Head Chef

Salary: €50.000 - €60.000 + bonus + tips

Start: ASAP

Location: Berlin

The Role:

Head Chef leading a small, high-performing kitchen team (approx. 8 chefs) with a focus on elevated Mediterranean cuisine (Spanish, Italian, Greek) complemented by Japanese influences.Responsible for delivering refined à la carte dishes and event menus to fine-dining standards, ensuring consistency in flavour, presentation and guest experience.

Key responsibilities

Create, develop and regularly update menus showcasing authentic Mediterranean flavours and Japanese dishes or influences, aligned with the restaurant concept and seasonality.Lead day-to-day kitchen operations in a hands-on manner, coordinating prep, service and pass, and ensuring smooth workflow in a compact kitchen environment.Train, coach and manage a team of around 8 kitchen staff, assigning stations, building skills and fostering a positive, disciplined and collaborative kitchen culture.Ensure all dishes meet fine-dining quality in taste, texture, temperature and plating, with particular attention to detail for tasting menus, à la carte and event menus.Collaborate with front-of-house and event teams to design and execute menus for private events, group bookings and special occasions.Oversee ordering, stock control and cost management, working within agreed food cost and waste targets while maintaining high product quality.Implement and monitor strict food safety and hygiene standards in line with local regulations and internal policies.

Profile & requirements

Proven experience as Head Chef or Senior Sous Chef in high-quality Mediterranean and/or Japanese-influenced restaurants; fine dining background is a strong advantage.Solid knowledge of Spanish, Italian and Greek cuisines, plus hands-on experience with Japanese techniques or menus (e.g. sushi, tempura, robata, izakaya-style dishes).Demonstrated ability to manage and develop a small kitchen team (around 8 staff), with strong leadership, communication and organisational skills.Comfortable working in both à la carte and event settings, adjusting production, prep and plating to different service formats while maintaining high standards.Good understanding of cost control, portioning and basic kitchen administration (ordering, inventory, wastage tracking).Fluent English; additional languages are an advantage in an international guest environment.Passion for food, creativity and continuous improvement, with resilience and composure during busy services.