The Rise of the Chefpreneur - Are We Heading Towards a New Level of Executive Chef?

Or are we just creating another fancy title for the same job?

I've been thinking about this for a while.

Having worked with both large corporate hospitality businesses and smaller independent groups, I've seen different approaches to culinary leadership, different expectations of what an Executive Chef should be, and different levels of involvement in the wider business.

But something has always stood out to me.

I've only encountered one chef who truly embodied what I now think of as a Chefpreneur.

The interesting part? When I first started trying to work differently with chefs and hospitality businesses, I wasn't even using that term.

I just knew there had to be a better way.

A way of looking at culinary leadership that went beyond creating a menu, managing food costs and making sure service ran smoothly.

So, here's a question for the industry.

By 2035, will we still be talking about the traditional Executive Chef, or will the Chefpreneur become the benchmark for the next generation of culinary leaders?

👨‍🍳 First, what exactly is an Executive Chef?

Let's not dismiss the traditional role.

Becoming an Executive Chef takes years of hard work, technical ability, experience and resilience. It can mean overseeing multiple kitchens, managing substantial budgets, developing menus, leading large teams and maintaining standards across an entire operation.

It's a position earned through experience, and a good Executive Chef can make an enormous difference to a business.

But the role has evolved.

Today's senior culinary leaders are increasingly expected to understand commercial performance, recruitment, staff development, sustainability and the guest experience.

The Institute of Culinary Education's career guidance highlights that Executive Chefs need a combination of culinary expertise, leadership, operational judgement and financial understanding.

In other words, being a great cook is only part of the job.

So, if the role already involves all these things, what exactly separates an Executive Chef from a Chefpreneur?

For me, it comes down to one fundamental difference.

An Executive Chef can run a kitchen. A Chefpreneur thinks, acts and leads like someone who has a personal stake in the success of the entire business.

That doesn't necessarily mean owning shares, opening a restaurant or having Director written on a business card.

It's about the mindset.

💡 1. Ownership, not just responsibility

There's a difference between being responsible for something and genuinely taking ownership of it.

Responsibility might mean managing the food GP, producing the rota, controlling wastage and delivering the menu.

Ownership means asking why the numbers aren't where they should be, what can be improved, how the wider operation contributes to the problem and what happens next.

It means not waiting for someone else to identify the solution.

A Chefpreneur doesn't simply report that labour costs are too high. They look at the reasons behind it, work with the wider management team and develop a practical plan to improve performance without damaging the guest experience or burning out the team.

They don't hide behind departmental boundaries.

They understand that the kitchen doesn't operate in isolation from the bar, restaurant, marketing team, finance department or the people running the business.

And when something goes wrong?

They don't immediately look for someone to blame.

They look for a solution, take accountability and learn from the experience.

That's the sort of ownership that makes a difference.

📊 2. Understanding the whole business, not just the next menu

How often do we measure a chef's success by the quality of the food, the creativity of the menu or their ability to control food costs?

All important, of course.

But what about the rest?

What is their contribution to increasing revenue across the venue?

Are they working with the front-of-house team to improve the guest experience? Are they helping develop events, promotions, private dining opportunities or new revenue streams?

Are they involved in business development, or are they waiting for the next menu brief?

A Chefpreneur understands that great food is part of a successful hospitality business, not the entirety of it.

They look beyond the kitchen pass.

They consider how the food offering supports the brand, how the team can increase spend without compromising value, and how the operation can attract new customers while encouraging existing ones to return.

They understand the relationship between people, product and profit.

And crucially, they know that improving one doesn't always mean sacrificing another.

The challenge isn't simply to make better food. It's to build a better business through food.

🤝 3. Leadership without the ego

I've always believed that the best leaders don't need to remind everyone that they're in charge.

You can tell by the way people respond to them.

Are their teams comfortable asking questions? Can someone admit they've made a mistake without being humiliated? Do junior chefs feel supported enough to develop, or are they simply expected to get on with it?

