R&D Culinary Innovation Chef (Travel 20%)

Bell-Flavors-; Northbrook (IL); On-site; USD 50,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Full benefits package

Hands-on product development

Growth opportunities

Diversity & inclusion

Job summary

Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. in Northbrook, IL is seeking a creative Research Chef to join our Research & Development team.

You will drive culinary innovation through concept development, prototype creation, and testing. The ideal candidate combines strong cooking skills with food science knowledge, collaborates across functions, and can manage multiple projects while traveling up to 20% for demonstrations and customer meetings.

Qualifications

• Associates or better in Culinary Arts or related field.
• Bachelor's degree in culinary science, Food Science, Culinology, or related field.
• 3–6 years of experience in a food manufacturer.
• Minimum of one year of food product development experience in a multi-project environment.
• Strong cooking skills and experience developing manufactured food products.

Responsibilities

• Research, source, and prepare high-quality food concepts and prototypes for appropriate business channels.
• Support day-to-day test kitchen operations, including inventory, organization, cleaning materials, and kitchen readiness.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Finance, and R&D to deliver innovative product concepts in a timely and fiscally responsible manner.
• Write, test, edit, and improve proprietary commercial formulas and home-cook recipes while maintaining formula and recipe integrity.
• Demonstrate cooking methods, train others on basic culinary skills, and showcase Bell products.
• Coordinate food products and presentation materials for customer meetings, trade shows, internal events, and product demonstrations.
• Maintain accurate scientific notebooks, data records, and documentation to support reliable decision-making.
• Travel up to 20% of the time for customer presentations, trade shows, demonstrations, and related business activities.

Skills

Culinary execution

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Concept ideation

Presentation skills

Education

Associates degree in Culinary Arts

Bachelor's degree in Culinary Science / Food Science / Culinology

Tools

MS Outlook

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Job description

Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. in Northbrook, IL is seeking a creative Research Chef to join our Research & Development team.

You will drive culinary innovation through concept development, prototype creation, and testing. The ideal candidate combines strong cooking skills with food science knowledge, collaborates across functions, and can manage multiple projects while traveling up to 20% for demonstrations and customer meetings.