R&D Culinary Chef - Pura Vida Miami

We are a lifestyle brand!

If you are looking to join an awesome team, have a positive working environment and live a healthy and active lifestyle, we offer an exciting opportunity to join a thriving and ever-growing brand in this industry.

We are on a mission to provide the world with simple, wholesome food and beverage items that fit today's lifestyle, offering an intimate yet fast and consistent experience every day, 365 days a year.

We love and take pride in what we do, and we are looking for the right partners to grow with us. Please join us if you consider yourself a person of integrity, a hard-working team player who is eager to continually grow and learn.

OVERVIEW:

We are seeking a highly creative and innovative R&D Culinary Chef with a passion for culinary excellence, blends culinary expertise with food science to innovate and develop new food products. Their primary role is to create, test and optimize recipes that meet both the company’s goals and consumer trends while ensuring that these products are scalable for mass production.

This role is critical for driving menu innovation across diverse markets, ensuring seasonality and regional preferences are reflected in our offerings. The ideal candidate must have a versatile background in the culinary industry, with expertise in menu development, recipe costing and kitchen equipment such as the Rapid Cooking Oven and Rationale Cooking Oven.

This chef will need to work in fast-paced environments, presenting to executives and executing high-quality tastings, while balancing the operational demands of our multi-unit operations.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and execute creative seasonal menus that reflect the latest culinary trends, while remaining cost-effective and operationally feasible across multiple units.
• Ability to cost, measure, and standardize recipes for consistent production across different markets and kitchen sizes.
• Conduct executive tastings and presentations, demonstrating strong communication and organizational skills in both rapid and formal settings.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Working with our marketing, procurement, and quality assurance teams to ensure the product aligns with business objectives and is commercially viable.
• Recipe Development and Innovation: Create original recipes, focusing on taste, texture, and cost. Often experimenting with new ingredients and techniques to stay ahead of market trends.
• Product Testing and Scaling: Once a recipe is developed, ensure it can be mass-produced by standardizing the ingredients and processes, considering factors like shelf life, nutritional content, and food safety.
• Commercialization: Help scale creations from kitchen to factory, making adjustments to recipes so they can be produced on a larger scale without compromising quality.
• Maintain a deep understanding of multi-unit operational challenges, and ensure all culinary initiatives are practical for daily kitchen operations.
• Train and guide culinary teams in multiple markets on new menu items, operational procedures, and equipment usage.
• Be proficient in utilizing and teaching the MerryChef Rapid Cooking Oven and Rationale Cooking Oven to optimize kitchen workflows.
• Adapt to a fast-paced environment, managing multiple projects, while meeting tight deadlines.
• Travel to different units across markets to ensure hands-on oversight of menu launches and operational support.
• Generate and present new menu concepts and innovative culinary ideas regularly, with attention to cost, quality, and efficiency.
• Organize and prioritize weekly responsibilities based on the demands of the business, ensuring successful execution of key initiatives.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of experience as an Executive or Corporate Chef with a focus on R&D and multi-unit restaurant operations.
• Proven experience in menu development, costing, and operational execution in multi-unit and multi-market settings.
• Travel flexibility required to oversee operations and new menu launches in various locations.
• Knowledgeable in culinary equipment, including Rapid Cooking Oven and Rationale Cooking Oven.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple projects and manage weekly demands.
• Experience working in diverse geographic markets such as New York, California, and Miami with an understanding of regional flavors and preferences.
• Exceptional presentation skills, with the ability to lead executive-level tastings and communicate ideas clearly and concisely.
• Bilingual in Spanish and English is a plus.

BENEFITS:

• Health & Wellness – Medical, Dental & Vision
• PTO
• Discounted Meals
• Growth Opportunities