Working with The Chef Tree in Birmingham
The industrial and cultural beating heart of The West Midlands, Birmingham is the second largest city in the United Kingdom.
Due to its lack of waterways, Birmingham was not considered a settlement of any significance until the late 18th century when it became a leading city of the Industrial Revolution.
Sometimes also referred to as Black Country, Birmingham was well known for the thick soot and air pollution that blanketed the city during these heavy industrial times. Famous engineers and pioneers of steam engine development James Watt and Matthew Boulton came from Birmingham. Boulton’s Soho Manufactory, which first developed steam engines for industrial use, became well-known throughout much of Europe.
Today, the city of Birmingham is still known for motor manufacturing. Two leading car industries, Jaguar and MG Rover are still produced here. Once known as ‘the workshop of the world’ Birmingham is known for many of its exports, one of which is the highly sought-after jewellery produced in the city’s impressive Jewellery Quarter, where a third of the UK’s jewellery is manufactured.
Other leading food brands such as Cadbury’s Fairtrade Chocolate and the invention of Balti curry have also helped secure Birmingham as one of the greatest foodie hotspots in England.
Today, a sprawling metropolitan borough, Birmingham is not all steel and metal. Home to some of the oldest towns in the West Midlands and rich in historical artefacts dating back to Roman times, the Royal town of Sutton Coldfield, for instance, can also be found here. Harking back to the 16th century, this beautiful town was granted royal patronage by no other than King Henry VIII himself and it remains one of the most sought-after places to live in the suburbs of Birmingham.
Types of venue
How many chef jobs does The Chef Tree have in Birmingham?
Birmingham is proud of its rich industrial heritage, which has welcomed a large number of cultures from around the world, becoming a melting pot of fabulous cuisine.
Boasting thousands of restaurants and eateries, featuring 27 different nationalities and five glistening Michelin-starred restaurants, no one can accuse the city of serving varied quality meals, because Birmingham has justifiably become the foodie capital of the West Midlands.
The city has its fair share of celebrity endorsers such as proud Brummie Black Sabbath lead singer Ozzy Osbourne, Duran Duran musician John Taylor, actress Dame Julie Walters, Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien and more recently, activist and Nobel prize winner Malala Yousafzai, just to name a few.
With its flourishing hospitality and catering industries, the number of chef jobs Birmingham has to offer in busy kitchen environments with competitive pay rates and job security is plentiful. From cooking outstanding Michelin-star cuisine to creating vibrant regional dishes using fresh seasonal ingredients, to joining trendy artisan eateries, Birmingham is a chef’s paradise seeking experienced and budding chefs with many places offering an extremely competitive pay package and excellent career progression.
Whether you are looking for work as a qualified head chef, executive chef, junior sous chef, commis chef, pastry chef, bank chef or even looking to join the catering workforce upto board level, you have come to the right place.
Here at The Chef Tree, we have done the job search for you and listed the latest job alerts for chef jobs in Birmingham.
Birmingham Food Scene
When it comes to locally grown, seasonal fresh food, Birmingham has it in abundance. The West Midlands cover a bountiful larder of some of the highest quality produce in England.
From farms to hillsides, meadows, fields and orchards the counties of Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire all contribute to the culinary success of Birmingham.
Birmingham Food Hub Areas
Contrary to popular belief, Birmingham is much more than the curry capital of the West Midlands. While the fragrant Balti curry was invented here and Birmingham is renowned for its impressive Balti Triangle, this landmark city is so much more than meets the eye.
From lively gastro-pubs to cutting-edge artisan eateries, to the highest standard fine-dining restaurants heralded by Michelin-star chef patrons, to a dazzling array of authentic Asian and international cuisines, and spectacular street food hotspots in the bustling city centre, the bohemian district of Digbeth, the popular Bullring, fashionable Solihull and Snowhill, the Birmingham food scene has it all and it proudly showcases the region’s prime quality local ingredients and pushing culinary boundaries.
Michelin-Star Cuisine
Proud of his Brummie roots, chef Glynn Purnell put Birmingham on the Michelin map with his first innovative Michelin-star restaurant, Jessica’s, which heralded the wholesome retro dining trend ‘nose-to-tail’ cooking, sourcing the highest welfare produce and utilising it all. Since then, this stellar Birmingham chef has sent the dining experience into orbit by opening another Michelin-star restaurant, Purnell’s (B3 2DH), which offers creative gourmet British dishes with the occasional twist, but always true to his roots.
Flavours of South America
Birmingham is a real cultural melting pot and its dazzling array of international cuisine is astounding. Diners can travel the globe in this cosmopolitan city and go on a culinary adventure around the world.
Chakana (B3 2DH) in the city serves exceptionally pretty Peruvian dishes with flavours of the Amazon, and Pulperia is a farm-to-table hotspot celebrating seasonality and freshness in outstanding Argentinian flavours.
