Job Description – Head Pastry Chef
Company: Crafted
Reporting to: Executive Chef
Salary: £36,000 P/A plus tronc
Location: Powdermills Hotel, Battle
Type: Management
We’re not hiring people to fill a seat or add to our
headcount. We’re hiring people to craft our culture, ethos and success. This is
a big deal for us, and we know it’s a big deal for you: a new role defines how
you spend your days, who you spend them with, and what your future looks
like.
Together, we’ll shape each other’s entire trajectory.
That deserves thoughtfulness, empathy and respect. It’s why this job
description is deliberately detailed. We want you to know exactly what you’re
stepping into. The challenges, the opportunities, the quirks of the role, and
the kind of impact you’ll have.
Us
Crafted is a series of life-friendly hotels and spaces
where guests can be themselves and fill up on the good stuff: nature, food,
wellbeing, craft, people and play. We hope to open several hotels in the coming
years, with our first coming in summer 2025: Crafted at Powdermills, East
Sussex.
More specifics will follow as planning and pieces fall
into place. So, for now, here’s the sentiment behind Crafted…
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by life. To switch to
autopilot and go through the motions. We’re busy but not on the things we love
doing, we spend more time on our phone, and we misplace our bounce and
spark.
In short, Dr Evil’s stolen our mojo.
We all need a tune up now and again. To escape to
somewhere that makes us feel totally at ease. Not so we can step away from
life, but so we can come back to it. This is where Crafted comes in.
Our aim is to create a network of connected destinations
that people come back to again and again because it’s where they feel good
about life. Somewhere to work on life, come together, and connect locally.
You
Crafted’s culture will be inclusive and agile but with
ambitious goals and a start-up mentality. We need to execute brilliantly from
day one and every team member will contribute wherever they are able.
As Head Pastry Chef,
you’ll lead the kitchen Pastry team in delivering a bold, ingredient-led menu
that reflects our values — thoughtful sourcing, generous hospitality, and a
real sense of place. You’ll be responsible for shaping a food offering that
balances consistency with creativity, running a tight ship day-to-day while
nurturing a positive, ambitious kitchen culture. This is a hands-on role for a
chef who leads from the front, works clean and calm, and wants to be part of
building something special from the ground up.
That said, as Head Pastry Chef, your primary
responsibilities will be to:
* Lead and inspire the kitchen
Pastry team in delivering a seasonal, produce-driven menu aligned with the
Crafted ethos.
* Manage daily kitchen
operations, including prep, service, rota planning, ordering, stock
control, and health & safety compliance.
* Work closely with the Exec
Chef, Exec Sous Chef and Restaurant Manager to ensure smooth coordination
between kitchen and front of house.
* Champion sustainability and
local sourcing wherever possible, building strong supplier relationships.
* Develop and train junior chefs,
setting a tone of mutual respect, professionalism, and growth.
We’re
looking for someone with:
·
Proven experience leading a kitchen team,
ideally in a boutique hotel, restaurant, or lifestyle-focused hospitality
setting.
·
A track record of delivering quality,
consistency, and creative input under pressure.
·
Strong leadership skills with the ability to
motivate, mentor and develop others.
·
A collaborative, low-ego approach to working
with front of house, suppliers and leadership.
·
Solid knowledge of kitchen operations, food
safety, cost management and sustainability best practice.
·
A genuine love of food, hospitality, and
creating memorable guest experiences.
* Champion
sustainability and local sourcing wherever possible, building strong
supplier relationships.
Together
We hire people with personality who have a desire to
continuously learn. Each person should bring themselves to work to shape our
culture and keep us real, interesting, and original.
To create a comfortable environment for all, guest and
staff, we prioritise teamwork over titles: no one’s too important to lend a
hand, or to new to have a good opinion. We need low egos but high expectations:
people who are humble enough to jump in, and serious about making an impact.
Three values we’ll expect you to live by:
1. Enjoy
it: it’s still work, but if you’re having fun then so are our guests. It’s
ok if you’re humming behind the bar or moving with the music.
2. Own
it: whoever you are, and whatever your role, someone’s enjoyment is in
your hands. Always keep an eye out.
3. Improve
it: ask for feedback (and don’t be scared of what follows), and be
curious. We’ll give you plenty of chances to learn and develop.
Note: positive Environmental, Social and
Governance (ESG) principles are integrated across these three values.