Innovation Chef

London, UK / Marketing / Full Time

At Taster, we create iconic food that is designed to be delivered. By teaming up with world-class food creators to deliver moments of joy with every meal, our brands embody foodie delivery food.

Because the way we eat has fundamentally changed, with the delivery market predicted to grow to €400bn by 2025 in Europe. Meanwhile, 60% of young people in the UK already order food at least once a week, with 50% doing so in France (our two main markets).

Taster is enabling the next generation of restaurant owners to thrive in this new delivery-first era, bringing partners together to form the largest chain of restaurants in the world, so that everyone can enjoy Taster whenever they want.

Taster is based in London with teams in Paris and Madrid. We currently have 120 franchise partners in 80 European cities across the UK, France, Spain and Belgium, and have raised over $50 million from the likes of Octopus Ventures, Rakuten, Battery Ventures, LocalGlobe and Heartcore Capital.

We are at the forefront of this foodie revolution and we are looking for hungry people to join us!

We’re growing rapidly and looking for a talented Innovation Chef

Taster is seeking an ambitious & entrepreneurial Innovation Chef to join the London office, who will be responsible for creating the recipes behind Taster’s iconic food - designed for delivery. They will play a pivotal role in developing recipes and brand concepts in line with our NPD strategy.

What responsibilities we’re looking for in this role

• Hands on kitchen work to test recipes and create dishes for tasting and approval sessions, for internal and external product presentations

• Manage and maintain the ongoing development of new and existing quality products

• Development of delivery-first meals and products incorporating strong insight & consumer need, innovative solutions

• Develop new and existing recipes, in the development kitchen, delivering products of consistent quality and taste

• Develop and input recipes onto the recipe management system to assess the food cost and nutritional information ensuring delivery against the brief

• Complete tests to conduct recipe validation tests for all products following the product development procedures to ensure all products are of repeatable and sustainability quality before handover e.g viscosity, weight, yield tests

• Follow critical path time lines as directed, escalating incomplete tasks to ensure that action can be taken to prevent delays in product launch

• Identify market niches and opportunities into which existing products could be adapted and new products developed

• Liaise closely within the supply chain and operations teams and other departments to ensure consistency and feasibility with the development of new products, and improvement of existing products.

Your prior experience & requirements:

• Ideally you will have advanced through the ranks as a career chef within the restaurant trade before moving into food manufacturing and gaining experience in product development and food technology

• Degree in culinary arts management or similar is preferred but not essential

• 3-5 years professional experience

• Ability to speak french, spanish, german or dutch desirable but not essential

• Highly organised with a great attention to detail

• Time management skills and able to work to tight deadlines

• Creative and innovative thinker

• Able to work on own with minimal supervision and use sound judgement

• Identifying any problems that arise in the development stage as well as resolving them quickly- while maintaining a level head

• Collaborative and able to work with key stakeholders to develop and adapt existing recipes to maintain or improve taste, texture, quality and cost

• Able to present facts and ideas clearly and accurately

• Have a real passion for food and possess a creative mind-set to channel your imagination

• Ability to understand the commercial side to cooking so you’ll be able to cost and replicate recipes

What Taster will offer you

• A competitive salary & quarterly bonus scheme

• The chance to make in your mark in a fast-growing industry

• A clear career progression plan, set bi-annually and reviewed regularly

• Monthly Lunch & Learns, with Taster food provided

• Membership to Vitality private healthcare scheme

• Monthly wellbeing calendar with team activities and Vitality resources

• 25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays

• Flexible hybrid work environment - split your time between our beautiful Kings Cross office and home

• Regular team socials, organised by our Taster Tribe

• A generous referral scheme - after all, good people know good people!

• The opportunity to unleash your potential and develop within a dynamic environment surrounded by a cross-border team of industry veterans and food aficionados.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Taster we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a welcoming workplace that is inspiring for everyone. To facilitate this, we actively promote a culture of inclusivity and encourage those from all backgrounds and life-paths to apply for opportunities with us.

Part of this commitment includes anonymised CV screening, meaning that your name and gender will be hidden from the person initially reviewing your application to ensure you are being screened based only on your credentials and experience.

When you apply, you'll hear from a member of the People team regarding the status of your application. We can help you with any needs or adjustments you might require throughout the recruitment process; so if you have any specific needs, please let us know.