SOUTH Indian R&D CHEF / Manager

Devyani International; Gurugram District; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Devyani International is seeking a South Indian R&D Chef / Manager of Culinary Innovation & Product Development. The role focuses on leading R&D for South Indian cuisine, developing innovative recipes, and scaling them for multi-unit formats.

Strong knowledge of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, AP and Telangana regional dishes is essential. The candidate will standardize recipes, manage trials and benchmarking, and collaborate with procurement, QA, operations, and marketing to drive commercial

Qualifications

• Diploma or degree in Hotel Management or Food Production from a reputed institute.
• 5-10 years of culinary experience.
• At least 3 years in Culinary R&D or product development.
• Experience in Restaurant/QSR/Central Kitchen or FMCG preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead South Indian R&D and new product development from concept to commercial launch.
• Develop authentic, innovative South Indian recipes for modern restaurant and QSR formats.
• Conduct kitchen trials, prototyping, benchmarking, recipe refinement, and validation.
• Convert traditional recipes into commercially viable, scalable products.
• Demonstrate hands-on culinary skills and participate in kitchen trials.
• Provide regional South Indian cuisine expertise across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, AP and Telangana.
• Develop Standard Recipe Cards (SRCs), SOPs, and process specifications.
• Conduct sensory evaluations and benchmarking; refine products based on feedback.
• Costing, yield, portion control, and process optimization for commercial scale.
• Vendor development and collaboration with Procurement and SCM.

Skills

5-10 years overall culinary experience

3+ years hands-on Culinary R&D

South Indian regional cuisine know-how

Willingness to travel

Strong communication and stakeholder管理

Education

Diploma/Degree in Hotel Management or Food Production from IHM or reputed institute

Job description

South Indian R&D Chef / Manager Culinary Innovation & Product Development

Qualification & Experience

• Diploma/Degree in Hotel Management or Food Production from IHM or a reputed Hotel Management Institute mandatory.
• 5-10 years of overall culinary experience.
• Minimum 3 years of hands-on experience in Culinary R&D, Product Development, Menu Development, or Culinary Innovation.
• Experience in a Restaurant, QSR, Central Kitchen, Food Manufacturing, FMCG Food Company, or Hospitality industry is preferred.

Key Responsibilities

1. Culinary R&D & Product Development

• Lead South Indian cuisine R&D and new product development from concept through commercial launch.
• Develop authentic, innovative, market-relevant South Indian recipes suitable for modern restaurant and QSR formats.
• Conduct kitchen trials, product prototyping, benchmarking, recipe refinement, and validation.
• Convert traditional recipes into commercially viable, scalable, consistent, and operationally feasible products.
• Demonstrate strong hands-on culinary skills and actively participate in kitchen trials.

2. Regional South Indian Cuisine Expertise

Possess strong knowledge of regional and sub-regional cuisines across:

• Tamil Nadu
• Kerala
• Karnataka
• Andhra Pradesh
• Telangana

Strong understanding of sub-regional cuisines, including:

• Chettinad
• Kongunadu
• Malabar
• Thalassery
• Mangalorean
• Udupi
• Coorg
• Rayalaseema
• Telangana

Understand regional spice profiles, masalas, ingredients, cooking techniques, traditional preparation methods, and their adaptation to modern commercial formats.

3. Recipe Standardisation & Commercialisation

• Develop and maintain Standard Recipe Cards (SRCs), SOPs, and process specifications.
• Define recipe grammage, yield, portion size, cooking time, temperature, and process parameters.
• Conduct small-batch, bulk, and scale-up trials for commercial production.
• Ensure consistency, authenticity, taste, texture, appearance, and operational feasibility.
• Optimise recipes for commercial scalability and multi-unit operations.
• Develop products based on available equipment, production processes, and operational capabilities.

