Chef
Application Deadline: Friday 18 September
Interviews: Week commencing 21 September
Hours: 20-25/week daytime, including at least two Sundays per month, with additional hours required to provide holiday cover
We are looking for a confident and experienced chef to join our busy café kitchen in Bransford, Worcestershire.
The Fold is more than a café. We are an organic farm, community hub, events venue and maker space, all rooted in sustainability and social purpose. Our popular café sits at the heart of this ecosystem — serving vegetarian and plant-based food, including produce grown right here on our land; welcoming regulars who feel like family; and hosting visitors who come for workshops, markets and the wider community activity here. We have high standards and a strong sense of purpose.
About the role
20–25 hours per week, daytime, including at least two Sundays per month, with additional hours required to provide holiday cover.
Reporting to the Head Chef, you will join our small kitchen team to deliver a fresh, seasonal, vegetarian and plant-based menu for our 45-cover daytime café, alongside catering for events and workshops across the site. Our food is prepared and cooked from scratch in our kitchen, using fresh ingredients and seasonal produce from our own organic farm wherever possible.
This is a hands-on role for an experienced chef who is confident with all aspects of kitchen preparation and service. You will work closely with the Head Chef and wider café team and will need to be capable of running a busy service in the Head Chef’s absence.
About you
We’re looking for someone with at least three years’ experience working in a busy professional kitchen. You’ll be confident in your practical skills, organised and efficient with prep, and able to stay calm and focused during a busy service.
You’ll need:
- Strong practical cooking skills and experience preparing food from scratch
- The ability to organise and prioritise prep effectively
- Confidence running a busy service when required
- A good understanding of food hygiene, food safety and allergen management
- The ability to maintain excellent standards of kitchen cleanliness and organisation
- The ability to follow recipes and maintain consistency and quality
- Good communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively as part of a small team
- The ability to complete food safety records and other necessary kitchen paperwork accurately
- A willingness to contribute ideas and work creatively with fresh, seasonal produce
Experience of vegetarian and plant-based cooking would be an advantage, but enthusiasm for working with vegetables and seasonal produce is just as important.
You’ll enjoy being part of a team. Our kitchen and café are friendly, hardworking places where people support one another, communicate well and take pride in what they produce. You’ll need to be dependable, flexible and happy to muck in where needed.
What we offer
You’ll be joining a friendly and supportive team in a genuinely unusual working environment. Our kitchen is connected directly to our certified organic market garden, giving our chefs the opportunity to work with fresh, seasonal produce grown just a few steps away.
We offer free food while you’re on shift, a welcoming and informal working environment, and the chance to be part of a values-led organisation where the café contributes to something much bigger — supporting our farm, our community and our wider environmental and social purpose.
To apply
Please send your CV to cafe@thefold.org.uk and a covering note outlining why this role appeals to you, clearly highlighting your relevant experience.