Overview
Head Chef – Michelin-Starred Restaurant Reopening – Hertfordshire – £60,000 – £65,000 + Profit Share
Take full ownership of a former Michelin-starred restaurant with a clear ambition to win the star back. We are seeking a passionate, commercially aware Head Chef to lead the reopening of a stunning countryside restaurant set within beautiful Hertfordshire grounds.
We are partnering with a prestigious hospitality business to recruit a Head Chef for a tranquil waterside restaurant with a former Michelin star. The venue is set for a refurbishment, planned around the incoming chef’s vision. This is not just a job. It is an opportunity to take ownership, shape the menu and style, and share in the profits.
The Venue:
- Location: Hertfordshire
- Capacity: 60 seats inside, up to 100 outside
- Accolades: Former Michelin star with a clear ambition to win it back
- Refurbishment: Planned but not yet started and will be designed around the incoming Head Chef
- Investment: Ownership fully committed to investing in the right chef and vision
The Head Chef Role:
- Full control over the food style and menu
- Open to modern European, Asian influence, open-fire cooking, or another strong concept direction
- Lead the transformation of the restaurant and drive standards throughout
- Opportunity to redesign the kitchen layout, including potential for open-fire cooking
- Build and lead a small brigade of 6-8 chefs, reducing to a leaner team during quieter seasonal periods
- Ensure the restaurant is commercially successful and profitable
- Take real ownership of the business with a lower base salary offset by a strong profit-share structure
- Lead the restaurant towards regaining a Michelin star
The Ideal Head Chef:
- Ambitious, passionate, and commercially aware
- Experience within Michelin-starred or high-end fine dining environments
- A hungry and driven chef looking for ownership and long-term success rather than a large guaranteed salary
- Comfortable with a £60,000 – £65,000 base salary alongside a 10-20% profit-share model
- Able to mentor and develop a small team
- Creative and confident enough to shape the restaurant identity
Why Apply?
- £60,000 – £65,000 base salary
- Profit share with strong long-term earning potential
- Full creative control over the food direction
- Clear Michelin ambition
- Opportunity to influence the refurbishment and kitchen design
- Beautiful countryside setting in Hertfordshire
Send your CV to stuartcampbell@corecruitment.com.
Job Tenure: Permanent
