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Development Chef Jobs (NOW HIRING)

... Chef and Research & Development Chef to obtain accurate recipe formulations, ingredient specifications, and portion weights for all products requiring nutritional analysis Analyze and produce ...

New

Who You Are The R&D Chef is the culinary architect for the brand, bridging the gap between Michelin-caliber artistry and multi-unit scalability. This role demands a rare hybrid of elite creativity ...

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 ...

Executive Sous Chef

Rochester, NY · On-site

$80K - $90K/yr

In partnership with the executive chef and development chefs, the executive sous chef supports the testing and introduction of new recipes and brings them to life through daily menu offerings and the ...

Culinary Development Manager

Chicago, IL · On-site

$147K/yr

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 ...

Executive Chef Location: Pittsburgh, PA Salary: $85,000-$95,000 Base + Bonus Eligible (Up to 10%) ... Strong culinary background with experience in French cuisine, menu development, seasonality, and ...

Executive Sous Chef

Pittsford, NY · On-site

$61K - $78K/yr

In partnership with the executive chef and development chefs, the executive sous chef supports the testing and introduction of new recipes and brings them to life through daily menu offerings and the ...

Head Chef

Miami, FL

$70K - $100K/yr

Head Chef Location: Miami, FL Salary: Up to $100,000 Benefits: Yes, TBD Relocation: locals only A ... Collaborate with leadership on menu development and seasonal offerings * Foster a positive ...

Executive Chef Location: Naples, FL Salary: $80,000-$100,000 Benefits: Comprehensive benefits ... Experience with menu development, recipe standardization, and food cost management * Demonstrated ...

Executive Chef

Detroit, MI · On-site

$120K - $135K/yr

Minimum 5 years of Executive Chef experience in an upscale/Fine Dining Restaurant * Strong creative ... Oversee and execute all culinary operations, including menu development and service standards

Sous Chef

Dunedin, FL · On-site

$44K - $60K/yr

Mainsail Lodging & Development was named a 2025 Top Workplace by the Tampa Bay Times-a reflection ... The Sous Chef for our outlets is responsible for assisting the Chef de Cuisine in preparing the ...

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Development Chef information

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$33K

$77.4K

$133K

How much do development chef jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 22, 2026, the average yearly pay for development chef in the United States is $77,438.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $58,500.00 and $90,500.00 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.
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Cities with the most Development Chef job openings:

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

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Infographic showing various Development Chef job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 83% Full Time, 14% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 90% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $77,438 per year, or $37.2 per hour.

R&D Development Chef (Pasta, Pizza, Dough) - Ohio US

Nestlé S.A.

Solon, IA • On-site

$150 - $175/hr

Other

Medical, Retirement

Posted 4 days ago


Job description

Nestlé’s Research & Development Center is our regional powerhouse driving innovation in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical science. Backed by our global Nestlé R&D organization, we lead breakthrough discoveries that are both good for consumers and the planet. Our team of experts range from product developers to engineers, working across our portfolio of food, beverage, infant nutrition, and health science to create leading-edge products and services. As part of our organization, you will use your entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence to unlock the power of food and provide premium value.

This position is eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

POSITION SUMMARY:

This role drivespizza, pasta and dough culinary mastership at the Nestlé Development Center (NDC Solon, OH), and is a key contributor to the Nestlé Global Chef Network.

A successful team member demonstrates a high level of cooking and cuisine expertise specifically in pizza dough, fresh pasta and overall dough craftsmanship, and the ability to transform creative ideas into desirable, feasible and viable working concepts/prototypes.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Develop and drive culinary-inspired ideas, concepts and prototypes based on consumer and marketplace trends/needs and business opportunities.
  • Develop and drive gold standard and reference targets for projects, from idea inception to commercialization/scale up.
  • Develop, maintain and leverage external networks in the culinary community.
  • Identify, own, and activate a Culinary Excellence/Culinary Education workstream within and across the broader Nestlé Chef Network and the R&D community.
  • Maintain and continue to develop culinary skills by initiating, planning and executing inspirational activities and events in the development center.
  • Inspire and support opportunities with the Nestlé Chef Network in creativity, problem-solving, information sharing, common challenges or internal/external events and publicity (weekly planning-meeting and calendar in common).
  • Own best practice in kitchen and product safety and organization and work planning.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS (Education, Experience and Knowledge):
  • 5+ years of professional kitchen experience including Michelin-rated (or equivalent award-winning) high-end fine dining restaurants.
  • Demonstrated craftsmanship and expertise in pizza, pasta and dough recipe design and scaling for consistency, including ingredient selection, dough fermentation techniques and preparation methods.
  • Demonstrated professional culinary technique (recipe planning, preparation, and presentation), as guided by global high-end fine dining gastronomy standards such as Michelin (or similar equivalent).
  • Excellent communication skills (oral, written, and presentation). Must demonstrate clear and concise explanations of product culinary characteristics and marketplace trends (what, why, how).
  • Excellent organizational and planning skills. Can independently and proactively prioritize and manage time and resource commitments across multiple projects.
  • Strong self-directed curiosity, creativity, prototyping and "idea pitch" skill.
  • Strong collaboration, networking & information gathering skills. Understands and can proactively leverage and promote relationship networks.
  • Ability to Travel 10 - 15%.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

Position reports to R&D Category Director, who together with the Global Concept & Development Kitchen Lead for NPTC Food will provide an onboarding plan, and ongoing coaching and development support.