A Chefpreneur needs to be personable, approachable and humble enough to recognise that they don't have all the answers.

They should be able to speak to an owner about commercial strategy in the morning, support a struggling junior chef at lunchtime and work alongside the kitchen team during a busy service.

Different conversations, different responsibilities, but the same underlying respect for people.

Being approachable doesn't mean being everyone's best mate. Being humble doesn't mean lacking authority.

It means understanding that leadership is about getting the best out of others, not proving that you're the most important person in the room.

The best leaders I've encountered have understood that their success is closely connected to the success of the people around them.

Which brings me to something I think hospitality needs to take far more seriously.

🎓 4. Building a grass-roots training academy

If we want better chefs, stronger management teams and more sustainable hospitality businesses, we need to invest in developing people before we desperately need them.

Not just when someone hands in their notice.

Not just when a vacancy becomes difficult to fill.

And not just when a business finally decides that staff training might be worth the investment.

A Chefpreneur looks at the kitchen as a place where future talent is developed.

That means creating clear progression routes from Commis Chef to Chef de Partie, Sous Chef, Head Chef and beyond.

It means structured training, regular feedback, mentoring and opportunities to learn skills beyond the section someone happens to be working on.

It also means recognising potential.

The quiet Commis Chef who consistently turns up, asks questions and wants to improve might not be the loudest person in the kitchen, but they could become an outstanding leader with the right support.

Imagine if every senior chef approached their role with the intention of developing their replacement.

Not because they're planning to leave tomorrow, but because a strong team shouldn't be entirely dependent on one individual.

A grass-roots training academy doesn't have to mean building a physical training centre or spending thousands on a new programme.

It could start with a structured development plan, dedicated training hours, practical assessments, mentoring and a clear route to promotion.

The return isn't necessarily immediate, but the long-term opportunity is significant.

Better-developed people. Stronger succession planning. Greater internal progression. And potentially less reliance on constantly recruiting experienced chefs from elsewhere.

A Chefpreneur doesn't just build a successful kitchen around them. They build the people who will lead the next one.

🌱 5. Short-term results versus long-term investment

Hospitality is an industry where the immediate pressures can be relentless.

Wages need paying. Suppliers need paying. Food costs need controlling. Guests expect consistency. Owners want results.

I understand that.

But what happens when every decision is made around this week's numbers?

Training gets postponed because the kitchen is busy. Equipment repairs get delayed because the budget is tight. Development plans disappear because there's another service to deliver.

Eventually, those short-term decisions can create bigger problems.

A Chefpreneur understands the difference between cutting costs and improving efficiency.

They look at the long-term implications of investment decisions, whether that's equipment, people, processes, energy efficiency or the way a kitchen is designed to operate.

They consider whether a piece of equipment could improve consistency, reduce waste or free up valuable working hours.

They look at how investing in training could strengthen retention and reduce the disruption caused by staff turnover.

They also understand sustainability as more than a conversation about ingredients.

It's about building an operation that can continue to perform financially, environmentally and operationally over the years ahead.

This doesn't mean spending money without justification.

It means understanding the return on investment, making informed decisions and being able to explain why an investment today might deliver greater value tomorrow.

My example would be this; you write a budget for a venue, with a brand new shiny oven, cost of £12,000, with very little capex for its maintenance or servicing, for a 5 year plan, based on £30,000 weeks of revenue, but your venue is taking £65,000 per week, so the life of the oven is no longer over a 5 year plan, its only 2 years at that capacity, so KNOWING the budget is great, understanding the life of the kit, and its use over time, means something very different. The question changes from "How much will this cost us?" to "What will this cost us if we don't do it?"

That is a very different way of thinking.

📈 6. Business development should be part of the job

One of the biggest differences I see between a traditional, kitchen-focused approach and the Chefpreneur mindset is the willingness to get involved beyond the kitchen.

I'm talking about business development.

Not necessarily cold calling or chasing sales, but actively looking for opportunities to make the venue more successful.

Could the kitchen team support a new private dining offer?

