Apprentice Commis Chef

As a Commis Chef working in one of our Partnership Hotels, you'll be working as part of our talented kitchen brigade, helping to provide a first-class experience for Partners and guests of the hotel.

You'll be working under the direction of the Head/Sous Chef, but there will also be opportunity for you to work independently, giving you the responsibility and experience to develop in your career.

In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £4.00 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

Key Responsibilities

As a Commis Chef, you'll typically be responsible for:

- Assisting the Head Chef & Sous Chef to plan, produce and deliver the hotel food offer and agreed food presentation standards, in line with current trends and customer demand.

- Able to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.

- Meeting all legislative requirements for the Catering environment, to include allergens.

- Daily compliance which could include maintaining accurate records of equipment, cleaning schedules, temperature checks, following all food safety policies.

Essential skills/experience you'll need

- Professional kitchen experience.

- Basic computer skills.

- Great customer service.

- Able to multitask and prioritise.

Desirable skills/experience you may have

- City & Guilds 706 1 and 2 or NVQ equivalent.

- Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2.

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.