Picture a brand new kitchen built around a wood fire, 80 to 100 seats over the water, and the sun going down over the bay every night as service kicks off.
This is a new restaurant opening in Darwin in January 2027. It’s part of a respected, award-winning local hospitality group that is growing, and that has built everything it does around its people.
The food
Fire is the heart of this kitchen. Food is cooked and finished over wood and coals, with bold flavours drawn from Mexico, Spain and right across Latin America. The menu is built around small plates and share plates made for the table, with fresh, bright dishes, meats from the fire and handmade tortillas among them. Territory produce and native ingredients come in where they belong, and everything is made in house.
The menu is deliberately focused. Fewer dishes, done properly, with real depth and layers of flavour in every one.
The room is warm, earthy and a little bit loud, with natural textures, handmade details and the feel of fire and clay throughout. The food is elevated, but the service is relaxed. It’s a place for long lunches by the sea, celebration dinners with friends and family, and the kind of afternoons that drift into evening without anyone noticing.

The role
This is a rare chance to open a restaurant from the ground up and make it yours. You’ll develop the opening menus in close collaboration with the owner, who has a explicit vision for the brand, and from there the food direction is yours. You’ll set up the kitchen, build and train your team, then lead from the pass and grow a kitchen people are proud to work in.

The people behind it
The owner came up through hospitality the old school way, with long weeks and work as your whole life, and made a decision never to run a business like that.



The result is a group where people are doing great work and have a great life outside it.
That isn’t a line in a job ad. Their chefs work a genuine 38 hour week. Their leaders are trusted to run their own kitchens and their own time, and they’re backed with real support, coaching and training to grow. People are looked after here, and they stay because of it.
The group is growing too. For the right person, there’s a clear pathway into a group executive chef role.

Darwin
It’s warm most of the year, and the restaurant sits right on the water. As the owner puts it, most people come for a short time and never leave. Relocation is part of the deal, and visa sponsorship can be discussed for the right person.

Who we’re looking for
You love cooking over fire and know how to handle wood and coals. You’ve led a kitchen through busy service and kept the food consistent when it counted. Latin flavours excite you, whether you’ve cooked Mexican, Spanish, Basque, Peruvian, Argentinian or Brazilian food, and you want to go deeper.
You know your numbers and your systems, but what really sets you apart is how you lead. You’re calm, generous with your team and collaborative by nature. You’d rather build something great together than do it all your own way.
Head chefs and senior sous chefs ready for their first head chef role are both welcome.

What’s on offer

- $100k to $120k plus super, depending on experience
- A genuine 38 hour week, with the trust to run your own time
- The chance to open a brand new restaurant and build the kitchen and team your way
- A clear pathway into a group executive chef role as the group grows
- Ongoing leadership coaching, training and real support behind you
- Relocation to Darwin, with visa sponsorship open for discussion for the right person

📌 Head Chef | Modern Latin, Wood Fire | Up to $120k+S| Darwin | Sponsorship (Sydney)
🏢 Placed Recruitment
📍 Sydney