Could a seasonal event bring in additional revenue during a quieter period?

Could stronger relationships with local suppliers improve the product, support the community and create a point of difference?

Could the chef work with marketing to tell a better story about the food, the team and the business?

Could the operation improve its reputation through local partnerships, college engagement or community events?

These opportunities won't suit every venue, but the principle remains the same.

A Chefpreneur doesn't wait for someone else to bring every idea to the table.

They understand the commercial direction of the business and look for ways to contribute.

They recognise that their culinary knowledge gives them a unique perspective on opportunities that might otherwise be missed.

And they know when to collaborate with people who have expertise they don't possess.

Because being entrepreneurial isn't about pretending to know everything.

It's about recognising opportunities, building relationships and turning good ideas into practical results.

🧠 7. Commercial confidence without losing the craft

There's a danger when we talk about the future of culinary leadership that we make it sound as though chefs need to become accountants, marketers and business consultants before they're allowed to progress.

That's not my argument.

The craft still matters.

The food still matters.

The ability to lead a service, maintain standards and create memorable experiences remains fundamental.

But chefs who want to progress into senior leadership need the confidence to understand and challenge the numbers behind their operation.

They should be comfortable discussing profit and loss, labour productivity, purchasing, menu contribution, cash flow and return on investment.

They should understand how decisions made in the kitchen affect the wider business.

And they should be able to communicate that knowledge to people who don't necessarily share their culinary background.

The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies analytical thinking, leadership, resilience and talent management among the skills employers consider important. Its findings also point towards growing demand for a range of adaptable, human-centred and commercially relevant capabilities.

That doesn't prove the Chefpreneur will become an established job title by 2035.

But it does reinforce the case for developing chefs who can combine technical expertise with wider business and leadership skills.

You could argue, one chef, in the 1980's built this, absolutely pioneered this vision, not just took food to new heights, but had clear vision, goals and personal discipline to build this having never been assembled ever before, no map, no social media, 3 michelin stars, oversaw every aspect, not just food, and even took care of guests every shift, if they stayed for dinner or did not - yes, I mean MPW himself, Marco Pierre White.

Ok, Im NOT ruling anyone else out - Add Michelle Roux Snr, and Raymond Blanc to that list back in the day - Now? You could name dozens;

Heston / Grant Achatz / Thomas Keller / Tom Kerridge / Jamie Oliver / Ramsay and on and on we go...

The future isn't necessarily about replacing culinary ability with commercial knowledge.

It's about combining the two.

👋 8. Approachable, visible and reachable

This might sound simple, but I think it's one of the most important points. But often missed.

Where is your senior chef when the team needs support?

Can people get hold of them?

Do they make time for conversations, or is every interaction squeezed between meetings, emails and service?

Do they understand what's happening on the ground, or are they making decisions based on reports and assumptions?

The Chefpreneur needs to remain connected to the operation.

That doesn't mean being available 24 hours a day. Nobody should be expected to sacrifice their own wellbeing to prove they're a good leader.

It means being accessible, communicating clearly and creating a culture where people know how and when to raise issues.

It means spending time with the team, understanding the challenges they face and making sure that decisions made at management level work in practice.

A chef can have the best strategy in the world, but if they can't communicate it, build trust or get their team behind it, how much impact will it really have?

Leadership isn't just what happens in the boardroom.

It's what happens when you're not in the room, too.

🔍 So, is there really a difference between an Executive Chef and a Chefpreneur?

Let's be clear: the two aren't mutually exclusive.

An Executive Chef can absolutely be a Chefpreneur.

In fact, I'd argue that the best senior culinary leaders already demonstrate many of these qualities.

The distinction isn't about the job title on their contract.

It's about the way they approach the role, and even the vision to see beyond the role, and may even be a evolution of Chef Patron.

An Executive Chef might focus primarily on delivering the culinary operation they're responsible for.

A Chefpreneur takes that responsibility and extends it into a broader commitment to the success of the business, the development of its people and the sustainability of its future. Retail opportunities, personal branding, and immediately recognisable, outside of a kitchen.

