HEAD CHEF / KITCHEN LEAD (UK)
Launched in Paris in 2019, Tigermilk is a fast-growing restaurant group with 12 locations across Europe — 10 in France, 1 in Belgium, and our newest opening in London (Tottenham Court Road).
We bring Latin American–inspired cuisine and cocktails to life in vibrant, centrally located restaurants — 100% homemade, responsibly sourced, and built on strong brand identity and guest experience.
Now, we’re accelerating our expansion in the UK, with multiple openings planned across London and beyond — and we’re looking for an experienced Head Chef to lead our kitchen teams, ensure flawless execution of our food standards, and build the training and operational structure needed to scale successfully.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives in high-energy kitchens and is passionate about developing people, maintaining strict hygiene and compliance, and delivering consistent, high-quality Tigermilk food — every day, at every site.
The Role
As Head Chef / Kitchen Lead – UK, you will be responsible for delivering consistent, high-quality Tigermilk food standards in the UK.
This is a hands-on leadership role where you will:
Lead daily kitchen operations and execution during prep and service
Train, develop, and structure kitchen teams to build autonomy and consistency
Oversee recruitment and onboarding for kitchen hires
Maintain strong hygiene, food safety, and compliance standards
Support future openings through training and operational setup
What You’ll Be Responsible For
Kitchen Execution & Standards
Deliver consistent food quality, taste, plating, and speed during every service
Ensure strict compliance with technical sheets, recipes, and portion control (grammage)
Maintain strong coordination with FOH/GM to ensure smooth service flow
Training & Team Development (Core Priority)
Build and run a structured training programme for cooks (onboarding, station training, assessments)
Coach and upskill kitchen teams to reach consistent performance across stations
Maintain clear training tools: SOPs, checklists, prep guides, plating references
People Management
Lead and motivate teams through strong standards, discipline, and positive culture
Support performance development through feedback, coaching, and structure
Organise schedules and team planning in coordination with Operations
Recruitment Oversight
Support and oversee kitchen recruitment: interviews, trial shifts, evaluation, selection
Ensure onboarding is effective and team structure supports performance and retention
Build a pipeline of talent to support new openings
Stock Discipline & Storage Organisation
Maintain disciplined labelling, date control (prep/use-by), FIFO rotation, and organised storage
Keep fridges/freezers/dry storage structured to support fast inventories and reduce waste
Hygiene, Food Safety & Compliance
Ensure the kitchen is UK food-safety compliant and EHO-ready at all times
Enforce HACCP-based procedures, allergen controls, temperature checks, logs and traceability
Maintain daily and weekly cleaning routines (opening/closing checklists, deep cleans)
Train teams on hygiene behaviours, cross-contamination prevention, and allergen awareness
New Openings & Expansion
Play a key role in pre-opening and launch phases: kitchen setup, training plans, test services
Support future sites to embed strong standards from day one
Be mobile to support openings and multi-site needs when required
What We’re Looking For
5+ years in professional kitchens, with 2+ years in a leadership role (Sous Chef / Head Chef / Kitchen Manager)
Experience in high-volume, fast-paced service environments
Strong leadership with a genuine passion for training and developing teams
Strong understanding of UK hygiene and food safety compliance (HACCP, allergens, logs)
Highly structured, disciplined and consistent — you build systems, not just services
New opening experience is a strong advantage
What Success Looks Like
Consistent food quality and standards across services and teams
Strong, autonomous kitchen teams with clear training structure
A clean, organised, audit-ready kitchen every day
Successful recruitment and onboarding to support growth
Smooth and repeatable openings as Tigermilk expands in the UK
Why Join Tigermilk?
Join a fast-growing European group launching and scaling in the UK
Real opportunity to shape kitchen standards and build teams from the ground up
High-energy restaurants with a strong brand identity and guest experience focus
Career progression opportunities through growth and expansion
Location & Contract
📍 London (Tottenham Court Road) + travel for openings
🕒 Full-time, permanent
💷 Salary: competitive, based on experience