Qima Café is part of Origins 1450, a group redefining coffee and hospitality through craft, quality, and vertical integration across the entire coffee value chain. With our new Central Production Kitchen (CPU) & Bakery in East London, we are scaling our pastry and bakery offering to support Qima Café and, in the future, develop a selective wholesale client base.
We are seeking a Head Pastry Chef with exceptional technical mastery in viennoiserie and strong experience in modern patisserie to lead our pastry and bakery operations, balancing craft with commercial scalability.

REQUIREMENTS

• Extensive experience in viennoiserie (laminated doughs, croissants, brioches, etc.) at a high professional level.
• Solid experience in patisserie aligned with Qima Café’s refined, modern style.
• Proven track record in leading and managing teams in a bakery or pastry production environment.
• Strong organisational skills: rota planning, workflow management, productivity improvement.
• Commercial awareness: cost control, margin optimisation, waste management.
• Ability to innovate while staying true to the ethos of craft and quality.
• Experience in scaling production operations while maintaining artisanal standards.
• Familiarity with central production kitchens or multi-site production supply preferred.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.

COMMERCIAL & STRATEGIC RESPONSIBILITIES

• Balance creativity with commercial feasibility; ensure recipes and processes are cost-efficient and scalable.
• Work with management to develop production budgets, costing, and margins to ensure profitability.
• Support the long-term growth of the wholesale arm by ensuring production is robust, consistent, and scalable.
• Provide input on long-term growth strategies, including new product lines and expansion opportunities.