Kitchens and food
Cooks are on Europe's shortage lists every single year, and Indian food is one of the most popular cuisines on the continent. European chefs, meanwhile, are in demand in India's new restaurants and hotels.
From India to Europe
The EURES network names cooks among the most common shortage occupations across Europe. Restaurants, hotels, catering firms and institutional kitchens all report unfilled positions. On top of that, Indian restaurants in Europe need cooks trained in regional Indian cuisine: tandoor, South Indian, Mughlai, Gujarati, Bengali and more.
Two kinds of roles
General kitchen roles (commis, chef de partie, sous chef) in hotels and restaurants of any cuisine. These go through the country's standard work permit routes and usually need some of the local language for kitchen communication.
Specialty cooks for restaurants serving Indian cuisine. Germany has a dedicated route: a specialty cook can get a residence permit to work full time in a restaurant that serves the cuisine of their home country, with proof of training and experience. Other countries handle these roles through their general permits. Our chefs in Europe guide explains both.
What strengthens an application
- A culinary diploma or formal training of at least two years
- Documented experience in established kitchens (letters with dates and duties)
- Food hygiene certification
- For Germany's specialty-cook route: the restaurant must serve genuine regional cuisine, not fast food or delivery
From Europe to India
India's dining scene is changing quickly. Hotels and stand-alone restaurants in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Goa run French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese-European kitchens, and bakeries and patisseries are multiplying. European chefs are recruited for:
- executive chef and head chef roles in five-star hotels
- opening teams for new restaurant concepts
- pastry, bakery and chocolate programmes
- culinary training and menu development
Business opportunities
- Indian restaurant groups and food brands opening in European cities
- European food and beverage brands entering India, including cheese, wine, coffee and bakery
- Culinary schools creating exchange programmes
- Kitchen equipment and food-processing technology suppliers
Read next
- Chefs and cooks in EuropeGermany has a special visa for cooks of your own cuisine. Kitchens everywhere need staff.
- HospitalityStaffing gaps in European hotels, and leadership demand in India's new properties.
- Running hotels in IndiaHotel openings need GMs, chefs and revenue people who have done it before.
