R&D Chef

Job Posting | R&D Chef.

Reports to: Culinary Director.

August 2023

TCE is the USA’s leading food & beverage innovation consultancy. We work with, or have worked with, 25% of the top 200 restaurant brands in the USA. And sometimes we create and operate our own, like Starbird.

At TCE you’ll find classically trained chefs working alongside designers, branding experts and food anthropologists. We fuse culinary excellence with human-centered design, to fuel the future of how we eat and drink.

Our method is four-fold:

• Lead with empathy. Follow through with know-how.

• Ask questions. Collaborate. Make ideas happen.

• Discover inspiration that empowers action.

• See and solve problems from every angle.

We’re enjoying a phase of rapid growth, executing on a plan to double the size of our company by the end of 2021. And that’s where you come in.

We are committed to creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. Our goals and commitments are shaped and strengthened by our team. There is more work to be done. Join us, and help us build a future where all voices are heard and everyone can feel they belong.

The ideal candidate loves to cook, is inquisitive about food, and can find a clear path through ambiguous situations. You are fulfilled by being part of a team dedicated to solving problems and developing new capabilities. You have a solid foundation of cooking skills and making food taste delicious, and the ability to learn and use a variety of software applications like Excel, Word, G Suite, and Keynote. You reach for the most illuminating questions, research the most useful answers, and ask for help. You are detail oriented, can closely follow directions, and meticulously capture processes. You enjoy working on a project until it is right, can give and receive constructive criticism. You are a savvy researcher, a follower of food trends and an attentive listener. A forward thinker, you can forecast project needs, make thoughtful & informed decisions to accommodate these, and communicate clearly with your team.

R&D chefs at TCE are highly professional consultants committed to turning ideas into delicious food across a wide spectrum from large chain brands to ambitious family businesses. Through problem solving and critical thinking, R&D chefs bring operational savvy to menu ideas, providing our clients with culinary solutions that are not only innovative, but also vetted and executable within each clients’ operational model. Unlike restaurant work, we keep normal business hours. But like restaurant work, we require a great deal of passion, motivation and commitment. R&D chefs run multiple projects in multiple phases with multiple teams, working at pace and to deadlines. R&D chefs are exposed to sourcing, equipment, best practices and strategy from every corner of the industry. It is not a prerequisite that you come with experience in strategy and consumer insights; however, an eagerness to learn & grow as well as a strong culinary foundation is key.

Research & Development Chefs must work fully at TCE Headquarters on a daily basis.

Core skills.

• Food Execution: Cook delicious meals in a thoughtful, clean and organized manner.

• Openness: Asking questions and keeping an open mind is key to our business model. Constructive criticism is both given and received with an open mind.

• Communication: Demonstrated excellent written and verbal skills, you must be knowledgeable and able to discuss food and ingredients.

• Team Oriented Problem-solving: We are looking for proactive, collaborative and creative thinkers, ready to lead and to follow in the rapid ebb and flow of consultancy life.

• Flexibility and Adaptability: Projects change and morph over time, you must be able to adapt & switch gears with grace and a calm demeanor.

• Time management: Each project has a set deliverable date, the Culinary Team must meet those deadlines and deliver client facing materials on time.

• Team management: Each project has an established team, working within this team to work efficiently, deliver materials, manage projects and communicate respectfully is of utmost important.

Responsibilities.

• Cook and create delicious, thoughtfully executed food as needed for family meal, hospitality occasions and meetings.

• Balance desk work time and kitchen time according to pre-allocated hours.

• Work professionally, quickly, cleanly, and in an organized fashion.

• Assist with client facing presentations by producing and speaking to slides.

• Develop and maintain relationships with vendors and food manufacturers.

• Research ingredients, vendors, equipment, and packaging as well as restaurants and culinary concepts.

• Participate in food tours, creative ideation sessions, research and development of new food products.

• Use established TCE templates & software to develop, deliver & refine client facing materials such as: recipes, sourcing guides, training manuals & operating materials.

• Create relevant financial materials to justify culinary decisions by using TCE resources as well as marketplace research.

• Professionally create, write and deliver a Culinary Brief to align Client with TCE development process.

• Constantly refine TCE’s physical space and intellectual property to keep us current & constantly evolving.

• Experience in managing food production, creating and completing prep lists.

• Participate in and take ownership of all aspects of R&D kitchen life including: cleaning, organizing, receiving, shipping, general errand running, office work, and family meal.

Requirements.

• 6+ years of experience cooking in professional kitchens (preferably a mix of fine dining, casual and quick service), experience in both savory & baking/pastry is a bonus, but not necessary.

• Culinary, vocational school or trade school a 4 year degree is a plus.

• Experience using MS/Apple/Gsuite toolset (Word, Excel, Keynote and equivalents).

• Able to produce client facing presentations and documentation.

• Ability to work well with large and diverse teams.

• Be flexible, easy-going, reliable, and demonstrate a professional demeanor

• Ability to travel to client sites when required.

Remuneration.

• $75,000 - $85,000 base salary (intermediate level).

• Company bonus up to 10% of Base Salary.

• $200/month Culinary Research & Development Stipend for meals & ingredients, books, and other culinary research materials.

• Health, Dental and Vision plan.

• Delicious daily family meal.