Head Chef

Qrata; Concord (CA); On-site; USD 92,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Daily meals on-site

Modern kitchen equipment

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

Qrata Pvt. Ltd. in Concord, CA is seeking a Chef de Cuisine (CDC) to act as the air traffic controller of weekly culinary production, orchestrating prep, batch cooking, chilling, portioning, packaging, and station handoffs to meet strict fulfillment deadlines.

This is a highly hands-on leadership role on the kitchen floor. You will taste and validate every production run, optimize flow, coach line cooks, and ensure all dishes meet strict cleanliness, safety, and nutritional standards while

Qualifications

• 5+ years of senior culinary leadership in high-volume settings.
• Experience with high-volume batch production in central facilities or large kitchens.
• Advanced hands-on equipment proficiency with combi ovens, tilt skillets, and large-capacity kitchen devices.
• Strong command of yields, recipe scaling, scheduling, inventory pars and food cost.
• Must be on-site daily at the Concord, CA facility with early morning shifts.

Responsibilities

• Build and protect the weekly culinary production plan from menu lock through packaging and fulfillment handoff.
• Translate dishes into batch sizes, labor plans, equipment allocation, station sequencing, cook sheets, chill cycles, and portioning specs.
• Lead daily tasting discipline and ensure safety, quality, and portioning standards across all lines.
• Coach the culinary team, manage the Sous Chef and cooks, and drive continuous flow improvements.

Skills

Senior culinary leadership

High-volume batch production

Combi ovens

Tilt skillets

Large-capacity kitchen equipment

Precision operations

On-site Concord CA

Job description

• Department: Culinary & Production
• Role Type: Full-Time / On-Site
• Compensation: $92,000 – $125,000 base salary + full benefits
• Schedule: Monday – Friday (Early morning shift: ~3:00 AM – 1:00 PM)

About the Company

We are a mission-driven, fast-growing clinical nutrition and clean-food platform producing personalized, ready-to-eat (RTE) meal programs out of our central production facility in the San Francisco East Bay. Every meal is 100% clean, allergen-free (gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free), and crafted with premium ingredients shipped directly to consumers across major U.S. metropolitan areas.

Back-end technology and personalized nutrition data power our menu architecture, but our kitchen is where the promise is delivered. We produce high-quality, recognizable, craveable everyday food, executed at scale, on schedule, and to exact nutritional specifications every single week.

Position Overview

The Chef de Cuisine (CDC) acts as the air traffic controller of weekly culinary production. Working backward from strict fulfillment deadlines, you will orchestrate prep, batch cooking, chilling, portioning, packaging, and station handoffs.

This is a highly hands-on floor leadership role. You will be in the kitchen tasting food, analyzing yield metrics, resolving equipment bottlenecks, coaching line cooks, and optimizing production flow before the floor experiences delays. The defining skill is turning extraordinary standards for clean, everyday food into commercially viable, repeatable production.

Key Responsibilities

1. Weekly Production & Flow Control

• Build, run, and protect the weekly culinary production plan from menu lock through packaging and fulfillment handoff.
• Translate dishes into batch sizes, labor plans, equipment allocation, station sequencing, cook sheets, chill cycles, and portioning specs.
• Manage kitchen operations against visible targets for throughput, food safety, labor efficiency, and cost control.
• Lead daily tasting discipline and hold flavor, texture, appearance, and portioning standards across all lines.
• Oversee shift scheduling, timekeeping, and labor planning for the culinary team.

2. Commercialization & Scaling (R&D to Production)

• Partner with the Executive Chef and Culinary R&D team to pressure-test new menu items for yield, labor cost, shelf life, cold-chain stability, and equipment feasibility.
• Conduct scale-up trial batches, yield tests, and station validations to eliminate hidden production TBDs.
• Provide production data early in the testing cycle to reformulate, simplify, or optimize recipes prior to commercial launch.

3. Quality Control & Clinical Precision

• Taste product straight off the live production line to verify real-world consistency.
• Enforce 100% adherence to ingredient weights, allergen controls, sanitation protocols, and nutritional compliance.
• Stop and escape out-of-spec products—deadlines never override quality or clinical safety standards.

4. Cost Management & Systems Optimization

• Monitor food cost, purchasing accuracy, inventory alignment, and waste reduction against operating budgets.
• Build and refine Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), prep protocols, and portioning guides.
• Conduct root-cause analysis on recipe or batch inconsistencies to maintain steady workflow.
• Manage the Sous Chef and cook team with clear expectations, real-time floor coaching, and direct accountability.
• Develop future floor leads and build a culture focused on consistency, speed, precision, and low drama.

Minimum Qualifications & Non-Negotiables

• 5+ years of senior culinary leadership (Chef de Cuisine, Executive Sous Chef, Senior Production Lead, or equivalent).
• High-volume batch production experience in central production facilities, commissaries, high-volume catering, CPG, or specialized meal delivery.
• Equipment Proficiency: Advanced hands-on experience with combi ovens, tilt skillets, and large-capacity commercial kitchen equipment.
• Precision Operations Mindset: Proven command of yields, recipe scaling, production scheduling, inventory pars, food cost, and BOH labor management.
• Location & Schedule: Must be on-site daily at our Concord, CA facility and comfortable with early morning shifts starting around 3:00 AM.

Preferred Experience

• Fine-dining technique combined with large-scale batch execution.
• Experience with allergen-free, clinical nutrition, organic, or specialty dietary production.
• Familiarity with cold-chain packaging, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), or shelf-life validation testing.
• Formal HACCP, SQF, or advanced food safety systems experience.

What We Offer

• Base Salary: $92,000 – $125,000 per year.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance.
• Perks: Daily high-quality meals provided on-site.
• Modern kitchen equipment, automation tools, and technology platforms designed to streamline administrative tasks.
• Direct operational impact within a fast-scaling, profitable company transforming public health and nutrition.