Food Research Development Jobs in Kentucky (NOW HIRING)

We’re looking for an R&D Culinary Technologist to own how Winston equipment is tested, validated, and proven.

By constantly rethinking culinary solutions, the Culinary R&D Technologist conducts research and product development activities for all Winston-manufactured commercial kitchen equipment. Is responsible for validating, testing, and documenting the performance of Winston equipment through structured food and operational testing conducted in the Winston Foodservice Kitchen.

This role supports multiple areas of the organization, including engineering, sales, marketing, and leadership, by ensuring that Winston equipment is tested in real-world applications and that results are clearly documented, understood, and usable.

The position leads with research and equipment validation, while also supporting product training, customer demonstrations, content development, and internal initiatives.

This role plays a critical part in ensuring that Winston equipment is not only built right—but proven to perform.

What will I really be doing and/or responsible for:

• Design and execute experimentation using structured, repeatable testing protocols to validate equipment performance, applications, and limitations.
• Conduct food and operational testing using the scientific method, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and objectivity in results.
• Document testing procedures, results, and conclusions in a clear, organized, and repeatable format accessible across the organization.
• Support engineering and product development through applied testing, troubleshooting, and validation of equipment performance in real-world scenarios.
• Act as a technical culinary resource for internal teams, including sales, marketing, and leadership.
• Support pre-sales and post-sales efforts through product demonstrations, customer testing, and operational guidance.
• Lead or support training sessions for internal teams, sales partners, and customers.
• Assist in the development of marketing and educational content, including videos, application guides, and training materials.
• Maintain an organized and comprehensive library of testing documentation, application data, and best practices.
• Ensure the Winston Foodservice Kitchen is clean, organized, and consistently customer-ready.
• Support customer visits, product testing sessions, and training events both onsite and in the field.
• Provide culinary support for company events and internal initiatives as needed.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure alignment between testing results, product performance, and market messaging.

What qualifications are a must?

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in Food Operations, Food Service R&D, equipment testing, or a related field.
• 2 years of hands-on experience in Food Science within the Food Service Industry, contributing to product development.
• Strong understanding of commercial kitchen operations and food preparation.
• Demonstrate creativity and innovation to support product development, using knowledge of food science and food processing technology to execute from ideation to production.
• Experience evaluating food quality, yield, and operational performance.
• Understanding of scale up process from benchtop to production.
• Ability to design or follow structured testing protocols and apply analytical thinking.
• Experience documenting procedures, processes, or testing results in a clear and organized manner.
• Ability to calculate food cost, yield, and production performance.
• Ensure new products align with market trends, customer needs, and business strategy.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical information for different audiences.
• Ability to operate commercial kitchen equipment safely and effectively.

What kind of experience is required?

• Food Science/Engineering background or Culinary Degree with proven experience in R&D in Kitchen Equipment Industry.
• Understanding USDA/ FDA regulations.
• Experience with equipment testing or product validation.
• Experience working with chain restaurant operations.
• Knowledge of commercial cooking equipment technologies.
• Experience with CVap equipment.
• Proven innovation and creativity within the food/kitchen equipment industry.

What are some of the challenges of this role?

Have you ever heard the saying, “too many cooks in the kitchen”? Well, at Winston, we have quite a few chefs in the house. It’s awesome, but you need to be able to hold your own and be confident yet open-minded in your role.

While many jobs at Winston lend themselves to a flexible hybrid work schedule, our R&D Culinary Technologist will be in the office every day. Rare administrative days are the exception.

Are there any other qualities that I need?

• You’re as comfortable following a test protocol as you are running a kitchen. You’re curious enough to ask why and disciplined enough to prove the answer. You can take something technical and explain it in a way that actually makes sense.
• You’re detail-obsessed, organized, and take ownership of your work.
• And you’re the kind of person people trust because when you say something works, it does.

Why You’ll Love Winston

At Winston, we know profits matter. But chasing dollars isn’t what drives our decisions. What does? People. We genuinely appreciate every single contribution our team members bring to the table, and we work hard to make Winston a better place to be every day. Culture isn’t an afterthought here - it’s the core. We love to grow talent from within, but we’re just as open to fresh ideas and knowledge from outside voices. Are we perfect? Nope. But we’re honest about that, and we stay focused on our vision: to make money and have fun doing it. After all, we helped revolutionize fried chicken, so you’d better believe we know how to keep things crispy, fun, and worth savoring.