Culinary & Quality Control Specialist

SMGS, Seattle, Washington, United States of America

Job Description

Posted Friday, January 12, 2024 at 8 : 00 AM

Sugar Mountain is a creative food company that is home to extraordinary food brands and restaurants. From our award-winning Beecher’s Handmade Cheese to The Butcher’s Table, our swanky steakhouse that features Mishima Reserve, our luxury Wagyu beef brand, we make real food with absolutely zero artificial ingredients.

We are a team at the forefront of the food revolution, passionate about our mission to Change the Way America Eats. For the past 3 years, Sugar Mountain’s company culture was recognized on Fortune’s lists of Best Workplaces.

The Culinary & Quality Control Specialist plays a role in supporting the Innovation Team by actively contributing to the preparation and planning of products during the development phase.

This position requires expertise in food development, emphasizing recordkeeping and maintaining a vigilant eye on quality.

We are looking for a well-organized and enthusiastic professional with a proven track record in the food industry. The ideal candidate will bring a focus on organization and documentation, ensuring the team operates efficiently and produces outstanding results.

Key Responsibilities :

Are you the right applicant for this opportunity Find out by reading through the role overview below.

• Quality Control on Finished Goods : Conduct quality control inspections on finished goods to ensure they meet our standards of excellence.
• Retention Management : Assist with retention management to preserve the quality and integrity of products throughout their lifecycle.
• Product Evaluation : Assist with product evaluations at various stages, from development to postproduction.
• Cheese Grading : Execute cheese grading tasks with precision and adherence to quality standards, contributing to the overall quality control process.
• Maintain a clean and organized test kitchen environment, including the fridge, freezer, and pantry, to create efficient and sanitary workspace.
• Assist in preparation of prototype samples based on provided recipes, contributing to the development and testing of new products.
• Play a role in ordering and maintaining the inventory of ingredients and supplies, ensuring the test kitchen is well-stocked for ongoing projects.

This may include grocery shopping responsibilities to secure fresh ingredients for test kitchen activities.

• Maintain accurate and appropriate documentation to support development and traceability of assigned products.
• Conduct tastings of multiple product versions, recording feedback effectively to inform decision making and refinement.
• Assists in other Quality Control projects and initiatives, as necessary.

Requirements :

• 3+ years of experience in professional kitchens, including exposure to kitchen management responsibilities.
• Culinary degree preferred, but not required.
• Food Handler’s Permit.
• High level of comfort and familiarity in a kitchen environment.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team.
• High attention to detail and documentation.
• Effective communication and work proficiency in dealing with weights and percentages, ensuring precision in culinary process.
• Possess basic skills in Microsoft Excel, contributing to efficient data management and organization.

Hours & Compensation :

This is a full-time position, requiring 30 hours per week. The starting hourly base rate falls within the range of $28 - $32 per hour, plus an annual bonus plan.

Actual compensation will be determined by skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Employee Benefits :

Sugar Mountain offers medical, dental, vision and life insurance premiums, along with paid time-off, paid holidays and a 401(k) plan with a company match.

Employees enjoy a 35% employee discount at Sugar Mountain locations.

Commitment to Our Communities :

Sugar Mountain has created the Beecher's Foundation, a non-profit funded by a portion of sales from companies under the Sugar Mountain umbrella.

Aimed at educating people about the prevalence of food additives and their possible health risks, the Foundation is about giving people the tools they need to make healthy eating choices for life.

We are committed to building a staff that includes individuals from different cultural backgrounds, genders, ages, sexual orientation, and physical abilities.

We strive to create a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we work in.

Sugar Mountain is a tobacco-free company.

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