Inviting an experienced Chef to support our Head Chef in leading our food offering. You will work as part of the Medicine Kitchen team to deliver amazing food experiences across 42 Acres.  We have a strong Food Philosophy that follows the concept of Soil to Gut, local, seasonal and biodynamic food grown on the farm and sourced locally. Home-grown and foraged ingredients are key to our menu and as part of your role you will spend time working alongside our gardening and foraging team. In this role you will develop an understanding of deeply nutritional, wholesome food and communicate our values and food philosophy to guests while they stay.

We have two beautiful open kitchens in addition to our off-grid forest kitchen and Tiny Wild Production Kitchen, all are at the heart of our guest experience.This role supports the delivery and design of the menu and also supports the Head Chef with seasonal offerings across all food areas. As part of the core team you will also be working closely with our Head of Land and Food on Product Design and Development.

About 42 Acres

42 Acres is a growing Regenerative Estate and Wellbeing Retreat.  Our accommodation, experiences and events all share one vision: to promote living in harmony with nature, self and others. Currently operating in the UK, we are home to a stunning farmhouse estate alongside an experimental, organic working farm in Somerset.  We have a clear philosophy, focused on  biodiversity, inner work, and collaboration, in service of human and planetary wellbeing.

It is a place where food is grown and foraged onsite, and its suppliers are almost exclusively local and ethical. With a strong philosophy to deliver unforgettable experiences for every guest, 42 Acres runs almost exclusively on renewable energy and much of the almost 200-acre setting is dedicated to nature restoration and wildlife.

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How you would make an impact

This role is Sous Chef within the catering and guest-experience function of the operation.  Key accountabilities include:

1. Leadership & Management 

• Leading and coaching a small team of chefs and kitchen assistants under the direction of the Head Chef
• Supervising the Retreat Chefs when on shift
• working with the events  team to develop experiences around the food offering

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2. Food preparation and production

• Work as part of the Medicine Kitchen team to deliver amazing food experiences ranging from fire cooking in our woodland kitchen to foraging experiences and working in the open kitchen in our beautiful farmhouse
• producing dishes to the highest standards
• supporting the Retreat & Events Manager to ensure an optimal guest experience 
• engaging with the land and food teams to utilise all products within the food offering
• Share our food philosophy with guests
• Arrange ingredients and deliveries keeping the food and storage areas organised 
• Remove rubbish and waste each shift  maintaining the cleanliness of the kitchen as required
• Work as part of the Medicine Kitchen team on food production - processing food in bulk to preserve our harvest and ensure a ready supply of 42 Acres food for the menu and for sale, throughout the year
• Working as part of the kitchen team at events external to 42 Acres throughout the year; these may be in the form of a small team in our Food Trailer or as part of a larger offering at Festivals and Speciality Food Shows
• Ensuring all policies and procedures are adhered to
• Supporting the Kitchen Manager with administrative duties as and when required

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3.Design, Deliver, Develop

• supporting the creation of seasonal menus and new recipes, in line with our food philosophy
• ensuring consistent delivery of our seasonal menus to world-class standards
• ensuring all policies and procedures are adhered to for best practice and safety standards
• Workshops and collaborative processes will be held alongside the Head of Land and Food, to encourage internal knowledge sharing, support others to develop unique offerings and co-creation for menu design and product development as well as programming and volunteering or trainee opportunities.

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4. Quality Standards

• sourcing food from aligned suppliers and markets, with the goal of only locally grown produce
• documenting all data in-line with our HACCP policy
• ensuring all policies and procedures are adhered to for best practice and safety standards
• maintaining hygiene safety standards at all times, through deep cleans and maintenance
• participating in training days and certification programmes, where required

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5. Formal Training

• Food Hygiene Training
• Allergen Training

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6. Guest Experience

42 Acres core vision centres around supporting others to connect to nature, themselves and each other. These beliefs are at the heart of the offering at 42 Acres - we weave together opportunities for  deepening connection and this is also  at the heart of our culture here.  

We encourage fluid working to foster these connections and support one another to deliver an unforgettable guest experience.  In reality this means you will at times be required to  support the production team, gardens team and  guest experience team with housekeeping, production, working retreats, whole self service activities, fire cooking events and other events that enable you to support the team, immerse yourself in 42 Acres and connect with nature!

• maintaining the highest standards of hospitality in the presence of all guests and visitors
• communicating and presenting our food philosophy to guests at every opportunity
• supporting the design and delivery of workshops and experiences around our food philosophy

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