Culinary Consultant

About Firenze Firenze is an Italian-inspired fast-casual brand bringing authentic flavors to sandwiches, bowls, and catering. We focus on clean, health-conscious recipes that are scalable for busy food courts, catering operations, and storefront service. As we expand in Chicagoland and beyond, we are looking for a rising culinary leader who can help us innovate, refine, and grow our menu offerings while working closely with our team to bring new ideas to market. Role Overview The Executive Chef / Culinary Consultant will play a key role in driving culinary innovation at Firenze. This individual will develop and test new menu items, refine current offerings, and collaborate with our kitchen team to ensure concepts are both craveable and operationally efficient. This role is designed for someone early in their career — ambitious, creative, and eager to grow into a leadership role while helping shape the culinary identity of a fast-growing brand. Key Responsibilities Menu Innovation and Development Generate new ideas for Italian-inspired dishes (sandwiches, bowls, salads, catering offerings). Re-optimize existing menu items to improve flavor, efficiency, or cost. Research industry trends and competitors to keep Firenze ahead in the fast-casual market. Recipe Development and Commercialization Translate culinary concepts into scalable recipes and processes for a fast-casual kitchen. Test and document standardized recipes for consistent execution. Collaborate with operations on costing, sourcing, and nutritional standards. Training and Collaboration Work with the kitchen team to train staff on preparation, presentation, and consistency. Create simple SOPs (standard operating procedures) for recipes and execution. Provide ongoing feedback and support to improve kitchen efficiency. Go-to-Market Culinary Support Assist with menu launches and limited-time offerings (LTOs). Support catering menu builds with scalable, high-quality options. Work cross-functionally with operations and marketing teams on new product rollouts. Qualifications 2–5 years of experience in a culinary role (restaurant, catering, fast casual, or food innovation). Strong passion for Italian flavors and health-conscious cooking. Experience in recipe development, testing, and scaling for commercial kitchens. Knowledge of food costing, portioning, and ingredient sourcing. Creative thinker with attention to operational efficiency. Excellent collaboration and communication skills. Entrepreneurial mindset — thrives in a start-up environment. What We Offer Competitive hourly consulting rate (relative to experience) with opportunity to grow into a larger role. Flexible schedule (part-time consulting with on-site sessions as needed). Opportunity to shape the culinary direction of a growing fast-casual brand. Hands-on experience commercializing recipes from idea to launch. Growth potential into a full-time leadership position as Firenze expands.

Created: 2025-09-18