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Culinary Innovation Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Ventura Foods

Culinary Services Manager

Irvine, CA · On-site

The Manager, Culinary Services, will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting directly to the VP, this position ...

Posted today

Ventura Foods

Culinary Services Manager

Irvine, CA · Hybrid

The Manager, Culinary Services, will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting directly to the VP, this position ...

New

Sodexo

Regional Culinary Director

San Diego, CA · On-site +1

$115K - $180K/yr

As Director of Culinary, Offer Implementation with Sodexo Live!, your passion for culinary innovation and technical skill sets position you to implement and oversee culinary programs and operations ...

ATOMS Careers page

Culinary R&D Associate

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$70K - $110K/yr

Develop and execute an LTO strategy that balances culinary innovation with the realities of small, extremely high-volume footprints * Develop, test, and iterate recipes from base testing through ...

sweetgreen

Head of Culinary

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

Head of Culinary sweetgreen is on a mission to build healthier communities by connecting people to ... Drive Menu Innovation to fuel and enable growth and profitability - This role will be the key ...

New

Lab37

Culinary R&D Associate

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$70K - $110K/yr

Develop and execute an LTO strategy that balances culinary innovation with the realities of small, extremely high-volume footprints * Develop, test, and iterate recipes from base testing through ...

Lab37

Culinary R&D Associate

Los Angeles, CA

$70K - $110K/yr

Develop and execute an LTO strategy that balances culinary innovation with the realities of small, extremely high-volume footprints * Develop, test, and iterate recipes from base testing through ...

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Culinary Innovation information

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How much do culinary innovation jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 21, 2026, the average hourly pay for culinary innovation in California is $18.70, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $14.95 and $18.51 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is culinary innovation?

Culinary innovation refers to the process of creating new food products, recipes, or dining experiences by combining creativity with culinary expertise. It often involves experimenting with flavors, techniques, and presentation to meet evolving consumer tastes and industry trends. Professionals in this field may work in restaurants, food manufacturing, or hospitality, collaborating with chefs and product developers to bring fresh ideas to the table. Culinary innovation helps businesses stay competitive by offering unique and exciting options to customers.

How does a professional in Culinary Innovation typically collaborate with other departments within a food company?

Professionals in Culinary Innovation regularly work cross-functionally with teams such as product development, marketing, quality assurance, and supply chain. They often translate culinary trends and consumer preferences into viable product concepts, collaborating with food scientists to ensure recipes are scalable and meet safety standards. Effective communication and teamwork are essential, as they participate in brainstorming sessions, attend product tastings, and provide culinary expertise during product launches. This collaborative environment allows them to influence multiple stages of the product lifecycle and see their ideas brought to market.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in Culinary Innovation, and why are they important?

To excel in Culinary Innovation, you need a strong background in culinary arts, food science, and recipe development, often supported by experience in professional kitchens or a relevant degree. Familiarity with commercial kitchen equipment, food safety certifications, and product development software is typically required. Creativity, adaptability, and strong collaboration skills help drive the creation of unique dishes and successful teamwork. These abilities are crucial for developing innovative food concepts that meet market demands and maintain high-quality standards.

What is the difference between Culinary Innovation vs Food Scientist?

AspectCulinary InnovationFood Scientist
Required CredentialsCooking certifications, culinary degrees, culinary arts experienceFood science degrees, certifications in food safety and technology
Work EnvironmentCommercial kitchens, R&D kitchens, culinary labsResearch labs, manufacturing facilities, food development centers
Employer & Industry UsageRestaurants, food companies, culinary startupsFood manufacturing, research institutions, regulatory agencies

While both roles focus on food development, Culinary Innovation emphasizes creating new recipes and culinary concepts, often in a kitchen setting. Food Scientists focus on the scientific aspects of food, including safety, preservation, and formulation, typically working in research labs. Understanding these differences helps in choosing the right career path or job search focus.

What are the most commonly searched types of Culinary Innovation jobs in California?

The most popular types of Culinary Innovation jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Culinary Innovation jobs?

Cities in California with the most Culinary Innovation job openings:

Culinary Innovation jobs near you
Infographic showing various Culinary Innovation job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 67% Full Time, and 33% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $38,904 per year, or $18.7 per hour.

Culinary Services Manager

Ventura Foods

Irvine, CA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 19 hours ago

Posted today

Ventura Foods rating

6.9

Company rating: 6.9 out of 10

Based on 33 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

239th of 442 rated food and drinks producers

Job description

Employment Type: Salaried
Work Arrangement: Hybrid- Sandy Springs, GA.  