One title describes a position.

The other describes a mindset.

And that mindset can exist in an independent restaurant, a hotel, a contract catering operation or a large corporate hospitality group.

It can exist in a chef who owns their own business, but it doesn't require ownership.

It can exist in a Head Chef who has never managed multiple sites, provided they have the ambition, commercial awareness and leadership approach to make a wider contribution.

It's not about creating another level of hierarchy.

It's about raising the standard of what we expect from culinary leadership.

🔮 What could this look like by 2035?

I don't believe we should confidently predict that the Executive Chef title will disappear.

There are too many different types of hospitality businesses, and the responsibilities of senior chefs will always depend on the size, structure and ambitions of the operation.

But I do believe the expectations surrounding the role will continue to evolve. As we stand today in winter 2026, the full time role of Executive Chef, is now fragmented, required for menu development and integration and could therefore be seen as temporary/freelance and fractional, for saving money while the system/AI softwares crunch the numbers and CFO decides a plan, that IS the evolution of a Chefpreneur.

By 2035, I would like to see more senior chefs who:

• Take genuine ownership of business performance, rather than focusing exclusively on kitchen targets.

• Develop future leaders through structured training, mentoring and clear progression routes.

• Understand the commercial picture, from labour and food costs to revenue opportunities and investment decisions.

• Lead with humility, building trust rather than relying on job titles.

• Work across departments, recognising that a successful venue is a collective effort.

• Invest in sustainable performance, balancing immediate financial pressures with the long-term health of the business.

• Remain connected to their teams, making leadership visible, approachable and practical.

• Embrace innovation, using technology, data and better processes where they genuinely improve the operation.

These aren't futuristic superpowers.

They're capabilities that good leaders can start developing today.

The opportunity is to make them a more consistent expectation of senior culinary leadership, rather than exceptional qualities found in only a handful of individuals.

👨‍🍳 Or are we just looking at another Executive Chef job description?

This is where I come back to my original question.

I've worked with large corporate operations and smaller hospitality groups. I've seen different structures, different leadership styles and different expectations of senior chefs.

Yet I've only encountered one chef who truly embodied what I now think of as the Chefpreneur mindset.

That experience has stayed with me.

It's also influenced the way I've tried to work with chefs and hospitality businesses through The Chef Hub.

I've wanted to encourage a more rounded approach to recruitment, development and operational support. One that looks beyond the immediate vacancy or the next menu launch and considers the wider challenges facing a business and its people.

Sometimes that means asking different questions during recruitment.

Not just whether someone can produce great food, but how they develop a team, handle commercial challenges, work with other departments and contribute to the long-term direction of a business.

Sometimes it means challenging an employer to think differently about the person they need.

And sometimes it means helping a chef recognise that their next step isn't simply about securing a more senior title or a bigger kitchen.

It's about understanding the kind of leader they want to become.

Because we can keep creating new titles, changing job descriptions and adding more responsibilities to senior roles.

But unless the mindset changes, what are we actually improving?

The Chefpreneur isn't necessarily the next job title. It's the next level of accountability, ambition and leadership that I believe our industry should be encouraging.

And if we're serious about building stronger hospitality businesses for the future, perhaps the question isn't whether we'll still have Executive Chefs in 2035.

Perhaps it's whether we'll have developed enough of them into the leaders our industry really needs.

Over to you 👇

Executive Chefs, Head Chefs, business owners and hospitality leaders:

Do you see a genuine difference between an Executive Chef and a Chefpreneur?

Is this already happening in your business, or is there still too much emphasis on menus, food costs and getting through service?

And, most importantly, what would you want to see from the next generation of culinary leaders by 2035?

I'd be interested to hear your experiences.

At The Chef Hub, I believe better hospitality starts with better conversations, better people and a willingness to challenge the way we've always done things.

Let's start one.

Want to share your thoughts? Message me with the word "Chefpreneur" tonylewis@thechefhub.co.uk for more