Culinary Director

QUEST FOOD MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC•Lombard, IL

1d•$75,000 - $85,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Culinary Director provides comprehensive field leadership and operational support for all culinary services and new initiatives. In this multifaceted role, the Director ensures database integrity and manages corporate recipe systems, software migrations, and actionable Excel reporting to drive field profitability. Additionally, this position acts as an agile culinary resource, assisting with high-profile catering events, preparing tasting menus for sales proposals, and providing targeted site support during critical operational windows.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
3+ years of food service industry management experience, with a background in contract food management preferred.
Proven experience working heavily with back-of-house software, menu management systems, or recipe database platforms.
Strong foundational culinary skills paired with a systems-driven, administrative approach; ability to pivot seamlessly from data entry to client-facing food execution.
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Excel (VLOOKUPs, Pivot Tables, data formatting) and PowerPoint (deck design and visual layouts).
Demonstrated ability to analyze data, determine priorities, manage time effectively, and make process improvement recommendations.
Outstanding interpersonal, relationship management, and customer service skills, including excellent verbal and written communication.
Ability to function well and make sound decisions in a high-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Ability to read, write, and speak English proficiently.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual skills preferred.

Responsibilities

Support with the corporate recipe database; manage the input, continuous editing, scaling, and formatting of all standardized recipes to ensure accuracy for field deployment.
Support data entry projects and software transitions, ensuring legacy recipes, menus, and inventory components are accurately mapped into corporate culinary systems.
Design, maintain, and distribute regular Excel-based operational reports tracking recipe compliance, waste reduction, food costs, and nutritional data metrics.
Assist Culinary Team in executing culinary presentations and high-end tasting menus for potential client walkthroughs.
Provide hands-on culinary and operational support for high-profile catering events, VIP functions, and major regional initiatives. Manage the administrative side of large-scale catering menus, including recipe scaling, ordering and logistics.
Deploy to the field on an as-needed basis to support unit operations during concept rollouts or transitions.
Support auditing and all culinary Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and HACCP food safety standards across the portfolio.