Job Description Head Chef & Operations Manager (Equity-Based)
Kefilo | Food & Wellness Ecosystem | Bhubaneswar**
Kefilo is building an innovative food & wellness ecosystem that blends functional foods, cloud kitchens, nutrition science, and food-tech. We are forming a strong founding team before funding, and this role is part of our
equity-based leadership structure (no fixed pay until funding).
Equity Structure (Clear & Transparent)
- 34 rounds of discussion to understand ownership areas
- 1-month NDA cohort to evaluate alignment, consistency, and execution
- Cofounder Agreement after cohort
- Equity formally allotted after funding + Pvt. Ltd. registration
- 5-year vesting period, no fixed salary until funding This is part of our 25+ member equity-only founding team being built for the next 68 months.
About Kefilo
Kefilo (formerly HGK) is building:
- Functional and healthy food products
- A smart caf & cloud kitchen model
- Food-tech integrations for customization and nutrition tracking
- A wellness ecosystem around food, lifestyle, and community
We aim to design a
future-ready food brand backed by innovation, clean-label products, and data-driven quality.
Role Overview Head Chef & Operations Manager
This is a leadership role combining
culinary innovation and
execution-heavy operations. You will be responsible for designing menus, standardizing recipes, maintaining quality, running operations, and setting up the foundation for our cloud kitchen + caf experience.
Key Responsibilities
- Culinary Innovation & Menu Development
- Create and refine innovative, health-focused menu items
- Build functional food concepts aligned with Kefilo's nutrition and wellness model
- Conduct R&D for new food products, beverages, and meal formats
- Operations Management
- Set up and manage day-to-day kitchen & caf operations
- Ensure process compliance, hygiene, sourcing, and quality control
- Implement SOPs for procurement, prep, service, and wastage reduction
- Team Management
- Hire, train, and manage kitchen staff
- Build a culture of discipline, creativity, and clean operations
- Ensure consistent execution even during peak hours
- Costing, Quality & Scalability
- Plan recipe costing, vendor management, and inventory optimization
- Implement systems for quality checks, safety standards, and customer experience
- Design operational frameworks for replicating our model across multiple locations
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with the nutrition team, product team, and caf ecosystem team
- Support content creation, workshops, and brand storytelling via food
- Help in pilot launches, test kitchens, menu iterations, and product rollouts
Who Should Apply
- 410 years of experience in culinary operations, cloud kitchens, hotels, or cafs
- Strong exposure in operations + cooking + team handling
- Passionate about healthy food, innovation, and building from scratch
- Someone who wants to grow into a leadership/cofounder position
- Comfortable with equity-first startup model
Why Join Kefilo
- You will build the entire food ecosystem from zero
- Huge future upside through equity
- Freedom to innovate, experiment, and shape the brand identity
- Be a core part of a fast-scaling food + wellness company
Skills: operations,chef,kitchen operations
