Andrew Knowles

I am a hard-working enthusiastic chef with over 27 years' experience in the hospitality industry and motivated by developing new recipes and ideas. I have experience in staff training and have delivered Hospitality apprenticeships at levels 2-3 and have gained Extensive experience of teaching and delivering work-based learning qualifications and leading cookery demonstrations. I am also a level 3 qualified assessor and have a CAVA level 3 award and an education and training level 3 qualification which helps me train and develop team members and identify any training needs.

Support operations chef - Olive catering services

(2022-06)

My current role as support operations chef manager involves maintaining the smooth and efficient running of kitchens and teams within my area, identifying any training requirements within the teams, training and supporting new team members and chef managers and to ensure that support is ongoing for all team members and managers.

• Completing guaranteed standards audits and health and safety audits ensuring that Olive standards health and safety and food safety standards are to the highest standards
• Completing onboarding for new managers and team members
• Ensuring that client relationships are maintained and providing outstanding customer service
• Menu planning and checking chefs' menus to ensure that they look fresh and vibrant and giving feedback to chefs on their menus
• Menu design costings for events and functions
• Designing new concepts such as a new grab and go range-Including recipe cards and inputting ingredients onto the back office systems so that food labels are FAPPS compliant which was rolled out across the company
• Supporting units with achieving their financial targets and help identify any issues if targets are not met
• Involved in an offer revive at Vitality London working alongside the client and the customers to increase food and hospitality sales
• Included in meetings for designing a menu and kitchen and servery area for a move to a new building including designing a food offer to work around limitations within the kitchen space at the new site
• Support operations manager with any HR related tasks including interviewing potential team members and arranging trade tests, setting up new team members on payroll system
• Recording in the 2 way book any disciplinary related issues

Chef manager - Aspens food services - SIR William Ramsay Secondary School, High Wycombe

(2020-01 - 2022-06)

Worked for Aspens food services at a busy secondary school in High Wycombe which has around 1200 pupils on site and catered for around 800 a day and ran 3 services, breakfast, mid-morning break and lunch. Managed a team of 8 and 95% of food served was made on site by the team.

• Stock taking/ordering and all aspects of finance planning
• Keeping accurate records of food safety
• Allergen reports
• Risk assessments

Regional Trainer - Lifetime Training

(2018-03 - 2019-12)

Delivering Hospitality apprenticeships at levels 2-3 to learners aged 16+ with a variety of learning abilities. I adapt my delivery to suit each learner and clients preference to enhance the apprenticeship programme.

• Develop learners' skills, knowledge and behaviours throughout their apprenticeship, adhering to the standards of the apprenticeship to ensure consistency and fairness throughout all assessment delivery techniques
• Ensure all learners experience excellent quality teaching in line with company and Ofsted guidelines
• Build and maintain relationships with learners and employers by going above and beyond just the required elements of the framework or Standard
• Complete regular CPD activities to maintain vocational expertise and keep up to date with industry innovations
• Exceed KPIs in line with the clients and Lifetime's expectations, currently worked with M&B and Greene King with a personal success rate of 100 percent

Chef manager - Olive catering services

(2015-08 - 2018-02)

My duties included menu planning, ensuring that all my food offer hot and cold was in line with company guidelines to ensure a good balance of healthy life products and I had to produce nutritional values for each meal that was produced. I was responsible for all aspects of staff training and implementing action plans for staff training where gaps in skill were spotted. I was responsible for all aspects of food safety and making sure that HACCP and all health and safety procedures were adhered to.

I was also involved in the support management team which involved training new managers on how to use the company back-office systems and introducing them to the company's food standards. I was also on the food innovation team where we would design monthly food themed promotions with menus and recipe kits to aid in the implementation of this, we also run a quarterly "street food" themed event which we would roll out across individual units where I would go into the unit and help the kitchen manager run this event. I was involved with maintaining client relationships by ensuring that I was the channel of communication between Olive catering services and the facilities manager.

I was in cha

Freelance chef - Self-employed - Southeast

(2010-03 - 2015-08)

Worked as a self-employed freelance chef for 5 years working in a variety of different locations throughout the southeast ranging from care homes to 5-star hotels to football clubs. One of my longest contracts was at Wycombe Wanderers football club where I spent my time between the players training ground to working at the football ground itself which was also a conference centre. When working at the training ground I worked alongside the club's doctors and nutrition team to ensure that the players' dietary requirements were met for specific training sessions and recovery days.

When working at the main ground I would have input into menu planning and would work very closely with the bookings team, so we knew what bookings and requirements we had on for the month. I introduced the club to some new suppliers and was involved with the club's executive team when implementing new supplier contracts and negotiating supplier prices. One of my other contracts was helping set up a pub kitchen from scratch where I had to implement all food safety standards and I wrote a food safety and health and safety policy for the company to follow.

I implemented all HACCP and COSH procedures and made su

Head chef - The bull and last - North London

(2006-04 - 2010-03)

The bull and last was a busy pub in north London with an emphasis on good quality home cooked food with a Mediterranean twist. Where everything from stocks to bread and ice-cream were made onsite.

• Implementation of food safety systems, menu planning, working with customers who had booked functions and designing a menu that exceed their expectations and come within budget
• Responsible for recruitment and training of back of house team
• Involved with choosing suppliers and negotiating supplier rates and doing supplier audits
• Responsible for costing menus and ensuring that correct cooking procedures were being followed
• Ensure that the kitchen had correct staffing levels for certain times of day and that staff budgets were met
• Actively encouraged myself and the kitchen team to serve and talk to customers and encouraged chef-guest interaction

Multi-site head chef - Chas Mo. Inns - Hertfordshire and North London

(2002-06 - 2006-04)

I worked as a multi-site head chef running 2 kitchens in rural Hertfordshire and another kitchen in north London. My main duties included ensuring that both kitchens were running smoothly and liaising with the head chef and manager at both sites. It was my responsibility to ensure that both sites were always fully compliant with food safety and health and safety regulations.