Corporate Chef

Description Job Summary The Corporate Chef leads culinary strategy, product innovation, recipe standardization, and field execution for GBC Food Services and its fresh-food concepts, with particular emphasis on sushi and Asian-inspired programs in franchise and retail environments. This role converts customer, retailer, franchisee, and business needs into scalable menu items, precise production standards, effective training, and commercially sound launches.

The Corporate Chef owns the culinary lifecycle from ideation and bench testing through costing, validation, documentation, rollout, and post-launch improvement, partnering with Operations, Merchandising, Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, Training, Sales, and vendor partners to deliver consistent quality, food safety, speed, yield, and profitability. Supervisory Responsibilities Supervise and develop assigned culinary specialists, trainers, test-kitchen team members, and other direct reports.

Establish clear performance expectations, provide regular coaching, conduct evaluations, and implement development plans. Direct the project-based work of field operators, franchise partners, vendors, and cross-functional launch teams, including resources outside the formal reporting line. Partner with Human Resources to recruit, onboard, recognize, counsel, and, when necessary, discipline or separate assigned team members in accordance with company policy.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities Develop and maintain the culinary vision, menu architecture, and innovation pipeline for GBC's sushi, Asian-inspired, and other fresh-food programs. Lead ideation, recipe development, bench testing, sensory evaluation, pilot production, field validation, and commercialization for new and improved products. Create and control standardized recipes, ingredient specifications, yields, portion sizes, preparation methods, equipment settings, shelf-life guidance, storage requirements, labeling, and presentation standards.

Build accurate recipe and menu costs; evaluate margin, labor, throughput, waste, shrink, and operational complexity; reformulate products to achieve approved financial and execution targets. Partner with Supply Chain, Procurement, and suppliers to qualify ingredients, packaging, equipment, and substitutions; review samples and protect product quality and continuity. Collaborate with Food Safety and Quality Assurance on allergen controls, sanitation, time and temperature standards, traceability, labeling, and applicable regulatory, retailer, and GBC requirements.

Design and deliver hands-on training, certifications, train-the-trainer sessions, job aids, videos, and production tools that enable consistent execution by franchisees and field teams. Conduct store, commissary, warehouse, and vendor visits to observe production, audit culinary standards, coach teams, and identify practical improvements. Provide culinary leadership for new store openings, conversions, pilots, franchise transfers, retailer presentations, and market launches, confirming readiness before go-live.

Diagnose product quality, consistency, equipment, workflow, and execution issues; define corrective actions, owners, due dates, and verification steps. Partner with Merchandising, Sales, and Marketing on assortment, packaging, product presentation, seasonal programs, customer demonstrations, photography, and sales-support materials. Maintain a controlled culinary documentation library and change-management process so current recipes, specifications, training materials, and approvals are accessible and consistently used.

Establish and report KPIs for launch readiness, recipe compliance, food cost, waste, quality, sales performance, and field feedback; recommend actions to senior leadership. Travel & Schedule Travel: Up to 40-50% travel is required for store and commissary visits, culinary trials, vendor reviews, training, new openings, retailer meetings, and market launches. Schedule: Full-time, Monday-Friday,