Corporate Executive Chef

Confidential Company; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Dining discounts

Professional development

Training program

PTO

Benefits package

Job summary

Vandelay is seeking an experienced Corporate Chef to lead menu development across multiple concepts, focusing on curation, recipe creation, testing, costing, and scalable execution. The role partners with senior culinary leadership to ensure each menu reflects its concept’s identity.

You will drive culinary R&D with a deep understanding of ingredients and technique, balancing creativity with operational feasibility, and guiding training and documentation for consistent execution.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in Executive/Corporate Chef roles across multiple concepts.
• Strong ability to develop menus from ideation to execution.
• Deep knowledge of ingredients, technique, and seasonality.
• Experience aligning culinary development with brand identity and guest experience.
• Ability to create clear recipes, specifications, and plating standards.

Responsibilities

• Partner with senior culinary leadership on menu curation, development, and evolution across concepts.
• Develop new dishes and refine existing items focusing on quality, flavor, technique, presentation, and concept relevance.
• Ensure culinary development remains authentic to each brand's identity and point of view.
• Lead culinary R&D activities: ideation, testing, tastings, refinement, final implementation.
• Create recipes that balance creativity with consistency, scalability, and operational feasibility.
• Produce and maintain detailed recipe specs, prep methods, portioning, plating standards, and documentation.
• Assess menu composition considering balance, seasonality, guest preferences, and brand identity.
• Research and source exceptional ingredients and purveyors to support quality and consistency.

Skills

Menu development

Recipe creation

Culinary R&D

Recipe costing

Training materials

Education

Culinary degree

Job description

A growing, multi-concept hospitality organization is seeking an experienced Corporate Chef to play a key role in the continued development and evolution of its culinary programs.

This position will have a significant focus on menu curation, culinary development, and recipe creation, partnering closely with senior culinary and executive leadership to ensure each menu reflects the distinct identity and point of view of the concept it represents.

We are looking for a chef with a refined culinary perspective, exceptional product knowledge, and a strong understanding of what makes a menu both compelling and enduring. The ideal candidate has a deep appreciation for quality ingredients, classic technique, thoughtful simplicity, and timeless American dining, while bringing the creativity and curiosity necessary to continually evolve.

This role requires more than the ability to create great food. You will consider the entire lifecycle of a menu item, from initial ideation and ingredient sourcing through recipe development, testing, costing, documentation, training, and successful execution at scale.

Working across an established and growing portfolio of restaurant concepts, the Corporate Chef will help protect what makes each brand distinctive while identifying thoughtful opportunities to refine and strengthen its culinary offering. This is an opportunity for an accomplished chef to have meaningful creative influence within a growing hospitality organization while helping shape both existing and future concepts.

Core Responsibilities

• Partner with senior culinary leadership on the curation, development, and continued evolution of menus across multiple restaurant concepts
• Develop new dishes and refine existing menu items with a focus on quality, flavor, technique, presentation, and concept relevance
• Understand the individual identity of each restaurant brand and ensure culinary development remains authentic to its established point of view
• Lead culinary research and development, including ideation, recipe testing, tastings, refinement, and final implementation
• Develop recipes that balance creativity and culinary integrity with consistency, scalability, and operational execution
• Create and maintain detailed recipe specifications, preparation methods, portioning, plating standards, and supporting culinary documentation
• Evaluate menu composition as a whole, considering balance, variety, seasonality, guest preferences, operational complexity, and brand identity
• Identify thoughtful opportunities to evolve existing menus without losing the familiarity and signature items guests value
• Research and source exceptional ingredients, products, and purveyors that support culinary quality and consistency
• Build strong relationships with vendors and collaborate on product sourcing, specifications, availability, and new product development
• Partner with Finance and Operations to understand recipe costing, menu mix, food cost, and the financial implications of culinary decisions
• Work closely with Executive Chefs to introduce new menu items and ensure recipes and techniques can be executed consistently at the restaurant level
• Develop training materials and lead tastings and culinary education surrounding new and existing menu items
• Visit restaurants regularly to evaluate execution, gather feedback, and identify opportunities for continued refinement
• Support culinary development for new restaurant openings and future concepts
• Stay informed on the broader culinary landscape while prioritizing timelessness and brand authenticity over short-term trends
• Maintain an uncompromising commitment to food quality, craftsmanship, consistency, and continuous improvement

Requirements

• Proven experience as an Executive Chef, Corporate Chef, Culinary Director, Research & Development Chef, or similar senior culinary position
• Demonstrated experience with menu development, recipe creation, culinary R&D, and menu implementation
• Strong culinary foundation with a deep understanding of classic technique and scratch cooking
• Refined palate and demonstrated ability to evaluate and develop dishes from both a culinary and guest perspective
• Exceptional knowledge of ingredients, sourcing, seasonality, preparation methods, and product quality
• Experience developing recipes for execution across multiple restaurants or locations strongly preferred
• Ability to balance culinary creativity with operational feasibility, consistency, scalability, and financial performance
• Strong understanding of recipe costing, food cost, menu mix, and overall restaurant economics
• Ability to create clear recipes, specifications, plating standards, and training materials
• Strong understanding of how food and menu development contribute to a broader restaurant brand and guest experience
• Collaborative approach with the ability to work effectively across Culinary, Operations, Finance, Development, and executive leadership
• Strong communication, organization, and project management skills
• Detail-oriented, curious, highly accountable, and receptive to feedback
• Ability to travel as needed to support restaurant locations, menu development, and new openings
• Culinary degree or related education preferred, but not required with equivalent experience
• Medical, Dental and Vision benefits available
• Paid Time Off
• Dining discounts at all Vandelay concepts
• Professional development and career growth
• Robust Training program
• All Vandelay restaurants are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and the 4th of July so our team can celebrate with their friends and family
• A collaborative, uplifting culture where we take care of our guests by taking care of our people first

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds
• Ability to work standing and walking for extended periods of time