The right chef in the right place at lightning speed

For many hotels, finding enough professionals is a problem. Vinkeveen-based company Top-Chefs responded to this with an online platform that allows hotels to quickly and easily find freelance kitchen staff. "This saves you a lot of time as a hotel manager to focus on your core business," says owner Mitchel Schenderling.

As the owner of a growing catering company, Mitchel found it increasingly difficult to find suitable kitchen staff. "As a result, a few years ago the idea arose to create a simple website with a contact form where freelance chefs could sign up," explains Mitchel. "Initially, that website was intended to find staff for my own catering company. Soon we also started mediating catering staff for companies like Adecco, Holland Casino and the Hyatt Group. So, step by step, Top-Chefs has developed into the current matchmaker in the culinary world."

A common complaint from hospitality workers is that they can't find people. According to Mitchel, however, this is not entirely justified. "Through the online registration system in the Top Chefs app, hotel managers can find suitable kitchen staff, from freelance cooks to chefs, with just a few clicks. Our extensive network sometimes grows by up to eight freelancers a day. This allows us to put the right chef in the right place at lightning speed. This allows you to create a team of freelancers around your hotel business, so that you always have enough kitchen staff. With such a flexible shell, a hotel manager can also respond adequately to busy and less busy times. With our platform, hotels can scale up and down kitchen staff themselves if required."

Top-Chefs offers hotels far-reaching options to determine the quality of their kitchen staff, Mitchel clarifies. "For example, in our online system it is possible to view the skills and experiences of affiliated freelancers and create your own preferred pool of favourite chefs. You can also read reviews or write your own review about a freelance chef after a shift. This way, a hotel company is fully in control of its own success. Not for nothing are renowned hotel chains like Van der Valk, Westcord and Leonardo among our clients. What customers value most in us is our reliability, loyalty, quality and professionalism. Our services are not limited to hiring, but are much more about cooperation. Moreover, thanks to our platform, hotel managers no longer spend much time finding suitable kitchen staff. They can fully focus on the quality of the kitchen and an optimal guest experience." 

Doesn't the (temporary) use of freelance chefs come at the expense of hotel kitchen knowledge and experience? According to Mitchel, just the opposite is true. "In the hotel industry, permanent and flexible staff go hand in hand. Thanks to the freelance chefs we bring in, a hotel gains new work experience and influences. They can benefit from this, as they can scale up with good staff."

In addition, hospitality companies like to know what kind of meat they have in the barrel, he continues. "To achieve the best possible match, we screen the CVs very thoroughly. In addition, we can guarantee that our candidates are actually freelancers and that there is no false self-employment. For example, if someone applies with a Chamber of Commerce number that does not match the VAT number, they are automatically blocked in our system." 

Want to know more about Top Chef?
Then visit their stand at the Horecava on 8-11 January 2024 at RAI Amsterdam.

www.top-chefs.nl