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Recipe Development Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Khepri Kitchen

Lead Baker

Mount Prospect, IL · On-site

$26 - $29/hr

  • PTO

Creative mindset with a passion for recipe development- unique flavor pairings + offerings * Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment * Weekend availability required What We're Looking For:

FAIRMONT

Executive Chef, Toro

Chicago, IL

$73K - $101K/yr

Your expertise in recipe development elevates our menus while your leadership inspires and fosters our culinary talent. You will lead the culinary team and be responsible for overseeing all culinary ...

AccorHotel

Executive Chef, Toro

Chicago, IL · On-site

$73K - $101K/yr

Your expertise in recipe development elevates our menus while your leadership inspires and fosters our culinary talent. You will lead the culinary team and be responsible for overseeing all culinary ...

AccorHotel

Executive Chef, Toro

Chicago, IL · On-site

$73K - $101K/yr

Your expertise in recipe development elevates our menus while your leadership inspires and fosters our culinary talent. You will lead the culinary team and be responsible for overseeing all culinary ...

AccorHotel

Executive Chef, Toro

Chicago, IL

$73K - $101K/yr

Your expertise in recipe development elevates our menus while your leadership inspires and fosters our culinary talent. You will lead the culinary team and be responsible for overseeing all culinary ...

Bella Milano

Sous Chef

Springfield, IL · On-site

$45K - $50K/yr

  • Medical

  • PTO

... to follow recipe and portioning guidelines -Evaluate food products to ensure that quality standards are being consistently attained. -Provide professional development of kitchen staff -Menu ...

Bella Milano

Sous Chef

O Fallon, IL · On-site

$42K - $55K/yr

  • Medical

  • PTO

... to follow recipe and portioning guidelines -Evaluate food products to ensure that quality standards are being consistently attained. -Provide professional development of kitchen staff -Menu ...

Bella Milano

Sous Chef

O Fallon, IL · On-site

$42K - $55K/yr

  • Medical

  • PTO

... to follow recipe and portioning guidelines -Evaluate food products to ensure that quality standards are being consistently attained. -Provide professional development of kitchen staff -Menu ...

HelloFresh

Area Manager I, Sous Chef

Aurora, IL

$49K - $66K/yr

  • Medical

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Able to multitask - tracking/monitoring recipe development and maintaining productivity * Computer literate to input information into the computer * Able to take direction and relay information to ...

Bella Milano

Sous Chef

Edwardsville, IL

$42K - $55K/yr

  • Medical

  • PTO

... to follow recipe and portioning guidelines -Evaluate food products to ensure that quality standards are being consistently attained. -Provide professional development of kitchen staff -Menu ...

HelloFresh

Area Manager I, Sous Chef

Aurora, IL · On-site

$58K - $63K/yr

  • Medical

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Able to multitask - tracking/monitoring recipe development and maintaining productivity * Computer literate to input information into the computer * Able to take direction and relay information to ...

Bella Milano

Sous Chef

Springfield, IL

$45K - $50K/yr

  • Medical

  • PTO

... to follow recipe and portioning guidelines -Evaluate food products to ensure that quality standards are being consistently attained. -Provide professional development of kitchen staff -Menu ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsRecipe Development JobsRecipe Development Jobs in Illinois

Recipe Development information

See Illinois salary details

$28.1K

$51.8K

$78.5K

How much do recipe development jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 20, 2026, the average yearly pay for recipe development in Illinois is $51,763.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $41,200.00 and $58,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is recipe development?

Recipe development is the process of creating, testing, and refining recipes to achieve desired flavors, textures, and presentation. This involves experimenting with ingredients, cooking methods, and measurements to ensure the final dish is both delicious and reliable. Professionals in recipe development often work for food brands, magazines, or restaurants, ensuring recipes are innovative, accurate, and easy for others to follow. The process may also include considering dietary restrictions, nutrition, and food trends.

What are the qualifications to get a recipe development job?

The qualifications to get a recipe development job depend greatly on your career path. If you start in the restaurant or fine dining industry, you may get a book deal to write about your restaurant’s food or ingredients. This requires years of patience and success as a cook. Others study food science or nutrition in college or at a culinary institute. Other recipe developers may have no formal background in food or food science, but they combine their passion for cooking with their writing skills and develop recipes for their audience.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in recipe development, and why are they important?

