Executive Chef

Company Description

Delano is an iconic hotel brand, renowned for its distinctive marriage of sophisticated luxury, bold design, and a touch of glamorous playfulness. Originating from Miami Beach, Delano is synonymous with a timeless "soft minimalist" aesthetic, vibrant social spaces, and an exclusive ambiance that draws in a discerning clientele. Each Delano hotel offers a lifestyle experience where refined gastronomy, chic nightlife, and well-being converge in an elegant, avant-garde setting, creating memorable stays infused with modernity and historic charm.

Set to open its doors in 2026, Delano London will fuse historic charm with contemporary luxury, reflecting a reimagined experience that pays homage to the original visionary concept. The 67-key luxury retreat will blend soft minimalist design, generous living spaces and park views, creating a distinctive lifestyle destination where design, dining, nightlife and wellbeing seamlessly converge.

We are seeking an exceptional Executive Chef to join the pre-opening team of Delano London. You’ll be responsible for leading the hotel’s culinary strategy, kitchen operations and overall food vision across Lana Lusa, Rose Bar, private dining, breakfast, in-room dining and events, ensuring every experience is distinctive, commercially successful and delivered to the highest standards. You’ll report directly to the Director of Food & Beverage leading all the F&B department for the Delano London.

Job Description

OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT

• Lead the culinary function through the pre-opening phase, including kitchen mobilisation, recruitment, onboarding, training, SOP development, equipment and smallwares readiness, supplier set-up, menu testing, tastings, mock services and opening checklists.
• Take overall responsibility for the day-to-day culinary operation across Lana Lusa, Rose Bar, private dining, breakfast, in-room dining, events and any additional hotel food offering.
• Lead the development and delivery of the Lana Lusa culinary identity for London, respecting its Portuguese roots while creating a confident, contemporary Mediterranean-led offer suited to the Delano guest and the local market.
• Develop a distinctive food offer for Rose Bar that complements its identity as a signature Delano nightlife destination, with menus that are elegant, relevant, operationally efficient and appropriate for late-night service.
• Create compelling menus and service formats for private dining, the show kitchen, hotel events and intimate celebrations, ensuring the offer feels personal, flexible and commercially attractive.
• Ensure breakfast and in-room dining are delivered with the same level of care, quality and personality as the hotel’s destination outlets, with particular attention to consistency, speed, presentation and guest preference.
• Own all menu development, recipe specifications, dish presentation, allergen information, food costings and kitchen operating standards, ensuring these are clearly documented, trained and consistently followed.
• Ensure the highest standards of food safety, hygiene, allergen management, HACCP, health and safety and statutory compliance are maintained across all culinary areas at all times.
• Work closely with Engineering and the project teams during pre-opening to ensure all kitchen equipment, extraction, refrigeration, drainage, gas, electrical services and production flows are tested, commissioned and fit for operation.
• Establish effective preventative maintenance, deep-cleaning and equipment care routines in partnership with Engineering and stewarding, protecting the hotel’s assets and minimising operational disruption.
• Pro-actively identify opportunities to improve quality, creativity, efficiency and profitability, using guest feedback, team insight and performance data to evolve the culinary offer.
• To be a member of the hotel crisis and fire teams and to be fully conversant in all related procedures.

TEAM LEADERSHIP & HR SUPPORT

• Build and lead a high-performing culinary team, creating a positive, inclusive and disciplined kitchen culture where people are developed, recognised and encouraged to be their best self. Oversee and mentor a dynamic culinary team, including Sous Chefs, Chefs de Partie, and Commis Chefs, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented atmosphere.
• Partner with the People & Culture team on workforce planning, recruitment, succession, performance management and the development of a strong culinary talent pipeline.

FINANCIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Take ownership of the culinary P&L, supporting annual budget planning and actively managing food cost, labour, productivity, purchasing, waste, stock, yield and kitchen-related operating expenses.
• Work collaboratively with the Director of Food & Beverage, Finance and Procurement to select suppliers and ingredients that support quality, provenance, sustainability, consistency and commercial objectives. Drive sustainability initiatives within the kitchen, focusing on waste reduction, responsible sourcing, and eco-friendly practices to minimise our environmental footprint with our ESG programme.
• Maintain robust purchasing, receiving, storage, stock control and inventory processes, ensuring all goods are correctly specified, safely handled and appropriately accounted for.

INTERDEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION & GUEST RELATIONS

• Work closely with the Director of Food & Beverage, Delano brand teams and relevant culinary partners to bring the food vision for Delano London to life while ensuring it remains locally relevant and operationally achievable.
• Collaborate with Brand Marketing and the commercial teams on menu launches, content, partnerships, events, seasonal campaigns and cultural programming that build awareness and support revenue.
• Be a visible and engaged culinary leader, building relationships with guests, local producers, partners and the wider London food community while supporting media, VIP and ownership-facing moments as required.

Qualifications

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND / PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES

• You are an experienced Executive Chef, Executive Head Chef or senior culinary leader with a strong track record in luxury, lifestyle, boutique hotel or high-quality restaurant environments.
• You have experience leading multiple culinary concepts or outlets, ensuring each venue has a clear identity while maintaining operational standards and discipline.
• Previous pre-opening, repositioning or major restaurant opening experience is a strong advantage.
• You have a strong understanding of Portuguese and Mediterranean food culture, ingredient-led cooking and contemporary dining, adapted to a London context.
• You understand the culinary requirements across destination restaurants, breakfast service, nightlife venues, private dining, events and in-room dining.

APTITUDES / QUALITIES:

• Creatively ambitious but commercially grounded, with strong expertise in menu engineering, food cost control, labour productivity, forecasting, purchasing and waste reduction.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, HACCP, allergen management, health and safety and UK statutory requirements.
• Comfortable working with owners, corporate teams, designers and external partners, balancing creativity with operational and financial realities.
• Natural leader who leads by example and builds high-performing, empowered teams.
• Methodical and results-driven, while remaining flexible and creative in managing priorities, deadlines and challenges.
• Able to operate at both strategic and operational levels, from vision-building to service support and cost review.
• Strong relationship builder, confident working with leadership teams and ownership.
• Culturally aware and globally minded, able to inspire diverse, international teams.
• Proficiency in culinary management and inventory systems is highly desirable.

Additional Information

What’s in it for you…

• The opportunity to launch a visionary hospitality brand in London and shape its culinary identity.
• The chance to develop multiple distinctive food experiences, from restaurant and bar to private dining and hotel service.
• Join a fast-growing international group focused on building a global hospitality brand.
• A creative, ambitious environment where innovation and excellence are encouraged.
• Be part of a passionate team building a strong portfolio of hospitality concepts.
• A competitive package with strong development opportunities.
• At Delano London, innovation, excellence and guest-centricity are core. The culture is collaborative and inspiring, with values rooted in authenticity, sophistication and redefining luxury hospitality

The employee may also be called upon to carry out ad hoc assignments within the establishment and to respond to any work-related instructions from his/her direct superior or a member of management.

The above list of tasks is not exhaustive and may be subject to change, in particular as a result of the company’s growth and the development and organisation of the establishment and its teams.