Culinary Research & Development Chef

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated; Calabasas (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 106,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision

401K with company match

3 weeks of vacation (4 weeks in year 5

5 days of sick time per year

Tuition Reimbursement ($2,500)

Adoption Assistance ($2,500)

25%-35% dining discount

Annual gift card for dining

Job summary

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is seeking a Research & Development Chef in Calabasas Hills, CA. You will create innovative menu concepts, refine core culinary elements, and ensure recipes meet quality and service standards for our brands.

You will collaborate with a team to balance creativity with practical execution in a fast-paced, high-volume environment while advancing culinary education and guest experience.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in upscale casual dining or high-volume kitchens.
• Experience as an R&D chef creating new menu items.
• Understanding of casual and fine-dining standards.
• Advanced culinary skills and proper knife handling.
• Strong palate and basic food science knowledge.
• Knowledge of HAACP and sanitation procedures.
• Clear verbal and written communication; team collaboration.
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.
• Mathematical aptitude and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently.
• Commitment to workplace safety and clean best practices.

Responsibilities

• Create innovative, best-in-class menu recipes for high-volume settings.
• Collaborate to refine culinary elements upholding quality standards.
• Balance creativity with operational practicality for complex kitchens.
• Enhance existing recipes to improve quality and guest experience.
• Conduct yield, performance, and ingredient evaluations for menu decisions.
• Support culinary center training and organizational events.
• Stay current on culinary trends and techniques.
• Participate in culinary research trips to gather inspiration.
• Apply global insights to drive menu development.

Skills

Experience 3+ yrs

R&D chef experience

Food safety knowledge

HAACP knowledge

Knife skills

Taste proficiency

Sanitation procedures

Strong communication

MS Office

Math skills

Typing skills

Project management

Workplace safety

Education

Formal culinary training

ACF Certification

Serv-Safe Certification

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Compensation Range

$90,000 - $106,000 / Year

Position Overview:

You may know us for our huge menu of delicious food…and for being recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For®” since 2014! What you may not know is our Culinary Team is reinventing what it means to be “deliciously innovative”.

As the Research & Development Chef, you will play an integral part in creating and developing new menu recipe concepts and reworking existing recipes for The Cheesecake Factory and Grand Lux Cafe concepts. You will also assist with the presentations of food “sensitivity” and continuing culinary educational training programs for our Field Culinary team.

Reporting to the Vice President, Culinary Development, you will work with a team of 13 at The Cheesecake Factory corporate support enter in Calabasas Hills, CA. As our Research & Development Chef, you will play an integral part in supporting the research and development for a global $3.8 billion publicly traded company with over 350 full-service restaurants and more than 49,000 total staff members.

You’ll thrive in this position if you’re:

• Flexible: Agree or disagree you are willing to embrace any and all possibilities.
• An optimist: you see rejection as a learning opportunity to make what’s good even better and what’s better the best…a chance to improve upon perfection.
• Relentless: you never give up.
• Pressure resistant: you have ice in your veins while under pressure and maintaining a positive outlook at work while the heat is on, is never an issue for you.

Here’s more of what you’ll get to do:

• Create innovative, best-in-class menu recipes designed to deliver exceptional quality and consistency in a high-volume restaurant environment.
• Collaborate in defining and refining the critical culinary elements that uphold The Cheesecake Factory and Grand Lux Cafe’s renowned food quality standards.
• Balance culinary creativity with operational practicality to develop menu items that can be successfully executed in complex, high-volume kitchens.
• Enhance existing recipes to improve food quality, elevate the guest experience, and drive operational efficiencies.
• Conduct yield, performance, and product evaluations on new and existing ingredients to support informed menu development decisions.
• Support Culinary Center training initiatives by helping organize, facilitate, and present educational programs and special events throughout the year.
• Stay current on culinary techniques, industry advancements, and hospitality trends through ongoing research, learning, and professional development.
• Participate in culinary research trips to explore emerging food trends, experience diverse cuisines, and gather inspiration from leading restaurants and chefs.
• Leverage global culinary trends and insights to bring fresh ideas and innovation to the menu development process.
• Apply both classic and contemporary cooking techniques to create recipes that meet targeted flavor, quality, and presentation standards.

What we require:

• 3+ years working experience within upscale casual dining and high-volume restaurant environments.
• 1+ years working experience as a Research & Development chef creating new menu items.
• Understanding of both casual dining and high-end food quality standards including, flavor profiles, presentation highlights and service requirements.
• Advanced culinary skills: proper knife handling and general kitchen equipment use.
• Superior ability to taste flavors and understand basic food science.
• Knowledge of HAACP and proper sanitation procedures.
• Strong communication skills - both verbal and written
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (i.e. Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook)
• Advanced mathematical skills
• Average typing skills
• Ability to work on multiple projects
• Knowledge of workplace safety procedures

What we prefer:

• Formal culinary training/school.
• ACF Certified.
• Serve-Safe Certified.
• Bachelor’s Degree.

What we offer:

• Medical, Dental & Vision
• Eligible for benefits first day of the month following date of hire
• 401K with company match
• 3 weeks of vacation which increases to 4 weeks starting in your 5th year
• 5 days of sick time per year (first year prorated)
• Tuition Reimbursement of $2,500 for qualified programs
• Adoption Assistance Benefit of $2,500
• 25%-35% discount when dining as a guest
• Reusable gift card loaded annually for your dining enjoyment

About the Company:

Named to FORTUNE Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For®” list every year since 2014, The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is a leader in experiential dining. We are culinary-forward and relentlessly focused on hospitality. Delicious, memorable experiences created by passionate people—this defines who we are and where we are going.

We currently own and operate over 370 restaurants throughout the United States and Canada under brands including The Cheesecake Factory®, North Italia®, Flower Child® and a collection of other FRC brands. Internationally, 35 The Cheesecake Factory® restaurants operate under licensing agreements. Our bakery division operates two facilities that produce quality cheesecakes and other baked products for our restaurants, international licensees and third-party bakery customers. We are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace for all. We welcome applicants from a wide variety of identities, ideas, perspectives, backgrounds and experiences to apply. The Cheesecake Factory offers reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. #SoCheesecake #LifeAtCheesecake

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