Head Chef & Food and Beverage Lead

8-month contract with possibility of extending to full time

Tamodi Estate is a 5-star benchmark luxury hospitality property in South Africa, setting a new standard for highly personalised, experience-led boutique hospitality.

Located among the forests and mountains of Plettenberg Bay, Tamodi currently welcomes a maximum of 24 guests across 10 luxury suites and a private villa. This intimate scale allows us to deliver an exceptionally high-touch experience, where every detail is thoughtful, personal, and memorable.

The estate is entering an exciting period of development and is expected to grow into an approximately 40-room high-end luxury hotel over the next three years. Our ambition is to become one of South Africa’s leading hospitality destinations while preserving the intimacy, individuality, and attention to detail that define Tamodi today.

We are seeking an exceptional Head Chef & Food and Beverage Lead to create and own the culinary identity of the estate.

About the Role

This is not a traditional hotel Head Chef position.

The successful candidate will take full ownership of the Tamodi food and beverage experience, from concept and menu development through sourcing, preparation, presentation, and service.

You will be responsible for shaping every part of the guest food journey, including arrival, breakfast, daily snacks and treats, afternoon tea, dinner, special experiences, and departure.

The role requires someone who can think strategically and creatively, while remaining highly hands-on in the kitchen. You must be equally comfortable developing a long-term culinary vision, training a local team, managing suppliers, and personally delivering an exceptional dinner service.

With low guest volumes and uncompromising quality standards, this is an opportunity to focus on craftsmanship, consistency, and highly personalised hospitality rather than large-scale production.

The Culinary Experience

The food at Tamodi should feel generous, thoughtful, modern, and deeply connected to its setting.

The Head Chef & Food and Beverage Lead will develop a distinctive culinary identity that reflects the quality and ambition of the estate. The experience should feel refined but not formal, luxurious without being excessive, and personal rather than standardised.

The role will own and continually evolve:

• The guest arrival food and beverage experience
• Breakfast
• Daily snacks and in-room treats
• Poolside and casual food offerings
• Afternoon tea
• Dinner
• Bespoke private dining
• Celebration and special-event menus
• Departure refreshments
• Seasonal menus
• Wine, beverage, and non-alcoholic pairing concepts
• Food presentation and table experience
• Guest-specific preferences and dietary requirements

The successful candidate should understand that luxury is often expressed through small details, anticipation, and consistency.

Key Responsibilities

Culinary Vision and Concept Development

• Create and continually refine Tamodi’s overall food and beverage philosophy
• Develop a clear and distinctive culinary identity for the estate
• Design seasonal, modern, and ingredient-led menus
• Ensure the food experience is appropriate for discerning local and international guests
• Create memorable dining moments throughout the guest journey
• Develop bespoke experiences for celebrations, private groups, and special occasions
• Contribute to the future restaurant, kitchen, and food concepts as the property expands

Kitchen Leadership and Delivery

• Lead all day-to-day kitchen operations
• Remain actively involved in preparation, cooking, plating, and service
• Maintain exceptional standards of taste, presentation, and consistency
• Deliver a calm, organised, and professional kitchen environment
• Create efficient systems appropriate for a low-volume, high-quality operation
• Ensure all guest preferences, allergies, and dietary requirements are handled with care and precision
• Establish and maintain recipes, preparation standards, and operating procedures
• Ensure excellent food safety, hygiene, and kitchen compliance standards

Food and Beverage Ownership

• Take ownership of food and beverage from concept to plate on the table
• Manage menu engineering, food costs, purchasing, stock control, and waste
• Build relationships with high-quality farmers, fishermen, producers, bakers, winemakers, and artisan suppliers
• Prioritise exceptional local and seasonal ingredients wherever possible
• Oversee beverage concepts, including wines, cocktails, non-alcoholic offerings, teas, coffees, and welcome drinks
• Work closely with the operations and guest teams to ensure seamless service
• Monitor guest feedback and continuously improve the experience

Team Leadership and Development

The Head Chef & Food and Beverage Lead will be supported by:

• Three kitchen team members
• One baker
• The operations team
• The guest experience team

A key part of the role is to nurture and develop local staff.

