Junior Chef - Research & Development

Orkla India Ltd.; Ernakulam; On-site; INR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Orkla India Ltd. in Kerala is seeking a culinary R&D professional to support the development of new products, recipes, and regional culinary solutions, with a focus on Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

You will help prepare prototypes, conduct sensory sessions, standardize recipes for scale-up, document observations, and collaborate with Marketing, Quality, Manufacturing, and Procurement on NPD projects.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of experience in Hotels, Restaurants, Catering Operations, or Food R&D environments.

Responsibilities

• Support the R&D team in developing new products, recipes, and culinary solutions for the Eastern portfolio.
• Assist in the preparation of product prototypes, benchmarking samples, and sensory evaluation sessions.
• Conduct culinary research on regional cuisines with a primary focus on Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
• Prepare and standardize recipes ensuring authenticity, consistency, and scalability for commercial production.
• Support ingredient sourcing, evaluation, and testing for new product development projects.
• Assist in organizing and maintaining the R&D kitchen, ensuring food safety, hygiene, and compliance with company standards.
• Participate in consumer studies, culinary immersion programs, and market visits to gather insights on regional food habits and preferences.
• Support plant trials and scale-up activities from kitchen to factory production.
• Maintain accurate documentation of recipes, trials, observations, and sensory feedback.
• Prepare traditional and contemporary dishes for product development activities.
• Conduct competitive benchmarking of spice mixes, masalas, ready-to-cook, and ready-to-eat products.
• Assist in developing authentic recipes from Kerala, Coastal Karnataka, Mangalore, Udupi, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana cuisines.
• Participate in recipe optimization to improve taste, consistency, cost, and manufacturability.
• Support sensory evaluation panels and product tasting sessions.
• Collect, compile, and organize culinary and market intelligence databases.
• Work closely with Marketing, Quality, Manufacturing, Procurement, and Packaging teams during NPD projects.
• Assist in conducting kitchen and factory trials and recording observations.
• Contribute to building an internal repository of traditional recipes, culinary techniques, and regional food knowledge.

Skills

Recipe development

Sensory evaluation

Culinary research

Documentation

Job description

Role & responsibilities

Responsibility and Mandate

• Support the R&D team in developing new products, recipes, and culinary solutions for the Eastern portfolio.


• Assist in the preparation of product prototypes, benchmarking samples, and sensory evaluation sessions.


• Conduct culinary research on regional cuisines with a primary focus on Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.


• Prepare and standardize recipes ensuring authenticity, consistency, and scalability for commercial production.


• Support ingredient sourcing, evaluation, and testing for new product development projects.


• Assist in organizing and maintaining the R&D kitchen, ensuring food safety, hygiene, and compliance with company standards.


• Participate in consumer studies, culinary immersion programs, and market visits to gather insights on regional food habits and preferences.


• Support plant trials and scale-up activities from kitchen to factory production.


• Maintain accurate documentation of recipes, trials, observations, and sensory feedback.

Main tasks/Projects

• Prepare traditional and contemporary South Indian dishes for product development activities.


• Conduct competitive benchmarking of spice mixes, masalas, ready-to-cook, and ready-to-eat products.


• Assist in developing authentic recipes from Kerala, Coastal Karnataka, Mangalore, Udupi, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana cuisines.


• Participate in recipe optimization to improve taste, consistency, cost, and manufacturability.


• Support sensory evaluation panels and product tasting sessions.


• Collect, compile, and organize culinary and market intelligence databases.


• Work closely with Marketing, Quality, Manufacturing, Procurement, and Packaging teams during NPD projects.


• Assist in conducting kitchen and factory trials and recording observations.


• Contribute to building an internal repository of traditional recipes, culinary techniques, and regional food knowledge.

Preferred candidate profile

• Minimum 2 years of experience in Hotels, Restaurants, Catering Operations, or Food R&D environments


• Exposure to South Indian cuisine is mandatory


• Experience in recipe development, standardization, or menu development will be an added advantage