Head of Food
ANIMO Cinquantenaire - Social Wellness & Performance Club™
We’re looking for an experienced, creative and entrepreneurial Head of Food to lead the development of ANIMO’s food offering and help us build a distinctive all-day food concept for our current and future locations.
This is an opportunity to create something from the ground up. You’ll work closely with the founders to define what ANIMO food should be, developing an all-day offering for both our members and external guests that reflects the way we think about health and wellbeing: nutritious, balanced, made with high-quality whole ingredients, and above all, genuinely delicious.
We don’t believe healthy food needs to feel restrictive, overly functional or like “fitness food”. We want to create food that is healthy yet indulgent, simple where it should be, generous, full of flavour, and something people genuinely look forward to eating every day. Above all, we are looking for the right person. Someone with real culinary experience, strong creative instincts and a clear point of view on food. You’ve led a kitchen before, know how to develop great recipes and menus, and have worked in environments where quality and attention to detail matter. You bring ideas to the table rather than waiting for a brief.
This is a hands-on role, particularly in the beginning. You’ll spend significant time developing, cooking, testing and refining recipes and shaping the overall concept. You’ll have the support of our operational teams on sourcing, processes, costing and implementation, allowing you to focus heavily on the creative and culinary side of the role.
Over time, you’ll take ownership of food at ANIMO, building the foundations for a long-term role with significant growth opportunities as we expand in Belgium and internationally.
Your key responsibilities
Lead the creative development of ANIMO’s all-day food concept, working closely with the founders to define its identity, philosophy and offering.
Create, test and continuously refine recipes and menus across breakfast, lunch, snacks and other all-day occasions.
Develop food that balances health and indulgence, with an emphasis on nutritious, balanced, whole and organic ingredients without becoming restrictive or overly health-focused.
Set and uphold a high standard for flavour, ingredients, presentation, consistency and overall food quality.
Bring a strong creative point of view to the table, proactively developing new dishes, ideas and ways to evolve the offering.
Work closely with our operational teams on sourcing, food costs, kitchen processes, equipment, food safety and implementation while maintaining ownership of the culinary vision.
Build strong relationships with suppliers and producers to identify exceptional ingredients and products that fit the ANIMO philosophy.
Help define kitchen workflows and operational standards that allow the food concept to be executed consistently without compromising quality.
Recruit, train and lead kitchen teams as the food operation develops, creating a strong culture of quality, care and attention to detail.
Play a key role in future ANIMO openings, helping translate and evolve the food concept as the business grows.
Take long-term ownership of ANIMO’s food offering, continuously improving it based on seasonality, guest feedback, new ideas and the evolution of the brand.
5+ years of relevant professional kitchen experience is mandatory. We want someone who has done this before and has developed a strong culinary foundation.
Demonstrated experience leading a kitchen and taking responsibility for both food quality and a team.
Strong experience developing recipes and menus, with the creativity and confidence to build an offering rather than simply execute an existing one.
Experience in a high-quality culinary environment where ingredients, technique, consistency and attention to detail matter.
You have a genuine affinity for health, wellbeing and an active lifestyle, and an intuitive understanding of food that is nutritious and balanced without being extreme or restrictive.
You care deeply about ingredients and have a strong appreciation for whole, seasonal, organic and high-quality produce.
You have an entrepreneurial mindset. You’re proactive, resourceful and excited by the opportunity to build something from the ground up.
You have a clear point of view on food and are constantly curious, tasting, learning and bringing new ideas to the table.
You’re comfortable being hands-on. This is not a purely managerial role: particularly in the development phase, we want someone who genuinely loves being in the kitchen and creating.
Previous experience opening a restaurant, café or new food concept is a strong plus.
Fluent in English is mandatory. French is a strong plus.
Based in Brussels, or willing to relocate to Brussels.
Ideal Candidate
A competitive salary and benefits package, aligned with your experience and the level of the role.
A rare opportunity to create a food concept from the ground up and have a meaningful creative influence on what ANIMO becomes.
Real ownership and autonomy. You’ll work directly with the founders and have the freedom to bring your ideas, experience and point of view to the table.
The opportunity to be part of a fast-growing business, with real potential to build a long-term, meaningful career and ultimately lead food across ANIMO as we grow.
A business with strong momentum and ambition, with exciting projects in development both in Belgium and internationally.
A happy, healthy and ambitious work environment, surrounded by like-minded, driven and passionate people.
What we offer
Application form
If you have any further questions,
please reach out to: alex@animo-studios.com