Arno is a fast-paced paninoteca and catering business. We're known for amazing Italian panini, house-made cannoli, pastries and great coffee that people come back to week after week.

We're growing, and King Street needs a Head Chef to lead the kitchen into its next chapter.

About The Role

You’ll own the King Street kitchen: running a tight, high-volume daytime service, leading the team, and keeping quality and consistency where it needs to be. You’ll work closely with the Management team and the production kitchen team to make sure product flows smoothly between sites.

This is a hands‑on role. You’ll be on the pans and the panini press, not hiding in an office, but you’ll also have real input into menu, costing and how the kitchen runs.

What You’ll Do

- Lead and run daily kitchen service at King Street, including breakfast and lunch
- Manage, train and roster the kitchen team (we use Tanda)
- Maintain food quality, presentation and consistency across the menu
- Order from our production kitchen and suppliers, manage stock and minimise waste
- Hit food cost and wage targets, and help track kitchen KPIs




- Contribute to menu development, including seasonal panini, vegetarian specials and our sweets range
- Write and maintain kitchen SOPs, recipe cards and prep lists
- Uphold food safety, WHS and cleaning standards (Food Safety Supervisor certificate or willingness to obtain)

About You

- 3+ years' experience as a Head Chef, Sous Chef or Kitchen Manager in a busy café, deli or restaurant
- A genuine love of Italian food and positive produce
- Calm under pressure in a high-volume service
- A leader who builds people up and keeps standards high
- Comfortable with costing, ordering and basic numbers
- Organised, reliable and keen to grow with a growing business

What We Offer

- Mostly daytime hours, so you get your evenings back
- Competitive, above-award salary for the right person
- Career growth across a multi-site group with a production kitchen
- Staff meals and discounts across Arno venues
- A supportive, owner-operated business with experienced hospitality leadership

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📌 Head Chef (Newcastle)
🏢 Arno Deli
📍 Newcastle