R&D Chef's Assistant

Office•Santa Rosa, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Amy's Kitchen is a family-owned, independent organic and vegetarian food company committed to making it simple and enjoyable for everyone to eat well. As a Certified B Corporation, they focus on crafting authentic dishes with high-quality organic ingredients. This role involves assisting in the development of new and reformulated products, including preliminary preparation, cooking, and assembly of new products. The R&D Chef's Assistant will support the R&D Chef and staff in executing tests and tastings, and perform other food preparation tasks in the R&D Kitchen. A portion of the role will also involve working in production areas to ensure proper scale-up of recipes.

Requirements

Strong working knowledge of Amy’s Kitchen manufacturing and production processes.
Ability to communicate effectively.
Strong English skills (both written and verbal) required.
Ability to multi-task and prioritize.
Team oriented.
Ability to take initiative; self-starter.
Basic computer skills/knowledge.
Basic math skills.
Culinary technical degree, or five to seven years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Ability to read and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or government regulations.
Ability to write business correspondence.
Ability to effectively present information to coworkers at a peer level and respond to questions from coworkers, supervisors or managers.
Ability to work with basic mathematical concepts (addition, subtraction, etc.).
Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Responsibilities

Learn and understand the processes for manufacturing Amy's products.
Execute recipe cooking in the kitchen during scale-up.
Maintain R&D samples in the holding freezer, ensuring organization.
Learn and understand formulations and batch sheets.
Execute all types of batch sheets and/or formulations, following standard procedures and ensuring accuracy and proper documentation.
Track all recipe changes and other pertinent information needed for scale-up activities.
Check all ingredients and intermediate foods to verify they match batch sheet requirements and are made to standard.
Independently troubleshoot scale-up issues.
Report back to management with recommendations to address issues.
Understand the safe use of all equipment (current and new/test equipment).
Instruct production staff on equipment use for all new production runs.
Taste products frequently to ensure they meet R&D standards.
Execute all instructions given by the R&D manager and chef.
Uphold the mission of the Amy’s Food Safety and Quality Policy, including following all Food Safety and Sustainability programs and participating in required training.