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Recipe Testing Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Head of Culinary

Washington, DC ยท On-site

$170K/yr

Have successfully led menu innovation, product launches, recipe implementation, commercialization ... through testing, operational validation, commercialization, launch, and post-launch optimization.

Have successfully led menu innovation, product launches, recipe implementation, commercialization ... through testing, operational validation, commercialization, launch, and post-launch optimization.

Line cooks are responsible for delivering high quality dishes to our standard recipe in a high ... Food * All issued training and testing throughout employment Our Leadership Principles Are:

Cook

Ashburn, VA ยท On-site

$15 - $23/hr

Prepare all menu items according to recipe requirements and adhere to product sensitivity and plate ... Must be able to pass any safety & sanitation validation &/or testing * Ability to maintain calm ...

Showing results 21-25

Recipe Testing information

See Washington salary details

$35.1K

$102.6K

$165.4K

How much do recipe testing jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 16, 2026, the average yearly pay for recipe testing in Washington is $102,590.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $39,600.00 and $134,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How do you become a recipe tester?

To become a recipe tester, you should have strong cooking skills, attention to detail, and the ability to follow and evaluate recipes accurately. Gaining experience through cooking classes, food blogging, or culinary training can be helpful, and some positions may require knowledge of food safety and nutrition. Building a portfolio or submitting samples to food publications or companies can also improve your chances of getting hired.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a recipe tester, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Recipe Tester, you need a strong background in culinary techniques, attention to detail, and the ability to accurately follow and evaluate recipes, often supported by culinary education or professional kitchen experience. Familiarity with kitchen equipment, food safety standards, and digital platforms for documenting results are commonly required. Excellent communication, organization, and problem-solving skills help you provide clear feedback and collaborate with recipe developers. These abilities ensure recipes are reliable, reproducible, and enjoyable for a wide audience.

What is recipe testing?

Recipe testing is the process of preparing and evaluating recipes to ensure they are accurate, reliable, and produce consistent results. Recipe testers follow a recipe exactly as written, noting any issues with instructions, ingredient measurements, timing, and overall taste or texture. The goal is to identify and fix any problems before the recipe is published or shared with others, ensuring a positive cooking experience for home cooks. Recipe testing can be done by professional testers, chefs, or enthusiastic home cooks, and is an essential step in cookbook publishing and food media.

How much do recipe testers get paid?

Recipe testers typically earn between $10 and $25 per hour, depending on experience, location, and the complexity of the recipes. Some may be paid per project or receive a flat fee for testing specific recipes, especially in freelance or contract roles.

What is the difference between Recipe Testing vs Food Stylist?

AspectRecipe TestingFood Stylist
Primary RoleDevelops and refines recipes to ensure they work consistently and taste good.Prepares and styles food for photography or filming to enhance visual appeal.
Skills & CredentialsCooking skills, recipe development, food knowledge, often culinary training.Food presentation, styling techniques, creativity, photography knowledge.
Work EnvironmentTest kitchens, culinary labs, or home kitchens.Photo studios, set locations, or on-location shoots.
Industry UsageUsed by food companies, publishers, and recipe developers.Used by advertising agencies, magazines, and food brands.

While both roles involve working with food, Recipe Testing focuses on creating and perfecting recipes, whereas Food Styling emphasizes making food visually appealing for media. Both roles often collaborate but serve different purposes in the food industry.

What are some common challenges faced by recipe testers, and how can they be managed effectively?

One of the main challenges recipe testers encounter is ensuring consistency and accuracy across multiple test runs, as small variations in ingredient brands, kitchen equipment, or environmental factors can impact results. Managing time efficiently is also important, since recipes often require multiple rounds of testing and detailed documentation. To address these challenges, successful recipe testers meticulously record every step, use standardized measurements, and communicate closely with developers and editors to clarify any ambiguities. Collaboration and attention to detail are key to producing reliable, user-friendly recipes.

What are popular job titles related to Recipe Testing jobs in Washington?

For Recipe Testing jobs in Washington, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Recipe Testing jobs in Washington look for?

The top searched job categories for Recipe Testing jobs in Washington are:

What cities in Washington are hiring for Recipe Testing jobs?

Cities in Washington with the most Recipe Testing job openings:

Infographic showing various Recipe Testing job openings in Washington as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 80% Full Time, and 20% Part Time. Highlights an 90% In-person, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $102,590 per year, or $49.3 per hour.

Head of Culinary

Call Your Mother Deli

Washington, DC โ€ข On-site

$170K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted yesterday


Job description


HEAD OF CULINARY

WASHINGTON, DC

THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. 

THE BEST-ISH BAGELS IN THE WORLD. 

OUTTA THIS WORLD OPPORTUNITY.

DEEPER THAN BAGELS

Call Your Mother is the Jew-ish deli where Boca meets Brooklyn, grandma-level hospitality meets seriously good bagel sandwiches, and hard work meets face-melting vibes.

Husband-and-wife team Andrew and Chef Dani built Call Your Mother around a simple idea: make scrumptious, nostalgic food and unforgettable experiences without being bougie or taking ourselves too seriously. From our first little farmer’s market stand in 2018, to shops across the DMV, Colorado, Chicago, and Philadelphia in 2026, we’re spreading carb love all over the map and our ovens are just getting warmed up! We’ll take bagels to mars if the locals are hungry up there.

