Research Chef

New Classic Cooking LLC • Piscataway Township, NJ

1h

About The Position

The Research Chef will help shape the R&D department at New Classic Cooking by leading culinary-driven product development projects. The role combines culinary creativity with food science, operational feasibility, and business strategy to create great-tasting products. As a key member of the company, the Research Chef works cross-functionally with Marketing, QA, and Operations to translate culinary trends into consumer needs. The position also involves supporting and leading innovation, maintaining product and project documentation, participating in sensory and shelf-life work, and supporting production trials and first production runs. The Research Chef may manage or train junior team members and must follow SQF guidelines and food safety standards in laboratory and production environments.

Requirements

• Culinary degree from an accredited institution.
• At least 10 years of culinary experience, including at least 5 years in product development in the food manufacturing industry.
• Experience in bakery, frozen foods, snacks, sauces, or prepared meals.
• Experience developing products for large-scale manufacturing and a strong understanding of food science and ingredient functionality.
• Experience with sensory evaluation and product demonstrations at trade shows.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with Excel, Word, Office, and Genesis software.
• Excellent communication, documentation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel for plant trials, trade shows, or industry events.
• Ability to adapt to change and work in a team-based environment.
• Flexibility to work weekends, holidays, or shift changes when covering plant trials and first production runs.
• Leadership mentality and ability to train new team members as needed.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor of Science in Food Science.
• Bilingual English/Spanish language skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead culinary-inspired innovation projects from bench-top formulation and development through commercialization, including new product platforms, line extensions, and product renovations.
• Develop gold-standard, restaurant-quality products as references for commercialized products.
• Create chef-inspired recipes, internal specifications, documentation, and labeling that meet regulatory, quality, and food safety requirements.
• Conduct professional food demonstrations and culinary sessions for internal teams and external customers as needed.
• Maintain organized formulation and project documentation.
• Support sensory evaluations and shelf-life studies as needed.
• Attend internal and co-manufactured production trials and first production runs, providing support as needed.
• Build technical knowledge by researching ingredients and suppliers and conducting competitive benchmarking with internal and external resources.
• Participate in or lead innovation sessions and ongoing pipeline development.
• Translate food trends into an understanding of consumer needs, using insights from Sales, Marketing, and the restaurant industry.
• Work cross-functionally with Purchasing, Operations, QA, Marketing, and Regulatory to identify how R&D can improve operational efficiency.
• Collaborate with QA to create and organize required R&D documentation for SQF initiatives as needed.
• Perform operational tasks and other projects and activities as needed.
• Attend industry trade shows and ingredient summits to support R&D knowledge and excellence.
• Manage and train junior team members as needed.
• Follow SQF guidelines and food safety standards in laboratory and production environments.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree