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Test Kitchen Chef Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Senior Chef II is an integral part of our culinary team, focused on the development of ... Ensure a well-maintained test kitchen culture * Model brand ambassador expectations for the ...

The Senior Chef II is an integral part of our culinary team, focused on the development of ... Ensure a well-maintained test kitchen culture * Model brand ambassador expectations for the ...

Full-time Personal Chef

Miami, FL · On-site

$25 - $28/hr

Opportunities to grow beyond the kitchen into events, education, and leadership Why Work With Us ... Interview Process 15-min fit call - Video interview - Bench Test, cook a meal (Reimbursement ...

Opportunities to grow beyond the kitchen into events, education, and leadership Why Work With Us ... Pay: $23-24 per hour Interview Process 15-min fit call - Video interview - Bench Test, cook a meal ...

Opportunities to grow beyond the kitchen into events, education, and leadership Why Work With Us ... Interview Process 15-min fit call - Video interview - Bench Test, cook a meal (Reimbursement ...

Opportunities to grow beyond the kitchen into events, education, and leadership Why Work With Us ... Bench Test, cook a meal (Reimbursement) ? Full Day Stage (Paid) Supplemental pay types: * Bonus pay

Opportunities to grow beyond the kitchen into events, education, and leadership Why Work With Us ... Interview Process 15-min fit call - Video interview - Bench Test, cook a meal (Reimbursement ...

Opportunities to grow beyond the kitchen into events, education, and leadership Why Work With Us ... Bench Test, cook a meal (Reimbursement) ? Full Day Stage (Paid) Supplemental pay types: * Bonus pay

Opportunities to grow beyond the kitchen into events, education, and leadership Why Work With Us ... Interview Process 15-min fit call - Video interview - Bench Test, cook a meal (Reimbursement ...

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The Senior Chef II is an integral part of our culinary team, focused on the development of ... Ensure a well-maintained test kitchen culture * Model brand ambassador expectations for the ...

Culinary Specialist Buffalo

Warners, NY · On-site

$78K - $117K/yr

Manage test kitchen food and supply costs within budgetary parameters * Comply with all local and ... High School Diploma or GED and 3+ years executive chef experience in the foodservice industry

Manage test kitchen food and supply costs within budgetary parameters * Comply with all local and ... High School Diploma or GED and 3+ years executive chef experience in the foodservice industry

Opportunities to grow beyond the kitchen into events, education, and leadership Why Work With Us ... Interview Process 15-min fit call - Video interview - Bench Test, cook a meal (Reimbursement ...

Full-time Personal Chef

Boston, MA · On-site

$26 - $29/hr

Opportunities to grow beyond the kitchen into events, education, and leadership Why Work With Us ... Interview Process 15-min fit call - Video interview - Bench Test, cook a meal (Reimbursement ...

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Test Kitchen Chef information

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$10

$24

$44

How much do test kitchen chef jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 14, 2026, the average hourly pay for test kitchen chef in the United States is $24.63, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.83 and $31.01 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Test Kitchen Chef?

A Test Kitchen Chef is a culinary professional who develops, tests, and refines recipes in a controlled kitchen environment, often for food companies, magazines, or restaurants. Their primary role is to ensure that recipes are accurate, reproducible, and meet specific standards of taste, appearance, and safety. Test Kitchen Chefs may also evaluate new ingredients, cooking techniques, or kitchen equipment, and provide feedback or recommendations. They often collaborate with food scientists, nutritionists, and editors to perfect recipes before they are published or used commercially.

Who are the cooks on test kitchen?

Test Kitchen chefs are professional cooks responsible for developing, testing, and refining recipes in a controlled environment. They often have culinary training, experience in food preparation, and skills in recipe development, working in a team to ensure quality and consistency in food testing and presentation.

What is the difference between Test Kitchen Chef vs Line Cook?

AspectTest Kitchen ChefLine Cook
CredentialsCooking certifications, culinary degree often preferredHigh school diploma or equivalent, culinary training
Work EnvironmentTest kitchens, culinary labs, product testing facilitiesRestaurant kitchen, fast-paced food service
Employer & IndustryFood companies, culinary media, product testing firmsRestaurants, hotels, catering services
Primary FocusRecipe development, product testing, quality controlFood preparation, plating, and service

The Test Kitchen Chef specializes in recipe development and product testing within culinary labs or food companies, focusing on quality control and innovation. In contrast, a Line Cook works in restaurant kitchens, preparing and cooking dishes for service. While both roles require culinary skills and certifications, their work environments and primary responsibilities differ significantly.

How to become a test kitchen chef?

To become a test kitchen chef, candidates typically need culinary training or experience in professional kitchens, strong cooking skills, and knowledge of recipe development and food science. Experience with food testing, attention to detail, and familiarity with kitchen equipment are also important. Some roles may require a culinary degree or certification, along with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

How does a Test Kitchen Chef typically collaborate with product development and marketing teams?

Test Kitchen Chefs play a vital role in bridging culinary creativity with business objectives. They regularly work alongside product development teams to create, refine, and test new recipes or food products, ensuring consistency, scalability, and quality. Collaboration extends to marketing teams, as Test Kitchen Chefs often provide insights on food trends, participate in promotional content creation, and help translate technical recipes into consumer-friendly formats. This cross-functional teamwork is both rewarding and essential to bringing successful products to market.

Is America's test kitchen a good place to work?

A Test Kitchen Chef typically works in a collaborative environment focused on recipe development and testing, often requiring culinary skills and attention to detail. The workplace is known for its professional standards and creative atmosphere, making it a reputable employer in the food media industry.

How much does a test kitchen chef make?

