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Director Culinary Innovation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Wendy's

Manager - Culinary Innovation

Dublin, OH · On-site

$105K - $184K/yr

Lead culinary innovation by creating trend-forward menu items aligned with brand strategy. Manage ... Grow and Develop Direct Reports * Mentor team members through structured development plans and ...

Wendy's

Manager - Culinary Innovation

Dublin, OH · On-site

$105K - $184K/yr

Lead culinary innovation by creating trend-forward menu items aligned with brand strategy. Manage ... Grow and Develop Direct Reports * Mentor team members through structured development plans and ...

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Director Culinary Innovation information

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$30K

$96.9K

$214K

How much do director culinary innovation jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for director culinary innovation in the United States is $96,881.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $60,000.00 and $123,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a director of culinary innovation do?

A Director of Culinary Innovation leads the development of new food concepts, recipes, and menu items within a restaurant group, food company, or hospitality organization. They research food trends, collaborate with chefs and product developers, and oversee the testing and implementation of new culinary offerings. This role combines creativity with business strategy to ensure that new menu items are both appealing to customers and aligned with the brand's goals. Additionally, they may work closely with marketing, supply chain, and operations teams to ensure successful product launches and consistent quality.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a director of culinary innovation?

To thrive as a Director of Culinary Innovation, you need extensive culinary expertise, menu development experience, and a degree in culinary arts or a related field. Familiarity with food safety standards, R&D processes, and kitchen management systems is typically required, along with certifications such as ServSafe. Creativity, leadership, and strong communication skills set standout candidates apart by enabling effective team collaboration and trend-setting ideation. These skills are crucial to successfully leading culinary teams, developing market-responsive menus, and ensuring operational excellence.

How does a director of culinary innovation typically collaborate with other departments within a food service organization?

A Director of Culinary Innovation frequently partners with teams such as marketing, supply chain, and operations to ensure new menu items align with brand strategy, ingredient availability, and kitchen workflows. This role often leads cross-functional meetings to gather feedback, address operational concerns, and refine recipes based on input from chefs, nutritionists, and customer insights teams. Effective collaboration is essential to successfully launch innovative concepts that are both exciting for customers and feasible for large-scale implementation.

What is the difference between Director Culinary Innovation vs Executive Chef?

AspectDirector Culinary InnovationExecutive Chef
Primary FocusDeveloping new culinary concepts, product innovation, and culinary strategyOverseeing kitchen operations, menu creation, and food preparation
Work EnvironmentCorporate kitchens, R&D labs, product development settingsRestaurant kitchens, hotel kitchens, culinary establishments
CredentialsOften requires culinary degree, experience in innovation or R&DCulinary degree, extensive kitchen experience, culinary certifications
Industry UsageCommon in food manufacturing, hospitality chains, and corporate food servicesPrimarily in restaurants, hotels, and culinary establishments

The main difference is that the Director of Culinary Innovation focuses on creating new culinary concepts and product development within a corporate or industry setting, while the Executive Chef manages daily kitchen operations and menu execution in a restaurant or hospitality environment. Both roles require culinary expertise, but their responsibilities and work environments differ significantly.

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Director Culinary Innovation jobs near you
Infographic showing various Director Culinary Innovation job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 85% Full Time, 14% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $96,881 per year, or $46.6 per hour.

Director Culinary Services

Ventura Foods

Fort Worth, TX • Hybrid

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 6 days ago

Ventura Foods rating

6.9

Company rating: 6.9 out of 10

Based on 33 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

242nd of 445 rated food and drinks producers

Job description

Employment Type: Salaried
Work Arrangement: Hybrid 

Position Summary:

The Director, Culinary Services, is a senior leadership role that 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 our Customers and Sales, Product Development, Customer Success, and Marketing teams. The Director will play a lead role in evolving the company's innovation services, strengthening customer relationships, and ensuring alignment with our customers' business objectives. The ideal candidate would combines culinary vision with business acumen to accelerate speed-to-market, inspire customers, and drive their revenue growth. This role is a "player-coach" and will provide leadership to three direct reports. This position is Hybrid based from our Fort Worth, TX. location.  

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 evolution of our Vista Food Innovation Service. 
  • Provides leadership, guides individual development plans/career growth, and ensures performance standards of three direct culinary reports.  Hires open positions directly reporting to this role. 
  • 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. Ensures the kitchen possesses a Food Protection Manager Certification and meets or exceeds state regulation code for a commercial food service space. 
  • Leads culinary support for company and industry events where culinary execution and food service is required. Includes developing concepts, products, menus, execution plans, and communication. 
  • Document all customer project activity in the Salesforce Velocity CRM system to capture the value and investment provided to customers. 
  • Employs and/or develops digital tools such as videos for menu concepts, product category training, social media, YouTube, and direct to customer engagements. 
Education and Experience:
  • Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, or related field is preferred. AA/AOC Culinary degree, professional certificate, or recognized apprenticeship program with equivalent executive-level experience in culinary leadership and product development will be considered.
  • 10 + years of progressive culinary experience in restaurant operations, food manufacturer, or culinary sales.  \
  • 3-5 years experience in a food manufacturer role is preferred.
  • Ability to travel up to 40% for customer meetings and industry events.
  • Experience includes hands-on kitchen operations, menu innovation, product development, direct customer engagement, team leadership, commercialization, and turning strategy into business growth. 
  • Deep knowledge of food safety, product development, regulatory, product commercialization, trends, and marketing strategies. 
Knowledge and Skills:
  • CEC and/or CRC certifications are preferred. 
  • Food Protection Manager certification is preferred. 
  • 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. 
  • Strong business acumen with ability to connect culinary innovation to commercial growth.
  • Exceptional presentation, communication, and negotiation skills.
  • Passionate about delivering customer value through food innovation.
  • Strategic thinker with customer-centric approach to culinary innovation.
  • Inspirational communicator with executive presence.
  • Skilled in project management and cross-functional collaboration.
  • Relationship-driven leader with strong commercial instincts.
  • Kitchen operations expert - fine dining, high-volume food service, casual, fast-casual, QSR, and retail food service. 
  • Working knowledge and use of digital/video capability is preferred. 

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
    • Annual bonus (based on the incentive program terms and conditions)

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.

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