Executive Chef - Signature Restaurant

A NEW STAR IN THE MAKING Chef of a signature restaurant, Dubai.Confidential search.THE OPPORTUNITYI cannot tell you where this is. Not yet. What I can tell you is that a client of mine in Dubai is preparing a restaurant that is meant to become the city's story in 2027, and that the owners have decided the restaurant will be built around one person: the chef. Not a brand, not a licence, not a famous name flown in for the opening. A chef nobody has heard of yet, with a cuisine the city has not seen. I am retained to find that person. The identity of the client is shared on our first call, and not before. If you are the right chef, you will understand why. THE RESTAURANTAn intimate room with an open kitchen, where you cook in front of the guest. It is the one restaurant on the property where the chef is the concept: you own the menu, the identity and the brigade, and the owners will put their marketing, press and guest book behind you from day one. That is all I can say in public about the venue. It is enough.WHAT THE OWNER WANTSA restaurant that makes noise from the day it opens. Not stars for their own sake, and not another French or Italian tasting menu; Dubai has plenty of those and does not reward them. We are looking for a style of food that does not yet exist in Dubai: a cuisine the city has not seen, with a clear personal signature the guest can read on the plate, and food that photographs. The reference points are the chefs who came from nowhere in this city and became the story. The owner wants the next one of those.WHO I AM LOOKING FORSomeone who has two things at once: a serious kitchen behind them, and a personality the public has started to follow. A technician with no presence will not make noise; a personality with no kitchen will not survive a tasting.I am looking for the person who has both and has not yet been given a stage of this size.- A distinctive, personal style of cooking that Dubai does not already have, at a level that would hold its own in a starred or ranked kitchen; a fusion of cultures and techniques is a strength, not a compromise- Chef de cuisine, head chef or a strong number two in a successful restaurant today, or a chef who has run their own serious restaurant and is now free- Hands-on: you cook every service, in front of the guest- A visible public presence: an Instagram feed where the food is real, ideally with a meaningful following; television, press or awards count the same way- A story that can be told in one sentence: where you come from, what you have overcome, why Dubai is the right next chapter- Comfortable in front of a camera and a guest; in this room, the kitchen is the stage- Willing to join as an employee and relocate to Dubai; currently based outside the UAE- Discreet. This search stays between us until the client decides otherwiseWHAT WILL NOT WORK- Classic French or Italian cooking, however refined- A cuisine or concept Dubai already has- A famous name who wants their brand on the door and a licence fee- A chef already established in Dubai - A profile with no food photography and no public presenceWHAT YOU WILL FINDA permanent, full-time position employed by the owner: no franchise, no licence, no management contract. The owners are backing the person, not the brand. The package is competitive for a signature restaurant in Dubai and tax-free, with housing and relocation supported. Start early 2027.THE PROCESS1. A call with me, discreet and without commitment. This is where you learn who the client is.2. A tasting. You come to Dubai to cook for the client. If that is not possible, the client comes to you and eats your food where you cook it, wherever in the world that is. That is how serious they are. This is where it is decided.3. A written offer, and I accompany you through the move to Dubai.HOW TO APPLYApply through LinkedIn with your CV and your Instagram handle.Every application is treated in absolute confidence, and I come back to each one personally. If you know the chef this describes, I would be grateful for an introduction; discretion works in both directions.Richard Kingue Kouta Founder and Managing Director, Arvantis Executive Search Your Hospitality Talent Search Partner