CompliChef started with one chef — Nick — standing in a care home kitchen, staring at paperwork that looked like it hadn’t changed since the 1990s. SFBB booklets, loose sheets, duplicated records… systems that ticked boxes but didn’t really help anyone. So he did what chefs do best: he organised it, simplified it, and made sure the kitchen ran the right way.

Before the kitchen life, Nick had actually studied IT at college. But the idea of sitting behind a desk all day didn’t appeal, so he chose the kitchen instead. Still, that mix of food safety and technology never really went away.

While working in the care home, he quietly built a basic digital setup for himself — simple record forms, a digital rota, nothing flashy. But it worked. The system ran quietly for a few years, then Nick moved on and the project sat untouched, gathering dust.

Life changed suddenly after a back injury. Long chef hours were no longer possible, and Nick became a stay-at-home dad to twin nine-year-old sons and a daughter. Somewhere between school runs, packed lunches, and late nights, he went back to that old idea — and rebuilt it properly.

This time, it wasn’t just a personal tool. It became a standalone platform he was genuinely proud of. Selling it as a small, self-built product wasn’t easy, but the foundations were there.

In early 2025, CompliChef V1 officially opened to subscribers — kitchens, cafés, pubs, and care homes that wanted all their compliance in one clear, practical place.

From there, things moved faster than expected:
• V1.3 – Staff rota
• V1.4 – Task management
• V1.5 – Allergy management
• V2.0 – A complete, connected platform

Today, CompliChef has grown into Ecosystem v2.5 — a fully connected set of tools built around how hospitality actually works:
• Kitchen Portal – daily compliance, records, and audits
• Staff Portal – training, accountability, and access control
• Subscription Portal – clear, honest billing with no hidden add-ons
• Recruit – helping kitchens find the right people
• Reservations – table and booking management that fits the ecosystem

Nick still laughs about how he “never wanted an office job,” yet now spends most days at his keyboard — coding, designing, fixing bugs, supporting customers, and somehow squeezing in marketing too. But this time, it feels different. He enjoys it. All of it.

Because he’s not just sitting at a desk. He’s building something kitchens rely on every single day — by someone who’s actually stood where they stand.