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About us

Chefs from Spain – unique in Europe

Chefs from Spain: An innovative force in the European catering industry

Chefs from Spain is a progressive European platform that acts as a link between employers and employees in the hospitality sector. Our focus is on kitchen, service, reception and housekeeping vacancies for both experienced professionals and enthusiastic trainees.

Our qualified candidates are mainly from Spain and Portugal. They are motivated professionals looking for new challenges in Northern Europe, Belgium, Germany and Austria.

The hospitality companies we work with are looking for dedicated people with a solid education, excellent English, a positive attitude and a pleasant work ethic. They think beyond national borders and have a clear objective in mind: to fill that tricky vacancy or vacancies as quickly as possible. Read all about how we work here.

The origin of Chefs from Spain

In 2018, Chefs from Spain. was founded by Dick van Ostaden, a thoroughbred restaurateur with 25 years of experience, the last of which he spent as the entrepreneur of Restaurant Boshuys Hermitage in Oisterwijk.

As an entrepreneur, Dick was always faced with the challenge of filling vacancies, especially in the kitchen. Staff shortages were already acute and creativity alone was no longer enough. Frustration grew.

The idea of recruiting chefs from Spain proved to be a hit. Integration and adaptation went smoothly, communication was not a barrier and they proved to be full of passion and dedication. They also had excellent training, a positive attitude and a pleasant way of working. Dick had his kitchen brigade back and was thrilled.

His positive experience resonated with other business owners and one by one they became interested. They too were struggling to find experienced kitchen staff. Dick helped them with no strings attached, and more and more entrepreneurs found themselves with Spanish chefs in their kitchens.

The business quickly took off and Dick decided to give up his catering activities and concentrate entirely on providing Spanish chefs and, later, service and facilities staff. Chefs from Spain was born!

A lot of media attention

The worrying shortage of catering staff is often a topic of discussion in the media. Almost every operator faces this challenge and the frustration is palpable. Entrepreneurs are all fishing in the same pond, and a constant influx of new students does not usually materialise.

Chefs of Spain’s approach has not gone unnoticed, and several media outlets have picked up on the new initiative. Locally and nationally, Dick has been approached in recent years to share his vision.

In the meantime, Chefs from Spain has become a major player in mediating between foreign workers and catering companies in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria. So far, hundreds of satisfied workers have started work and we have dozens of satisfied hospitality companies as loyal clients.

See a selection of our media coverage here.