Head of Culinary

Call Your Mother Deli•Washington, DC

2d•$170,000•Onsite

About The Position

Call Your Mother is seeking its first Head of Culinary, a pivotal role based in the DMV area. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of the company's menu and culinary strategy. The Head of Culinary will collaborate directly with the Co-Founders and Chief Culinary Officer, leading Research & Development and Quality Assurance teams. This role requires cross-functional partnership with Operations, Supply Chain, Training, Marketing, and Finance to bring innovative culinary ideas to fruition. The ideal candidate is a blend of chef, coach, builder, and problem solver, responsible for conceptualizing new menu items and establishing the systems and standards for consistent, exceptional execution across all locations. The role emphasizes creating food that guests obsess over while maintaining the brand's core values of quality, hospitality, and nostalgia.

Requirements

7+ years of culinary leadership experience across a multi-unit restaurant organization, with a deep understanding of what it takes to execute food consistently at scale.
Completed professional culinary training or built equivalent expertise through hands-on experience.
Successfully led menu innovation, product launches, recipe implementation, commercialization, and operational training across multiple locations.
Developed high-performing culinary teams through coaching, trust, and accountability.
Highly organized and can confidently juggle multiple priorities, projects, and timelines without losing sight of the details.
Know food safety, quality assurance, kitchen systems, and production management.
Believe great food is equal parts creativity and relentless execution and get just as excited about improving a beloved classic as you do creating the next guest obsession.
Sweat the details because you know guests can taste the difference.
Lead with humility, curiosity, high standards, and a roll-up-your-sleeves mentality.
Can move comfortably between the test kitchen, supplier meetings, executive conversations, commissaries, and shop operations.
Are digging our big BIG V.I.B.E.S. (Vibrancy, Integrity, Belonging, Energy, and Seize the Moment).

Responsibilities

Partner side-by-side with our Co-Founder & Chief Culinary Officer to bring our culinary vision to life and help shape what's next for Call Your Mother.
Lead our Research & Development and Quality Assurance teams, building a high-performing culinary organization rooted in creativity, collaboration, and accountability.
Establish and uphold culinary standards that protect the integrity of our food as we continue to grow, while identifying opportunities to improve consistency, quality, speed, and profitability.
Own the end-to-end product development process: from first idea and kitchen experimentation through testing, operational validation, commercialization, launch, and post-launch optimization.
Develop new menu items, seasonal offerings, beverages, and products that surprise and delight guests while staying true to the Call Your Mother brand.
Protect and continuously improve our core menu, ensuring our guest favorites remain consistently delicious as we grow.
Build scalable recipes, systems, and standards that deliver chef-quality food across every shop and commissary.
Partner closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Training, Marketing, Finance, and Development to ensure every new product is operationally executable, financially sound, and ready for successful rollout.
Establish and evolve quality assurance standards, auditing programs, and food specifications that protect consistency across all products and locations.
Collaborate with supplier partners to source, develop, and commercialize ingredients that meet our quality standards while supporting long-term growth.
Stay relentlessly curious about food, ingredients, techniques, equipment, and consumer insights, not to chase trends, but to thoughtfully evolve the menu in ways that feel authentically Call Your Mother.
Roll up your sleeves. Some days you'll be in the kitchen, some days in a shop, some days at a commissary, and some days in a conference room. We believe the best culinary leaders stay close to the food and the people making it.

Benefits

Competitive salary $170,000
Annual bonus opportunity
Stock options
Health, dental, and vision insurance
Unlimited paid time off
100% Paid, 12 week parental leave
401(k) with 4% company match
Free English and Spanish classes
Duolingo reimbursement
Confidential therapy and professional resources for mental health, legal guidance, financial wellness, and more.
Bagels on the house!
50% off when you're off the clock.