Career Development
Combining regular training workshops with personalised development plans, our Learning and Development programme supports our team members by giving them the space to learn.
Our commitment to the championing of vegetables, as well as unusual ingredients has led to what some call “The Ottolenghi effect”. This is shorthand for the creation of a meal which is full of colour, flavour, bounty and sunshine.
Since 2002, the Ottolenghi team has slowly expanded, our scope has grown, and exciting new ingredients fill our cupboards, but so much, crucially, has remained the same. We continue with boundless enthusiasm and an unswerving dedication to detail; many of our team members have been with us for years, recipes, dishes and ingredients that are trusted favourites still feature on our menus and the philosophy at the heart of all we do is as true today as it ever was
Simply put, we are very serious about making people happy through our food.
We have different styles of delis and restaurants, so many of our team have grown through the company, working in different styles of hospitality, from the bustle of a neighbourhood deli to the fire and energy at ROVI. As a growing business, we have plans to expand the Ottolenghi brand to fulfil its potential, whilst fostering everything that makes it unique. As a result there are ample opportunities to progress within the company and we welcome you to join us on our journey!
Personalised Development
The beauty of the work we do is that it celebrates our individuality. The creativity we pour into our food and the warm hospitality we offer our guests thrives on this! At work, we encourage our colleagues to be themselves and have the space to express their true nature. We follow the same approach when it comes to development. We believe that career development is a personal journey so we hone in on individual aspirations and learning styles, supporting our colleagues to forge a path to succeed in their chosen careers.
Our learning and development team work with the managers to create personalised development plans. Ottolenghi is a unique workplace with many different styles of service and offering to our customers. This offers our colleagues the space to learn and be exposed to different sides of hospitality. Hence our personalised development plans mean we collaborate with internal departments and call on the expertise of suppliers and well-regarded service providers to help us offer well-rounded support and unbeatable exposure to the industry’s best chefs.
Test Kitchen Workshops
From knife skills to Mauritian cooking, wine tastings to the science of flavour, everyone at Ottolenghi is welcome at our Test Kitchen workshops.
Opening the OTK doors is an Ottolenghi tradition we’ve kept up for the past 8 years, inviting winemakers, wonderful chefs (both from Ottolenghi and the outside) and people in the food industry to share their knowledge with us. Some teach us how to cook food from a specific region, others how to use spices or share with us their experiences of working in our industry. The common threads are to share inspiration and experiences, learning from each other. .
External training
Personal development is supplemented with external training and “how-to” sessions, including management skills, inclusive leadership, mental health first aid and feedback sessions. We are very discerning about who we work with and are proud to have partnered with Le Cordon Bleu, Kelly’s Cause and Leith’s Cookery School amongst many training providers.
Over the past 20 years, we have built strong relationships with training providers from the hospitality industry and beyond. Currently, we are working with Blenheim Forge on knife sharpening skills, as well as building a chef skills programme with Leith’s Cookery School. We also offer our front of house team members the opportunity to complete WSET courses in wine and spirits, up to the level decided by them and their managers.
Supplier visits
We plan regular visits for our team to visit Ottolenghi’s kitchen garden at Wolves Lane, a 3-acre glasshouse site in Wood Green, North London. The visits are a great opportunity to learn about growing local, seasonal vegetables in the UK and our commitment to becoming an even more sustainable business. Ottolenghi staff can pop into the garden and spend time helping our growers with daily tasks.
Working with exciting wine and produce suppliers, we often have the opportunity to visit them to see how they work and experience their process too. Over the past 3 years, we have visited wheat farmers with Wildfarmed and picked grapes in Moravia, Czechia amongst others!
When the opportunity presents itself, we are also happy to set up stages and internships for our colleagues to experience other workplaces, within hospitality and out!
Apprenticeships and chef training
For more information on apprenticeships, please click here. Apprenticeships are a wonderful 15 month programme that support chefs in providing a strong starting base of knowledge and work experience. For those who can’t commit to the length of apprenticeship, we offer courses in conjunction with Westminster Kingsway College. These culinary courses offer a programme, run once a week for 4 months. Restaurant shifts are arranged around study time, so you can focus on your learning journey.
These courses are a great way to upskill and build knowledge to support you in your long term career.
