K-12 Development Chef- Philadelphia Culinary Center

Do you have a passion for culinary creativity, recipe innovation, and building menus that delight and nourish students?

Join Whitsons as an R&D Chef and play a key role in shaping the future of K–12 school nutrition across the Northeast.

This is a unique opportunity to work in our state-of-the-art R&D kitchen with access to a vast supply chain, multi-departmental collaboration, and the support of our Nutrition, Production, and Sourcing teams. You’ll design menus that meet nutritional guidelines, cost targets, and production capabilities—while delivering unique, seasonal, and culturally diverse offerings that keep students engaged and excited about healthy eating.

What You’ll Do

• Create innovative menu items that align with cost, nutritional, and crediting parameters.

• Collaborate with production kitchens to commercialize recipes from concept to large-scale execution.

• Document and maintain yield analyses, routing details, and product specifications for golden sample runs.

• Input and verify recipes in our MRP system, apply routings, and run cost analyses.

• Conduct taste tests with customers, students, and district partners.

• Lead roving chef demonstrations, special events, and seasonal menu launches.

• Develop appealing, balanced, and cost-effective student menus.

• Drive new product development, process improvements, and cost/quality optimization initiatives.

• Assist Sales with proposal sampling and tasting presentations.

Additional Responsibilities

• Observe daily operations and provide suggestions for improvements.

• Conduct data collection for yield, shelf life, and sensory testing.

• Maintain organized inventory of R&D projects.

• Perform food cost analysis and culinary math calculations.

• Create and manage Bills of Materials (BOM) within cost, nutritional, and operational guidelines.

• Package and ship product samples as needed.

• Ensure quality control through tasting and observation during production runs.

What We’re Looking For

Education & Certifications

• Associate degree or higher in Culinary Arts, Food Science, or related field.

• Culinary Degree/Certificate or equivalent professional experience.

• ServSafe certification required (must maintain throughout employment).

Skills & Experience

• Strong knowledge of cooking techniques, recipe adherence, and sanitation standards.

• Familiarity with a variety of cuisines, flavor profiles, and global food trends.

• Understanding of nutritional values and their impact on menu development.

• Experience with recipe scaling, costing, and food production equipment.

• Strong collaboration skills and ability to work across departments.

• Comfort with culinary math, cost analysis, and MRP systems a plus.

Why Join Whitsons?

• Competitive compensation

• Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance

• 401(k) with company match

• Paid Time Off

• Monday–Friday schedule with limited nights/weekends

• Opportunity to innovate and make a meaningful impact in school nutrition

• Supportive, mission-driven culture: Enhancing Life One Meal at a Time™

Payrate 55-65K Based on experience

Qualifications:

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES:

Education:

• Associate degree or higher
• Culinary Degree/Certificate or equivalent work experience

Certifications:

• ServSafe certification
• Must complete all Whitsons and other mandated training as necessary

Other Qualifications, Experience and Competencies:

• Ability to speak and read English in order to understand and perform job assignments
• Complete knowledge of cooking techniques/recipe adherence
• Understanding of sanitation standards
• Familiarity with culinary techniques and terminology
• Strong grasp on cuisines and flavor profiles from various cultures and areas of the world
• Strong understanding of nutritional values of ingredients and their impact on recipes
• Familiarity with equipment throughout the plant in order to complete day to day assignments

PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the team member is frequently required to:

• Lift up to 40 lbs
• Bending, pushing and pulling
• Standing for most of workday
• Walking, speaking, listening, using hands and fingers to feel, handle, or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus
• The employee must be able to multi-task.
• Operate all cooking equipment
• Working in extreme environments – extremely hot and extremely cold