Chef - The Piano Café

Job Posted: 11 June 2025

• Contract Term: Permanent
• Location: Freshwater, Isle of Wight
• Contract Type: Full or part time
• Salary: Competitive Hourly rate
• Industries: Catering, Hospitality & Bar Chefs

The Piano Café, Freshwater Gate

We are a bustling café in Freshwater which re-opened in Jan 2025 under new ownership looking to welcome a new Chef into our team. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a small team and a small kitchen. If you join us, you join a family feel team, and you will be key in delivering our all day brunch menu to the highest standard and have input into daily specials, Friday night menus and regular brunch menu updates. The Piano kitchen team is currently comprised of 3 chefs and we are looking to extend this to 4.

About us: We operate seven days a week and serve up to 200 guests a day. We proudly buy in some baked goods from Lost Mill bakery however we also make delicious tray bakes and homemade sausage rolls which change daily which you will be instrumental in creating and extending. Our menus are focused on an all day brunch, using seasonal produce and flavours, keeping things simple and delicious.

Every member of our team is passionate about food and service, for that reason, everyone in our team brings ideas to the table. You will work alongside the owners to bring the best possible offerings to our guests.

Although we are ‘just a cafe’ we push for exceptional standards of consistency with our food production and presentation using the most local and high quality produce where possible without passing a huge cost back to our guests.

The role: This vacancy is for a 5 day role in season and 4 day role from November 8am - 4pm each day. There is also the opportunity to take on Friday evenings. This will allow you to create a new menu every week alongside Tom, if you wish to push yourself outside of our brunch/lunch offering.

Is this you?

• You have experience as a chef in a busy café, pub or restaurant and are looking for a new opportunity.
• You can travel to Freshwater for 8am starts (4pm finishes) each day.
• You are happy to be part of an inclusive FoH/kitchen team.
•  Loves exceeding customer expectation and adapting dishes as and when needed for customer requests.
• Proactive: making the most of quiet times - creating new dishes and optimising cleaning.
• Great at adapting from quiet to flat out busy in a short space of time.
• Helping create (and deliver) a a set 3 course menu that changes every Friday
• Looking for a long term role working directly with the Directors.
• Prepping and serving our all day brunch menu as part of our kitchen team.
• Adhering to our cleaning and prep checklists in accordance with H&S and EHO standards.

Benefits. This role will have a minimum contracted hours of 28 all year round, with scope for 35-40 over summer. Your paid holiday will be pro-rated to your hours (min 22 days a year based on a 28 hour week). We offer a competitive hourly rate and our team enjoy an even split of generous gratuity and cash tips. We provide uniform, staff meals and 50% staff discount on additional purchases. You have the opportunity to work 1-2 evenings a month (serving Friday dinner) but this is depending on you, and your experience.