JOB SUMMARY:

To provide strategic culinary leadership for the BASL Central Kitchen supporting the airport F&B; business, including cafeterias, F&B; outlets, Event Catering and other food service operations.

The role will be responsible for developing and implementing the culinary strategy, production standards, food quality, cost management, menu strategy, operational systems and people capability across the business.

The Executive Chef will ensure that the Central Kitchen operates as an efficient, scalable and commercially sustainable food production unit, delivering consistent quality, food safety, timely supply and cost-effective production across all BASL F&B; operations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Culinary Strategy & Business Planning:

- Develop the overall culinary strategy for BASL's Central Kitchen and F&B; business.
- Align food production strategy with business growth, airport operations and customer requirements.
- Develop long-term plans for capacity, menus, production systems and operational efficiency.
- Identify opportunities for new products, menus, concepts and F&B; business growth.
- Ensure the Central Kitchen is scalable to support future BASL F&B; expansion.

2. Central Production Strategy

- Establish standardized systems for high-volume food production.
- Develop production standards, recipes, specifications and quality benchmarks.
- Ensure consistency across all BASL cafeterias, F&B; outlets and events.
- Develop production planning and forecasting systems.
- Optimize kitchen capacity, manpower, equipment and production processes.
- Drive continuous improvement and operational efficiency.

3. Commercial & Cost Management

- Own the culinary contribution to food cost and operational budgets.




- Develop strategies for food cost reduction and improved profitability.
- Drive recipe costing, yield improvement, portion control and waste reduction.
- Optimize raw material utilization and production efficiency.
- Work with Procurement and Stores to improve sourcing and inventory management.
- Monitor key culinary KPIs and take corrective action where required.

4. Menu & Product Strategy

- Develop a clear menu strategy for cafeterias, F&B; outlets and Event Catering.
- Introduce new products based on customer preferences, market trends and commercial opportunities.
- Ensure menus balance quality, cost, nutrition, operational feasibility and customer expectations.
- Standardize recipes and product specifications for large-scale production.
- Review menu performance and recommend improvements.

5. Food Safety & Quality

- Establish and maintain high standards of food safety, hygiene and quality.
- Ensure Central Kitchen operations comply with BASL standards and applicable regulations.
- Develop robust systems for food safety, traceability and quality control.
- Ensure consistent food quality from production through to final service.
- Lead corrective actions arising from audits, complaints or quality issues.

6. Leadership & People Development

- Lead and develop the overall culinary organization.




- Build a strong leadership pipeline within the culinary team.
- Establish clear roles, responsibilities and performance expectations.
- Develop training and succession plans for key culinary positions.
- Coach and mentor Executive Sous Chefs, Sous Chefs, Kitchen Managers and other culinary leaders.
- Build a culture of accountability, innovation, discipline and continuous improvement.

7. Cross-Functional Leadership

- Work closely with F&B; Operations, Event Catering, Procurement, Stores, Finance, Quality, Engineering and HR.
- Partner with the business on new F&B; concepts, events and operational requirements.
- Ensure effective coordination between Central Kitchen and all receiving outlets.
- Provide culinary leadership for new projects, business launches and major events.

8. Innovation & Continuous Improvement

- Stay updated on food, technology and production trends.
- Identify opportunities to improve productivity and food quality through technology and new processes.
- Drive waste reduction and sustainability initiatives.
- Introduce best practices from leading hospitality and industrial catering operations.
- Continuously review and improve culinary systems and processes.

QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCE

Education

Diploma / Degree in Hotel Management, Culinary Arts, Food Production or equivalent qualification from a recognized institution.

Experience

15+ years of culinary experience with minimum 3 years in a senior leadership role, preferably with experience in:

- Central Production / Central Kitchen
- Airport F&B;
- Industrial / Institutional Catering
- Large-volume Event Catering
- Multi-outlet F&B; Operations
- Contract Catering

📌 AGM -Culinary Operations /Executive Chef(Central Production & Events) (Bengaluru)
🏢 Bengaluru Airport Services Limited (BASL)
📍 Bengaluru