Job Description: National Head - Culinary & Chocolate Application (Chef)
Job Location: Mumbai
CTC: Rs. 26 to Rs. 30 lacs per annum
Overview
The National Head - Culinary & Chocolate Application (Chef) will spearhead culinary initiatives for our chocolate ingredient solutions, driving brand advocacy, product adoption, and innovation across the B2B marketplace. Acting as the culinary voice of the organization nationally, this role ensures consistent quality, creative product applications, and influential partnerships with food manufacturers, chocolatiers, and industrial clients.
Key Responsibilities
Culinary Leadership and Support
- Train and mentor regional culinary teams on chocolate ingredient applications and best practices to maintain brand and product excellence.
- Collaborate with Sales and Marketing teams to develop innovative chocolate formulations, recipe concepts, and impactful campaign activations tailored for industrial and artisanal clients.
- Lead culinary demonstrations, technical workshops, and presentations at key client sites, trade exhibitions, and industry forums focused on chocolate and confectionery sectors.
- Build strategic relationships with R&D teams, production heads, and purchasing decision-makers within client organizations to foster long-term business growth.
- Monitor industry trends, competitor innovations, and emerging technologies in the chocolate ingredient space to uncover new business opportunities.
- Ensure consistent, accurate product knowledge and exemplary culinary execution across all regions.
Business Strategy and Sales Expertise
- Provide culinary leadership aligned with business objectives, helping shape brand communication and product positioning in the B2B industrial chocolate market.
- Support the sales team with technical expertise and hands-on product demonstrations aimed at showcasing ingredient versatility, functionality, and quality benefits to corporate clients.
- Build a portfolio of culinary consultation / demonstration services and a mechanism to scale up such services to large number of home bakers and bakeries across the country.
Client Menu and Product Development
- Partner with clients to co-develop customized chocolate formulations and ingredient blends for diverse applications including bakery, confectionery, HoReCa, and institutional sectors.
- Guide product integration into client menus and manufacturing processes, tailoring solutions to meet specific production goals and consumer trends.
Brand Ambassador
- Represent the brand at national trade events, culinary competitions, and client engagements, exemplifying excellence in chocolate ingredient application and presentation.
- Maintain and raise brand standards through food innovation, quality control, and elevated culinary experiences.
Training and Knowledge Sharing
- Deliver comprehensive training programs on chocolate ingredient usage, processing techniques, and latest industry trends to both internal teams and clients.
- Provide operational support related to ingredient handling, equipment compatibility, and production scale-up.
- Organize quarterly practical training and innovation workshops to upskill culinary teams on new recipes and ingredient technologies.
- Conduct monthly reviews with culinary teams focusing on innovation pipeline, client conversions, and new SKU adoption targets.
- Lead and oversee the culinary team's performance and development.
Product Innovation and Feedback Loop
- Capture and relay market feedback, client insights, and product performance data to R&D for continuous chocolate ingredient innovation and enhancement.
- Participate actively in pre-launch product trials and technical evaluations to ensure readiness for market introduction and client education.
Strategic Sales Support
- Identify culinary trends and product opportunities to inform business development and marketing strategies.
- Collaborate on creation of technical documentation, marketing collateral, and application guides to support sales and client education efforts.
Qualifications
- Culinary degree/diploma from a reputable institution with significant hands-on chef or technical culinary experience.
- Minimum 15 years experience in the bakery, confectionery, or food ingredient industry, with demonstrated expertise in chocolate applications.
- Strong technical knowledge of chocolate ingredient functionalities and industrial processing
- Exceptional communication, presentation, and team mentoring capabilities
- Proven track record of leading culinary teams across multiple regions and supporting large-scale B2B client engagements
- Commercially savvy with experience driving sales growth through culinary innovation.
- Travel readiness to cover extensive geographic assignments in India.
Preferred Skills
- Expertise in international chocolate trends, ingredient innovations, and industrial processing technologies
- Experience with product commercialisation, menu engineering, or client consulting in the ingredient supply sector.
- Ability to translate culinary creativity into business value via compelling storytelling and educational initiatives.
