Culinary Director Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Washington, DC

Call Your Mother is a Jewish deli where “Boca meets Brooklyn.” The husband‑and‑wife team that founded the brand created a casual, nostalgic place for bagel sandwiches that has expanded to shops across the DMV, Colorado, Chicago, and Philadelphia. We’re looking for our first Head of Culinary to shape the future of the company.

This is a once‑in‑a‑career opportunity to help shape the future of Call Your Mother. As our first‑ever Head of Culinary, you'll partner directly with our Co‑Founders and Chief Culinary Officer to shape the next chapter of our menu, culinary strategy, and food innovation. You'll lead our Research & Development and Quality Assurance teams while partnering cross‑functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Training, Marketing, and Finance to bring great ideas to life.

• Have 7+ years of culinary leadership experience across a multi‑unit restaurant organization, with a deep understanding of what it takes to execute food consistently at scale.
• Have completed professional culinary training or built equivalent expertise through hands‑on experience.
• Have successfully led menu innovation, product launches, recipe implementation, commercialization, and operational training across multiple locations.
• Have developed high‑performing culinary teams through coaching, trust, and accountability.
• Are highly organized and can confidently juggle multiple priorities, projects, and timelines without losing sight of the details.
• Know food safety, quality assurance, kitchen systems, and production management like the back of your hand.
• Believe great food is equal parts creativity and relentless execution and get just as excited about improving a beloved classic as you do creating the next guest obsession.
• Sweat the details because you know guests can taste the difference.
• Lead with humility, curiosity, high standards, and a roll‑up‑your‑sleeves mentality.
• Can move comfortably between the test kitchen, supplier meetings, executive conversations, commissaries, and shop operations.
• Are digging our big BIG V.I.B.E.S. (Vibrancy, Integrity, Belonging, Energy, and Seize the Moment).

• Partner side‑by‑side with our Co‑Founder & Chief Culinary Officer to bring our culinary vision to life and help shape what's next for Call Your Mother.
• Lead our Research & Development and Quality Assurance teams, building a high‑performing culinary organization rooted in creativity, collaboration, and accountability.
• Establish and uphold culinary standards that protect the integrity of our food as we continue to grow, while identifying opportunities to improve consistency, quality, speed, and profitability.
• Own the end‑to‑end product development process: from first idea and kitchen experimentation through testing, operational validation, commercialization, launch, and post‑launch optimization.
• Develop new menu items, seasonal offerings, beverages, and products that surprise and delight guests while staying true to the Call Your Mother brand.
• Protect and continuously improve our core menu, ensuring our guest favorites remain consistently delicious as we grow.
• Build scalable recipes, systems, and standards that deliver chef‑quality food across every shop and commissary.
• Partner closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Training, Marketing, Finance, and Development to ensure every new product is operationally executable, financially sound, and ready for successful rollout.
• Establish and evolve quality assurance standards, auditing programs, and food specifications that protect consistency across all products and locations.
• Collaborate with supplier partners to source, develop, and commercialize ingredients that meet our quality standards while supporting long‑term growth.
• Stay relentlessly curious about food, ingredients, techniques, equipment, and consumer insights, not to chase trends, but to thoughtfully evolve the menu in ways that feel authentically Call Your Mother.
• Roll up your sleeves. Some days you'll be in the kitchen, some days in a shop, some days at a commissary, and some days in a conference room. We believe the best culinary leaders stay close to the food and the people making it.

• Competitive salary: $170,000, plus annual bonus opportunity and stock options.
• Make an impact: You'll work directly with our Chief Culinary Officer to influence standards, recipes, and how every shop executes.
• Health Insurance: Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Unlimited paid time off.
• 100% Paid, 12‑week parental leave for time with the itty, bitty baby.
• 401(k) with 4% company match.
• Step your knowledge game up: Free English and Spanish classes, plus Duolingo reimbursement.
• Real support when life gets complicated: Confidential therapy and professional resources for mental health, legal guidance, financial wellness, and more.
• BAGELS ON THE HOUSE: Plus 50% off when you're off the clock.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands for this position include seeing, hearing, speaking, reading, and communicating effectively; standing, walking, reaching, bending, and performing repetitive physical movements; lifting up to 50 pounds; and safely operating equipment and tools using manual dexterity. This role also requires working in a fast‑paced environment around hot equipment, sharp tools, and varying temperatures, and occasionally working in confined spaces. These physical requirements may be accomplished with or without reasonable accommodation.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Call Your Mother is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We enthusiastically celebrate the diversity of our team and believe that talent, passion, and experience are the only relevant criteria for considering new team members. We provide equal opportunities to everyone who works for us and every applicant. We consider applicants for all positions without regard to sex or gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

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