Culinary Development Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Hiring Company: Delicatessen Services Co., LLCOverview:Boar's Head Brand is seeking dynamic professional candidate with good knowledge and passion for food and foodservice industry. In this role, the candidate will be a dedicated resource to building and maintaining positive recognition of the Boar's Head Brand across all industry segments and be a resource to internal and external customers; both Purveyors, Channel Business Development Managers (CBDM) and Operators. Additionally, the Culinary Development Chef will be responsible for developing and implementing new food products and foodservice concepts in both manufacturing and retail environments, enabling the Boar's Head Brand to bring fresh, innovative, and trendsetting products and concepts to support our penetration in the Prepared Foods industry.
Reporting to the Sr. Culinary Development Manager, the candidate will collaborate with his/her supervisor, the CBDM team and be tasked with relationship development and product marketing to increase the quantity of new business opportunities and ultimately the foodservice division's success.Job Description:Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Represent, protect, and grow our Brand across all retail and foodservice channels.
• Collaborate under the direction of the Sr. Manager of Culinary Development/Executive Chef with various business channels to move prepared foods programs and recipes from concept stage to an executable operational reality and scalability.
• Maintain strategic accountability for all product development and research, including management and scheduling of test kitchen facilities in collaboration with PF Operations Managers.
• Develop in collaboration with PF Operations Managers effective build sheets and training materials to ensure the ability to execute at both store level and at central manufacturing facility (FFM).
• Actively support a culture of safety which includes, but it not limited to, food safety, employee safety and customer safety.
• Design and implement new products in high volume facilities. When possible be on-site for initial product runs to ensure first runs meet documented organoleptic measures.
• Adhere to federal, state and county or local regulations and existing laws regarding food safety. Work with food scientists on nutritional and ingredient statements while constantly championing nutritionally responsible foods.
• Maintain awareness of competitive activity and new trends in the business, communicating ideas for improvement.
• Maintain awareness of optimizing ingredient usage, production capabilities and production requirements.
• Determine how to get the most utility across product lines. Understand the benefit of additional sales opportunities and secondary opportunities for selling products, reducing overall shrink risk.
• Assist in menu development for retail and restaurant concepts, including on-site training and evaluation of operations.
• Review and evaluate retail execution of designed programs, including initial training, profitability review and on-site audits.
• Analyses customer menus to create and communicate Boar's Head products into unique, versatile and operational concepts.
• Organize, schedule and conduct off-site demonstrations with clients to illustrate the benefits of various BH products and their potential applications.
• Research, create, and write recipes that are scalable in retail and commissary environments.
• Actively supports training and development team in Sarasota and New York with Best-Practices and trainer leadership. Routinely shares relevant best-practices with internal network.
• Engage with professional affiliations (ACF, WCR, Catersource) to showcase Boar's Head commitment to Culinary Arts while networking for business development.
• Assist clients and Local Purveyors in development of new culinary and Grab & Go programs
• Maintain current and up to date on evolving all food and culinary trends with focus on global and domestic influences.
• Possess well-developed ability to taste and evaluate food with a strong ability to accurately communicate findings using sensory-based language
• Support the Culinary Development Team with the operations for the Foodservice Culinary Lab including but not exclusive to the following: Maintenance & Cleaning, Supplies and Inventory Control, Operations & Security.
• Coordinate - work cross-functionally with supply chain, culinary, marketing, operations, training, and sales to integrate recipe development plans and new product roll outs throughout the company in a collaborative, efficient and profitable manner.
• Coordination and attendance at regional, national food shows and association specific shows.
• Maintain an active, up-to-date calendar of events and activities (training dates, events, tradeshows)
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Education and Experience

• Culinary or Hospitality (BA/BS) Degree or related discipline
• ACF Certification or similar preferred
• 5-7 years of culinary experience in the hospitality or restaurant industry
• Knows the difference with premium brands vs. value drivers

Skills / Abilities

• Passionate about food, flavors, and the prepared foods industry
• Technical competency in deli meats, cheeses & innovation, trends, ingredient functionality, and commercialization.
• Adept understanding of sensory, consumer, analytical
• Ability to multi-task and work agilely across different product types and categories.
• Strong commercial acumen, technical development skills, judgment and understanding of the business and industry.
• Experience and understanding of food forward consumer trends, including culinary as well as technical/regulatory experience with non-gmo, organic, and/or clean-label food design.
• Demonstrated leadership strength in capability development and stakeholder management and supplier relationships. Excellent communications skills to interact with general management at a senior level.
• Strong project management skills and proven ability to work with cross-functional teams.
• Experience and passion for the intersection of creativity and innovation, including consumer-centric approaches.

Language Skills

• Must be fluent in English (oral and written)

Mathematical Skills

• Intermediate to Advanced math skills required - ability to convert grams to lbs, oz to kg, and be able to properly quantify recipes, formulas, etc.

Reasoning Ability

• Self-starter that does not need to be micro-managed and comfortable with navigating ambiguity. The candidate must also maintain confidentiality to ensure the integrity of the department is not jeopardized.

Work Environment

• This position involves up to approximately 25% travel utilizing commercial flights, automobile and other forms of transportation. The remainder of time is spend in an office or commercial kitchen environment.

Location:Chicago, ILTime Type:Full timeDepartment:Foodservice