Culinary Innovation Chef

About the Job

Title: Culinary Innovation Chef

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt Reports To: Director of Culinary

JOB DESCRIPTION

Salary Range: $100,000 - $110,000

Position Summary:

The Culinary Innovation Chef works within the culinary department and is responsible for the research and development of new itemization, including product development, costing, communication, training, and recipe creation developed in conjunction with the Directors of the fresh departments. The position provides hands on support to the fresh department directors and the culinary team related to product and menu development, product evaluation, recipe development, costing of new and existing products, store communication, retail recommendations, merchandising recommendations, market trend analysis, and operational training on new or modified recipes. The ideal candidate will be passionate, positive, and humble with extensive culinary knowledge and a consistent track record of achieving results individually and through others.

Teamwork:

Develop strong, collaborative working relationships with the Fresh Department Directors, the store personnel, and the culinary team. A relationship built on trust, open communication, complete involvement, commitment and support respectful of their input and roles in their respective departments. Create a work environment that promotes teamwork, feedback, recognition, and mutual respect.

Creativity & Innovation:

• Support: Support the Fresh Department Directors and the culinary team in all aspects of product development and the execution of all programs.
• Innovation: The job requires both creativity and out-of-the-box, thinking to develop innovative ideas, products, and programs. Each program must have well thought out SOPs to ensure success at store level in both sales and margin while minimizing shrink.
• Creativity: Work alongside the Fresh Department Directors to develop company programs for every major holiday, event, and season to ensure that Vallarta is on the leading edge with quality product lines & offerings. The goal is to be first to market and to be a market leader.
• Communication: Support the Fresh Department Directors in ensuring that all aspects of programs are effectively communicated to the appropriate teams. Ensure that all communication regarding these programs to appropriate supervisors and operational team members is thorough and complete while obtaining their input for the analysis and evaluation of new programs.

General Duties and Responsibilities:

• Ensure Procurement and vendor management teams are communicated with regularly.
• Prepare merchandising plans and ensure store execution with continuous analysis and follow-up.
• Understand all equipment, tools and packaging used for the department, as well as how the equipment is used.
• Must understand all aspects of competitors in our market area, as it relates to these fresh departments.
• Partner with department supervisors and operations to gain their "buy in" and support for programs, so they are embraced and executed effectively at the store level. This includes personal development as well as continuous improvement.
• Assess current inventory, market conditions, availability, and promotional impact to forecast order quantities and make recommendations.
• Expect unfavorable events through analysis of data and preparing control strategies.
• Understand operational metrics and reports on shrink and work to minimize any losses by implementing best practice programs and systems.
• Discover new suppliers and initiate business and organization partnerships to help with product development.
• Visit stores regularly to monitor programs, obtain store feedback and to assess overall implementation effectiveness.
• Develop innovation and ideas that fit Vallarta concept and goals.
• Develop programs and training materials for team members.
• Work on costing for all new and current items.
• Research new equipment to help stores with labor and consistency.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Excellent communicator, both verbal and written, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization with an incredibly positive approach.
• Ability to approach strategic projects with confidence; applying creativity and project management skills through concept ideation, development, piloting, test & learn and scaling process.
• Results driven with a desire to work in a fast-paced environment; equally adept at providing leadership as well as working side by side with the team.
• Strong ability to establish credibility and positive relationships with individuals at all levels inside and outside the organization.
• Exercises judgment within broadly defined practices and policies in selecting methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining results.
• Outstanding negotiation skills
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to synthesize analysis into action.
• Proven problem-solving skills.
• Follow all sanitation guidelines as prescribed by the health department.
• Comply with USDA, FDA, OSHA, and all other regulatory agencies.

Required Education and Experience:

• Extensive experience in the culinary world. Familiar with both Hispanic and U.S. culinary information and customer trends.
• Food Handlers card certification.
• Must be able to speak, read, write, and understand English.
• Basic understanding of Spanish language.
• Strong computer aptitude in MS-Office.

Physical Demands

Will be required to spend long hours sitting and using office equipment and computers. Some travel and overnight stays from time to time. May also have to do some lifting of supplies and materials from time to time up to 30lbs, and up to 50lbs assisted lifting.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is an exempt level position; schedule would be based on business necessity. Must be willing to work; Morning, nights, weekends, and holidays that are required.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive, and employees may perform other duties as directed. All employees are expected to perform any reasonable task or request that is consistent with fulfilling company goals and objectives.

About the Company

As of 2022, Vallarta counts on 53 stores throughout California (Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Orange, and Fresno counties), and more than 8,000 team members. The Gonzalez family promises to continue to strive for excellence in everything we do so that our valued customers always have a Vallarta supermarket to call their own.From one small carnicería in Van Nuys in 1985 to 53 full-service markets across California, Vallarta Supermarkets is a living, breathing tribute to the hard work and customer dedication of our founding family and all of our valued employees.Vallarta Supermarkets was founded by Enrique Gonzalez Sr., who was later joined in the business by his four brothers, his son and nephew. Their family roots and humble origins began in the tiny town of Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, Mexico, where Enrique and his brothers were raised on a meager farm. Their parents instilled in them at very young ages the importance of family and the power of a strong work ethic to overcome challenges.When the opportunity arose to immigrate in the 1960's, the Gonzalez family was thankful to stake their claim in the "land of opportunity," the United States of America. Right away, the five brothers got to work in restaurants, either as short-order cooks or bussing tables. Even though some of the brothers were still in school, they all worked to help the family make ends meet.In 1985, Enrique Gonzalez Sr. began his journey in the grocery business when he opened Carniceria Vallarta in a 1,000 sq. ft market in Van Nuys, CA. He focused on selling the traditional cuts of meats popular in his native Mexico with an emphasis on unequaled quality and the friendliest of customer service. He soon expanded the business to a second location and brought his four brothers into the business. From there the adventure truly began, as they worked together as a family to build both a reputation for excellence and a successful business.The Gonzalez brothers believed that the key to Vallarta's success would be to combine elevated customer service with the highest quality products to serve the growing Hispanic community whose needs may not be addressed by big chain stores.That's why, from the beginning, Vallarta Supermarkets offered a wider variety of the freshest, traditional foods from Mexico, and Central and South America than any other store. They offered specialty and traditional items customers couldn't find anywhere else: cut-to-order Latin-style meats (ranchera, diesmillo, lomo de res), spices, fresh fruit and produce, delicious prepared foods, pan dulce made daily, plus everything else you would expect from a traditional grocery store. Fast forward to today where Vallarta has expanded its offerings to include a juice and aquas frescas bar, tortilleria, bakery (panaderia), a cevicheria and more.