Commis Chef

Role Overview

This Commis Chef role sits at the centre of a busy kitchen that feeds several parts of the business at once — restaurant service, private functions and the wider hotel food operation. You'll spend most of your shift on the prep bench, turning raw ingredients into ready-to-cook components so the senior chefs can plate and send dishes without losing momentum during peak service. Getting that groundwork right, consistently and quietly, is what keeps ticket times tight and standards even from the first cover to the last.

Key Responsibilities

• Wash, peel, chop, weigh and portion ingredients ahead of service so each section starts with what it needs.
• Assemble basic dishes and their components — salads, sides, garnishes and simple sauces — to the standard set by the senior chefs.
• Step in wherever the kitchen is stretched during peak periods, picking up prep or plating tasks as directed.
• Keep benches, floors, tools and storage areas clean and sanitised throughout the shift, not just at the end of it.
• Apply food safety and allergen procedures in practice, including correct labelling, dating and temperature checks on stored items.
• Replenish stock, rotate incoming deliveries and flag anything running low or approaching its use-by date.
• Help keep dry stores, fridges and freezers ordered so ingredients are easy to locate and use in the right sequence.
• Communicate clearly with the wider brigade so handovers between sections run without gaps or duplication.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Culinary qualification or formal kitchen training is preferred; solid hands-on experience will also be considered.
• 1–2 years in a professional kitchen, ideally within a 4- or 5-star hotel setting.
• A working grasp of core food preparation techniques and how a commercial kitchen is organised through a service.
• Composure under pressure and the ability to keep standards steady when the kitchen is at full stretch.
• Genuine willingness to learn from the chefs around you and take feedback on board.
• Reliable teamwork — following direction, speaking up when something isn't right, and supporting colleagues without being asked.