Executive Chef

Fresh Prep; Montreal; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Inclusive workplace

Health benefits after 90 days

Food perks

Job summary

Fresh Prep in Ville Saint-Laurent, Quebec, is seeking an Executive Chef to lead our new hot and cold kitchen, commissary, and assembly operations for the ready-to-eat line. You will report to the Plant Manager and build a high-performing team around rotating weekly menus and scalable recipes.

You will oversee production planning, collaborate with QA, Purchasing, Warehouse, and Production, and own labor and ingredient budgets.

Qualifications

• Formal culinary education required.
• 5+ years building direct reports and leading teams.
• 5+ years overseeing productivity and efficiency in a commercial kitchen.
• 5+ years collaboration with purchasing, QA, and HR departments.
• Strong communication and adaptability in diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead the new Kitchen and build the team, ensuring procedures and quality in recipes.
• Manage prep, cooking, plating, and packaging of Ready to Eat products for DTC delivery with a rotating menu.
• Support development of new recipes and conduct trial batches for costs and scalability.
• Plan weekly production to balance grocery costs, labour targets and variety standards.
• Coordinate with QA, Purchasing, Warehouse, and Production to ensure inventory and yields meet orders.
• Own team budget for labour, groceries, and supplies; ensure on-time, in-full fulfillment in a CFIA facility.
• Ensure equipment and supplies keep up with expanding recipes and volumes.

Skills

Team leadership

Culinary operations

Menu development

Quality assurance

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Certified Chef de Cuisine

Culinary Red Seal

Associate/Bachelor in Culinary Arts

Job description

Join Fresh Prep — a dynamic leader revolutionizing how Canadians experience food through sustainable meal kit delivery. As one of Canada's fastest-growing companies and a certified B Corporation, we're committed to making it easier for people to eat well and live better.

We're proud to be recognized as a workplace where innovation meets impact. Our accolades — including BC's Top Employers, placement on The Globe and Mail's Canada's Top Growing Companies list, and recognition as one of Deloitte's Best Managed Companies — reflect our commitment to excellence in both customer experience and employee satisfaction. Our collaborative culture brings together passionate food lovers, sustainability champions, and tech innovators who are reshaping the future of food.

Who You Are

You are an Executive Chef, with a passion for and experience with building teams, you can be proud of. You see yourself as a Mentor first and you are looking for an opportunity to show off your skills in developing and building a new Kitchen and a resulting new Team that comes with it!

This position would report into the Plant Manager, where you will be the Head of our dedicated Hot and Cold Kitchen, Commissary and Assembly operations which is all part of our new Ready to Eat direct to consumer product line of Appetizers, Sauces, Soups,and Meals.

What You'll Be Doing

• Head our new Kitchen and continue the momentum of building upon our new Team, ensuring our procedures and processes are followed for quality in our new recipes.
• Lead the Teams that will prep, cook, plate, and package a variety of Ready to Eat products for a direct to consumer delivery business, which has a weekly rotating menu.
• Support the development of new recipes and conduct trial batches to validate recipe standards, costs and scalability with our Culinary Team.
• Determine rotating weekly production plans for the rotating menus balancing grocery costs, labour targets and variety standards based on Culinary and Marketing Teams’ guidance
• Collaboratively work alongside our Quality Assurance, Purchasing, Warehouse and Production Teams to ensure we have the right quality and quantity of ingredients on hand to meet customer orders, while reporting accurate ingredient yields and usage.
• Responsible for the Team’s labour, grocery, and supplies budget performance
• Be fully accountable for all product quality, taste, presentation as well as on time, and in full order fulfillment within a CFIA registered facility
• Ensure we have the right equipment and supplies to keep up with ever expanding list of recipes and rapidly growing customer volumes.

What We Are Looking For

• Demonstrates a growth mindset, welcomes constructive feedback, and remains focused on achieving the best possible outcomes.
• Holds a Certified Chef de Cuisine designation, Culinary Red Seal certification, an associate degree, or a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts or a related field. Formal culinary education is required.
• Has at least five years of experience developing direct reports, promoting high‑potential team members, and managing employee performance.
• Has at least five years of experience overseeing productivity, operational efficiency, and process improvement in a commercial kitchen environment.
• Has at least five years of experience collaborating with purchasing, quality assurance, and human resources departments.
• Demonstrates a problem‑solving mindset, viewing challenges as opportunities and recognizing the value of innovation and continuous improvement.
• Possesses strong communication skills, with the ability to adapt communication styles to different audiences and convey information clearly and concisely.
• Demonstrates the ability to multitask, maintain operational efficiency, and deliver results within established timelines.

What You Can Expect

• Competitive salary that recognizes your skills and experience.
• An energetic, inclusive workplace where your voice matters and your contributions drive real impact.
• Comprehensive health benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance after 90 days.
• Working with the fantastic team based out of our Ville Saint-Laurent facility.
• Exclusive food perks that let you experience our amazing products.
• A culture that celebrates innovation, encourages professional development, and supports work‑life balance.
• The opportunity to be part of a certified B‑Corporation making a tangible difference in sustainable food systems.

Fresh Prep is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and prohibits discrimination of any kind. We value diversity at our company and at all job levels our goal is to be diverse, inclusive and representative of the communities we operate in. We endeavour to recruit, develop and retain the best talent from a diverse candidate pool and truly believe that diversity, equity and inclusion among our team members is vital to our success as a company. We trust that in applying for a role with us you value this as well!

At Fresh Prep, we work with a variety of ingredients, including common allergens like peanuts, tree nuts, and dairy. Whether you're in one of our corporate functions or within the production facility, you may be exposed to these ingredients. If you have concerns — especially around allergens or meat — please let us know during the hiring process.