Scott Bowerman, once local to Shepparton, resides in Albury and has started his own business, Chef 4 Hire, which helps support food businesses with chefs when they need it the most.
“Pre-COVID, I started to notice there was a shortage of qualified chefs,” he said.
“Then COVID hit and locked us down a few times and destroyed the industry.
“Most of my chef friends had to leave the industry to support their families because they couldn't get JobKeeper and went into other jobs and found it better.”
Mr Bowerman said this issue became evident to him after he found himself working various jobs on top of his full-time work.
“It started up (the business) when I had an old boss call me in need of a head chef and I thought I’d create an ABN and help, as I work full-time,” he said.
“Before then, I heard there were a few pubs closing due to short staff in kitchen and I contacted them and before I knew it, I was working at these two other places and working full-time as well.”
This was the start of Chef 4 Hire.
The business sends out chefs when restaurants are short on staff, providing an easy and affordable solution to the problem.
This also gives chefs a chance to keep their skills fresh and not have to commit to the stresses of a demanding full-time roster.
This flexibility extends to the restaurants themselves, as Chef 4 Hire takes care of the administration.
“I cover everything from public liability in Victoria and NSW to Work Cover and the employees’ super, tax and wages,” Mr Bowerman said.
“The client simply receives an invoice at the end of the week and I cover everything else and they cover the hourly rate.”
Chef 4 Hire has clients in the Hume region, including places such as Albury, Wodonga, Beechworth and Rutherglen, and is now looking to expand into Wangaratta, Benalla and Shepparton.
“I have two options. Clients are looking for full-time chefs every now and then and I employ my chefs on casual basis,” Mr Bowerman said.
“The clients might want them for three or four days each week or they might be covering annual leave and they’ll call me and I’ll set them up for a chef for that one or two weeks. It’s whatever the client desires.”
Mr Bowerman is passionate about building on his business and helping the industry, and encourages hospitality bosses to ask for help if they need it.
“I want to tell businesses, you're not alone,” he said.
“There’s heaps of businesses out there struggling to find front- and back-of-house staff and I’m just wanting to keep the industry going so you don’t have to close.
“I want to give them that piece of mind even if someone is sick for a day, I have staff to hire.”
For any chefs or businesses that might be interested in Chef 4 Hire, they can contact Scott Bowerman at chef_4_hire@outlook.com for more information.
“All they have to do is call or email me and after they’ve agreed to the terms and conditions then we’re good to go and within 24 hours’ notice I’ll have chefs on the go,” Mr Bowerman said.
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