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Vice President of Culinary - Berkeley Culinary Center

Berkely, IL, USA

Requisition Number

13940

Location

Berkely Il

Job Description

Vice President of Culinary – Lead Innovation in Prepared Meals!

Are you a culinary leader driven by purpose, precision, and people? Join our team as Vice President of Culinary and play a critical role in shaping the future of our Prepared Meals division. At the intersection of creativity and operational excellence, your expertise will help deliver meals that are as delicious as they are efficient —supporting clients in education, healthcare, shelters, retail, and beyond.

What You’ll Do:

Lead the development, industrialization, and execution of innovative recipes across all sectors served by the Prepared Meals division

Oversee culinary operations, guiding teams from ideation through production with detailed recipes, training, and process controls

Collaborate with Procurement, QA, and Finance to manage Bill of Materials (BOMs), yields, ingredient sourcing, and cost control

Create comprehensive training programs for culinary staff and equipment operators to ensure consistent execution and food safety

Establish and refine QA testing procedures in partnership with FSQA to uphold taste, appearance, and texture standards

Optimize the use of kitchen and production equipment, aligning capabilities with recipe and volume demands

Develop client-ready meal catalogs, plating instructions, and gold-standard presentations for scalable production

Continuously monitor , test, and improve existing recipes for efficiency, quality, and nutritional value

We’re Looking For:

+ 10+ years in culinary production or food manufacturing, with at least 3 years in a leadership role

+ Culinary degree with certification in Culinary Arts (CEC preferred)

+ Deep understanding of industrial kitchen and production equipment, MRP systems, and BOM management

+ Proven success in recipe development, cost control, and team training

+ Experience with USDA or other regulatory bodies (preferred)

+ Bilingual in Spanish/English a plus; plating documentation in both languages required

+ A leader who thrives on collaboration, innovation, and empowering teams to succeed

Why Join Us?

+ Competitive executive salary

+ Comprehensive benefits: medical, dental, vision, and life insurance

+ Paid Time Off

+ 401K with company match

+ The opportunity to lead with creativity and purpose in a high-impact, mission-driven environment

+ A culture built on excellence, continuous improvement, and innovation in meal production

About Us:

At Whitsons, food is more than a product— it’s a promise of care, consistency, and quality . As our Vice President of Culinary , you’ll bring that promise to life with every plate served. Join a team where your leadership fuels purpose—and your passion fuels progress.

At Whitsons, our mission is Enhancing Life One Meal at a Time™ .

Salary up to 200K

Requirements

EDUCATION:

+ Culinary degree is essential with certification in Culinary Arts.

CERTIFICATIONS:

+ All Safety, HACCP, customer service training class certifications. Must attend all company sponsored training classes.

+ Local ordinance certification

+ CEC accreditation preferred

COMPUTER SKILLS:

+ Proficient with all computer applications in order to perform duties

EXPERIENCE:

+ 10 -15 years of production management experience required.

+ 5-10 years of Food manufacturing experience required; USDA experience preferred

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES:

+ Business Acumen

+ Listening Skills

+ Problem Solving/Logistics/ Time Management

+ Leadership/ Adaptive Change

+ Communication Proficiency

+ Decision Making

+ Financial Management

+ Collaboration Skills

+ Teamwork Oriented

+ Performance Management

Work Schedule

Monday thru Friday

Supervisor

Paul Burnup

Salary Target

200K