Assistant Research Development Chef Jobs in Toronto, ON

Schedule: This role will cover a full time onsite schedule of Monday to Friday (9 am to 5 pm). Flexibility required outside these hours may be required as per business needs.
Location: (Laird) HWY 403 & Dundas St W, Mississauga
S'more about the team:

We are looking for an R&D Chef to create and iterate new and existing recipes as we grow the product footprint of our newest brand, Factor: a healthy, ready-to-heat meal delivery service.

We're seeking a culinary expert to create, iterate, and improve our cuisine, delighting our loyal customers' taste buds and providing optimal nutrition in the process. These recipes will need to be readily produced in large volumes while maintaining integrity and presentation before, during, and after transit, requiring an equal balance of creative rigor and operational excellence.

Our R&D Chefs work closely alongside our Production, Product, Procurement, and Menu Planning teams to develop, test, launch, and continually optimize new and existing recipes. You'll be responsible for utilizing customer feedback and performance metrics to create new and exciting meals that align with our performance, cost, and complexity constraints.

You will also be responsible for ongoing sensory testing and analysis, working alongside our production and procurement teams to improve ingredient and process quality in alignment with cost and quality objectives. 

We are looking for entrepreneurial minds who are passionate and result-driven, have a strong team spirit, and will take on a diverse set of challenges to pioneer the ever changing food industry!

Lettuce share what this role will be responsible for:

Drive Meal (Product) Development: 

• Work directly with our Executive Chef, Product Manager, and Registered Dietitians to create products that meet our guidelines (cost, ingredients, caloric/nutritional, time constraints, and operational complexity)
• Design new meals that fit our nutrition philosophy and our customers' preferences
• Leverage your knowledge of nutrition principles, food production methods, seasonal ingredients, etc. into the development of recipes that: 
• maintain their quality, even when transitioned to high-throughput commercial lines.
• Travel and present well when delivered to customers via our shipping partners across the country
• Are optimized for taste, cost and experience.
• Utilize customer data and feedback to continuously evolve and improve our meals and the process by which we develop them. Continuous improvement of our products is a must.

Provide Quality Assurance and Supervision 

• Work with the production kitchen management and staff to execute new recipes as well as implement improvements to existing recipes (i.e., proper production techniques for all meals) 
• Ensure all finished food products meet specifications, supporting with the taste testing and QA-ing of recipes during production (both during net new and modified version runs)

Collaborate with Procurement and Operations

• Work with procurement to ensure the best quality ingredients are used while minimizing food costs
• Help diagnose the root cause of quality issues reported by customers
• Support in new ingredient testing, aiding with the selection, sensory & organoleptic evaluation, and approval of ingredients.

Evaluate Customer Feedback and Drive Product Improvement

• Analyze customer feedback on meals and leverage it to improve existing meals or develop new ones 
• Seek extensive and honest feedback on meal accessibility and flavors and incorporate it into new dish ideation
• Attend and participate in weekly culinary meetings including weekly R&D tastings, weekly meal rating reviews, and team check-ins
• Collaborate with other chefs to improve and test each other's dishes

Sound a-peeling? Here's what we're looking for:

• Degree or diploma in culinary arts, culinary science, or a similar field.
• 3+ years experience corporate food R&D and/or running a commissary or large restaurant/banquet/catering.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented: you have a track record of turning ideas into reality, meeting deadlines, and not overlooking key details. You should also be comfortable juggling multiple priorities at once.
• A strong understanding of local and broader Canadian taste profiles, culinary trends, and preferences 
• Knowledge of key dietary lifestyles such as the Ketogenic Diet, low/slow carb diet, and vegan and vegetarian diets
• A passion for staying up to speed on the most current research on the science of nutrition.
• Entrepreneurial with an ownership mindset: you enjoy working in small teams, taking ownership of your work, and always thinking beyond the scope of a given assignment.
• Naturally curious: you're innovative, creative, and constantly looking for ways to improve.
• Customer centricity: you understand how your decision-making abilities will impact internal and external customers 

• Box Discount - Amazing discounts on 1 box per week! 75% discount on weekly HelloFresh and Chefs Plate meal kits AND 50% off weekly Factor meal box.
• Health & Wellness - Health & Dental benefits from day 1, a Health Spending Account, unlimited access to the Headspace app to meet your self-care needs, and 25% discount on GoodLife fitness memberships!
• RRSP Matching - Competitive RRSP matching program offered
• Vacation & PTO - Time off is also an important part of self-care! We offer generous vacation and PTO to help you create a good work-life balance.
• Family Benefits - A parental leave top-up program for expectant parents.
• Growth & Development - We support your career progression, provide development opportunities, and invest in your continued learning through our organization wide L&D fund.
• Work Hard & Have Fun - From team socials to engaging company days, you'll have plenty of opportunity to experience the fun!
• Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives - With impactful ERG's like FreshPride, Women Empowered and LIMES, we are committed to our diversity, equity & inclusion efforts.
• Food Puns - this one is kind of a big dill if you haven't already noticed. We even have some punny meeting room names!