It’s hard to believe that I have been with Chefs In Scotland for a year now. It has gone by like a flash. Looking back on my first day in the office I often laugh at how nervous I was because it feels now as if I have always been here. From starting off with doing general references and calling chefs to where I am now is crazy. I found it easy to settle into the office as Johanna and Jessica made me feel very welcome and have supported me daily since then. I continue to have meetings with Michael every so often and it’s good to catch up and talk about how I am doing in the office and to talk of ways in which I can better myself and thrive.
After a full year in the office I feel like I have achieved a lot. The thought of trying to place a chef was very daunting when I first started but now it feels like second nature. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always as smooth and plain sailing as I sometimes wish it would be but its all part and parcel of the job which is why enjoy it. You never know what you’re going to come in to daily which is why I love it, something new and challenging every day!
Over the last year I have managed to build relationships with many establishments and help when they are in need of a chef. It is such a rewarding feeling when you manage to help an establishment get a chef, it feels like a sense of relief knowing they are all sorted.
It has been a huge change in my life starting at Chefs In Scotland. I started working in a hotel for 5/6 years as a waitress to then working in retail for a year. I felt that after a year in college I had come to a standstill career wise and needed something to change it up a bit. I had spent a full year in college and decided that after qualifying in my course it wasn’t the right career choice for me. I noticed the job opportunity for Chefs In Scotland advertised on Facebook and sent my Cv across straight away. I was then invited for a 3-hour trial one afternoon and was given the task of doing some invoices and references. I must say, a year on and invoices are still my favourite. I then started on the 1st August 2018 after a family weekend spent in Blackpool. During my first week I was eased in and started to send some Cv’s out, but it wasn’t until the 13th September that I managed to successfully place a young chef at a high end hotel situated in the Lake District. It was a great feeling and felt like a huge achievement after only being with the company for just over a month.
Now here I am a year on, and I can happily say that I have finally found the career path in which I wish to continue in. Here’s to the next year…
Jade
“Chefs are nearly twice as likely to be addicted to alcohol and drugs as the wider population and 9% more vulnerable to suicide”
Chef Craig Strippel shares his story of recovering from alcoholism and how he actually tried to take his own life. He now is working in the kitchen again but as a KP after seeking help from charity Addaction which is one of the UK’s leading drug, alcohol and mental health charities. He is now often found to be getting up early to go for a run. Many chefs who are well known in the industry such as Tom Kerridge and the late Anthony Bourdain have also talked about having issues with alcohol and drugs. You can read more about Craig’s story here:
However it seems this is not just a UK wide problem “ In 2015, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration reported that employees in restaurants and hotels had the highest rates of substance abuse out of the entire American workforce.”
https://www.alcohol.org/professions/hospitality/
Many kitchen staff spend more time at work than they do at home especially at this time during the busy season when some establishments can be understaffed. Some chefs feel that alcohol and sometimes drugs can be something to turn to which can help them get through the hard and long shifts. We hope that the industry is changing and we see more and more chefs striving for health including exercise and healthy eating to get them through the harder days. Almost gone are the times when chefs are getting burn out before reaching the age of 30. The industry is striving for better working terms and conditions more and more, so this doesn’t happen. However everyday brings its problems and charities like Addaction are doing fantastic work.
Head chefs
If paying good money and in a central location such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Dundee, Aberdeen and Perth the availability of head chefs is ok, basically, the more central and the larger local population the better availability
What is good money for a head chef? This can vary from a small pub to a large five star or 3AA Rosette Hotel and can be anything from £16 per hour for a one-man job cooking simple food to £45,000 and upwards.
For a standard hotel job, we would suggest in the region £32,000+ with overtime paid pro rata over 45 to 48 hours as sanctioned by management.
Bonus schemes always help and can be based on getting a gross profit margin of over say 65 to 70% and it is always advisable stressing in advance how often the bonus is paid and what the exact criteria are. Other bonuses may be based on increase in sales. Keeping wages ratio down and helping to achieve certain net profits subject to maintaining quality of food, kitchen cleanliness and staff retention.
In more rural Scotland it is harder to get and retain chefs and often accommodation should be offered to attract suitable candidates.
Sous chefs
The availability of sous chefs in rural Scotland is average. Sometimes, a mature former head chef will be happy to take a step back to work alongside head chef.
In more central Scotland, there are few candidates about if paying decent money (i.e. upwards of £28,000 or £13-15 per hour) and offering good working conditions.
In rural Scotland, there can be a need to think outside of the box to retain and attract good sous chef candidates. Its is almost essential that you will need to provide accommodation in rural areas.
Chef de parties
Availability is ok in Glasgow, Edinburgh and the central belt.
In rural Scotland with accommodation there are very few candidates and you may get applicants if wages are decent, suggesting £11 to £13 per hour or a salary of between £23,000 - £25,000. The more money you can pay the better the availability there is.
Commis chefs
There are a few candidates available centrally or further afield if offering accommodation.
Pastry Chefs: this is quite a specialist position and there can be a couple of specialised pastry chefs looking, not always though.
Enclosed link to minimum wages:
www.minimum-wage.co.uk/
Availability of Relief Chefs changes, and we can advise daily. The rates of pay are £12.50 to £18.50 per hour according to the position.
The availability of relief chefs is very tight, we have 19 chefs confirmed this week so far with a few more in the pipeline.
There are 84 relief chefs currently working this is 13 more chefs than last year.
Jessica and Jade are getting lots of CV’s sent out this week and lots of interviews confirmed.
We have 152 jobs on our website so there are plenty to choose from.
Here are some if the chefs we have out working at the moment
Gian Devey is back helping at The Boat Inn in Aboyne
Vytis Baltrunas and Stuart Urquhart are both at The Classroom in Nairn
Alex and Marthina Floyd are both still at The Lovat Loch Ness
Norbert Waniek is at the Castle Hotel in Huntly
Stephen Flindall is at Tigh an Eilean
Graham Smith is at Balmacara Hotel
Chris Robertson is just finishing at Thainstone Events
Stephen Hitchings is at the Glencoe Inn
Neil Ives is at The Anchorage in Leverburgh
Sara-Jayne Moffat is at the Oyster Inn
Gordon Wright is at the Tontine Hotel in Peebles
Michael George is at The Buccleuch and Queensberry Hotel
Steve Cameron is at The Mustard Seed Restaurant
Ben Mailer is at The Cawdor Tavern
Douglas Gillies is at Baxter’s Highland Village in Fochabers
Tony Vinter is at Hotel Hebrides in Harris
Thanks everyone for your hard work and continued support 😊
It is good to see that the younger generation is getting involved in the kitchen. From a young age, Omari has learned how to cook and is now an award winning chef at the young age of 11 with his own business.
Home economics is a popular subject in Scottish schools but focuses mainly on bakery items rather than teaching kids how to properly cook. Omari offers cooking classes from home which he runs by himself, as well as his own online business. Many young children who do have unwell parents may be left without proper meals and this offers them the chance to learn new skills that they can use at home. Even those who have parents cooking at home it gives them the opportunity to cook for the family whilst providing nutritious meals.
Having the business from such a young age gives Omari the opportunity and space to grow his own brand, an opportunity not a lot of 11-year olds have. For example, the famous Levi Roots who pitched his Reggae Reggae sauce to the Dragons Den and is now sold across supermarkets worldwide. A small business producing solely condiments only, has succeeded into a multi-million-pound business.
Omari hosts a pop- up restaurant next month featuring vegan food. Here’s hoping his business is as successful as Levi Roots is!
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