Street Food Heaven
The bohemian district of Digbeth boasts some of the best street food vendors in the country. The award-winning Digbeth Dining Club welcomes champions of their craft to their weekly fairs, one of which is the popular British and European Street Food Awards winner Baked in Brick serving the best pizza and charcuterie for miles around.
Proudly British
One of the most striking features of Birmingham’s cosmopolitan food culture is the focus on quality local British produce and it doesn’t come more local than The Wilderness(B3 2DH). Cooking with often foraged, native British ingredients this innovative and groundbreaking restaurant is not to be missed.
Indian Brewery (B3 2DH) in Snowhill and Solihull are masters of fusion food. The chefs here lovingly embrace classic British favourites and turn them into something quite spectacular. Their Indian fish and chips are a stuff of legends, combining battered fish with masala fries and curry sauce, retaining all the fundamentals of this British classic but elevating it to new culinary heights.
Local Tipples
Birmingham champions an impressive array of craft beers and ales, gins and whiskey bars.
40 St Paul’s (B3 2DH), for instance, is an award-winning gin bar in the Jewellery Quarter of the city, where visitors have to knock on an enigmatic door to get in, and can choose from 140 types of gin.
Kilder (B3 2DH) in the shabby chic district of Digbeth is the master of craft tipples. Their impressive lineup of drinks features a wide selection of craft beers, IPAs and pale ales, porters, stouts, craft ciders and natural wines.
Working for The Chef Tree is completely different from being a full-time chef. You choose the hours you want to do, fill in your portal, and everything is arranged around that.
Working for The Chef Tree is completely different from being a full-time chef. You choose the hours you want to do, fill in your portal, and everything is arranged around that.
Food Festivals in Birmingham
Birmingham and the surrounding countryside are a treasure trove of fresh, local and seasonal produce and the city is not short of events showcasing this bountiful larder and attracting thousands of visitors each year.
Foodie events come in all shapes and sizes in Birmingham and the calendar is filled to the brim with colourful markets, food expos, cookery demos and seasonal favourites.
Solihull Food & Drink Festival
With so many events in the foodie calendar, it is hard to know which one to opt for. From restaurant celebrations to halal festivals, to independent artisan traders gatherings to weekly farmers markets, there is something for everyone in Birmingham.
The popular three-day Solihull Food and Drink Festival is packed to the rafters with local producers, artisan bakers, cheesemakers, brewers, celebrity chefs doing cookery demos, oodles of tastings and live music performances from well-known bands.
Birmingham Christmas Market
One of the most popular markets, attracting visitors from the UK and Europe, the Birmingham Christmas Market is a must-visit event. This vibrant market brings life into the city centre and sprinkles festive cheer all around. The market has a German theme and features over 180 market stalls selling delicately crafted Christmas gifts and firm favourites such as bratwurst, pretzels, schnitzels and the all-important Christmas staple, the spicy and warming gluhwein.
How The Chef Tree Helps Birmingham
The Chef Tree has a good understanding and over a decade of experience in placing a talented team of passionate chefs in busy catering venues executing fast-paced service in many locations across the South West and the Midlands.
We pride ourselves on our proven track record for courtesy, excellence and efficiency to reliably carry out each assignment and to uphold our company’s reputation as a trusted and ambitious chef agency.
Our chefs are extremely hands-on and responsible. They are always presentable and friendly, and they have excellent communication skills to assist with a variety of kitchen duties ranging from preparing meals, creating new dishes, recreating old classics, and supporting busy kitchen teams to the highest standards.
The Chef Tree approaches each venue with the same passion, discipline and dedication. Whether the job requires a head chef, a junior sous chef, a kitchen manager or a kitchen assistant, we ensure that guests, customers and clients are always satisfied.
We also have a dedicated office team who encourages staff at their annual performance review to take up regular training in kitchen leadership team roles, basic kitchen and food preparation duties and be up to date with current food hygiene standards to guarantee the smooth running of every kitchen.
Is Birmingham famous for any food or drink?
Birmingham and the surrounding countryside boast some of the best and most impressive seasonal larders anywhere in the UK and it is a chef’s paradise. Think Birmingham and a whole host of everyday staples spring to mind from Birds Custard, to Cadbury’s Chocolate, Typhoo Tea and HP Sauce, all of which were invented in this fantastic city.
Famous Brummie Foods
When it comes to local food heroes, Birmingham is filled with award-winning producers of international reputation. However, there are a handful of foodie items that are quintessentially Black Country and a firm favourite with the locals.
From pikelets to the nourishing Birmingham soup, to Brummie bacon cakes, pigs trotters and chitlins, to bread and dripping and peas pudding, to mum’s favourite frumenty, this city is colourful and vibrant but its culinary heritage is built on simple and honest staples.
I like working for The Chef Tree because of the freedom and the flexibility
You get to go to different venues, you’re not stuck in the same job endlessly, not boring. You don’t have to go back when you don’t like somewhere and there is a variety of jobs.
Working for The Chef Tree is completely different from being a full-time chef
You choose the hours you want to do, fill in your portal, and everything is
arranged around that
Call us: 071 8604 611