Change Hospitality are delighted to be recruiting for an experienced Development Chef to join an exciting and highly regarded London-based event catering business.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a creative chef who enjoys taking ideas from concept through to execution, developing exceptional food for a diverse range of high-end events and clients.

Working from a dedicated kitchen in South East London, you’ll be part of a passionate culinary team delivering food across some of the capital’s most prestigious and unique events. The role combines creativity, technical skill and commercial awareness, with the opportunity to make a genuine impact on the food offering.

The Role

As Development Chef, you’ll play a key role in developing and refining the food offering, working closely with the senior culinary team and wider business.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Developing new dishes, menus and food concepts for a wide range of events.
• Taking ideas from initial concept through testing, refinement and delivery.
• Creating food that is innovative, visually impressive and commercially viable.
• Working with the wider kitchen team to ensure new dishes can be delivered consistently at scale.
• Supporting menu tastings, trials and client presentations.
• Researching new ingredients, techniques and food trends.
• Working closely with suppliers and producers to source exceptional ingredients.
• Costing recipes and ensuring menus meet commercial requirements.
• Maintaining excellent standards of food quality, presentation and consistency.
• Supporting the wider culinary team with training and implementation of new dishes.
• Contributing to the continual development of the company’s food identity.

About You

We’re looking for a creative and technically strong chef who is excited by food development and enjoys working in an environment where no two projects are the same.

You’ll ideally have:

• Previous experience as a Development Chef, Senior Sous Chef, Head Chef or similar.
• A background in high-end events, luxury catering, restaurants or another quality-led food environment.
• Strong technical culinary skills and an excellent eye for presentation.
• Experience developing menus and recipes from concept to delivery.
• A genuine passion for food, ingredients and current culinary trends.
• Strong understanding of recipe costing and commercial considerations.
• The ability to translate creative ideas into food that works operationally.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills.
• A collaborative approach and the confidence to work with chefs, clients, suppliers and senior stakeholders.
• A hands-on attitude and willingness to get stuck into both development and production.

We’re particularly interested in chefs who are curious, creative and constantly looking for ways to make food better.

If you’re a chef with a creative mind, a serious passion for food and the technical ability to turn ideas into exceptional dishes, we’d love to hear from you.