Culinary Innovation Chef

Vallarta Supermarkets provided pay range

This range is provided by Vallarta Supermarkets. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

$/yr - $/yr

Direct message the job poster from Vallarta Supermarkets

Title: Culinary Innovation Chef

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt

Reports To: Director of Culinary

The Culinary Innovation Chef works within the culinary department and is responsible for the research and development of new itemization, including product development, costing, communication, training, and recipe creation developed in conjunction with the Directors of the fresh departments. The position provides hands on support to the fresh department directors and the culinary team related to product a nd menu development, product evaluation, recipe development, costing of new and existing products, store communication, retail recommendations, merchandising recommendations, market trend analysis, and operational training on new or modified recipes.

The ideal candidate will be passionate, positive, and humble with extensive culinary knowledge and a consistent track record of achieving results individually and through others.

Develop strong, collaborative working relationships with the Fresh Department Directors, the store personnel, and the culinary team. A relationship built on trust, open communication, complete involvement, commitment and support respectful of their input and roles in their respective departments. Create a work environment that promotes teamwork, feedback, recognition, and mutual respect.

• Support:
  Support the Fresh Department Directors and the culinary team in all aspects of product development and the execution of all programs.
• Innovation:
  The job requires both creativity and out‑of‑the‑box thinking to develop innovative ideas, products, and programs. Each program must have well‑thought‑out SOPs to ensure success at store level in both sales and margin while minimizing shrink.
• Creativity:
  Work alongside the Fresh Department Directors to develop company programs for every major holiday, event, and season to ensure that Vallarta is on the leading edge with quality product lines & offerings. The goal is to be first to market and to be a market leader.
• Communication:
  Support the Fresh Department Directors in ensuring that all aspects of programs are effectively communicated to the appropriate teams. Ensure that all communication regarding these programs to appropriate supervisors and operational team members is thorough and complete while obtaining their input for the analysis and evaluation of new programs.

• Ensure Procurement and vendor management teams are communicated with regularly.
• Prepare merchandising plans and ensure store execution with continuous analysis and follow‑up.
• Understand all equipment, tools and packaging used for the department, as well as how the equipment is used.
• Must understand all aspects of competitors in our market area, as it relates to these fresh departments.
• Partner with department supervisors and operations to gain their "buy in" and support for programs, so they are embraced and executed effectively at the store level. This includes personal development as well as continuous improvement.
• Assess current inventory, market conditions, availability, and promotional impact to forecast order quantities and make recommendations.
• Expect unfavorable events through analysis of data and preparing control strategies.
• Understand operational metrics and reports on shrink and work to minimize any losses by implementing best practice programs and systems.
• Discover new suppliers and initiate business and organization partnerships to help with product development.
• Visit stores regularly to monitor programs, obtain store feedback and to assess overall implementation effectiveness.
• Develop innovation and ideas that fit Vallarta concept and goals.
• Develop programs and training materials for team members.
• Work on costing for all new and current items.
• Research new equipment to…