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Director Of Culinary Innovation Jobs in Riverside, CA

Haliburton International

Culinary Chef

Ontario, CA · On-site

... innovation executives on product and menu concept initiatives. The Corporate Chef's position ... the Director of Culinary. * Collaborates and works with other team members and cross-functional ...

Vallarta Supermarkets

Culinary Field Chef

Colton, CA · On-site

Director of Culinary Job Summary: The Culinary Field Chef supports day-to-day field culinary operations across all foodservice programs, ensuring consistent execution of Vallarta standards. This role ...

Invicta Software

Director Of Operations

Irvine, CA · On-site

$180 - $260/hr

The Director of Operations at Invicta Software is a highly crucial position, core to the structure ... A positive work environment that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship. #J-18808-Ljbffr

company1059

Director of Preconstruction

Irvine, CA · On-site

... for growth, innovation, and professional development. Join our dynamic team and be part of a ... The Director of Preconstruction Services will be an important and strategic partner with the ...

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All JobsOf Culinary Innovation JobsDirector Of Culinary Innovation JobsDirector Of Culinary Innovation Jobs in Riverside, CA

Director Of Culinary Innovation information

See Riverside, CA salary details

$31.3K

$101.1K

$223.3K

How much do director of culinary innovation jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 17, 2026, the average yearly pay for director of culinary innovation in Riverside, CA is $101,073.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $62,600.00 and $128,300.00 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 for restaurants, food service companies, or food brands. They research food trends, collaborate with chefs and product development teams, and oversee the testing and implementation of new culinary ideas. Their goal is to create unique, marketable, and profitable food offerings that set their organization apart from competitors. Additionally, they ensure that new products align with the brand's identity and customer preferences while maintaining high standards for quality and safety.

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 usually a degree in culinary arts or hospitality management. Familiarity with food production technology, recipe management software, and industry certifications such as ServSafe are commonly required. Strong leadership, creativity, and the ability to collaborate across departments are essential soft skills for this role. These skills are vital for driving culinary trends, ensuring food quality, and leading teams to deliver innovative and profitable menu offerings.

What are some common challenges faced by a director of culinary innovation when introducing new menu concepts?

A Director of Culinary Innovation often encounters challenges such as aligning creative ideas with operational feasibility, ensuring new dishes can be replicated consistently across multiple locations, and balancing innovation with customer preferences and brand identity. Collaboration with chefs, supply chain teams, and marketing is essential to address sourcing limitations and ensure successful rollouts. Additionally, staying ahead of food trends while maintaining cost-effectiveness requires ongoing market research and adaptability.

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

AspectDirector Of Culinary InnovationExecutive Chef
Primary FocusDeveloping new culinary concepts and product innovationOverseeing kitchen operations and food preparation
Work EnvironmentCorporate kitchens, R&D labs, product development settingsRestaurant kitchens, hotel kitchens, catering services
CredentialsOften culinary degree, experience in product development or innovationCulinary degree, extensive kitchen management experience
Industry UsageFood manufacturing, hospitality, restaurant chainsRestaurants, hotels, catering companies

The main difference is that the Director Of Culinary Innovation focuses on creating new culinary concepts and products, often in a corporate or development setting, while the Executive Chef manages daily kitchen operations and food quality in a restaurant or hospitality environment.

What job categories do people searching Director Of Culinary Innovation jobs in Riverside, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Director Of Culinary Innovation jobs in Riverside, CA are:

What cities near Riverside, CA are hiring for Director Of Culinary Innovation jobs?

Cities near Riverside, CA with the most Director Of Culinary Innovation job openings:

Director Of Culinary Innovation jobs near you
Infographic showing various Director Of Culinary Innovation job openings in Riverside, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 78% Full Time, and 22% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $101,073 per year, or $48.6 per hour.

Culinary Chef

Haliburton International

Ontario, CA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 8 hours ago

Job description

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 innovation executives on product and menu concept initiatives. The Corporate Chef’s position combines food and menu research, hands-on cooking and product development with live customer cooking presentations and demonstrations. Haliburton Corporate Chef’s must be naturally passionate about food, culinary arts and the food service industry.
Essential Duties & Job Responsibilities
  • Works primarily with assigned food service chain accounts across all menu categories.
  • Gains and can demonstrate knowledge of customer operations, menus, initiatives, goals and objectives.
  • Develops solid working relationships with customer contacts through rapport building, earning trust and being the customer’s “go to” culinary contact.
  • Develops a track record for eliciting positive customer responses including scheduling presentations, inclusion in work sessions, requests for products and invites to other activities relating to customer initiatives.
  • Works on a variety of projects including menu concept development, product development, customer work sessions and other company and customer related projects as needed.
  • Becomes a subject matter expert relative to Haliburton’s processing and product capabilities.
  • Takes the lead on assigned culinary presentations ensuring seamless execution through adequate advance planning, organization, thorough communication, practice and appropriate time management practices.
  • Conducts compelling and engaging presentations with confidence in group or private settings.
  • Proactively generates new product and menu concepts for assigned accounts and in support of other team member accounts as determined by the Director of Culinary.
  • Collaborates and works with other team members and cross-functional teams in a productive, professional and thoughtful way.
  • Cooks with a high degree of execution particularly while under pressure and during customer presentations.
  • Generates new innovative product gold standards and finished products.
  • On a more limited basis may work with specific retail and/or industrial accounts.
  • Responsible for food prep as needed based on a dynamic flow of projects initiated by customers, Haliburton marketing and special events.
  • Is willing to attend and support trade shows and special events as needed.
  • Adheres to and models good manufacturing practices (GMPS) at all times.
  • Maintains clean and organized workspace and practices “clean as you go” standard at all times.
  • Cooks, preps and grocery shops as needed to support individual and/or team presentations.
  • Prepares ingredients for and assists or performs complete menu and product cuttings.
  • Performs culinary product application tests as needed.
  • Utilizes approved forms and follows approved development processes and protocol.
  • Maintains Haliburton departmental appearance, behavior and attitude standards at all times.
  • Contributes to an atmosphere of mutual trust, teamwork and honesty.
  • Is food savvy and naturally passionate about food, culinary innovation and the restaurant industry in general.
  • All other duties as assigned and needed.

Minimum Qualification Requirements
Education & Experience
  • Associate’s degree in culinary arts required
  • Bachelor’s degree in relevant field strongly preferred
  • 3 or more years related experience in food industry required

Cooking & Oher skills
  • Strong culinary skills
  • Basic understanding of food science and technical application
  • Thorough working understanding of commercial restaurant cooking equipment.

Communication, Interpersonal and Professional Skill
  • Computer savvy, including proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Outlook
  • Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communications skills, including the ability to lead effective, dynamic and engaging meetings and presentations and to create clear and concise reports as needed.

Other Information & Requirements
FLSA Status: Exempt
Travel Requirements: Ability to travel on occasion as required for purposes such as vendor visits, etc.
Driving Requirements: Valid driver’s license and clean driving record as needed for occasional business travel.
Physical Demands/work environment
Ability to sit for extended periods of time at a computer workstation; use hands and motor skills on a frequent basis for functions such as keyboard data entry input; clear vision to read and interpret documents, reports, and information on a computer screen, etc. Ability to stand and walk for long periods of time and occasionally required to climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and withstand strong odors from the foods being processed.  
Pre-Employment
Applicants must successfully pass a pre-employment background check and drug screen as a condition of any offer of employment to ensure compliance with Drug Free Workplace policies
Haliburton proudly supports diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, pregnancy, leave status, disability, veteran status, genetic information and/or any other characteristic or status protected by national, federal, state or local law.
 

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