multiple people over several days (or even weeks) to identify the right candidate
Sending out a job offer and contract to the successful applicant
Notifying unsuccessful candidates.
What is a relief chef?
A relief chef is a type of chef who isn't employed on a permanent basis to one business. Instead, a relief chef works flexibly and independently in a series of short-term placements.
A lot of our chefs have worked for us for a long time and see this as their job - some of our chefs have worked for us for almost 10 years.
Knowing them this well means we can send them to places they'll enjoy while making sure they're the right chef for you.
A relief chef is experienced in jumping into a fast-paced kitchen environment and getting the job done.
They're qualified cooks with a strong culinary education who excel at teamwork and turning their hand to a variety of cuisines and settings.
While they're hired to fill a temporary position in your kitchen, it could last a few days or several months until you find a permanent solution.
How quickly can you fill a chef job?
Need to hire a chef quickly? We can sort it.
It can happen as quickly as calling up in the morning and having a chef in situ by the afternoon.
All we need to do is gather information about your kitchen, a summary of the role and existing team, type of food, covers, times of day you serve, opening times, and whether you offer accommodation.
This usually takes the form of a 15-20-minute initial phone call to make sure we can find out as much as we can to match the right person to you, in terms of both skillset and personality fit.
We’ll then dive into our pool of available chefs immediately while you complete a credit form so we can set you up on our system.
Then, we'll start talking to you about available chefs we have who suit your vacancy.
We have over 1000 qualified chefs registered with us with the skills and experience to jump straight in and meet your restaurant's needs - whether you need to fill in for someone off sick that day or a you're looking for a chef to cover longer-term while you make internal changes or hire permanently.
What to look for when hiring a chef
Whether you're looking for the right chef for a permanent or temporary role, we have some tips on how to hire better.
Follow our advice to find the right chef:
Know what level of chef you need - head chef, sous chef, chef de partie, commis chef, pastry chef - what kind of role is this?
Decide what skills and qualifications are required for this role - does your chef need to know specific cooking techniques? Or do you run a niche menu that requires experience?
Consider soft skills - what kind of person would be best for this position?
Have a recruitment strategy - whether you're advertising the role yourself on job boards or using a chef recruitment agency, it's important to have a clear plan on how to get the word out and attract an experienced chef that meets your establishment's needs
Think about the benefits you offer - for example, is accommodation provided? Is there free use of other amenities like a hotel gym and pool? Do you offer a cycle to work scheme?
Define your culture and core values - this helps you find someone who's on the same page as you and will do a great job of representing your organisation.
Offer a competitive chef salary - good chefs are in short supply, so you need to offer a good rate to attract them.
Looking to hire a new chef for your hospitality industry business?
Hiring chefs can be a challenge, especially if you're in a hurry and relying on other kitchen staff to cover while you recruit.
A good relief chef can make a huge difference to the everyday running of your business, sending out high-quality dishes and significantly boosting your overall guest experience.
At Chefs Jobs UK, we specialise in matching experienced head chefs, sous chefs, and chefs de partie with hospitality and catering businesses nationwide.
We work with restaurants, hotels, care homes, schools, colleges, universities, and gastro pubs who are looking to fill an emergency vacancy in their organisation.
When you have CJUK in your corner, hiring a cook becomes the easiest part of your job!
Speak to us to get your new chef in position quickly: call 01254 355 666 or email info@cjuk.co.uk and let's get the ball rolling.