Job summary
Job post source
This job is directly from Home Chef
Job overview
The R&D Chef (Ready-to-Heat) at Home Chef is responsible for creating innovative ready-to-heat meal recipes that meet nutritional, cost, and ingredient standards to enhance the company's meal offerings.
Responsibilities and impact
The role involves conceiving and testing about 80 unique meals per quarter, collaborating with chefs and cross-functional teams, incorporating customer and production feedback, attending team meetings, and traveling to production facilities to support training and operations.
Compensation and benefits
The position offers a salary range of $65,000 to $75,000 depending on location and experience, along with medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, paid holidays, sick and vacation time, 401k program, and flexible spending accounts.
Experience and skills
Candidates should have an Associate degree in Culinary Arts or similar, 5+ years of professional cooking experience, 2+ years in recipe development, culinary degree and ServSafe certification preferred, strong teamwork and communication skills, and the ability to taste and provide feedback on diverse meals.
Career development
The job provides opportunities to innovate, collaborate with various teams, and gain exposure to production processes through facility visits, supporting professional growth in culinary R&D.
Work environment and culture
Home Chef values humility, teamwork, pragmatic thinking, ownership, inclusivity, and authenticity, fostering a supportive and diverse work environment where feedback and innovation are encouraged.
Company information
Home Chef, founded in 2013, is a leading meal solutions company with retail and online presence, known for its innovative meal kits and the Tempo brand of ready-to-heat meals.
Team overview
The candidate will join the Tempo R&D team, collaborating closely with other chefs and cross-functional partners to develop and refine meal offerings.
Job location and travel
The job requires at least 10% travel and is based in Illinois, with some work likely in R&D kitchens and production facilities.
Unique job features
This role is distinguished by its focus on ready-to-heat meal innovation, creating a high volume of unique recipes quarterly, and integrating extensive customer and production feedback to improve meal quality and operational efficiency.
Company overview
Home Chef is a meal kit and food delivery service that provides customers with pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes to cook meals at home. Founded in 2013 by Pat Vihtelic, the company has grown significantly and was acquired by Kroger in 2018, which expanded its reach through Kroger's vast retail network. Home Chef makes money through subscription plans and individual meal kit sales, catering to a variety of dietary preferences and lifestyles. The acquisition by Kroger has enabled Home Chef to offer its products in physical stores, increasing its market presence and accessibility.
How to land this job
Tailor your resume to emphasize your culinary expertise, recipe development experience, and ability to innovate within cost, nutritional, and operational constraints, highlighting skills in creating accessible, ready-to-heat meals.
Showcase your collaboration skills, feedback incorporation, and cross-functional teamwork, as these are key to working effectively with culinary, marketing, and production teams at Home Chef.
Apply through multiple platforms including Home Chef's corporate careers page, LinkedIn, and other job boards where the R&D Chef position is posted to maximize your application exposure.
Connect with current Home Chef R&D or culinary team members on LinkedIn, using ice breakers like commenting on their recent recipe innovations or asking about the company's approach to ready-to-heat meal development.
Optimize your resume for ATS by using keywords from the job description such as 'recipe development', 'ready-to-heat meals', 'nutritional specifications', 'culinary collaboration', and 'meal innovation' to ensure it passes automated screening.
Utilize Jennie Johnson's Power Apply feature to automate tailored applications, identify multiple job posting locations, and find relevant Home Chef contacts on LinkedIn, allowing you to focus your time on preparation and networking.
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