To thrive in Recipe Development, you need a strong culinary background, creativity in food pairing, and a solid understanding of nutrition and food science, often supported by a culinary degree or relevant experience. Familiarity with recipe management software, food costing tools, and kitchen equipment is typically required. Attention to detail, adaptability, and excellent communication skills help you refine recipes and collaborate with chefs, clients, or brands. These skills ensure the creation of innovative, reliable, and appealing recipes that meet both culinary standards and consumer expectations.

What are some common challenges faced in a recipe development role, and how can they be managed?

One of the main challenges in recipe development is balancing creativity with practicality, as recipes must be both innovative and reproducible by home cooks or commercial kitchens. Developers often need to test multiple iterations to ensure consistency, flavor, and clarity in instructions. Managing feedback from taste testers, nutritionists, and editorial teams is also key, requiring strong communication and flexibility. Staying organized and documenting each version meticulously helps streamline the process and minimize errors.

How do you become a recipe developer?

To become a recipe developer, individuals typically gain culinary skills through formal education or hands-on experience in kitchens, and develop a strong understanding of food science and flavor pairing. Building a portfolio of tested recipes and proficiency with food styling and photography can also help establish credibility in the field.
More about Recipe Development jobs

What are the most commonly searched types of Recipe Development jobs in Illinois?

The most popular types of Recipe Development jobs in Illinois are:

What are popular job titles related to Recipe Development jobs in Illinois?

For Recipe Development jobs in Illinois, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Recipe Development jobs in Illinois look for?

The top searched job categories for Recipe Development jobs in Illinois are:

What cities in Illinois are hiring for Recipe Development jobs?

Cities in Illinois with the most Recipe Development job openings:

Recipe Development jobs near you
Infographic showing various Recipe Development job openings in Illinois 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 $51,763 per year, or $24.9 per hour.

Kitchen Trainer Chicago Market Full-Time

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea

Chicago, IL • On-site

$25 - $30/hr

Full-time

Medical, PTO

Posted 12 days ago

Job description


Fairgrounds is building something different — a café where the food program matters just as much as the coffee. We're expanding our food offerings across the Chicago market (River North, Oak Park, and University of Chicago), and we need someone who lives and breathes kitchen execution to make sure every plate that goes out is right.
This is not a desk job. You'll be in the cafés — on the line, at the prep station, and shoulder-to-shoulder with our teams. You'll own food training and execution across three Chicago locations, lead new menu launches from recipe to plate, and make sure our standards don't slip as we grow.
As Kitchen Trainer, you'll be responsible for training all café staff on food preparation, assembly, plating, and quality standards. You'll build and run hands-on training sessions for new hires and ongoing skill development. When we launch new menu items, you'll lead the rollout from recipe development through to in-café execution — writing and refining SOPs, training teams before items go live, and auditing execution during launch. You'll also conduct regular kitchen audits across all three locations, checking portioning, temperature, presentation, and speed, and coaching in real time when gaps come up.
Beyond training, you'll help cafés establish and maintain prep schedules, par levels, and batch production that scales across locations without sacrificing quality. The goal is cross-café consistency — a guest should get the same A.B.L.T. at River North as they do at Oak Park. You'll standardize build stations, ingredient specs, and plating across the entire market.
We're looking for someone with 2+ years in a commercial kitchen — line cook, prep cook, or junior kitchen leadership role. You know your way around a prep sheet, a batch cook, and a Friday lunch rush. You've trained people before, even if it wasn't your official title. You care about the details — the difference between "good enough" and "right" keeps you up at night. You can read a recipe and teach it to someone who's never made it before, and patience is a skill you've developed. You're organized enough to manage three locations without dropping the ball on any of them, and you're hungry to step up from the line into a role where you shape how a kitchen operates — not just how you cook. Food safety certification (ServSafe or equivalent) is preferred but not required — we'll get you certified if needed.
Fairgrounds operates on four brand pillars: Clarity (simplify relentlessly), Craft (excellence is the expectation), Courtesy (lead with respect), and Cleanliness (every space, every detail, every day). We're obsessed with craft, customer experience, and constant improvement.
Compensation is $25–$30/hr including average tip rate. Benefits include health insurance, paid time off, and free café food and coffee. Schedule is primarily daytime shifts with flexibility for launch weeks and occasional weekends. Regular travel between River North, Oak Park, and UofC locations is required (all within Chicago metro). This role is built to grow with the market — as Fairgrounds expands its food program, this position grows with it.

Fairgrounds — Obsessed with Craft. Customer Experience. Constant Improvement.