Description
About us.
We're Tovala, a food-tech company completely reinventing home cooking to save consumers time. Through an innovative combination of hardware, software, and food, we give our customers a way to enjoy really good, good-for-you meals without sacrificing time to do whatever matters to them. We've amassed a loyal, rapidly growing following in just a few years, radically changing the day-to-day lives of people across the country and successfully creating a new model for the food industry. We're looking for great people to join our team of hard-working, food-loving nerds.
About the job.
We're looking for a Culinary R&D Associate to join our culinary team on a part-time basis, approximately 25-30 hours per week. In this role, you'll support culinary R&D efforts by executing recipes for on-menu development, quality control samples and photoshoots.
How you'll spend your time at Tovala.

• On a weekly basis, prep samples of Tovala Meals for our production team, executing in accordance to production standards and in collaboration with other members of the culinary R&D team (requires Monday, Thursday, and Friday availability).
• One week per month, prep new Tovala Meal and Chef's Recipe recipes in collaboration with other members of the culinary R&D team for our monthly marketing asset photoshoot.
• One day per month, assist with the marketing asset photoshoot on the day of, ensuring adherence to food photography guidelines and in collaboration with our photographer and creative team.
• On a weekly or biweekly basis, assist other culinary team members with the prepping of new recipes for internal team tastings and approval sessions.
• As needed, assist with improving the cook cycles of Scan-to-Cook Groceries based on error reports from Tovala customers.
• As needed, assist with validation of new recipes

Requirements

• Culinary skills and experience required, culinary school degree is preferred.
• Experience and high comfort level working in a fast-paced kitchen environment.
• A flexible schedule to support culinary R&D efforts.
• You're based in Chicago and can work in our West Loop HQ.

About you.

• You're really comfortable in a professional kitchen and excited to work in one at a food-tech startup.
• You're recipe savvy. Reading and executing new recipes in a culinary R&D setting is no problem for you.
• You're comfortable scaling recipes based on mass production guidelines (to meet certain quantities, account for certain equipment, etc.).
• You can learn on the fly (and you're excited to), especially as part of a team of chefs just as into creating incredible food as you are.
• You love food, whether that means cooking it, eating it, frequently pressing your nose against deli windows, or lusting after soft-serve on Instagram. All fair game.