Culinary Curriculum & Training Manager

HQ•Chester, MD

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Taste Buds Kitchen is seeking a Culinary Curriculum & Training Manager to lead instructional design, training facilitation, and culinary education. This is an educational design and coaching role rather than a restaurant back-of-house position; a culinary degree or professional kitchen experience is not required. The role is based at the corporate office and test kitchen in Chester, Maryland, and builds turnkey cooking curricula, class guides, digital training materials, and learning resources for franchise owners and studio instructors. During the first six months, a priority is shifting training toward digital delivery. The manager will record instructional class and recipe walkthroughs and equipment setup guides using accessible creator equipment, and turn onboarding workflows and recipe standards into digital learning modules in Operandio. The position designs lesson plans and teaching resources for youth camps, adult classes, parties, and corporate events; facilitates monthly on-site certification cohorts for franchise owners and managers; coaches adult learners in culinary entertainment, classroom pacing, and group dynamics; and supports seasonal training, Discovery Days, and occasional studio openings. The manager also tests and standardizes recipes, works with Marketing on seasonal menus and event packages, and oversees test-kitchen inventory, food costing, sourcing, and sanitation. The role is full-time and on-site at the Chester test kitchen, with situational remote flexibility on Mondays for curriculum writing and administrative development depending on schedules. The usual schedule is Monday through Friday during daytime hours, shifting to Tuesday through Saturday once per month for franchisee training cohorts. Compensation is $70,000–$80,000 per year, commensurate with experience.

Requirements

At least 3 years of experience in curriculum or lesson design, adult training, corporate hospitality learning and development, or recreational cooking-school instruction.
Proven experience writing clear lesson plans, run-of-shows, or standard operating procedures.
Comfort with home cooking and baking fundamentals and food safety.
ServSafe Manager certification or ability to obtain it.
Comfort using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude for drafting and managing digital learning management platforms.
Comfortable on camera.
Able to lift up to 30 pounds and remain on their feet during active test-kitchen and training-cohort days.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with franchise networks or multi-unit concepts.

Responsibilities

Design turnkey lesson plans, tool staging maps, and minute-by-minute teacher run-of-shows for youth camps, adult classes, parties, and corporate team-building events.
Structure classes so non-chef staff can lead engaging, safe sessions within strict time limits.
Use internal AI models and prompt libraries to accelerate drafting of seasonal concepts, agendas, and run-of-shows, reviewing results for kitchen safety, allergen compliance, and brand voice.
Maintain Operandio and format culinary and studio operations materials as clear franchisee learning guides, including materials about kitchen technology, music systems, CRM workflows, and studio checklists.
Record instructional class and recipe walkthroughs and equipment setup guides for the central video library.
Create digital learning modules from onboarding workflows and recipe standards.
Facilitate monthly on-site certification cohorts at headquarters for new franchise owners and managers, covering kitchen workflow and brand standards.
Coach adult learners in culinary entertainment, classroom pacing, and group dynamics.
Host digital seasonal training, lead cooking sessions during monthly Discovery Days, and occasionally provide on-site backup for new studio grand openings.
Test, adapt, and scale recipes and culinary experiences for youth and adult programs, considering simplicity, profitability, and allergen safety.
Collaborate with Marketing to operationalize seasonal menus and event packages.
Oversee test-kitchen inventory, food costing, sourcing, and sanitation for testing and training cohorts.