Development Chef

Independent Food; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UAE-based hospitality company is seeking a highly qualified Development Chef, specializing in Breakfast, Bakery, and Pastry. In this role, the candidate will innovate recipes and enhance existing products while focusing on operational excellence. Ideal candidates will have 5+ years of R&D experience in relevant areas, a degree in food technology or culinary arts, and knowledge of food safety standards. Join a dynamic team and lead recipe development in a creative environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of Production R&D experience focusing on Breakfast, Bakery, and Pastry.
• Proven experience with HACCP and ISO 22000 food safety guidelines.
• Strong attention to detail with exceptional organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Create new recipes and enhance existing products for quality and cost-efficiency.
• Develop operationally executable recipes maintaining high food quality standards.
• Analyze market trends in breakfast and pastry to adapt recipes.

Skills

Creativity

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in food technology or Culinary Arts

Job description

Driven to create unique home-grown food concepts that bring people together, the Independent Food Company is a UAE-based hospitality company with multiple concepts under its umbrella – SALT, Parker’s, Grind, Somewhere, Public, Soil, Shalwa and Kumo.

We are presently seeking to hire a highly qualified Development Chef specializing in Breakfast, Bakery, and Pastry to join our dynamic team. This role requires a hands‑on professional who will be instrumental in the creation and refinement of our pastry and breakfast offerings. The ideal candidate will possess a superior knowledge of culinary techniques, strong operational acumen, and exceptional coaching abilities, driving both product excellence and operational efficiency. The Development Chef will focus on new product and menu development, product evaluation, recipe refinement, and providing comprehensive training to our operations teams on new or modified recipes.

Responsibilities

• Recipe & Product Innovation: Create new recipes and continuously enhance existing products, focusing on improving quality and cost-efficiency.
• Operational Recipe Development: Develop and communicate recipes that are operationally executable and consistently meet our company's high food quality standards.
• Market Trend Analysis: Continuously observe market trends in breakfast, bakery, and pastry to adapt and modify recipes, accordingly, ensuring our offerings remain fresh and competitive.
• Quality Assurance Liaison: Collaborate closely with the Quality Assurance team to meticulously check and enhance product quality, including stability, appearance, taste, and flavor.
• Strategic Food Development: Develop and deploy a comprehensive food development strategy encompassing recipes, products, and operational procedures.
• Field Roll‑out & Implementation: Implement successful field rollouts of new products and recipes, including the preparation of detailed videos, standard operating procedures, and special instructions.
• Operational Training: Train Back‑of‑House (BOH) staff on new or existing recipes and procedures, ensuring consistency and adherence to standards.
• Product Presentations: Conduct engaging presentations on new product or food preparation techniques.
• Product Evaluation & Costing: Take responsibility for thorough product evaluations, including hold‑time and yield studies, accurate product costing, and portion control.
• Training Material Development: Create comprehensive training materials for Operations teams on the correct handling of new products, recipes, or procedures.
• Training Program Reinforcement: Implement and reinforce company training programs, maintaining high culinary operational standards.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of Production Research & Development (R&D) experience, with a strong focus on Breakfast, Bakery, and Pastry.
• Bachelor's degree in food technology or a recognized Certification in Culinary Arts.
• Proven experience and in-depth knowledge in dealing and working with HACCP, ISO 22000, International GMP, and Dubai Municipality (DM) Food Safety Guidelines.
• Highly creative and innovative thinking with a passion for culinary exploration.
• Exceptional organizational, critical thinking, and communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and sound judgment.