Hot Kitchen Chef

Role Overview

The Hot Kitchen Chef prepares food for catering events and everyday customer orders, from planning and batch production through cooking and presentation. This role helps the kitchen deliver dependable quality at different volumes while balancing customer requirements, food safety, efficient use of ingredients, and cost control.

Key Responsibilities

• Cook hot dishes for weddings, corporate functions, private events, and other assignments, following agreed menus, client requests, and service expectations.
• Produce meals for walk-in, delivery, and advance orders, coordinating preparation, packing, and dispatch to meet service times.
• Prepare Kenyan dishes, chapati, samosa, mahamri, and mandazi in quantities suitable for catering and routine food service.
• Plan and cook barbecue items, including selecting and seasoning ingredients, grilling meats and other suitable foods, and preparing accompaniments.
• Contribute menu ideas for catering, à la carte, and meal-preparation services, adapting choices to event needs, budgets, and dietary preferences.
• Help standardize recipes and portions, assess food costs, and recommend pricing or menu adjustments that support quality and efficient production.
• Track ingredient availability, store food safely, rotate stock, control temperatures, and reduce avoidable waste.
• Keep work areas and equipment clean and orderly, follow food-handling standards, and guide kitchen assistants when needed.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience as a hot kitchen chef in a catering business, hotel, restaurant, or comparable food-service setting; the source does not specify a minimum number of years.
• Strong practical ability to prepare Kenyan food and produce chapati, samosa, mahamri, and mandazi at scale.
• Experience preparing grilled foods and delivering barbecue service.
• Background in both high-volume event catering and daily meal production.
• Ability to develop and execute catering, à la carte, and meal-preparation menus.
• Working knowledge of food costing, portion control, stock management, and waste reduction.
• Understanding of food hygiene, safe handling, storage, and temperature control.
• Ability to stay organized and maintain consistent quality during busy service periods, supported by clear communication and effective teamwork.
• Reliable, adaptable, and professional, with willingness to work early mornings, weekends, and event-based schedules when required.
• No specific education requirement is stated.