SUPERVISION GIVEN:

This individual does not have any direct reports but should be able to coach/mentor team members in projects that he/she is leading.

FINANCIAL/STRATEGIC IMPACT:

This position is in support and service of the NestléGlobal brand environment and NestléUSA Food Brands including (but not limited to) Stouffer's, Lean Cuisine, Vital Pursuit, Hot Pockets, DiGiorno, California Pizza Kitchen, Jack’s and Tombstone.

The approximate pay range for this position is $150,000 to $175,000.00 USD. Please note that the pay range provided is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Final compensation may vary based on factors including but not limited to knowledge, skills and abilities as well as geographic location.

Nestlé offers performance-based incentives and acompetitive total rewards package, which includes a401k with company match, healthcare coverage and a broad range ofother benefits. Incentives and/or benefit packages may varydepending on the position. Learn more at About Us |Nestlé Careers (nestlejobs.com)

Nestle in the US Benefits

It is our business imperative to remain a very inclusive workplace.

The Nestlé Companies are equal employment opportunity employers. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Prior to the next step in the recruiting process, we welcome you to inform us confidentially if you may require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment experience. Contact us at accommodations@nestle.com or please dial 711 and provide this number to the operator: 1-800-321-6467.

Nestlé’s Research & Development Center is our regional powerhouse driving innovation in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical science. Backed by our global Nestlé R&D organization, we lead breakthrough discoveries that are both good for consumers and the planet. Our team of experts range from product developers to engineers, working across our portfolio of food, beverage, infant nutrition, and health science to create leading-edge products and services. As part of our organization, you will use your entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence to unlock the power of food and provide premium value.

This position is eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

POSITION SUMMARY:

This role drivespizza, pasta and dough culinary mastership at the Nestlé Development Center (NDC Solon, OH), and is a key contributor to the Nestlé Global Chef Network.

A successful team member demonstrates a high level of cooking and cuisine expertise specifically in pizza dough, fresh pasta and overall dough craftsmanship, and the ability to transform creative ideas into desirable, feasible and viable working concepts/prototypes.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Develop and drive culinary-inspired ideas, concepts and prototypes based on consumer and marketplace trends/needs and business opportunities.
  • Develop and drive gold standard and reference targets for projects, from idea inception to commercialization/scale up.
  • Develop, maintain and leverage external networks in the culinary community.
  • Identify, own, and activate a Culinary Excellence/Culinary Education workstream within and across the broader Nestlé Chef Network and the R&D community.
  • Maintain and continue to develop culinary skills by initiating, planning and executing inspirational activities and events in the development center.
  • Inspire and support opportunities with the Nestlé Chef Network in creativity, problem-solving, information sharing, common challenges or internal/external events and publicity (weekly planning-meeting and calendar in common).
  • Own best practice in kitchen and product safety and organization and work planning.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS (Education, Experience and Knowledge):
  • 5+ years of professional kitchen experience including Michelin-rated (or equivalent award-winning) high-end fine dining restaurants.
  • Demonstrated craftsmanship and expertise in pizza, pasta and dough recipe design and scaling for consistency, including ingredient selection, dough fermentation techniques and preparation methods.
  • Demonstrated professional culinary technique (recipe planning, preparation, and presentation), as guided by global high-end fine dining gastronomy standards such as Michelin (or similar equivalent).
  • Excellent communication skills (oral, written, and presentation). Must demonstrate clear and concise explanations of product culinary characteristics and marketplace trends (what, why, how).
  • Excellent organizational and planning skills. Can independently and proactively prioritize and manage time and resource commitments across multiple projects.
  • Strong self-directed curiosity, creativity, prototyping and "idea pitch" skill.
  • Strong collaboration, networking & information gathering skills. Understands and can proactively leverage and promote relationship networks.
  • Ability to Travel 10 - 15%.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

Position reports to R&D Category Director, who together with the Global Concept & Development Kitchen Lead for NPTC Food will provide an onboarding plan, and ongoing coaching and development support.

SUPERVISION GIVEN:

This individual does not have any direct reports but should be able to coach/mentor team members in projects that he/she is leading.

FINANCIAL/STRATEGIC IMPACT:

This position is in support and service of the NestléGlobal brand environment and NestléUSA Food Brands including (but not limited to) Stouffer's, Lean Cuisine, Vital Pursuit, Hot Pockets, DiGiorno, California Pizza Kitchen, Jack’s and Tombstone.

The approximate pay range for this position is $150,000 to $175,000.00 USD. Please note that the pay range provided is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Final compensation may vary based on factors including but not limited to knowledge, skills and abilities as well as geographic location.

Nestlé offers performance-based incentives and acompetitive total rewards package, which includes a401k with company match, healthcare coverage and a broad range ofother benefits. Incentives and/or benefit packages may varydepending on the position. Learn more at About Us |Nestlé Careers (nestlejobs.com)

Nestle in the US Benefits

It is our business imperative to remain a very inclusive workplace.

The Nestlé Companies are equal employment opportunity employers. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Prior to the next step in the recruiting process, we welcome you to inform us confidentially if you may require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment experience. Contact us at accommodations@nestle.com or please dial 711 and provide this number to the operator: 1-800-321-6467.

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