Paragraph by paragraph
I am writing about the Head Chef position at Hawksmoor Spitalfields. I have run the kitchen at The Ivy since March 2021, with a brigade of 12 and more than 300 covers a service across lunch, dinner and private dining.
A head chef introducing his kitchen
He names the restaurant, then describes his current kitchen in numbers. The reader knows the size of operation he runs before reading anything about his cooking.
Last year I rewrote our seasonal menu, and average spend per cover went up by 22%. The dishes that sold best were the simplest ones on it, cooked the same way every night, and that is a big part of why Hawksmoor's way of cooking appeals to me.
The menu, judged by what it earned
Instead of describing dishes, he says what the menu did to spend per cover. The second sentence is a chef's honest observation about what guests actually order, and it links straight to the kind of focused cooking Hawksmoor is known for.
I watch waste and hygiene as closely as the food. Better stock rotation and tighter portions cut our food waste by 30%, and we have kept a food hygiene rating of 5 through eight inspections in a row.
Waste and hygiene
Food waste costs money, and anyone can look up a hygiene rating. He gives a result for each and uses the rating scheme's own wording, a rating of 5, rather than "five stars".
Before The Ivy I was sous chef at Dishoom, running prep for more than 500 covers a day. I trained eight commis chefs there, and three of the six dishes I developed went onto the permanent menu.
Where he trained others
The Dishoom paragraph shows high volume, training and creativity that lasted, with three dishes still on the menu. For a head chef post, training young cooks is as important as cooking.
I'd happily come in and cook for you. Mondays are my day off, so I could do a trial on any Monday that suits the kitchen.
An offer to cook
Chefs are usually hired after a trial, so he makes it easy to arrange one. Mentioning his day off is a practical detail that shows he won't let his current kitchen down to do it.
Kitchen numbers that tell your story
Restaurant owners and operations directors think in numbers, and a chef who does too stands out. Use the ones you know accurately:
| Number | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Covers per service or per day | The volume you can handle. |
| Brigade size | How many people you lead. |
| Food cost or gross profit percentage | Whether you can run a kitchen profitably. Give it if you are responsible for it. |
| Spend per cover | What your menu does for sales. |
| Waste reduction | How carefully you manage stock and portions. |
| Hygiene rating | Your standards, as checked by the council. |
| Staff trained or promoted | Whether people get better in your kitchen. |
A quick message to a head chef or recruiter
Many kitchen jobs are filled through hospitality recruiters or a quick message to the head chef. Keep it to the numbers and the offer to cook.
Hygiene ratings and allergens
Food safety is the one area where an owner can't afford to take a risk on a new chef, so a line on it is always worth including.
- Hygiene rating: the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme runs from 0, urgent improvement necessary, to 5, very good. Say "a food hygiene rating of 5" and how many inspections you have kept it through.
- Allergens: since December 2014, restaurants have had to tell customers if any of the 14 main allergens are in their food. Mention how your kitchen keeps allergen information accurate when menus change.
- Training: give your food safety level and any allergen or HACCP training, with the year.
First lines for chefs at other levels
Commis chef or first kitchen job
Show that you turn up, learn fast and can take pressure. College, a pot wash job or helping in a family kitchen all count.
I have washed pots and prepped vegetables at a busy pub for a year, and the head chef there has started letting me run the fryer on Sundays.
Chef de partie
Name your section, the covers it handles and how consistently you run it.
I run the grill section at a 120 cover steak restaurant, and in two years I have not had a dish sent back for being cooked wrongly.
Sous chef
Show you can run the kitchen when the head chef is away: ordering, rotas and training.
Two days a week I run the kitchen when our head chef is off, including the ordering and the staff rota.
Pub or hotel kitchen
These kitchens need range and breakfast to late service cover. Mention the variety you cook and your hours.
I cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for a 40 room hotel and its restaurant, so I am used to a menu that changes three times a day.
Contract or school catering
Show volume, nutrition standards and allergen care, plus steady daytime hours.
I cook 450 school lunches a day to the school food standards, with a full allergen matrix that changes with every menu.
Writing about food without menu language
Menus are written to sell dishes to guests. A cover letter is read by people who cook, and menu language can sound like padding to them. Compare:
| Menu language | What a head chef wants to read |
|---|---|
| "A passion for fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients" | "I change the menu four times a year and buy most vegetables from two farms in Kent." |
| "Innovative dishes with bold flavours" | "Three of the six dishes I developed went onto the permanent menu." |
| "Thrive in a high pressure environment" | "More than 300 covers a service." |
What gets chef letters ignored
Menu language
Words like "passionate" and "innovative" read like a menu, and head chefs skip them.
Give numbers and plain facts about your cooking.
Leaving out volume
Without covers and brigade size, a reader can’t tell a 20 cover bistro from a 300 cover restaurant.
Give covers per service and the size of your team.
"Five star hygiene"
The scheme doesn’t use stars, and food safety people notice.
Write "a food hygiene rating of 5".
No sign you know their food
A letter that could go to any restaurant suggests you haven’t eaten there or looked at the menu.
Mention their style of food in a line and connect it to what you cook.
Making a trial hard to arrange
Most kitchens hire after a trial, and a letter with no availability slows everything down.
Say when you can come in to cook.
Photos, length and the trial day
- Length: about 200 to 250 words. Head chefs and owners read applications between services.
- Addressing it: the head chef for jobs in their kitchen. For a head chef post it is usually the general manager or an operations director.
- Photos and links: a link to photos of your dishes can help, written out in the header. Use your own work and no photos of guests.
- Availability: always give a day you can come in for a trial.
The main points from this page
- 1Give covers, brigade size and one business result.
- 2Mention waste and your hygiene rating, written correctly.
- 3Show who you have trained.
- 4Leave the menu language on the menu.
- 5Make it easy to book a trial.
Frequently asked questions
What should a chef cover letter include?
The position and restaurant, your current kitchen in covers and brigade size, a menu or business result, your hygiene record, people you have trained, and when you can come in for a trial.
Should I mention my food hygiene rating?
Yes, as "a food hygiene rating of 5" if that is what your kitchen holds, and how many inspections in a row. The scheme runs from 0 to 5 and doesn’t use stars.
How do I write a chef cover letter with no experience?
Use any kitchen work, college training or cooking at home for others, and stress reliability and willingness to learn. Offer to come in for a trial.
Do chefs need a cover letter?
Not always, but a short one makes a trial more likely, especially for senior roles where owners want to know you understand the business side.
How long should a chef cover letter be?
About 200 to 250 words, or a few lines in a message to a recruiter.