Culinary Consultant — 42 ConsultationCompany Description

42 Consultation is a culinary consulting firm founded by Chef Jason Hudanish, who brings over 20 years of experience opening and operating food and beverage properties across the United States and India. The firm has worked across more than 25 restaurants, multiple pop-ups, and a wide range of cuisines and hospitality concepts.

42 Consultation focuses on developing new restaurant concepts, improving existing operations, creating menus, building culinary systems, and helping hospitality brands grow and maintain consistent standards.

Our approach combines creative culinary development with practical operational knowledge. We work closely with owners, chefs, management teams, and staff to create restaurants that are not only exciting and memorable, but also efficient, profitable, and sustainable.

Role Description

The Culinary Consultant is a full-time consulting role responsible for independently managing and executing culinary projects across 42 Consultation's client portfolio.

This is not a traditional kitchen management role. The consultant will be expected to operate independently, travel extensively between client locations, identify operational and culinary requirements, develop new dishes and menus, train teams, and ensure that every project consistently meets the standards set by 42 Consultation and its clients.

The role requires someone who can enter a kitchen, understand its current challenges, identify opportunities for improvement, and take ownership of the process from development through implementation.

The Culinary Consultant will work across multiple locations and projects, often managing their own schedules, travel, R&D, documentation, training, and follow-up. They will be expected to represent 42 Consultation professionally while working directly with client owners, chefs, management teams, and kitchen staff.

Key Responsibilities

Culinary Development

Develop new dishes, menus, recipes, and culinary concepts for client projects.
Conduct R&D, testing, tastings, and recipe refinement.
Ensure dishes are practical for the operation, commercially viable, and aligned with the client's concept.
Create standardized recipes, preparation methods, plating guides, and kitchen documentation.
Continuously identify opportunities to improve menus, products, presentation, and execution.

Consulting & Project Management

Independently manage assigned client projects from development through implementation.
Assess existing kitchens, menus, systems, and teams and identify areas requiring improvement.
Develop solutions rather than simply identifying problems.
Work directly with client chefs, owners, managers, and staff to implement 42 Consultation's recommendations.
Maintain project timelines, follow-ups, documentation, and deliverables.
Communicate project progress, challenges, and requirements clearly to the 42 Consultation leadership team.

Training & Team Development

Train Head Chefs, Sous Chefs, CDPs, and kitchen teams on new menus, recipes, systems, and standards.
Ensure Head Chefs are fully capable of maintaining standards after the consultant leaves the property.
Build strong kitchen leadership so client teams can operate independently and consistently.
Conduct follow-up training and quality checks when required.
Establish clear systems for recipe execution, prep, plating, storage, hygiene, and service.

Quality & Consistency

Ensure all client kitchens consistently meet 42 Consultation's culinary and operational standards.
Conduct regular quality checks across assigned properties.
Monitor consistency of taste, portioning, preparation, plating, and presentation.
Identify deviations from standards and work with the Head Chef and team to correct them.
Ensure recipes and systems are followed correctly after implementation.

Costing & Operations

Assist with food costing, recipe costing, yields, portion control, and inventory systems.
Review kitchen purchasing, wastage, prep systems, par levels, and operational efficiency.
Help teams maintain quality while improving efficiency and profitability.
Ensure recipes and menus are operationally realistic for each property's team and equipment.

Travel & Multi-Location Support

Travel extensively between client properties as required by project needs.
Work independently and be comfortable operating in unfamiliar kitchens and environments.
Manage travel, accommodation requirements, project schedules, and day-to-day responsibilities with minimal supervision.
Adapt quickly to different teams, concepts, cuisines, kitchen setups, and operational challenges.
Be prepared to spend extended periods at client properties during R&D, openings, training, and implementation phases.

Qualifications

Proven experience as a Sous Chef, Head Chef, Executive Sous Chef, Culinary Consultant, or similar senior culinary position.
Strong professional kitchen experience with the ability to work across multiple cuisines and concepts.
Demonstrated experience in menu development, recipe creation, R&D, and culinary training.
Strong understanding of food costing, inventory, portion control, prep systems, and kitchen operations.
Experience training and developing kitchen teams and senior chefs.
Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, and professional kitchen standards.
Excellent communication and leadership skills.
Highly organized with strong documentation and follow-through.
Ability to work independently and take ownership of projects without constant supervision.
Comfortable making decisions and solving problems independently.
Strong attention to detail and a high personal standard for food quality and consistency.
Willingness and ability to travel extensively as required by client projects.
Flexible to work weekends, holidays, extended hours, and varying schedules based on project requirements.
Formal culinary education is an advantage but not essential; demonstrated professional experience and ability are more important.

What We Are Looking For

The ideal candidate is self-sufficient, curious, highly organized, and entrepreneurial in their approach to cooking and consulting.

This person should not need to be told what to do at every stage of a project. They should be able to walk into a kitchen, assess the situation, understand what needs to be done, create a plan, execute it, train the team, and communicate the results.

The role requires someone who understands that consulting is more than managing a kitchen. It is about creating solutions, developing people, building systems, maintaining standards, and leaving every client with a stronger kitchen and team than when we arrived.

The consultant will be expected to represent the standards, professionalism, creativity, and values of 42 Consultation at every client property.

Executive Sous Chef