Culinary Specialist

Culinary Specialist

Location: Mobile / National

 About the role

We’re looking for a passionate and commercially minded Culinary Specialist to join Foodbuy Group and play a key role in driving food quality, innovation, margin and safety across our client base.

Working closely with the Culinary Director and senior stakeholders across Foodbuy, this is a hands‑on, outward‑facing role where you’ll support clients and operational teams with menu development, continuous improvement, chef training and food innovation. You’ll be trusted to influence, inspire and deliver real impact across diverse food operations.

What you’ll be responsible for

• Leading and supporting the delivery of culinary strategy across a varied client portfolio
• Providing on‑site support, audits and practical advice across kitchens and retail outlets
• Creating and delivering improvement plans, monitoring progress and outcomes
• Supporting menu development, recipe creation, allergen management and food innovation
• Working with chefs to improve margin, consistency and food standards
• Designing and delivering chef development and training programmes
• Supporting sampling sessions, product trials and ingredient performance reviews
• Collaborating with suppliers to identify value, innovation and new product opportunities
• Developing food programmes aligned to current culinary trends and client briefs
• Promoting plant‑forward, wellbeing‑led and sustainable food initiatives

What we’re looking for

• City & Guilds 706/1 & 706/2 in Professional Cookery (or equivalent)
• Senior culinary experience within commercial hospitality (e.g. Head Chef, Executive Chef)
• Strong commercial understanding of food costings, margins and menu development
• Proven experience developing food concepts and implementing them at scale
• Confident communicator with the ability to influence chefs, clients and stakeholders
• Strong understanding of food trends, sourcing, allergens and product evaluation
• Comfortable working autonomously and managing a national diary
• A genuine passion for food, training and developing others
• Competent with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Why join Foodbuy?

Foodbuy Group is the UK’s leading food procurement organisation, managing over £2bn of spend across foodservice and hospitality. Part of Compass Group UK & Ireland (a FTSE 100 business), we work with clients to deliver expert procurement, culinary and supply chain solutions that create real commercial and operational value.

This is a high‑impact role offering national exposure, autonomy, and the chance to shape food quality and innovation at scale.

#REED