Responsibilities include:

• Training and mentoring the kitchen team
• Developing technical, service, and leadership skills
• Creating clear standards and accountability
• Building confidence and pride within the team
• Identifying potential and creating development pathways
• Establishing a positive, respectful, and high-performance kitchen culture
• Leading with high standards and low ego

The successful candidate should genuinely enjoy teaching and should measure success partly through the growth of the people around them.

Strategic Development

As Tamodi grows, this person will play a central role in shaping the long-term food and beverage strategy of the estate.

This will include:

• Advising on future kitchen and restaurant layouts
• Supporting equipment selection and operational planning
• Developing staffing structures for the expanded property
• Building scalable kitchen systems without losing the personalised nature of the experience
• Supporting the creation of future dining concepts
• Establishing supplier networks and procurement standards
• Helping position Tamodi as a benchmark culinary and hospitality destination in South Africa

Guest Experience

The Head Chef & Food and Beverage Lead will be expected to engage with guests where appropriate.

This may include:

• Personally welcoming guests to dinner
• Discussing menus and ingredients
• Learning guest preferences
• Creating off-menu dishes where suitable
• Responding confidently to special requests
• Designing personalised food experiences
• Working with the guest team to anticipate needs before they are expressed

The ideal candidate understands that, at Tamodi, the relationship between the kitchen and the guest is direct and personal.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role will mean:

• Guests remember Tamodi as much for its food as for its setting and service
• Every dining experience feels personal, generous, and memorable
• The culinary offering becomes a defining part of the Tamodi brand
• Quality remains consistently exceptional across every meal and touchpoint
• Local team members grow into confident and skilled hospitality professionals
• Strong supplier relationships are established
• Food and beverage is well managed operationally and financially
• The culinary concept is ready to scale as the property develops
• Tamodi becomes recognised as one of the benchmark food and hospitality properties in South Africa

Contract and Benefits

• Initial 7-month seasonal contract
• Possibility of extension into a longer-term contract following a successful first season
• Accommodation included
• Travel included
• Competitive compensation based on experience
• Opportunity to shape the culinary identity of a growing luxury hospitality brand
• Potential to take on an expanded leadership role as the estate develops

Why Join Tamodi?

This is a rare opportunity to build something rather than inherit it.

You will have meaningful creative freedom, direct influence over the guest experience, and the ability to shape the culinary identity of one of South Africa’s most ambitious emerging luxury properties.

The scale of the current operation allows for true attention to detail, while the planned development creates substantial opportunity for long-term growth.

This is an opportunity to leave your mark on what is becoming one of South Africa’s benchmark luxury hospitality properties, building a culinary programme from the ground up with the freedom, support, and ambition to create something truly exceptional.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for a dynamic, modern, and ambitious culinary leader who combines creativity with operational discipline.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Experience as a Head Chef, Executive Chef, Senior Sous Chef, or Culinary Lead within a luxury boutique hotel, fine-dining restaurant, or high-end private hospitality environment
• A modern and ingredient-led approach to cooking
• Strong menu development and concept creation skills
• Excellent technical cooking ability
• Experience managing food costs, purchasing, stock, and suppliers
• Strong knowledge of kitchen hygiene, food safety, and compliance
• A genuine passion for personalised guest experiences
• Experience training and developing junior or local staff
• Strong communication and organisational skills
• The ability to remain calm, flexible, and solutions-focused
• High standards without unnecessary ego or formality
• The confidence to work independently and take ownership
• The ability to balance creativity with consistency and commercial awareness

International luxury hospitality experience would be highly valued, although an exceptional South African candidate with the right ambition, leadership style, and culinary ability would be equally compelling.

Personal Qualities

The successful candidate will be:

• Warm and guest-focused
• Creative and curious
• Highly organised
• Hands-on and practical
• Calm under pressure
• Detail-oriented
• Commercially aware
• Adaptable
• Collaborative
• Passionate about South African ingredients and talent
• Excited by the opportunity to build something from the ground up