Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

School Chef Supervisor

Gainsborough Primary School
Hackney, London

Posted: 9 Jun 2026

Deadline: 18 Jun 2026

Compensation: £34,359–£35,892 per annum (FTE)

Paid Part-time Permanent

Job description

At Gainsborough Primary School, we believe school food should do more than feed children. It should nurture curiosity, celebrate culture, strengthen community, support the environment and give every child the opportunity to develop a positive relationship with food.

We are looking for an exceptional chef to become the heart of our food vision.

This is not a typical school chef role.

Based in Hackney Wick, Gainsborough is developing an ambitious whole-school approach to food. Alongside a newly refurbished production kitchen, we have a community kitchen, an established food growing programme and a staff team committed to sustainability, education and social impact.

We are seeking a chef who is excited by the challenge of creating delicious, nutritious meals for children while helping shape a new model of school food.

You will lead our kitchen team and oversee meal provision for children aged 9 months to 11 years as well as developing a hub kitchen model for two other schools in Hackney We want someone who can inspire children through food, champion sustainability and seasonal ingredients and contribute to a thriving food culture across the school.

We are looking for someone who:

• Believes every child deserves exceptional food.
• Has strong cooking skills and experience leading a professional kitchen.
• Can create nutritious, appealing menus within budget.
• Is passionate about sustainability, reducing waste and making the most of local and seasonal produce.
• Enjoys working with children and understands the important role food plays in education and wellbeing.
• Wants to be part of a team reimagining what school food can be.

What makes this role different?

• A chance to help shape an ambitious school food strategy.
• Access to a unique food growing project on site.
• A newly refurbished kitchen and dedicated community kitchen.
• Opportunities to connect food production with food education.
• A supportive leadership team that sees food as central to school life.
• The opportunity to make a lasting difference to children's health, confidence and relationship with food.

If you are a chef who wants your work to have purpose, impact and creativity, we'd love to hear from you.

Application information

For queries regarding this post, or to return your application, please contact: finance@gainsborough.hackney.sch.uk

For full details, salary information and how to apply, please see the formal job advert.

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