What are the responsibilities and job description for the Culinary Associate/Chef position at Spiceology?
About Spiceology Inc.: Founded in 2013, Spiceology is the fastest-growing spice company in America, ranked by Inc. Magazine for five years and counting. We have built both solid foundations and reliable growth trajectories in DTC, retail, and foodservice channels. From innovative blends to hard-to-source ingredients, we inspire both professional chefs and home cooks to Experiment with Flavor™ and share in the joy of cooking and eating.
Position Overview: The Culinary Associate / Sous Chef is a hybrid position that plays a hands-on role in the Spiceology Test Kitchen and supports Quality Assurance (QA) activities within Operations. This role is culinary-focused — working alongside the Culinary Director to develop recipes, test new blends, prepare food for demos and content creation, and support culinary storytelling. The remaining description allows the role to be involved in quality assurance and product testing to ensure flavor consistency, ingredient integrity, and food safety across our blends.
This position bridges the Culinary, QA, Procurement and Sales/Marketing teams to ensure that all culinary initiatives reflect Spiceology’s commitment to innovation, consistency, and quality.
Key Responsibilities:
1. General Culinary Support for Sales/Marketing
○ Assist in developing and maintaining product substitutes for sku razzed items
○ Overseeing the sampling and blend development for Private Label Program
○ Supporting culinary needs for the Client Success Team (e.g Thomas Cuisine)
○ Assisting in local (Pacific Northwest) culinary events
○ Collaborating in white board sessions
○ Collaborating with sales/marketing in sampling program recipes
○ Collaborating with culinary/marketing team to create content in Spiceology Test Kitchen
○ Assisting in acquiring/shopping for ingredients for content shoots
○ Collaborating with culinary leadership on chef consultation opportunities
○ Opportunities for growth within this role could lead to travel and chef consulting
○ Opportunities to support business development initiatives
2. Quality Inspections of New Spices:
○ Conduct comprehensive quality inspections on all incoming spices
○ Assess physical attributes, such as color, aroma, and texture
○ Perform preliminary tests to ensure spices meet established quality standards
3. QA Testing for On-Hand Products:
○ Develop and implement a testing schedule for on-hand spices
○ Identify and perform the most impactful tests for each spice type (floating of mustard seeds, etc.)
○ Document and analyze test results to ensure continued product quality and safety
4. Testing New Vendor Spices for Procurement:
○ Evaluate new vendor spices through rigorous testing and comparison against established standards
○ Coordinate with the procurement team to ensure only high-quality spices are sourced
○ Maintain records of vendor performance and quality consistency
Physical Demands:
● Ability to stand and walk on hard services for long periods of time (6-12 hours) and regularly lift up to 50lbs
● Frequent and repetitive physical motions including bending, twisting, stooping, and reaching
● Must have a keen sense of taste and smell
Qualifications:
● Proven experience in quality assurance within the food manufacturing industry, preferably with spices
● Minimum of 5 years in Culinary space
● Excellent organizational, time management, communication, and analytical skills
● Proficiency in using QA software and tools
● Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams
● Must have reliable transportation primarily to support grocery shopping for ingredients
Skills and Competencies:
● Attention to detail and a strong commitment to quality
● Proficiency in Google Workspace, including docs, sheets, slides, gmail and chat
● Problem-solving skills and the ability to implement effective solutions
● Ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize workload effectively
● Strong documentation and reporting skills
