Head Chef – Modern Café / Western Cuisine
Finisya Hospitality SolutionsLocation: Al Ain, UAE
Job Overview
We are seeking an experienced and hands-on Head Chef to lead kitchen operations for a contemporary café concept featuring gourmet sandwiches, sourdough toasts, croissants, pasta, pastries, and desserts.
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in Western cuisine, modern café operations, and menu development, with the ability to maintain high food quality while managing costs, inventory, and kitchen productivity.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and refine menu items, including gourmet sandwiches, panini, sourdough toasts, pasta, sauces, and brunch dishes.
- Create standardized recipes, portion specifications, and food preparation procedures.
- Oversee daily hot and cold kitchen operations and ensure consistent food quality and presentation.
- Manage recipe costing, food costs, inventory, purchasing, and waste reduction.
- Coordinate kitchen preparation and service for dine-in, takeaway, and delivery orders.
- Oversee the quality, freshness, storage, and presentation of croissants, pastries, and desserts.
- Coordinate with bakery and pastry suppliers or in-house production teams, as applicable.
- Supervise, train, and develop kitchen staff.
- Ensure compliance with food safety, hygiene, sanitation, and allergen management requirements.
- Establish efficient kitchen workflows and SOPs.
- Work with management to improve menu profitability, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
Requirements
- Minimum 4–6 years of professional kitchen experience, preferably in modern cafés, brunch restaurants, Western casual dining, or all-day dining concepts.
- Previous experience as a Head Chef, Sous Chef, or Senior Chef de Partie with supervisory responsibilities.
- Strong practical knowledge of gourmet sandwiches, panini, sourdough toasts, brunch dishes, and Western café cuisine.
- Working knowledge of pasta preparation and sauce development.
- Experience in menu development, recipe standardization, and food costing.
- Knowledge of inventory management, portion control, and food waste reduction.
- Experience leading and training kitchen teams.
- Good understanding of food safety, hygiene, and HACCP principles.
- Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Culinary qualifications are preferred.
Preferred Skills
- Experience in premium cafés, specialty cafés, or all-day dining concepts.
- Knowledge of bakery and pastry products, including croissants, tarts, and desserts.
- Experience coordinating with external bakery suppliers or managing in-house pastry production.
- Ability to balance product quality, preparation speed, and profitability.
Pay: AED5,000.00 - AED5,500.00 per month
Application Question(s):
- Available Immediately?
- Salary Expectation?
- Willing to relocate in Al AIn?
Work Location: In person
Food and beverage product quality managementRestaurant kitchen experienceBakery experienceKitchen health and safety standardsFood waste mitigationHygiene guidelines for canteen and food areasCommunication with suppliersStaff supervisionFood waste minimisation standardsFood preparation hygieneKitchen staff training and mentoringStandard operating procedure developmentCafé experienceInternal stakeholder communicationLeadership (demonstrated interpersonal skills)Operations workflow managementKitchen quality controlOperations coordinationCost optimisation and efficiency improvementFood portioningCost controlTraining and mentoring staffFood sanitation practicesFood safety and hygiene regulationsMenu planningFood allergen managementBack-of-house food preparationFood service inventory managementProduction optimisationCompliance managementExternal supplier coordinationKitchen cost controlHACCPTraining junior kitchen staffTeam managementHospitality industry experienceProper food storageTeam trainingCoffee shop experienceKitchen staff training
