Head Chef / Kitchen Lead at Charcoal Chan Bistro, a Modern Fusion restaurant in Glen Waverley. This role involves overseeing daily kitchen operations, building kitchen systems and workflows, and contributing to menu development. The position suits a chef with hands‑on kitchen setup and management experience who is comfortable establishing a new kitchen structure and developing a modern fusion menu.

Key responsibilities

- Set up and structure the kitchen operation, including stations, kitchen systems, prep procedures and daily workflows
- Build and optimise prep, service, plating and station‑to‑station workflows
- Manage the BOH team, including rostering, training, task allocation and day‑to‑day kitchen operations
- Design and improve kitchen service flow to support efficient movement and smoother service
- Maintain food quality, portion control and consistency across service
- Manage stock control, wastage and food cost
- Participate in menu development, tastings and ongoing dish refinement
- Turn dishes into clear, repeatable recipes, prep lists and SOPs that can be consistently executed by the team
- Continuously review kitchen performance during service and improve workflows and output efficiency
- Work closely with FOH and management to ensure smooth overall service

About you

- Experience in Western,



Modern Australian, Bistro or Contemporary Dining kitchens
- Previous experience as a Head Chef, Sous Chef, Senior Chef or in a similar kitchen leadership role
- Experience with recent venue openings, kitchen setup or kitchen restructuring is highly regarded
- Strong kitchen management and workflow planning skills
- Ability to independently lead a BOH team and manage busy services
- Experience in menu development and recipe creation
- Good understanding of food cost, portion control, stock management and wastage
- Open‑minded approach to fusion cuisine and Asian ingredients
- Strong Western cooking foundations with a broad palate and openness to flavours beyond traditional Western profiles

About us

Charcoal Chan Bistro is located in Glen Waverley. Our kitchen direction focuses on Modern Fusion, combining Western cooking techniques with Asian ingredients, charcoal cooking, spices and a broad range of flavour profiles. We are looking for a chef who wants to be actively involved in shaping the menu, kitchen systems, workflows and BOH team. The kitchen equipment is already in place. The focus of this role is on building the kitchen systems, workflow, team structure and menu around the existing setup.

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📌 Head Chef (Melbourne)
🏢 nikusai
📍 Melbourne