A test kitchen chef's salary varies depending on experience, location, and employer, but typically ranges from $40,000 to $80,000 annually. Senior or specialized chefs with culinary certifications may earn higher wages, especially in larger media or food companies with dedicated testing facilities.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Test Kitchen Chef, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Test Kitchen Chef, you need strong culinary expertise, recipe development skills, and often a degree or certification in culinary arts. Familiarity with kitchen equipment, recipe management software, and food safety standards is typically required. Creativity, attention to detail, and effective communication help you innovate and clearly convey recipe instructions. These skills are crucial for developing reliable, appealing recipes that can be reproduced consistently in various food industry settings.
More about Test Kitchen Chef jobs
What cities are hiring for Test Kitchen Chef jobs? Cities with the most Test Kitchen Chef job openings:
What states have the most Test Kitchen Chef jobs? States with the most job openings for Test Kitchen Chef jobs include:
Infographic showing various Test Kitchen Chef job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $51,225 per year, or $24.6 per hour.
Senior Chef II

Senior Chef II

Tyson Foods

Springdale, AR • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 15 days ago


Tyson Foods rating

6.4

Company rating: 6.4 out of 10

Based on 515 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

250th of 383 rated food and drinks producers


Job description

Job Details:

Job Summary:

The Senior Chef II is an integral part of our culinary team, focused on the development of innovative product positioning and application solutions for our retail/foodservice brands and our highest strategic customers. The role involves transforming available information into meaningful culinary insights to recommend relevant growth opportunities for key Tyson customers, closely interacting with Tyson sales, marketing, and research and development teams within key brands to develop new recipes, improve existing products, or create entirely new product lines. Key support will be provided to the sales teams once products are launched on the market, serving as a best-in-class culinary resource for customers by providing education such as cooking demonstrations, recipe development, and usage tips to maximize product potential.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Develop tailored product positioning and culinary application solutions that meet specific customer requirements.
  • Design and implement best-in-class ways of working, promoting new methods and processes to both the enterprise and in the industry.
  • Analyze and develop market data and consumer trends to identify growth opportunities for key Tyson customers/Brands such as new ingredients, flavors and cooking techniques.
  • Collaborate with sales, marketing, and R&D teams to drive brand development through culinary insights and flavor innovation.
  • FS Operations Expertise shown through equipment and BOH consulting, troubleshooting bottlenecks and offerings product and logistic solutions.
  • Lead culinary engagement and expertise to sales teams during product launches and serve as a dedicated customer resource.
  • Maintain detailed documentation of culinary development processes and product specifications.
  • Ensure a well-maintained test kitchen culture
  • Model brand ambassador expectations for the culinary team, supporting internal and external media activations
  • Ensure compliance with food safety regulations and Tyson Foods' quality standards.
  • Mentor culinary talent; fostering a culture of coaching and modeling best practices consistently.

Education:

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Culinary, Baking/Pastry, Hospitality, Hotel/Food Management, Food Science, or a related field of study, or an equivalent amount of relevant and progressive work experience with applicable certifications, is required. Master's degree, as well as ACF, IFT and RCA Credentials, are preferred.

Work Experience:

8+ years of relevant and progressive work experience is required with a Bachelor's Degree; 10+ years of relevant and progressive work experience is required with an Associate's Degree only; 12+ years of relevant and progressive work experience is required with certifications only.

Additionally, 2+ years of experience is required in at least 2 to 3 food segments (e.g., foodservice national accounts, menu development, manufacturing, catering, banquet leadership, commercial restaurant, hotel, and onsite foodservice) as well as 3+ years of experience creating and commercializing successful new product offerings. Previous experience supporting Media efforts is a plus.

Special/Technical Skills:

Culinary Expertise: Expert in various cooking techniques, service segments, and diverse range of flavor profiles. Strategically presents with confidence.

Kitchen Operations: Knowledge of kitchen equipment and operations with a keen sense of adaptable execution

Menu Planning: Seamlessly plans strategic menu solutions with well-documented scalable recipes.

Hospitality: Driven for delivering memorable customer experiences and client service.

Product Development: Lead benchtop development, DOE, trouble shooting and product sampling. SME in 2 or more product categories.

Technical Expertise: Good computer skills with the ability to fully utilize Microsoft Office products and internal Tyson programs.

Communication Skills:

This role will individually own projects cross functionally across internal teams and external customers and will help mentor other team members in bringing culinary visions to life while working through technical challenges and supporting more junior positions. A very strong ability to communicate across all mediums with model in-person customer presence is expected. In addition, the incumbent will often be featured across media events and will be expected to present, accordingly.

Supervisory:

Provides direction to other team members, but no direct supervisory responsibility.

Travel:

15% to 60%

Relocation Assistance Eligible:

Yes

Work Shift:

1ST SHIFT (United States of America)

Certain roles at Tyson require background checks. If you are offered a position that requires a background check you will be provided additional documentation to complete once an offer has been extended.

Hourly Applicants ONLY -You must complete the task after submitting your application to provide additional information to be considered for employment.

Tyson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, national origin, color, religion, age, genetics, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status.

We provide our team members and their families with paid time off; 401(k) plans; affordable health, life, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; and more.

If you would like to learn more about your data privacy rights and how you may use that information, please read our Job Applicant Privacy Notice here.

Unsolicited Assistance: Tyson Foods and its subsidiaries do not accept unsolicited support from external recruitment vendors for open positions within the United States. Any resumes or candidate profiles submitted by recruitment vendors or headhunters to any employee or applicant tracking system at Tyson Foods or its subsidiaries, without a valid written request and search agreement approved by HR, will be considered the property of Tyson Foods. No fees will be paid if the candidate is hired due to an unsolicited referral.


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