Position Summary:

The Manager, Culinary Services,  will champion our Food Innovation Services, technical expertise, and commercial growth for Ventura Foods and its customers. Reporting directly to the VP, this position serves as a lead culinary interface between Customers, Sales, Product Development, Insights, and Marketing. The Manager will play a lead role in executing the company’s innovation services, strengthening customer relationships, and ensure alignment between product development and business objectives. This role will develop concepts and products to accelerate speed-to-market, menu innovation and drive revenue growth for our customers. This role will act as the culinary lead for the Sandy Spring, GA Innovation Center. 

Major Duties and Responsibilities:
  • Provides menu and product innovation services to key customers in multiple business channels. Develops menu concepts and products. Collaborates and/or leads cross-functional teams to present these solutions to customers. Plays a key role in the execution of our Vista Food Innovation Service. 
  • Employs and/or develops digital tools such as videos for menu concepts, product category training, social media, YouTube, and direct to customer engagements. Expands our culinary reach through these tools. 
  • Is the culinary site leader for this location. Owns and manages the kitchen event calendar and culinary execution those events. Ensures the kitchen is cleaned, maintained, and organized. Develops and maintains relationships with third-party culinary facilities. This includes our area broker kitchen for project work involving food preparation. Includes contracted facilities for executing presentations to customers. 
  • Provides and/or leads culinary support for company and industry events where culinary and food service is required. Includes developing concepts, products, menus, execution plans, and communcation. 
  • Documents all customer project acitivty in the Salesforce CRM system to capture the value and time investment provided to customers.  
Education and Experience:

Required:              

  • Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, or related field is preferred. AA/AOC Culinary degree, professional certificate, or recognized apprenticeship program, equivalent culinary and product development will be considered. 
    •    7+ years of progressive culinary experience in restaurant operations, food manufacturer, or culinary sales.  3+ years experience in a food manufacturer role is preferred.
    •    Experience includes hands-on kitchen operations, menu innovation, product development, direct customer engagement, team leadership, commercialization, and turning strategy into business growth. 
    •    Experience in collaborating and/or leading cross-functional teams to create customer solutions. 
    •    Proven success in building customer relationships and translating culinary trends into customer menu solutions. 
    •    Ability to travel up to 40% for customer meetings and industry events.

Highly Preferred:        

  • Possesses or meets requirement to acheive CEC and/or CRC certifications are preferred.
  • Food Protection Manager certification is preferred. 
  • Demonstrated working knowledge and use of digital/video capability.
  • Strong business acumen with ability to connect culinary innovation to commercial growth
  • Strong presentation, communication, and negotiation skills
  • Deep knowledge of food safety, product development, regulatory, product commercialization, trends, and marketing strategies. 
  • Proven profiency in food preparation and execution at a high-level.
Knowledge and Skills:
  • Passionate about food and delivering customer value through food innovation.
    •    Strategic thinker with customer-centric approach to culinary innovation.
    •    Ability to work independently with broad direction. 
    •    Skilled in project management and cross-functional collaboration.
    •    Relationship-driven culinarian with strong commercial instincts.
    •    Kitchen operations expert – fine dining, high-volume food service, casual, fast-casual, QSR, and retail food service. 

Why Join Us:
Ventura Foods innovates and manufactures food solutions for foodservice and retail businesses.  We make exclusive products for the world's most iconic restaurants and retailers, we provide ready-to-go product solutions for professional kitchens, and we make consumer brands everyone knows and loves.  When you work for Ventura Foods, you get a strong foundation of training, a manager who cares about you and celebrates your success, a safe environment, and challenging work.  As part of our team, your future is limited only by how much you’re willing to push yourself to get there. We invest in your growth because you invest in ours.  

Ventura Foods offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits:​

  • Medical, Prescription, Dental, & Vision – coverage beginning on your 1st day for eligible employees​
  • Profit Sharing and 401(k) matching (after eligible criteria is met)​
  • Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays​
  • Employee Appreciation Events​ and Employee Assistance Programs
  • Salary Base Range of $114,801.00 - $150,678.15*

*The “base salary range” provided above is a good faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position in the specified markets.  Ventura Foods reserves the right to pay outside of the given range based on a variety of factors including but not limited to: candidate skills and experience, complexity of the job, budgetary factors, and location/geography.  Ventura Foods conducts regular reviews of compensation ranges and therefore reserves the right to alter this range at any given time.  

Diversity & Inclusion:
Our commitment to a diverse and inclusive environment in which all employees are treated with respect is evident in our company culture and values.  We believe that fostering an environment of inclusion and a focus on diversity across our organization is vital to attracting top talent, driving innovation, and meeting the high expectations of our customers in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.

Ventura Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Ventura Foods may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted tools at certain stages of our hiring process, including identifying & sourcing candidates, reviewing applications and matched candidates on job boards and websites, and generating screening questions to help us work more efficiently and consistently. We regularly review our tools to promote fairness and reduce the risk of bias. However, while these tools support our process, every hiring decision is made by a real person on our team.  Applicants in the State of New York may request an alternative process by contacting us at VFaccessibility@rescocompany.com.

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