Executive Chef of Culinary Services

Tony’s Pizza Events Center; Hopkins (MN); Hybrid; USD 83,000 - 139,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Schwan's Company in Hopkins, MN seeks a Corporate Executive Chef to lead culinary strategy and travel up to 70% for promotional events. This role supports category marketing and partner relations while guiding culinary solutions at national shows and with field teams.

The position requires a culinary degree or equivalent, 7+ years in restaurant operations, and strong knowledge of trends and techniques. Relocation assistance is provided for applicants from outside the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Qualifications

• Culinary degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 7+ years in restaurant operations or management within chains or casual dining.
• Willingness to travel up to 70% for national events.
• Strong knowledge of culinary trends and cooking techniques.
• Ability to interact effectively with customer culinary staff and senior management.

Responsibilities

• Conduct routine visits and sales calls to key customer accounts and provide culinary technical support.
• Provide culinary leadership at regional and national food shows or events.
• Support field training with product knowledge, concept selling, and plate presentation.
• Develop recipes and applications for publication to promote products.
• Generate reports analyzing restaurant menus to identify portfolio opportunities.
• Develop culinary prototypes and collaborate with Product Development for flavor/texture improvements.
• Create culinary samples and standard specifications for new products.
• Develop marketing tools like recipe ideas and menu analyses.
• Collaborate with R&D to address operator needs.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Culinary knowledge

Customer interaction

Travel willingness

Education

Culinary degree or equivalent

Job description

At CJ Schwan’s, we don’t just make food — we help create moments that matter. From kids devouring pizza after soccer practice, to students laughing over dumplings in a cafeteria, to families enjoying pie during the holidays, our team members play an important role in bringing those everyday moments to life. Our portfolio includes iconic pizzas, global flavors and timeless desserts from brands like Red Baron®, bibigo®, Tony’s®, Big Daddy’s®, Freschetta®, Pagoda®, Edwards® and Mrs. Smith’s®. Enjoyed in homes, schools, restaurants and just about everywhere people shop and eat, our products reflect a commitment to quality, innovation and the power of food to bring people together.

We are hiring a Corporate Executive Chef based out of our new corporate HQ and kitchen in Hopkins, MN! This position is responsible for culinary leadership and strategy in support of category marketing and channel marketing businesses. This position has active involvement in bringing culinary solutions that help position the Company as a valued business partner and a category leader. To note, this position requires the ability to travel up to 70% for various promotional food events. As this position is located in Hopkins, MN, any applicants outside the general Minneapolis/St. Paul area would need to relocate, the costs of which we can financially assist.

What You Will Do:

• Conduct routine visits and sales calls to key customer accounts, identifies new product and service opportunities and provides culinary technical support.
• Provide culinary leadership at regional and national food shows or special events.
• Support field training that includes product knowledge, competitors' menu applications, concept selling, and product applications, cooking and serving instructions, food styling and plate presentation of CJ Schwan's product to field sales force and key customers.
• Develop recipes/product applications for publication in trade journals and cookbooks, websites, etc. to promote Schwan's products.
• Generate reports based on the analysis of target restaurant menus and operations to identify gaps our products portfolio can solve.
• Develop culinary prototypes for new product/concept exploration and works with Product Development to optimize and enhance the flavor, texture and appearance of new products and existing products.
• Provides leadership and insights regarding customer culinary needs and competitors' products.
• Develop culinary samples and “gold standard” specifications for new products and product enhancements.
• Develop culinary marketing support tools (recipe ideas, product applications, menu analysis, etc.).
• Work closely with R&D team to provide insight into operator needs.

What You Will Bring:

• A Culinary degree or equivalent professional experience which includes familiarity with corporate-level decisions in the chain restaurant space.
• 7+ years of work experience, including some in restaurant operations within independent restaurants or management companies (Aramark, Chartwell's, Morrison's, etc.) or casual dining.
• The ability to travel up to 70% to national food events.
• Extensive knowledge of culinary trends and cooking techniques and platforms.
• Ability to effectively interact with customer culinary staff and senior management is required.
• Good knowledge of operators or food service operations.

What We Offer:

The base salary range for this position is $83,000 to $139,000 annually with eligibility for a 20% annual incentive bonus that is based on organizational performance. The pay range represents the numerous factors considered in the hiring decisions including, but not limited to education, skills, work experience, certifications, geography, etc. As such, starting pay for the successful candidate(s) could fall anywhere within the stated range.

Beyond base salary, we offer a competitive Total Rewards package focusing on your overall well-being. We are proud to offer a strong foundation of health benefits, retirement and financial wellbeing, time off programs, and wellbeing support programs.

The employing subsidiaries of Schwan's Company are Equal Employment Opportunity Employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, age, race, color, religion, gender, vet status, national origin, or other protected class.