Head Chef – Mortimer House

About Mortimer House

Set in a seven-storey Art Deco building in the heart of London’s Fitzrovia, Mortimer House brings beautifully designed work, social and wellbeing spaces together under one roof. With hospitality at its core, the House is a stimulating place for members to collaborate, create and unwind — as well as feel at home.

About Maslow’s

Mortimer House is part of Maslow’s a group of progressive hospitality brands, existing to foster connection and spark change. At Maslow’s our mission is to create a collection of workspaces, members’ houses, restaurants & bars that are developed and operated within unique spaces in vibrant neighbourhoods and beautiful settings around the world, always with an emphasis on locality, serving the needs of visitors and locals alike.

We opened the doors of our first site, Mortimer House in London’s Fitzrovia, in late 2017. Our second London House - 1 Warwick, opened in Soho this March.

Our ethos is inspired by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. We use a holistic approach to hospitality to create carefully considered spaces — be it physical, digital, intellectual or emotional — that are exquisite yet unpretentious, centred on helping people connect to what matters to them.

About The Role

We are looking for a Head Chef to join our growing family as we look to create exceptional experiences throughout our Membership House and Restaurant and deliver first in class hospitality to our guests and members alike.

You will be vibrant and passionate about exciting our guests through their culinary experience. You will strive for perfection in all that you do.

This role reports into our Group Executive Chef, Tom Cenci and the General Manager and is focussed on leading our Mortimer House Kitchen Team.

Responsibilities

• Provide seasonal menus with the highest food quality consistent with cost control and profitability margins of the kitchen
• Set and delivers restaurant standards of food quality, preparation, recipes, and presentation
• Assures proper staffing and adequate supplies for all sections
• Co-ordinate’s activities, times and communicates priorities to ensure correct preparation, and delivery time to provide food for events, restaurant, bar menu, and staff food
• Maintains product consistency by conducting inspections of seasonings, portions, and food appearance, and follows-up appropriately
• Oversees inventory disbursement of all food supplies
• Controls and orders all fresh products and dry storage items required by kitchen and related departments to ensure correct quality and par stock
• Monitors and facilitates communication between kitchen production, restaurant, bar and House team
• Assures that proper safety, hygiene, and sanitation practices are followed
• Ensures readiness and compliance in case of last-minute changes to reservations
• Ensures that prices and portions are offered in accordance with profit objectives
• Minimizes spoilage, waste and overproduction
• Recommend appropriate action to maintain the competitive status and profitability
• Conducts formal tasting as part of new recipe development and product testing regularly
• Assists in the review, selection, determination of specifications and pricing of proposed menus
• Follows-up with Restaurant General Manager to determine guest satisfaction; measures these results and establishes strategies to improve the food quality
• Utilises leadership skills and motivation to maximize employee productivity and satisfaction
• Challenges employees to achieve optimum quality while minimizing cost
• Monitors department’s overall service, interaction with other departments, team work daily and takes action to improve
• Has good working relation with all departments
• Any other task requested by the Group Executive Chef and General Manager 

People Management

• Attract and recruit  top talent, completing interviews and skill test
• Identifies training needs and makes sure staff receives training, including skills training to provide consistent excellent service
• Identifies employees with potential for promotion and/or transfer and makes appropriate development plans for them together with the People Team
• Creates flexible work rota to business need
• Works closely with the People Team on the following tasks:
  • Recruitment
  • Performance/ appraisals/ Development dialogues
  • Coaching
  • Counselling
  • Discipline and grievance
  • Employee relations
  • Wage and salary administration
  • Compensation and benefits

• Maintains effective internal communications, including daily briefings and monthly team meetings

Legal compliance and food safety

• Supports a safe working environment by applying business regulations and adhering to existing laws and regulations
• Informs kitchen staff of all food and safety laws and limitations within policies and guidelines
• Ensures that all potential and real hazards are reported and reduced immediately
• Ensures the House and restaurant fire, emergency and  first aid  procedures are always followed
• Ensures that employees work in a safe manner  and all accidents are reported correctly
• Ensures the safety of the people and the property within the premises applying the building regulations, adhering to existing laws and regulations
• Ensures that the highest standards of personal hygiene, dress, uniform, appearance, body language and conduct of employees is maintained by all employees in the department

Leadership

• Attends meetings and training required by the Group Executive Chef and General Manager
• Ensures accurate, timely and inclusive communication with other departments
• Fosters and develops effective employee relations within department and throughout the house
• Maintains high confidentiality

Requirements

• Exceptional proven ability of kitchen management
• Experience of managing your own kitchen
• Up to date with culinary trends and optimized kitchen processes
• Setting and monitoring performance standards for staff.
• Advanced knowledge of food professional principles and practices.
• Outstanding communication and leadership skills
• Attention to detail
• Ability to resolve conflict in a constructive manner
• Ability to solve problems and think-on-your-feet
• Willingness to take initiative and make decisions
• Ability to delegate tasks effectively
• Credentials in Health and  Safety Food hygiene Certificates

Benefits

• Smart Tech – enables you to get the newest tech and pay through salary sacrifice
• Cycle to Work Scheme – enables you to get a new bike and pay through salary sacrifice
• Delicious meals when on duty
• 50% off Food and Beverages in both sites for you and up to 3 guests
• Access to 5 confidential counselling sessions
• Hundreds of online discounts through MyHouse rewards
• Refer a friend
• Plus many more.