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Culinary Sales Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Ventura Foods

Culinary Services Manager

Irvine, CA · On-site

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 ...

Ventura Foods

Culinary Services Manager

Irvine, CA

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 ...

Ventura Foods

Culinary Services Manager

Irvine, CA · On-site

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 ...

Ventura Foods

Culinary Services Manager

Irvine, CA · Hybrid

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 ...

Altius Search Group

Banquet Manager

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$85K - $90K/yr

Working alongside Catering, Culinary, Sales, and Hotel Operations, you'll ensure every event is delivered seamlessly-from the first setup to the final guest farewell. This is a highly visible ...

Hyatt Hotels

Food and Beverage Manager

Ontario, CA · On-site

$73K - $76K/yr

The Food & Beverage Manager leads all front-of-house operations while partnering closely with Culinary, Sales & Catering, and Hotel Leadership to deliver world-class dining experiences and flawless ...

New

Unox Inc

Active Marketing Chef I

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Prior experience in hospitality, foodservice, or culinary sales is a plus. * Must reside in Northern California and be willing to travel within the assigned region up to 50%. Why Unox? Continuous ...

Kinder's

Culinary Experience Specialist

Walnut Creek, CA

$38K - $52K/yr

This role will report to the Culinary Director and work cross-functionally with Studio (Brand), Growth, Sales, Quality, Product Development, and Operations as needed. Primary Responsibilities ...

Kinder's

Culinary Experience Specialist

Walnut Creek, CA · On-site

$38K - $52K/yr

This role will report to the Culinary Director and work cross-functionally with Studio (Brand), Growth, Sales, Quality, Product Development, and Operations as needed. Primary Responsibilities ...

Kinder's

Culinary Experience Specialist

Walnut Creek, CA · On-site

$38K - $52K/yr

This role will report to the Culinary Director and work cross-functionally with Studio (Brand), Growth, Sales, Quality, Product Development, and Operations as needed. Primary Responsibilities ...

Haliburton International

Culinary Chef

Ontario, CA · On-site

Summary Under the supervision of the Culinary Manager and in support of Haliburton's sales division, the Corporate Chef's primary role is to work with key food service account culinary/menu ...

Kinder's

Culinary Development Manager

Walnut Creek, CA · On-site

... Sales, and Operations, to ensure quality and facilitate the scale-up of new flavors. Key ... Culinary Development & Innovation * Drive culinary development of new flavor profiles and products ...

Kinder's

Culinary Development Manager

Walnut Creek, CA · On-site

... Brand, Sales, and Operations, to ensure quality and facilitate the scale-up of new flavors ... Culinary Development & Innovation * Drive culinary development of new flavor profiles and products ...

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Culinary Sales information

See California salary details

$10

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$28

How much do culinary sales jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 2, 2026, the average hourly pay for culinary sales in California is $17.79, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $14.71 and $18.27 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is culinary sales?

Culinary sales involves selling food products, ingredients, equipment, or services to restaurants, hotels, catering companies, and other foodservice businesses. Professionals in culinary sales work to understand their clients' needs, present appropriate products or solutions, and build long-term relationships to drive repeat business. The role requires strong product knowledge, effective communication skills, and the ability to negotiate and close deals. Culinary sales representatives often work for food distributors, manufacturers, or specialty brands.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a culinary sales professional?

To thrive in Culinary Sales, you need a solid understanding of food products, sales strategies, and industry trends, often supported by experience in hospitality or a related field. Familiarity with CRM software, inventory management systems, and sometimes certifications like ServSafe are typically required. Excellent communication, relationship-building, and negotiation skills help professionals connect with clients and close deals. These skills and qualifications are vital for effectively matching culinary solutions to client needs and driving business growth in a competitive market.

How does a culinary sales professional typically collaborate with chefs and purchasing teams to meet client needs?

Culinary Sales professionals work closely with chefs, foodservice managers, and purchasing teams to understand their specific menu requirements, budget constraints, and quality standards. They often provide product samples, coordinate tastings, and offer suggestions based on current culinary trends. This collaborative approach ensures clients receive tailored solutions and builds long-term relationships. Strong communication and product knowledge are essential for effectively bridging the gap between client needs and supplier offerings.

What is the difference between Culinary Sales vs Food Service Sales?

AspectCulinary SalesFood Service Sales
CredentialsExperience in culinary arts, food industry knowledgeSales experience, industry knowledge, sometimes culinary familiarity
Work EnvironmentKitchen settings, food production facilities, trade showsRestaurants, catering companies, food distributors
Employer & Industry UsageFood manufacturers, culinary equipment companiesFood service providers, restaurant suppliers

While both roles involve selling food-related products, Culinary Sales focuses on promoting culinary ingredients, equipment, or services to chefs and food professionals, often requiring culinary knowledge. Food Service Sales targets restaurants and food establishments, emphasizing sales strategies tailored to food service operations. Understanding these differences helps candidates align their skills with the right role in the food industry.

What culinary sales jobs make the most money?

In culinary sales, roles such as foodservice sales managers and specialty food sales representatives tend to have higher earning potential, often earning six-figure salaries with commissions and bonuses. Success in these roles typically requires strong industry knowledge, sales skills, and sometimes certifications in food safety or culinary arts.

What are popular job titles related to Culinary Sales jobs in California?

For Culinary Sales jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Culinary Sales jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Culinary Sales jobs in California are:

Culinary Sales jobs near you
Infographic showing various Culinary Sales job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 84% Full Time, 15% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 78% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 21% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $37,010 per year, or $17.8 per hour.

Culinary Services Manager

Ventura Foods

Irvine, CA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 14 days ago

Ventura Foods rating

6.9

Company rating: 6.9 out of 10

Based on 33 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

241st of 443 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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