Name: Brandkits
Price range: $

Job Description

Job Description: Chef / Cook / Kitchen Manager

Climpson & Sons is a B Corp Certified, independent, specialty coffee business. We source, roast and craft our coffees from farm to cup. Our goal is to always offer the best specialty coffee experience to customers from the sourcing of quality, traceable specialty coffee, to the service from our team at our cafe and market stall in East London.

We are excited to be opening Climpson & Sons Cafe in Deal in April, nearly 20 years after opening our first and only cafe on Broadway Market in East London. This will be our second cafe site. Our owner Ian, has lived in Deal for over 10 years and we're proud to be joining the towns vibrant independent business community. The idea is simple: to create a space that feels welcoming to everyone, from early morning regulars to evening drop ins, locals and visitors alike.

The cafe will operate 7 days a week, with a day to night offering built around excellent coffee, thoughtful food, and relaxed hospitality. You will be required to work some weekends and over busy periods like bank holidays and summer holidays, however this will be shared across team members too.

We are looking for a chef / cook to support the opening of the brand new Climpson & Sons Cafe in Deal and to help shape its food offering from the ground up. The role will build on our love for specialty coffee and good food, delivering a concise, seasonal menu that works from breakfast and brunch, evening and light bites. We have a vision for in house baked bread for sandwiches, brunch and lunch menu, and well executed evening light bites. This is an opportunity to help create and deliver a strong day to night food concept, ensuring quality and consistency across the week. If you have solid kitchen experience and are ready to make your mark by creating delicious, healthy, seasonal food for dine in and takeaway we would love to hear from you.

Overview & Responsibilities

This role is responsible for leading the kitchen operation and shaping the food offering in line with the business’s quality standards and creative direction.The role focuses on developing and delivering a concise, high-quality menu, maintaining strong operational standards, and building a calm, organised kitchen culture. The role works closely with the owner to evolve the food concept while ensuring consistency, cost control, and efficient day-to-day service.This is a hands-on leadership role combining cooking, menu development, team management, and kitchen operations within a growing, independent café environment.

Lead day-to-day kitchen operations, including prep, service, and hygiene standards
Develop and maintain a focused seasonal menu that aligns with the café’s identity and customer base
Manage food quality, consistency, and presentation
Oversee stock ordering, supplier relationships, and food cost control
Recruit, train, and manage kitchen staff, fostering a positive and professional culture
Ensure compliance with food safety, HACCP and health & safety standards
Collaborate with the owner on menu development, events, and future growth plans

What We’re Looking For

A genuine passion for food and seasonal cooking, using local produce where possible.
Delivering delicious food consistently across dine in, takeaway, brunch, lunch and light bites.
Confidence working collaboratively with the owner to realise the vision, and evolve the food vision
Strong commercial awareness around food margins, waste reduction and kitchen efficiency.
Organised, calm, and solutions focused approach to service and operations.

The Details

Full time. 37.5-45 hours per week
Based at our new cafe in Deal, Kent.
A 7 day a week operation with weekends and evening work. Holiday weekends and summer holidays will be peak time.

Perks & Benefits

Salary band competitive depending on experience.
All you can drink specialty coffee plus a bag of beans to take home each week
Discounts at Climpson’s Café & Brat restaurant
Free yoga classes + staff BBQs & events
Opportunities to attend and cover industry events
A collaborative, supportive team environment
Contribution to an ambitious, values-led Bcorp company with a focus on sustainability
Designated training and volunteer time per year
4 paid sick days per year
Employee Assistance Program and supportive app for health and wellbeing

How to Apply
Send your CV and a short cover letter telling us why you’d be a great fit to careers@climpsonandsons.com, with the subject line: Application Cook / Chef Kent – Your Name.

The application process:

CVs and cover letters to be submitted by Tuesday 24 March 2026
Stage one: Introductory calls
Stage two: Interviews
Ideally this role will start end of March / early April.

At Climpson & Sons, we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members.

Job Requirements

Required Experience

Proven experience as a Chef or Cook in a quality-led café, restaurant, or casual dining environment
Strong background in brunch, daytime food, or small seasonal menus
Experience running day-to-day kitchen operations, including prep, service, and rotas
Solid understanding of food cost control, GP targets, ordering, and stock management
Confident knowledge of food safety, hygiene, and kitchen compliance. Has experience with HACCP plans and inspections.
Experience leading and developing a small kitchen team
Right to work in the UK

If you don’t have all of the above, that’s okay — apply anyway. We’d rather meet someone with passion and ideas than someone who only ticks boxes.

Key Traits & Personal Qualities