4. Sensory Evaluation & Benchmarking

• Conduct sensory evaluations and product benchmarking.
• Perform competitive product analysis and market benchmarking.
• Evaluate products on:
• Taste
• Texture
• Aroma
• Appearance
• Authenticity
• Consistency
• Commercial feasibility
• Refine products based on sensory feedback and consumer/market requirements.

5. Costing, Yield & Portion Control

• Calculate and optimise food cost, recipe cost, yield, portion size, and wastage.
• Ensure recipes meet defined commercial cost targets without compromising quality and authenticity.
• Monitor yield and process efficiency during trials and scale-up.

6. Vendor & Ingredient Development

• Identify and evaluate regional ingredients, spices, masalas, and potential vendors.
• Conduct vendor trials and support ingredient/product standardisation.
• Work closely with Procurement and SCM teams for sourcing and product development.
• Provide technical inputs for ingredient specifications and commercial trials.

7. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with:

• SCM & Procurement
• Quality Assurance
• Operations
• Marketing
• Vendors
• Central Kitchen
• Manufacturing Teams
• Culinary Teams

Provide technical and culinary inputs for centralised production, manufacturing, and outlet-level implementation.

8. Product Implementation & Training

• Support product implementation during pilot and post-launch stages.
• Troubleshoot product and process issues after launch.
• Conduct product training and knowledge transfer for Operations and Culinary teams.
• Conduct outlet visits to ensure adherence to approved recipes, specifications, and processes.

9. Market & Culinary Research

• Research regional food trends and emerging South Indian culinary opportunities.
• Identify new dishes, ingredients, formats, and consumer trends.
• Undertake market visits and regional food research for benchmarking and innovation.
• Explore opportunities to adapt traditional South Indian cuisine to contemporary restaurant, QSR, central kitchen, RTE, frozen, and other commercial formats.

10. Documentation & Reporting

• Maintain complete documentation of:
• Product trials
• Recipes
• SRCs
• SOPs
• Ingredient specifications
• Costing
• Yield
• Sensory evaluations
• Benchmarking
• Trial feedback
• Final approvals
• Maintain accurate records throughout the product development and commercialisation cycle.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate should have:

• Strong passion and deep expertise in South Indian cuisine.
• Excellent understanding of the culinary diversity of South India rather than expertise limited to one regional cuisine.
• Proven Culinary R&D / Product Development experience.
• Strong R&D mindset with the ability to research, create, test, refine, standardise, and commercialise products.
• Strong understanding of recipe standardisation and commercial scalability.
• Good knowledge of food costing, yield management, portion control, and wastage optimisation.
• Strong sensory evaluation and palate development skills.
• Experience in new product launches and menu development.
• Good understanding of restaurant/QSR operational requirements.
• Strong communication, presentation, documentation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Creative, analytical, detail-oriented, and commercially focused.
• Willingness to travel for regional research, market visits, benchmarking, vendor trials, and product development.

Preferred Experience

Candidates with experience in the following environments will be preferred:

• Reputed QSR or Restaurant Chains
• Central Kitchens
• Food Manufacturing Companies
• FMCG Food Companies
• Hospitality Groups
• Multi-unit restaurant operations
• RTE/Frozen food product development
• Vendor development and commercial trials
• Manufacturing scale-up and productionisation

Key Screening Criteria

Candidates will be evaluated primarily on the following:

• IHM / Reputed Hotel Management Background
• Strong South Indian Regional Cuisine Knowledge
• Proven Culinary R&D / Product Development Experience
• Hands-on Trial & Recipe Development Capability
• Commercialisation & Scale-up Experience
• Recipe Standardisation & SRC/SOP Development
• Food Costing, Yield & Portion Control
• Sensory Evaluation & Product Benchmarking
• QSR / Restaurant / Central Kitchen Experience
• Vendor Trials & Ingredient Standardisation
• New Product Launch Experience
• Ability to Work Cross-Functionally with Operations, QA, SCM, Procurement and Marketing