Head Chef Recruitment, Melbourne
Head Chef is the role we've placed most, and the one where operational experience actually matters most. We look beyond the resume to how someone actually runs a kitchen day to day, under pressure, with a team relying on them.
What we look for in a Head Chef
A Head Chef runs the kitchen as a business as well as a brigade. This is what we look for, and how we check it before you interview.
How we screen-
Leads, not just time served
Years in kitchens are not the same as leading one. We look for someone who has run a brigade, set the standard and held people to it.
How we checkReferees are asked how they led the team day to day, not just how long they were there.
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Runs the kitchen solo
A Head Chef must be able to carry a section or the whole kitchen when the team is short. We look for someone who has done it under real pressure.
How we checkWe ask for the hardest service they ran short-staffed and how it went.
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Rosters, costs and suppliers
The kitchen is a business. We look for real experience writing rosters, holding food cost and managing supplier relationships.
How we checkWe ask for their food cost targets and how they hit them, week to week.
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Fits the venue's pace and standard
A fine dining chef can be wrong for a busy bistro, and the reverse. We match style, pace and temperament to your kitchen.
How we checkWe screen against your food, covers and team before anyone is put forward.
Related placements
An Entertainment Venue Kitchen, Built In‑House
A theatre and entertainment venue bringing its food operation in-house needed a Head Chef to build the kitchen from the ground up. A retained search with a fixed timeline and multiple stakeholders.
Albert Park Neighbourhood Bistro
A neighbourhood bistro needed a fast, accurate Head Chef replacement after an early departure. A precise, fast-turnaround placement delivered in seven days.
