Head Chef – Modern Cafe & Fusion Kitchen (Sharjah)

Head Chef – Modern Café & Fusion Kitchen (Non-Sushi) | Sharjah

About Us

CHAWA is an upcoming modern café-restaurant inspired by Japan’s tea culture and clean aesthetics — not a traditional Japanese or sushi restaurant.

We are focused on creating a contemporary café experience with:

• Japanese teas & matcha-based beverages
• Modern fusion café meals
• Elegant desserts and light plates

Our concept does not include sushi, sashimi, or traditional Japanese fine dining.

Position Overview

We are looking for a creative, open-minded Head Chef to lead menu creation, kitchen setup, and daily operations for our Sharjah flagship café.

This role is ideal for a chef who:

• Enjoys modern café food and fusion concepts
• Is comfortable creating new dishes, not following rigid traditions
• Can adapt recipes to our brand vision and operational needs

⚠Important:
This role is NOT suitable for sushi chefs.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and execute a modern café & fusion menu (no sushi)
• Develop recipes, plating styles, and final menu presentation
• Lead kitchen setup, workflow planning, and daily operations
• Control food cost, portioning, and minimize waste
• Coordinate with suppliers for ingredients and materials
• Hire, train, and manage kitchen staff
• Ensure hygiene, HACCP, and municipality compliance
• Work closely with management to align food with brand identity

Requirements

• Proven experience as Head Chef or Sous Chef in:
• Café concepts
• Fusion kitchens
• Casual or modern dining (preferred)
• Strong creativity and willingness to experiment and adapt
• Ability to work within a defined brand vision and operational system
• Solid understanding of food costing and inventory control
• Experience leading and training kitchen teams
• Japanese cuisine knowledge is a plus, but not required
• Sushi-only or traditional Japanese chefs will not be considered
• English required
• Based in the UAE or willing to relocate to Sharjah

What We Offer

• Competitive salary (based on experience)
• High level of creative input within our concept
• Opportunity to help build a flagship café brand
• Supportive, growth-focused work environment

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: AED4,000.00 - AED8,000.00 per month

Application Question(s):

• Will you be able to reliably commute or relocate to Sharjah for this job?

License/Certification:

• experience leading a kitchen as Head Chef or Sous Chef (Required)