Dalston Head Chef

We are looking for someone to join our Dalston cafe team as our Café Head Chef.

We’ve been roasting speciality coffee for over 30 years. From humble beginnings as a little coffee cart in Auckland, NZ, Allpress has evolved into a sophisticated brand that stands for flavour and service.  Right from the start three core principles have formed the backbone of our business – People, Flavour and Innovation. 

We are united in our genuine care for each other, our customers, and our belief in what we do. We need great people who will bring their imagination, skills and most importantly, their passion to our business. 

About the role.

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Head Chef to lead our kitchen team in the Dalston cafe. Our Café is unique in its dual purpose to serve delicious coffee and food to our customers, but also exemplify the Allpress brand and showcase our coffee to potential wholesale customers.

We are looking for a strong communicator, someone who is proactive, organised and has a real knack for solving problems and a keen eye for detail. It’s important that this person can be resourceful when required and maintains an open minded and pragmatic approach to all situations and tasks.  

We are looking for someone who is passionate about high quality, seasonal and elegantly unfussy food, who is committed to continuous improvement and who will lead the team in bringing our food vision to life every day. 

In this role, you will: 

• Conceptualise, evolve and develop the food menu in collaboration with the hospitality lead team.
• Ensure consistent high standards of food preparation and presentation e.g. full brunch menu, sandwich making, baking and cabinet items.
• Provide exceptional customer service in all interactions with customers, suppliers and colleagues. 
• Financial ownership eg. full menu costings, updating supplier costing, ensuring margins are met, offsetting ad hoc costs. 
• Setup, pack down, pot-wash and cleaning of food areas. 
• Calendarised development plan for food, looking ahead 6 months in line with our global Allpress food standards and consideration for seasonality and quality. 
• Make sure any stock takes and orders are completed in a timely manner. 
• Ensure all Health and Safety requirements are maintained in the space at all times. 
• Support our Cafe General Manager with ad hoc duties. 

About you.

• Experienced in leading a fast-paced kitchen, with café kitchen experience being a bonus.
• A food lover with a keen eye for detail and an understanding of the beauty in simplicity.
• Strong knowledge of UK food health and safety practices.
• Experienced in menu development and cost management.
• Sound understanding of managing kitchen finances, ensuring we meet our KPI’s and target margins.
• Strong communication and organisational skills.
• Self-motivated with excellent time management.
• Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving abilities.
• Leadership skills that inspire and engage your team, embodying the Allpress brand experience.

This is a fantastic opportunity for somebody who already has hospitality experience and is looking to further their career. We offer training, great staff perks including LinkedIn learning, fully paid gym access, good work life balance, a competitive salary, career development and a great company culture.

 Details:

Hours: 5 days per week around 40 hours per week.

Days: Monday – Sunday, weekends are essential but with one weekend day off each week.

Times: Our spaces open from 8am - 4pm Mon to Fri and 9am - 4pm on weekends. 

Probation period: 3 months 

Reporting to: Dalston Café General Manager 

Salary: £32,000 - £35,000 depending on experience. 

If this sounds like you then please apply with your CV and a cover letter explaining: 

• Why you’d like to work for Allpress 
• What interests you in the role 
• Why you think you’d be a good fit 

By becoming part of Allpress we offer our team:

• Full role specific training
• An employee assistance programme supporting your mental health
• Good work life balance
• 33 days of annual leave
• Access to LinkedIn Learning
• Enhanced parental leave
• Fully paid access to Wellhub
• Gender affirmation leave
• Vast career development
• A transparent and friendly company culture

Diversity & Inclusion Pledge 

At Allpress we truly believe we are better together – We are committed to being an inclusive organisation where all people feel valued, respected and engaged. 

We commit to… 

Continuously working towards removing barriers and bias. 

Building inclusive teams who represent people from all groups in society 

Building a safe environment where it is encouraged to speak out against discrimination in any form. 

Cultivating a sense of belonging by encouraging our people to fearlessly bring their whole selves to work