When I first started out as a chef I had to do a work placement which ended up being at an exclusive private members club up in the north of Scotland. When I first arrived aged 19 on my own and having travelled through the night from Manchester airport it was all very nerve wracking, but I couldn’t have chosen a better place to go. During my time there I worked in all sections of the kitchen, but a large part of my time was spent working the Barbecue shift at the golf house and this was my favourite. Mainly because during the day my time was spent outside in a hut prepping for that night’s service enjoying the beautiful scenery overlooking the water. In weather like we have today it was brilliant but during the rainier days not so much! We used to prepare lots of types of food which included rump and sirloin steak, both cut to order, homemade koftas, fresh prawns marinated in garlic and chilli oil, lobster tails, chicken fillets marinated in various herbs, baked potatoes, mushrooms in garlic butter and corn. This all varied depending on what was available. We also cooked fresh fish on the barbecue including my first taste of fresh mackerel which was caught and served within 4 hours, it was delicious. We would sometimes have squid cooked in garlic and chilli also. This was all marinated and prepared ahead of service and then cooked to order. The guests would pick what they wanted from our array and then we would cook it for them. They also had a fresh buffet of salads of all types including giant couscous, roasted pepper and feta, new potatoes coated in a dressing as well as Caesar and various others. Growing up in Spain I have always had a love for barbecue food as it was very much a staple however working there also gave me different ideas and ways of doing things on the barbecue rather than just the ordinary. A very fond memory of working a season in rural Scotland and would love to hear yours…
Jessica
We still have around 80 chefs out working and numbers still keep growing, there has been 28 chefs placed this week so far with more to be confirmed just waiting on the establishments to get back.
June has been a good month so far and we have 1 week left to the end of the month, targets are through the roof 😊
If you are looking for work, if you have any holidays and are looking to make some extra money or if you have days off please please get intouch.
We are looking to meet all relief chefs we have on our books and we are available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday please get in touch to book your appointment.
If you are a chef out with us and have holidays planned please let me know the dates your not available so I can update the relief database.
Chefs placed at the beginning of June
Steve Moffat at Gary Moore Catering
Alan Baird at y Not Bar & Grill
Paul Whitecross at Garth Hotel
John Ferguson at Ballachulish hotel
Jonny Lewis at the Winking Owl
Martin Hamilton at Kirktown Garden Centre
Chris Wright at Geographer Restaurant
Scott Macintyre at Loch Melfort
Tim Morris and Chris Campbell at Ardlui Hotel
Sean McGregor at East Haugh House Hotel
David Bedo at Royal Dornoch Golf Glub
Gian Devey at Woll Golf Club
Alan Kaye at La Piazza Restaurant
Jonny Lewis at Nethy Bridge Hotel
Ionel Rizea at Calvert Trust
David Young at Pentland View Care Home
Patrick Johnstone at Four Seasons Hotel
David Maxwell at Cumbria Park Hotel
Laura Galloway and Ryan Williamson at Orde Food Company
Steve Ali at Moorings Hotel
Stuart MacColl at Balmacara Hotel
Kai Stutzkeitz at National Hotel
Dale Paton at Glengarry Hotel
Stuart Agnew at Ben Loyal Hotel
David Ironside at Coul House Hotel
Chris Wright at The Ancient Unicorn
Seb Schoeder at Fortingall Hotel and Kings Manor Hotel
David Young at The Winking Owl
Sebastian Luszyznski at Cringletie hotel
Tim Morris at Go Glasgow Urban Hotel
Zander Yule at Rowallan Castle
Thanks all so much for your hard work and continued support we are all grateful.
We still have around 80 chefs out working and numbers still keep growing, there has been 28 chefs placed this week so far with more to be confirmed just waiting on the establishments to get back.
June has been a good month so far and we have 1 week left to the end of the month, targets are through the roof 😊
If you are looking for work, if you have any holidays and are looking to make some extra money or if you have days off please please get intouch.
We are looking to meet all relief chefs we have on our books and we are available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday please get in touch to book your appointment.
If you are a chef out with us and have holidays planned please let me know the dates your not available so I can update the relief database.
Chefs placed at the beginning of June
Steve Moffat at Gary Moore Catering
Alan Baird at y Not Bar & Grill
Paul Whitecross at Garth Hotel
John Ferguson at Ballachulish hotel
Jonny Lewis at the Winking Owl
Martin Hamilton at Kirktown Garden Centre
Chris Wright at Geographer Restaurant
Scott Macintyre at Loch Melfort
Tim Morris and Chris Campbell at Ardlui Hotel
Sean McGregor at East Haugh House Hotel
David Bedo at Royal Dornoch Golf Glub
Gian Devey at Woll Golf Club
Alan Kaye at La Piazza Restaurant
Jonny Lewis at Nethy Bridge Hotel
Ionel Rizea at Calvert Trust
David Young at Pentland View Care Home
Patrick Johnstone at Four Seasons Hotel
David Maxwell at Cumbria Park Hotel
Laura Galloway and Ryan Williamson at Orde Food Company
Steve Ali at Moorings Hotel
Stuart MacColl at Balmacara Hotel
Kai Stutzkeitz at National Hotel
Dale Paton at Glengarry Hotel
Stuart Agnew at Ben Loyal Hotel
David Ironside at Coul House Hotel
Chris Wright at The Ancient Unicorn
Seb Schoeder at Fortingall Hotel and Kings Manor Hotel
David Young at The Winking Owl
Sebastian Luszyznski at Cringletie hotel
Tim Morris at Go Glasgow Urban Hotel
Zander Yule at Rowallan Castle
Thanks all so much for your hard work and continued support we are all grateful.
