Catering and hospitality
Senior culinary chef
Develop new recipes, products and product lines.
Summary
This occupation is found in the hospitality, aviation, care and hospital sectors, across a range of different types of organisations and employers such as those providing food direct to the public / consumer and those developing dishes for centralised distribution, care provision or retail.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to develop new recipes, products and product lines. They will research, responsibly source, develop and launch products to meet specification briefs in line with the organisation's vision, values and objectives. They will maintain high culinary standards, oversee all food preparation and presentation to ensure quality and standards, order and maintain the inventory of food and supplies for developed dishes/menus, maintain compliance and due diligence documentation within the food safety management system to ensure a safe and hygienic kitchen, monitor food and equipment suppliers, develop recipes from scratch or brief, determine the best presentation/packaging of food, maintain or raise the profit margins on food and identify and coordinate training opportunities for staff.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with internal and external stakeholders such as: chef teams, restaurant teams, owners, senior management team, board members, suppliers, marketing.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for overall maintenance and development of the culinary offer/standard and leading the development of new menus/dishes within an organisation. The senior culinary chef would typically report to (or could also be) the patron of a restaurant or they may report to the senior leadership team or owner of an organisation. There is a significant leadership element to this role; as the culinary inspiration of a sole-trader patron leading the team to introduce new menus or dishes, or as the leader a team of culinary chefs developing items for centralised distribution.
Typical job titles include
- Chef Patron | Craft Chef | Culinary Team Leader | Development Chef | Executive Chef | Head Chef
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
K1:
the principles of food preparation and cooking, knife selection and handling, taste, diet and nutrition, and how to bring these together in a challenging and time bound environment
K2:
the business or brand specifications and understand how to use them to create standardised menu items and dishes
K3:
how technology supports the preparation and production of menu items and dishes
K4:
how to recognise malfunctions or hazards and work to agreed practices and guidelines to ensure a safe, clean and hygienic kitchen environment
K5:
how personal approach and performance impacts on the successful production of menu items and dishes
K6:
how to research up to date knowledge of product range, brand development, promotions and current trends
K7:
the food safety practices and procedures to ensure the safe preparation, cooking and storage of food in readiness for serving the public or centralised distribution
K8:
what to look for in ingredients and how to handle and store them to maintain quality, in line with food safety legislation
K9:
how to support and influence the team positively to deliver a high quality product
K10:
how all staff and teams are dependent on each other and understand the importance of teamwork both back and front of house in achieving business objectives
K11:
how to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures and recognise how local demographics may impact on the product range of the business
K12:
how to communicate knowledge and experience to the team and support own and individuals’ development
K13:
how to operate efficiently to deliver profit margins, reduce wastage and support the overall financial performance of the business
K14:
understand legislative responsibilities and the importance of protecting peoples’ health, safety and security
K15:
how to identify, plan for and minimise risks to the service and operation
K16:
the customer profile of the business, who its main competitors are and the business growth strategy
K17:
understand the supply chain including procurement, traceability, provenance and quality monitoring for your culinary offer
K18:
the processes policies and procedures of your organisation and a range of establishments relating to the culinary offer
K19:
the review process to be able to continuously improve the current culinary offer
Technical Educational Products
- ST0864: Senior culinary chef (Level 4) Approved for delivery
- HTQCH4001: Foundation Degree Culinary Arts (Level 4)
- HTQCH4003: FdSc Culinary Arts Management (Level 5)
- Reference:
- OCC0864
- Status:
Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £26,425 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 5434 Chefs
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 5434/00 Chefs
- 1222/02 Catering operations managers
S1:
Apply a range of food preparation, knife and cooking skills and techniques to produce quality dishes in line with business requirements
S2:
Produce profitable menu items and dishes according to business specifications
S3:
Use technology appropriately and efficiently to support the production of food and ensure maintenance issues and malfunctions are dealt with promptly
S4:
Support team to deal with unexpected malfunctions or hazards that disrupt work activities
S5:
Ensure positive business or brand image is upheld in work activities and the delivery of products at all times
S6:
maintain consistency in product and service quality to meet customer requirements
S7:
Prepare, cook, store or present food to agreed relevant legislative food safety practices and guidelines, ensuring a clean and hygienic kitchen environment is maintained at all times in readiness for serving the public or centralised distribution
S8:
take responsibility for the safe storage, preparation, cooking and presentation of ingredients to deliver a quality product that is safe for instant consumption or centralized distribution
S9:
manage self and other to ensure the food produced is of high quality, delivered on time and to specification
S10:
Adopt problem solving judgements to identify and deal with problems within the team and across the organization to drive a positive outcome
S11:
Use effective methods of communication and operate in a fair and empathic manner that achieves the desired result and demonstrates a customer centric culture
S12:
Identify skills development needs and actively encourage and support individuals and self to enhance their skills and knowledge
S13:
Monitor costs, using forecasting to set realistic targets with the team; effectively control resource allocation; minimise wastage and use sustainable working practices
S14:
Comply with relevant legal requirements and maintain the safety and security of people at all times
S15:
Risk assess situations, identifying and isolating matters of concern, by establishing the cause and intervening accordingly to minimise any risk to people and comply with legislation
S16:
apply business and brand values that actively market the business, support competitiveness and help meet business objectives
S17:
execute organisation process, policies and procedures for the supply chain including procurement, traceability, provenance and quality monitoring
S18:
Research and respond timely to sector trends when maintaining and reviewing the culinary offer
Technical Educational Products
- ST0864: Senior culinary chef (Level 4) Approved for delivery
- HTQCH4001: Foundation Degree Culinary Arts (Level 4)
- HTQCH4003: FdSc Culinary Arts Management (Level 5)
- Reference:
- OCC0864
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £26,425 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 5434 Chefs
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 5434/00 Chefs
- 1222/02 Catering operations managers
B1:
Remain calm under pressure
B2:
Welcome feedback , be pro-active and solution focused
B3:
Be committed to the culture vision and values of the business
B4:
Lead by example
B5:
Commit to and reflect on own continuous professional development and learning
B6:
Celebrate personal and organisations achievement
Technical Educational Products
- ST0864: Senior culinary chef (Level 4) Approved for delivery
- HTQCH4001: Foundation Degree Culinary Arts (Level 4)
- HTQCH4003: FdSc Culinary Arts Management (Level 5)
- Reference:
- OCC0864
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £26,425 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 5434 Chefs
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 5434/00 Chefs
- 1222/02 Catering operations managers
