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Research & Development Chef

Research & Development Chef

Plate NYCNew York, NY, US
12 days ago
Job type
  • Full-time
Job description

A family of three in Lower Manhattan is seeking a chef with a fine-dining or restaurant R&D background. This isn’t a typical private-chef role — it’s closer to running a personal test kitchen with the freedom to explore, refine, and create. The position suits someone who loves the craft and curiosity of cooking and wants to apply that discipline outside the grind of restaurant service.

You’ll have creative control and an environment designed for experimentation : exceptional ingredients, no menu repetition, and no service tickets — just time, focus, and freedom to make extraordinary food. The job offers saner hours, better balance, and stronger compensation than restaurant life, with every resource to do things properly.

About the Role

You’ll design and cook meals that are primarily seafood- and vegetable-forward, taking cues from ingredient-driven cuisines while freely exploring global influences. Health, balance, and creativity matter equally — meals should be delicious, nourishing, and original.

Because the family eats one or two meals per day (dinner and sometimes lunch), you’ll have time, and wide latitude to develop menus, experiment, and pursue culinary projects. The household values thoughtfulness, technical rigor, and curiosity over formality or showmanship.

Kitchen & Resources

The kitchen functions as a compact R&D lab :

  • Dry agers, -80 °C freezer, Pacojet, laboratory equipment and fermentation gear
  • Regular shipments of wild and pristine seafood from Toyosu and Amakusa, Spain and Portugal
  • Produce from top local farms and specialty ingredients from an extensive network of foragers and suppliers
  • An effectively unlimited ingredient budget for projects worth doing right

What You’ll Do

  • Design and cook 1–2 refined, health-oriented meals per day — vegetable- and seafood-driven, seasonal and market-centric
  • Continuously evolve menus across cultures and techniques; the household enjoys variety and depth more than routine and rarely makes specific requests
  • Pursue side projects — for example : developing ferments, testing new sauces, pushing the limits of low-temperature aging (dry, wet, enzymatic), or perfecting a dashi
  • Handle full ingredient sourcing, prep, and fish processing (cleaning, aging, parasite safety)
  • Maintain a smartly stocked kitchen with healthy snacks and lunch-ready leftovers
  • Manage ordering and supplier relationships
  • Occasionally host small dinner gatherings and events
  • Share knowledge and collaborate on culinary ideas and techniques

    • Who You Are

  • 3+ years in fine dining or R&D (Michelin-level or equivalent rigor)
  • Expert in seafood and vegetable technique, with a wide, modern and global approach
  • Able to design nutritionally balanced, heart-healthy food without sacrificing pleasure
  • Thrive on variety — no fixed menus or repetitive prep; every day is different
  • Organized and able to handle sourcing, planning, and kitchen operations end to end
  • Independent and meticulous but creatively restless and stylistically flexible
  • Deeply curious and thoughtful about ingredients, provenance, process, texture, balance
  • A self-motivated perfectionist who enjoys iteration more than attention

    • Schedule & Benefits

  • Typical hours : weekdays, daytime hours (e.g. 8 : 30 am - 6 : 30 pm)
  • Paid vacation and health insurance
  • Competitive salary, commensurate with background and skill
  • Visa sponsorship (if applicable)
  • Occasional evening / weekend events as planned
  • No menu fatigue, no chaos, and no compromise on ingredient quality

    • This is ideal for a chef who loves food R&D and wants a more sane pace — someone who finds pleasure in precision, experimentation, and craft rather than volume.

    Competitive compensation, excellent ingredients, and an environment that values creativity, respect, and rigor.

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