Research Chef

Life Spice Ingredients is a fast-growing, international, entrepreneurial food company. We are seeking a Research Chef to join our team in River North. This is a hands‑on, benchtop‑focused role where you will be a difference‑maker in the development of dry seasoning blends for our industrial customers.

Our culture is professional, supportive, dog‑friendly, and hard‑working. If you are looking for the opportunity to be part of a close‑knit team where your work directly impacts the company’s success, this role is for you.

• Benchtop Prototyping: Spend the majority of your time at the benchtop creating, blending, and testing winning dry seasoning blends for use in meats, salty snacks, sauces, and dressings.
• Project Management: Simultaneously manage multiple development projects from concept to completion. You must be able to prioritize tasks effectively in a fast‑paced environment to meet customer deadlines.
• Meat & Protein Expertise: Apply culinary and technical knowledge to develop seasoning systems specifically for meat applications. You will create "gold standard" targets to guide development and ensure performance in finished protein products.
• Trend & Material Sourcing: Stay current on emerging food service trends and communicate them to the team. Identify new raw materials and work with flavor companies and suppliers to find ingredients that set our blends apart.
• Testing & Validation: Conduct rigorous application testing (cooking, tasting, and sensory evaluation) to ensure seasonings perform as intended in the final product.
• Customer Presentations: Collaborate with Sales and Marketing to prepare and participate in culinary demonstrations and presentations for our customers.
• Documentation: Develop new recipes and cooking techniques, ensuring all formulas and processes are documented clearly for the rest of the team.

• Education: Culinary degree from an accredited culinary school.
• Experience: 3+ years of culinary experience. Direct experience in meat/protein applications or industrial seasoning development is highly preferred.
• Multitasking: Proven ability to manage a high volume of projects at once without sacrificing quality or attention to detail.
• Certification: A CRC (Certified Research Chef) certificate or equivalent R&D experience is a plus.
• Communication: Ability to prepare and deliver food demonstrations and presentations to audiences of five or more people.

• Individual Contributor: This is a high‑impact role with no direct reports, reporting to the Director of R&D and interacting with all functions of the company.
• Location: Our River North office is easily accessible by public transportation (steps from the Brown Line), taking the stress out of your morning commute.