So as of last week, we will have had the Chefs In Scotland office in Well Street for 6 weeks and in our opinion the move has been very successful. There were a few teething issues in the beginning with BT with the internet which were resolved quickly, and the business is extremely busy. This month we are on target to smash some goals with regards to permanent placements made, adverts on our website and relief jobs out. Tom has been very busy getting lots of junior chefs placed and getting ready to go to the brewery in a few weeks’ time which he will update you all on very shortly. Johanna is back in full swing getting lots of relief chefs placed, meeting chefs and getting new chefs out working. The feedback for most of our new relief chefs has been very good. I have been working on getting senior chefs placed and the head and sous chef list is ever growing so if you are looking for something new just get in touch.
Being in the centre of town is beneficial for us as we are not far should we need supplies or just to get some fresh air for lunch while being in front of the computer all day. Michael has taken a step back now and we meet once a week to discuss the goings on in the office and any ongoing projects.
Alannah who has had a beautiful baby girl in February and is away on maternity leave but will be returning for a few days to cover mine and Johanna’s days off, so you will all be hearing a familiar voice over the phone during this time which we are looking forward to.
All in all, we are working extremely hard to get as many chefs out working all over Scotland. Yes, there is a shortage of chefs however if you are willing to put a good package in place for chefs you will get candidates although the quality is mixed at this time of year. We do our utmost to chase references and give you as much information about the chefs as we can however they are not all as well known to us at this time of year unfortunately.
We are in the middle of the season now and expect to get busier and our aim is to continue to provide establishments and chefs a prompt and fair service.
Thank you for all your support.
Jessica
With over 80 chefs out working I am getting closer to my 100 chefs out working at once 😊
We have been busy again in the office this week with 20 + adverts being placed 20 + relief chefs out and 5 permanent chefs placed.
We are meeting chefs again we are available Tuesday AM or PM Wednesday AM or Thursday AM or PM. Feel free to get in touch if you are looking to have a chat regarding relief work or senior permanent positions.
Here are a few chefs we have placed at the end of May…………………….
Taylor McFarlane at Fife Arms Turriff
Ally Brown at Balmacara Hotel
James McInally at Old Mill Inn Pitlochry
Karl Becker Glenmoriston Arms
John Tyson at Oban Bay Hotel
Adam Glover at The Granary Restaurant
Michael Njororge at Tormaukin Hotel
Leon Sinclair at Inn at Ardgour
Ally Elder at Dalhousie Castle
Jim Miller at Pentland View Care Home
Chris Wright at Letterfinlay Lodge
Stuart Agnew at Scripture Union at Lendrickmuir
Dmitrij Cvilij at Saucy Mary’s in Skye
Mick Kitson at Buccleuch and Queensberry Hotel
Richard Clark at Moorings Hotel Fort William
Zander Yule at Old Manor Hotel
Yousef Shengheer at La Piazza and Victoria’s Restaurant
Sebastian Held at Deeside Inn
Mark Shaw at Lomond Hills Hotel
Sarah Pozzi at Carfraemill Hotel
Most chefs are known to us and some are not – we have been getting some excellent feedback from establishments – keep up the good work 😊
This week and last has been hugely busy on relief specifically. We are right in the middle of the season now and there are lots of chefs out working through us. We do very often get establishments phone up and say they are looking for a relief chef who can start as relief and the possibly take on the permanent role. Although this does occasionally happen we usually advise that the relief chefs just like to do relief work.
What isn’t to like? Good hourly rates of pay, accommodation at no charge, paid for every hour that you work, travel at 30 pence a mile. But what most new relief chefs don’t realise that there are some down sides. If relief chefs are happy to keep their head down and work away, we can almost guarantee work until the end of October time. However, the relief work available over the winter time is very limited and this can result in a very long winter season. The places that the relief chefs go in to are usually in desperate need of a chef and they need a chef to go in and get the job done. The staff accommodation can be sometimes a little less than desired however we ask that is clean and single so not sharing a room with anyone else.
When I first started out as a chef the idea of being a relief chef never really appealed to me as it doesn’t now. I think this is due to the inconsistency and the changeability on what you do on a day-to-day basis. But I know that for some of our relief chefs doing relief work on a regular basis is the best way to ensure they can set their own work schedule and get that elusive life -work balance that we talk about.
What is the one thing you love about being a relief chef?
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