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Development Chef Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Del Taco

R&D Chef

Lake Forest, CA · On-site

$89K - $110K/yr

JOB TITLE: R&D Chef FLSA STATUS: Exempt DEPARTMENT: Research and Development REPORTS TO: Director of Culinary Research & Development LOCATION: Lake Forest, CA Test Kitchen SALARY RANGE : $89,000 ...

Kagome Inc.

Business Development Chef

San Carlos, CA · On-site

The Business Development Chef provides culinary leadership, engages Kagome's strategic customers in partnership with Kagome's Sales Teams, and provides product expertise in the development of world ...

KAGOME, Inc.

Business Development Chef

San Carlos, CA · On-site

$77K - $127K/yr

The Business Development Chef provides culinary leadership, engages Kagome's strategic customers in partnership with Kagome's Sales Teams, and provides product expertise in the development of world ...

Del Taco, LLC

R&D Chef

Lake Forest, CA · On-site

$89K - $110K/yr

JOB TITLE: R&D Chef FLSA STATUS: Exempt DEPARTMENT: Research and Development REPORTS TO: Director of Culinary Research & Development LOCATION: Lake Forest, CA Test Kitchen SALARY RANGE : $89,000 ...

KAGOME, Inc.

Business Development Manager

Los Banos, CA · On-site

$77K - $127K/yr

Cross-Functional Collaboration: • Partner with the Culinary Team, especially the Business Development Chef, to conceptualize and develop on-trend, scalable sauce solutions tailored to prospective ...

the Chef Agency

Executive Sous Chef

Palm Desert, CA · On-site

$75K - $85K/yr

Executive Sous Chef Location: Palm Desert, CA Salary: $75,000-$85,000 base + bonus eligibility ... Strong fine dining experience with a passion for culinary excellence, team development, and ...

Hashiri+M

Chef

San Francisco, CA

$70K - $85K/yr

POSTING: Sukiyaki Chef Sukiyaki Chef -- Hashiri+M San Francisco | Reopening | $70,304-$85,000/yr ... Contribute to menu and recipe development alongside leadership * Manage ordering, inventory ...

Hashiri+M

Chef

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$70K - $85K/yr

POSTING: Sukiyaki Chef Sukiyaki Chef -- Hashiri+M San Francisco | Reopening | $70,304-$85,000/yr ... Contribute to menu and recipe development alongside leadership * Manage ordering, inventory ...

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All JobsDevelopment Chef JobsDevelopment Chef Jobs in California

Development Chef information

See California salary details

$32.6K

$76.4K

$131.3K

How much do development chef jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for development chef in California is $76,424.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $57,700.00 and $89,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a development chef?

A Development Chef is a culinary professional who specializes in creating and testing new recipes, food products, and menu items for restaurants, food manufacturers, or catering businesses. They blend creativity with technical expertise to innovate dishes that meet specific market trends, dietary requirements, and brand standards. Development Chefs often work closely with food technologists, marketing teams, and suppliers to ensure new products are both delicious and commercially viable. Their work may involve research, taste testing, and refining recipes to achieve the best possible result for consumers.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a development chef?

To thrive as a Development Chef, you need strong culinary expertise, creativity in recipe development, and a solid understanding of food safety regulations, often supported by formal culinary training and relevant certifications. Familiarity with kitchen equipment, food production management systems, and nutritional analysis software is typically expected. Strong project management, collaboration, and communication skills set outstanding Development Chefs apart. These abilities ensure innovative yet practical menu concepts that meet business goals and delight customers.

How does a development chef collaborate with other departments to create new menu items?

A Development Chef works closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, procurement, and operations, to develop innovative menu items that align with brand objectives and operational capabilities. This often involves conducting taste panels, sourcing new ingredients, and ensuring recipes are scalable for production. Regular communication and collaboration with these departments are essential to ensure that new dishes meet cost, quality, and consistency standards before being rolled out to restaurants or retail outlets.

What is the difference between Development Chef vs Sous Chef?

AspectDevelopment ChefSous Chef
CredentialsCulinary degree, culinary certificationsCulinary degree, culinary certifications
Work EnvironmentResearch and development kitchens, innovation labsRestaurant kitchens, food service establishments
Employer & IndustryFood companies, product development firmsHotels, restaurants, catering services
Primary FocusCreating new recipes, product developmentManaging kitchen operations, preparing dishes

The main difference between a Development Chef and a Sous Chef lies in their focus and work environment. Development Chefs primarily work in research and development settings, creating new recipes and food products, while Sous Chefs are hands-on kitchen leaders managing daily kitchen operations in restaurants or hotels. Both roles require culinary credentials, but their responsibilities and workplaces differ significantly.

What do development chefs do?

Development chefs create and test new recipes, menu items, and food products for restaurants, food companies, or manufacturers. They often work in test kitchens, collaborate with culinary teams, and use their knowledge of ingredients, food trends, and food safety standards to innovate and improve offerings.

What is a typical day for a development chef?

A development chef's day involves creating and testing new recipes, developing product concepts, and collaborating with cross-functional teams such as marketing and production. They often work in a kitchen or laboratory environment, utilizing culinary skills, food science knowledge, and sometimes specialized tools or software to refine products and ensure quality standards.

What are the most commonly searched types of Development Chef jobs in California?

The most popular types of Development Chef jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Development Chef jobs in California?

For Development Chef jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Development Chef jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Development Chef jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Development Chef jobs?

Cities in California with the most Development Chef job openings:

Development Chef jobs near you
Infographic showing various Development Chef job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 86% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $76,424 per year, or $36.7 per hour.