Career Development
Combining regular training workshops with personalised development plans, our Learning and Development programme supports our team members by giving them the space to learn.
Our commitment to the championing of vegetables, as well as unusual ingredients has led to what some call “The Ottolenghi effect”. This is shorthand for the creation of a meal which is full of colour, flavour, bounty and sunshine.
Since 2002, the Ottolenghi team has slowly expanded, our scope has grown, and exciting new ingredients fill our cupboards, but so much, crucially, has remained the same. We continue with boundless enthusiasm and an unswerving dedication to detail; many of our team members have been with us for years, recipes, dishes and ingredients that are trusted favourites still feature on our menus and the philosophy at the heart of all we do is as true today as it ever was
Simply put, we are very serious about making people happy through our food.
We have different styles of delis and restaurants, so many of our team have grown through the company, working in different styles of hospitality, from the bustle of a neighbourhood deli to the fire and energy at ROVI. As a growing business, we have plans to expand the Ottolenghi brand to fulfil its potential, whilst fostering everything that makes it unique. As a result there are ample opportunities to progress within the company and we welcome you to join us on our journey!
Personalised Development
The beauty of the work we do is that it celebrates our individuality. The creativity we pour into our food and the warm hospitality we offer our guests thrives on this! At work, we encourage our colleagues to be themselves and have the space to express their true nature. We follow the same approach when it comes to development. We believe that career development is a personal journey so we hone in on individual aspirations and learning styles, supporting our colleagues to forge a path to succeed in their chosen careers.
Our learning and development team work with the managers to create personalised development plans. Ottolenghi is a unique workplace with many different styles of service and offering to our customers. This offers our colleagues the space to learn and be exposed to different sides of hospitality. Hence our personalised development plans mean we collaborate with internal departments and call on the expertise of suppliers and well-regarded service providers to help us offer well-rounded support and unbeatable exposure to the industry’s best chefs.
Test Kitchen Workshops
From knife skills to Mauritian cooking, wine tastings to the science of flavour, everyone at Ottolenghi is welcome at our Test Kitchen workshops.
Opening the OTK doors is an Ottolenghi tradition we’ve kept up for the past 8 years, inviting winemakers, wonderful chefs (both from Ottolenghi and the outside) and people in the food industry to share their knowledge with us. Some teach us how to cook food from a specific region, others how to use spices or share with us their experiences of working in our industry. The common threads are to share inspiration and experiences, learning from each other. .
External training
Personal development is supplemented with external training and “how-to” sessions, including management skills, inclusive leadership, mental health first aid and feedback sessions. We are very discerning about who we work with and are proud to have partnered with Le Cordon Bleu, Kelly’s Cause and Leith’s Cookery School amongst many training providers.
Over the past 20 years, we have built strong relationships with training providers from the hospitality industry and beyond. Currently, we are working with Blenheim Forge on knife sharpening skills, as well as building a chef skills programme with Leith’s Cookery School. We also offer our front of house team members the opportunity to complete WSET courses in wine and spirits, up to the level decided by them and their managers.
Supplier visits
We plan regular visits for our team to visit Ottolenghi’s kitchen garden at Wolves Lane, a 3-acre glasshouse site in Wood Green, North London. The visits are a great opportunity to learn about growing local, seasonal vegetables in the UK and our commitment to becoming an even more sustainable business. Ottolenghi staff can pop into the garden and spend time helping our growers with daily tasks.
Working with exciting wine and produce suppliers, we often have the opportunity to visit them to see how they work and experience their process too. Over the past 3 years, we have visited wheat farmers with Wildfarmed and picked grapes in Moravia, Czechia amongst others!
When the opportunity presents itself, we are also happy to set up stages and internships for our colleagues to experience other workplaces, within hospitality and out!
Apprenticeships and chef training
For more information on apprenticeships, please click here. Apprenticeships are a wonderful 15 month programme that support chefs in providing a strong starting base of knowledge and work experience. For those who can’t commit to the length of apprenticeship, we offer courses in conjunction with Westminster Kingsway College. These culinary courses offer a programme, run once a week for 4 months. Restaurant shifts are arranged around study time, so you can focus on your learning journey.
These courses are a great way to upskill and build knowledge to support you in your long term career.