Corporate Chef

Leads culinary strategy, product innovation, recipe standardization, and field execution for GBC Food Services and its fresh-food concepts, with particular emphasis on sushi and Asian-inspired programs in franchise and retail environments. Converts customer, retailer, franchisee, and business needs into scalable menu items, precise production standards, effective training, and commercially sound launches.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the culinary vision, menu architecture, and innovation pipeline for GBC's sushi, Asian-inspired, and other fresh-food programs.
• Lead ideation, recipe development, bench testing, sensory evaluation, pilot production, field validation, and commercialization for new and improved products.
• Create and control standardized recipes, ingredient specifications, yields, portion sizes, preparation methods, equipment settings, shelf-life guidance, storage requirements, labeling, and presentation standards.
• Build accurate recipe and menu costs; evaluate margin, labor, throughput, waste, shrink, and operational complexity; reformulate products to achieve approved financial and execution targets.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Procurement, and suppliers to qualify ingredients, packaging, equipment, and substitutions; review samples and protect product quality and continuity.
• Collaborate with Food Safety and Quality Assurance on allergen controls, sanitation, time and temperature standards, traceability, labeling, and applicable regulatory, retailer, and GBC requirements.
• Design and deliver hands-on training, certifications, train-the-trainer sessions, job aids, videos, and production tools that enable consistent execution by franchisees and field teams.
• Conduct store, commissary, warehouse, and vendor visits to observe production, audit culinary standards, coach teams, and identify practical improvements.
• Provide culinary leadership for new store openings, conversions, pilots, franchise transfers, retailer presentations, and market launches, confirming readiness before go-live.
• Diagnose product quality, consistency, equipment, workflow, and execution issues; define corrective actions, owners, due dates, and verification steps.
• Partner with Merchandising, Sales, and Marketing on assortment, packaging, product presentation, seasonal programs, customer demonstrations, photography, and sales-support materials.
• Maintain a controlled culinary documentation library and change-management process so current recipes, specifications, training materials, and approvals are accessible and consistently used.
• Establish and report KPIs for launch readiness, recipe compliance, food cost, waste, quality, sales performance, and field feedback; recommend actions to senior leadership.
• Supervise and develop assigned culinary specialists, trainers, test-kitchen team members, and other direct reports.
• Establish clear performance expectations, provide regular coaching, conduct evaluations, and implement development plans.
• Direct the project-based work of field operators, franchise partners, vendors, and cross-functional launch teams, including resources outside the formal reporting line.
• Partner with Human Resources to recruit, onboard, recognize, counsel, and, when necessary, discipline or separate assigned team members in accordance with company policy.

Qualifications

• Culinary & Technical Expertise: Advanced knowledge of sushi and Asian cuisine, fresh-food production, recipe scaling, knife skills, ingredient functionality, equipment, sensory evaluation, and high-volume kitchen execution.
• Product Development & Commercialization: Demonstrated ability to translate concepts into scalable products, lead disciplined trials and pilots, document standards, manage approval gates, and deliver launches on schedule.
• Food Safety & Quality: Strong command of food safety, sanitation, allergen management, time and temperature controls, labeling, traceability, and quality systems in retail and foodservice environments.
• Financial & Analytical Acumen: Proficiency in recipe costing, yields, margins, labor, waste, inventory, and performance analysis; able to balance culinary quality with commercial and operational requirements.
• Leadership & Partnership: Credible, hands-on leader who can coach diverse audiences and influence franchisees, retailers, executives, operators, vendors, and cross-functional partners without relying on authority.
• Communication & Execution: Excellent presentation, writing, project management, organization, and follow-through skills; able to manage multiple priorities, make sound decisions, and remain effective in fast-changing field environments.

Education and Experience

• Degree or diploma in culinary arts, food science, hospitality management, or a related discipline preferred; equivalent progressive culinary experience considered.
• Eight to ten years of progressive culinary experience, including product development and multi-unit foodservice, retail, franchise, commissary, or manufacturing support.
• At least three years of culinary leadership experience and demonstrated success developing, standardizing, and launching sushi, Asian-inspired, or other fresh-food products across multiple locations.
• Current ServSafe Manager Certification, or ability to obtain and maintain it; Certified Executive Chef, HACCP, food safety, or product-development credentials preferred.

Physical Requirements

• With or without reasonable accommodation, ability to stand and walk for extended periods and perform frequent bending, reaching, repetitive hand work, and precise knife or food-preparation tasks.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds and safely work around sharp tools, hot surfaces, steam, refrigeration and freezer environments, raw foods, and common food allergens.
• Ability to travel by air and ground and work in corporate kitchens, test kitchens, warehouses, vendor facilities, commissaries, and retail food-preparation areas as business needs require.

Schedule

• Travel: Up to 40-50% travel is required for store and commissary visits, culinary trials, vendor reviews, training, new openings, retailer meetings, and market launches.
• Schedule: Full-time, Monday-Friday, with flexibility for early mornings, evenings, weekends, and extended on-site periods to support production trials, openings, training, and urgent quality or operational needs.

Pay

$15.00 - $20.00 hourly