R&D Chef

Lake Forest, CA • On-site

Del Taco
Food Services and Drinking Places • 5 - 10K employees
Learn more about Del Tacoexternal

$89K - $110K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 24 days ago

Del Taco rating

5.7

Company rating: 5.7 out of 10

Based on 93 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

Job description

JOB TITLE: R&D Chef
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
DEPARTMENT: Research and Development
REPORTS TO: Director of Culinary Research & Development
LOCATION: Lake Forest, CA Test Kitchen
SALARY RANGE: $89,000 - $110,000 / Annual
SUMMARY:
The position supports the organization in the identification, ideation, development and implementation of New Product initiatives and Innovation pipelines in support of the Brand vision and growth strategies, bringing Core Menu brand positioning to life through the optimization, benchmarking, testing and validation of current menu offerings. Skills required include a blend of highly developed culinary creativity with a demonstrated knowledge of food (a well-developed understanding of American/Mexican/Latin fusion inspired food is greatly preferred). Practical operational capabilities must include: food costing and related financial skills, practical experience with both quantitative and qualitative evaluation of foods and food equipment/procedures, effective utilization of vendor/supplier assets against strategic goals and a demonstrated ability to effectively train peers and unit-level internal partners in support of new product roll-outs.
Key responsibilities include: concept ideation; prototype development; manufacturer scale up, operational viability optimization, training and presentation of concepts and products, analytical evaluation of products, maintenance of the internal recipe and costing database and the efficient sourcing and management of the Test Kitchen product inventory.
Must demonstrate the ability to successfully manage multiple projects concurrently in a lean, dynamic and fast-paced culture.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Identify and present opportunities to optimize Core Menu products, procedures or workflow.
  • Liaise with Operations and various departments to provide culinary/R&D solutions and improvements to in-restaurant performance.
  • Support training department with the development and execution of operations procedure, job aids and in-field training.
  • Regularly audit unit-level execution of food and beverage initiatives, providing feedback and solutions for improvement.
  • Maintain and regularly update the internal recipe and recipe costing databases, yield calculations and vendor portfolio.
  • Partner with Purchasing and other departments on the development of packaging and procedural solutions for all products.
  • Prepare appropriate documentation and materials to ensure a seamless transition from Research and Development to key departments, including cost analysis.
  • Interact in partnership with Operations/Purchasing/QA to refine product specifications to deliver executional consistency, viability and recipe yields
  • Take on additional projects as required by department or concept. Partner with Purchasing on an as-needed basis to validate cost savings opportunities.
  • Support Marketing on projects requiring a culinary resource such as photo shoots
  • Maintain the cleanliness and organization of the test kitchen, test kitchen coolers and freezers, and all equipment and small wares. The test kitchen must be kept clean to company and county health department standards.
  • Assist R&D team with development and presentations.
  • Support the team to maintain our Research & Development plans and timelines, including key tasks and milestones to meet project due dates.
  • Perform technical functions, such as product yields, shelf life, time hold and improvements studies.
  • Set up and break down cooking stations.
  • May perform other responsibilities as assigned. Responsibilities and duties may change when circumstances dictate. (e.g., emergencies, changes in workload, rush projects, other tasks)

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
NA
QUALIFICATIONS:
  • 2+ years minimum progressive experience as an R&D Chef/Executive Chef. Experience in the chain restaurant (QSR/Fast Casual) segment preferred.
  • Creativity: ability to identify opportunities and create new, innovative solutions. Strong analytical/investigative and troubleshooting skills
  • Ability to manage multiple projects from start to finish while maintaining priorities and details
  • Culinary expertise: theoretical understanding and practical application of culinary principles.
  • Ability to create a prototype product solely from an idea. Can reverse engineer a finished product back to its source ingredients. Well-developed sense of taste, aesthetics, and value-drivers in food. Knowledge of American/Mexican/Latin cuisine.
  • Operations experience - is familiar and comfortable with the level of operational capabilities and equipment platforms within our category and is able to design products for success within those parameters.
  • Financial acumen: has experience in food costing, yield analysis and financial reporting.
  • Consumer driven: integrates consumer feedback, trends and insights into product development process.
  • Demonstrated ability to take direction, formulate a plan and execute that plan with limited direct supervision.
  • Demonstrates the exceptional attention to detail required when documenting formulations, inputting costs, evaluating products and managing multiple deliverables/timelines.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:
  • Must openly engage and leverage knowledge and experience during cross-functional ideations, meetings and planning sessions.
  • Assist with culinary execution for specific PR initiatives
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Demonstrated strength presenting ideas in a food cutting, training, or PR initiative environment.
  • Must work well with diverse groups and support a working team relationship
  • High energy, positive, proactive, and flexible team player
  • Able to work independently, proactively, and communicate with the team (verbal and written)

COMPUTER SKILLS:
Good computer skills with advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word and Power Point.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands to handle or feel, and also to reach with hands and arms. The employee is regularly required to stand and/or walk for extended periods of the workday.
Must be able to lift up to 40 lbs.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
  • Travel up to 20%

EQUIPMENT USED:
  • All relevant kitchen/food production equipment
  • Computer, fax, calculator, copier, phone.

Licenses / Permits Required:
• ServSafe Manager Certification (can be obtained once hired)
• Food Handler's Certificate (can be obtained once hired)
• Valid Driver License and reliable transportation

What Del Taco employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

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About Del Taco

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

We proudly work harder to make fast, awesome fresh Mexican food accessible to everyone, creating delightful moments for our guests. Working at Del Taco, you'll feel proud that you are part of an iconic brand, where we actually grill, shred and chop fresh ingredients. You'll feel proud that you have a chance to grow and earn more as you work through a realistic and achievable career path. It's not about JUST DOING IT, It's about BEING THE BEST at doing it. Learn more about being the best you can be.

Industry

Food services and drinking places

Company size

5,001 - 10,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Lake Forest, CA, US

Year founded

1964

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