Cooking up a storm in food development
LOVE cooking but can’t face the unsociable hours required of restaurant chefs? There are other routes.
Zoe Simons is a development chef for Waitrose in Bracknell, Berkshire.
‘My nan inspired my love of cooking, and when I left school I went to Chelmsford Catering College,’ says Zoe, 25.
While working in the restaurant trade, she reached the final ten on Masterchef The Professionals, but found the long hours in restaurant kitchens almost killed her passion.
‘Here at Waitrose it’s like Masterchef in that there are opportunities for innovative thinking, the food you create is critiqued by people with welldeveloped palates and you get honest feedback.
‘But there’s time to perfect dishes, research ingredients and techniques, to think outside the box and consider what we want to give our customers.
‘My day can involve cooking up new dishes for a product development workshop, tasting potential products, reading cookbooks to get inspiration, and meetings about new ranges. I love it that thousands of people can be enjoying our products.’
Jonathan Moore, who heads the team of development chefs at Waitrose, says: ‘I look for someone who sees things differently, can articulate what they’re tasting, has an excellent palate, and a passion for food and innovation. Experience of restaurants or food manufacturing is an advantage.’
Pay for development chefs ranges from £25,000 to £40,000+.
Food service companies, which cater for clients such as companies and exhibition centres, also employ chefs and the hours can be more sociable.
Food services provider CH&Co Group serves clients such as London Zoo, royal palaces, and companies and runs a chef academy offering apprenticeships.
See the Check into Hospitality careers guide at caterer.com and tasty careers.org.uk.