Chefs Career Advice from Russell Bateman, Head Chef

Chef Career Advice

Based on his extensive experience working within the Culinary Industry, Head Chef, Russell Bateman offers his advice to aspiring Chefs in an attempt to help them on their journey up the career ladder:

Hi, I'm Russell Bateman, Colette's Head Chef at the Grove.

It's very different to when I came into the industry, the industry has matured a lot and become a lot fairer than when I started so I think now the hours aren't quite as long, the treatments not quite as harsh, certainly not in the top end restaurants, and I think they can expect a pleasurable experience with learning as the key really.

Basically, when you come into the industry you should be completely open minded and absorb as much as you can because there's a lot to learn out there.

First bit of advice is it will be hard work depending on obviously where your going what part of the industry you're going into and you have to be prepared for long hours and hard work and a Chef at the place I was working at in Harrods gave me some good advice he said don't be a one trick pony If you want to go into Michelin restaurants then great but don't let Michelin be all you can be, experience as much as you can whether it be bistros, hotels, banqueting, large scale dining, abroad, boats whatever it can be, get as much experience as you can. When someone comes to me at Colette's I'm looking for passion, commitment, integrity.

I'm looking for someone that's a good character, honest, someone that can work with the team so there's a huge amount of diversity at the Grove. If you come into the Grove as a young Chef you can pretty much fulfill all of the criteria I spoke about earlier in one place so it's a good place to start.

Find a Chef Job

Whether you're an aspiring Chef soon to be leaving education, or you are an established Chef looking for a new culinary challenge, we have a variety of Chef roles to suit you;
- Head Chef Jobs
- Executive Chef Jobs
- Sous Chef Jobs
- Commis Chef Jobs
- Chef de Parties Jobs
- Pastry Chef Jobs

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.