WE’RE HIRING OUR FIRST HEAD OF CULINARY, BASED IN THE DMV

This is a once-in-a-career opportunity to help shape the future of Call Your Mother. As our first-ever Head of Culinary, you'll partner directly with our Co-Founders and Chief Culinary Officer to shape the next chapter of our menu, culinary strategy, and food innovation. You'll lead our Research & Development and Quality Assurance teams while partnering cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Training, Marketing, and Finance to bring great ideas to life.

We're looking for someone who's equal parts chef, coach, builder, and problem solver. You’ll dream up the next guest obsession, then build the systems, standards, and team that make it consistently exceptional across every shop and commissary. From seasonal sandwiches and schmears, to entirely new carb adventures, you'll help create food people obsess over while protecting the quality, hospitality, and nostalgia our guests know and love.

If you’re picking up what we’re laying down, keep reading!

YOU'LL CRUSH THIS ROLE IF YOU...
  • Have 7+ years of culinary leadership experience across a multi-unit restaurant organization, with a deep understanding of what it takes to execute food consistently at scale.
  • Have completed professional culinary training or built equivalent expertise through hands-on experience.
  • Have successfully led menu innovation, product launches, recipe implementation, commercialization, and operational training across multiple locations.
  • Have developed high-performing culinary teams through coaching, trust, and accountability.
  • Are highly organized and can confidently juggle multiple priorities, projects, and timelines without losing sight of the details.
  • Know food safety, quality assurance, kitchen systems, and production management like the back of your hand.
  • Believe great food is equal parts creativity and relentless execution and get just as excited about improving a beloved classic as you do creating the next guest obsession.
  • Sweat the details because you know guests can taste the difference.
  • Lead with humility, curiosity, high standards, and a roll-up-your-sleeves mentality.
  • Can move comfortably between the test kitchen, supplier meetings, executive conversations, commissaries, and shop operations.
  • Are digging our big BIG V.I.B.E.S. (Vibrancy, Integrity, Belonging, Energy, and Seize the Moment).

Shall we proceed? If you blurted out an audible “YES INDEED!” then please keep reading. 

WHAT YOU’LL REALLY BE DOING
  • Partner side-by-side with our Co-Founder & Chief Culinary Officer to bring our culinary vision to life and help shape what's next for Call Your Mother.
  • Lead our Research & Development and Quality Assurance teams, building a high-performing culinary organization rooted in creativity, collaboration, and accountability.
  • Establish and uphold culinary standards that protect the integrity of our food as we continue to grow, while identifying opportunities to improve consistency, quality, speed, and profitability.
  • Own the end-to-end product development process: from first idea and kitchen experimentation through testing, operational validation, commercialization, launch, and post-launch optimization.
  • Develop new menu items, seasonal offerings, beverages, and products that surprise and delight guests while staying true to the Call Your Mother brand.
  • Protect and continuously improve our core menu, ensuring our guest favorites remain consistently delicious as we grow.
  • Build scalable recipes, systems, and standards that deliver chef-quality food across every shop and commissary.
  • Partner closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Training, Marketing, Finance, and Development to ensure every new product is operationally executable, financially sound, and ready for successful rollout.
  • Establish and evolve quality assurance standards, auditing programs, and food specifications that protect consistency across all products and locations.
  • Collaborate with supplier partners to source, develop, and commercialize ingredients that meet our quality standards while supporting long-term growth.
  • Stay relentlessly curious about food, ingredients, techniques, equipment, and consumer insights, not to chase trends, but to thoughtfully evolve the menu in ways that feel authentically Call Your Mother.
  • Roll up your sleeves. Some days you'll be in the kitchen, some days in a shop, some days at a commissary, and some days in a conference room. We believe the best culinary leaders stay close to the food and the people making it.
AND FINALLY, IF YOU NEED MORE REASONS TO APPLY:
  • Competitive salary $170,000, plus annual bonus opportunity and stock options.
  • Make an impact. You'll work directly with our Chief Culinary Officer to influence standards, recipes, and how every shop executes.
  • Health Insurance. Health, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Unlimited paid time off because you deserve it…duh.
  • 100% Paid, 12 week parental leave for time with the itty, bitty baby!
  • 401(k) with 4% company match. Plan for a bright and beautiful future!
  • Step your knowledge game up. Free English and Spanish classes, plus Duolingo reimbursement.
  • Real support when life gets complicated. Confidential therapy and professional resources for mental health, legal guidance, financial wellness, and more.
  • BAGELS ON THE HOUSE! Plus 50% off when you're off the clock.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands for this position include seeing, hearing, speaking, reading, and communicating effectively; standing, walking, reaching, bending, and performing repetitive physical movements; lifting up to 50 pounds; and safely operating equipment and tools using manual dexterity. This role also requires working in a fast-paced environment around hot equipment, sharp tools, and varying temperatures, and occasionally working in confined spaces. These physical requirements may be accomplished with or without reasonable accommodation.   .

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Call Your Mother is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We enthusiastically celebrate the diversity of our team and believe that talent, passion, and experience are the only relevant criteria for considering new team members. We provide equal opportunities to everyone who works for us and every applicant. We consider applicants for all positions without regard to sex or gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other legally protected status. 

CALL YOUR MOTHER PARTICIPATES IN E-VERIFY.

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