Posted on: Sep.21.2021
Organization: Real Food for Real Kids
Website: www.rfrk.com
Location: On-Site, East End of Toronto, ON
Job Title: Recipe Development Chef
Work Hours: Monday to Friday, 40 hours per week, flexible schedule with core hours of 9am to 3pm but must be available outside of those hours for recipe trials
Contract Type: We are open to both short term and full-time contracts depending on the availability and skill set of candidates
Salary: Commensurate with experience and dependent on contract-type
Real Food for Real Kids (RFRK) is a growing company on a mission to make real food the standard rather than the exception.
A multiple award-winning company recognized for excellence and innovation, we’re a leading healthy catering company for child care centres, schools and camps. RFRK proudly serves nutritious meals and snacks to thousands of children throughout the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area every day. We’ve also recently launched our Real Food Kitchen Delivery service (https://realfoodkitchen.ca/) to get our yummy food directly into households. Having recently received HACCP certification, we’re well poised for growth into new markets and planning for significant expansion over the coming years.
Our Product Design Team is looking for a fantastic person who excels at taking new product ideas and specifications and cooking them into reality to join us as a Recipe Developer. If you like the sound of us so far, keep reading to see if you have the experience and skills needed for this rewarding role!
RFRK Values:
• Put Health First
• Find a Better Way
• Trust & Team
• Spread Good Energy
• Authenticity
About the Role:
As a Product Developer you’ll manage the product development process including product formulation and the development of prototypes, and work closely with our Recipe & Process Improvement Specialist to ensure the recipes scale successfully for a high volume food manufacturing/complex catering business. You will create products and recipes that are aligned with RFRK values, production planning, budgets, customer needs, and nutritional/regulatory parameters. And you demonstrate RFRK’s Values while you’re at it.
Some of the things you’ll get paid to do:
Recipe Development
• Creation of Gold Standard “Base” Recipes for new recipes and reformulations of existing recipes for improved food quality, increased client satisfaction, and operational efficiencies
• Document formulations and production procedures that are scalable in % formulations
• Knowledge and ability to leverage local, national and global food trends to add value to our menu development process
• Coordinate and conduct sensory evaluations of products with stakeholders
• Support shelf-life testings in collaboration with Food Production and QA
Planning, Organizing & Documenting Resources
• Produce robust product specification sheets so that the highest levels of food quality & consistency can be achieved by production (hot chain and cold chain services and products).
• Explore new or alternative manufacturing methods and support the Production team in the acquisition/testing of new pieces of equipment, equipment vendors and the design of process flow of manufacturing to ensure product quality and consistency and enable efficiencies
About You
Must-haves
• A minimum of 3 years of experience in Recipe R&D/Culinary Arts
• Natural alignment with RFRK Food values and mission
• BS or MS in Food Science or similar
• Advanced understanding of food chemistry, shelf life, and recipe costing
• Experience with food production for special/allergen free meals, including vegetarian, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, halal, infant meals, and others
• Knowledge of the Safe Food for Canadians Act & Passion for Food Safety
• Experience with diverse food manufacturing and shelf life packaging machinery (combi ovens, mixers, steam jacketed kettles, blast chillers, vacuum sealer, food pumps, Cryovac, etc)
• Demonstrated success achieving cost, quality, timing and consumer appeal goals with product development projects
• Computer skills - Microsoft Office (especially Excel), Google Suite, nutrition analysis software such as Genesis R&D®, Food Processor® & FMP (Filemaker Pro) or similar associative database program typically called ERP
Nice-to-haves
• Training in protocols such as HACCP, SQF, GFSI, BRC and CFIA standards
• Project and cost management experience a plus, including knowledge of ingredient sourcing and costing
Working at RFRK comes with other perks too:
• Competitive salary
• Significant price discounts on our Real Food Kitchen online store
• Employee Savings Program (RRSP/TFSA Matching)*
• Benefits program including alternative and preventative health treatments*
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) services and Mental Health Support benefits*
• Participation in RFRK’s Profit Share Program*
• Two weeks vacation to start with set milestones for more
• Paid Personal Days
• Flex Hours
*Perks for full-time employees
Real Food for Real Kids is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and inclusion in our workplace and at all levels of our organisation. We strongly encourage applications from diverse backgrounds and communities.
We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
No phone calls or emails, please. We’ll contact applicants that fit the bill, and invite them in for an interview.
Thanks for your interest in Real Food for Real Kids!