Culinary Specialist

About the Role

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute targeted culinary strategies to achieve individual and region annual business goals, delivering profitable sales growth and penetration across categories, specialty segments, and Sysco brand
• Coordinate with Director of Business Resources, leveraging data to identify top opportunities for business reviews
• Collaborate with sales team partners to identify customer challenges, needs, or opportunities and deliver solutions to grow customer business and drive case growth
• Track activities and results, collaborate on opportunities, and champion the team selling process through use of Salesforce (Sysco's CRM tool)
• Leverage sampling in a solutions-oriented manner to close sales
• Be informed of market conditions and trends, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales; share information with customers as part of value-added services
• Facilitate internal/external food shows, catering, and event planning activities
• Coordinate kitchen logistics in support of internal/external culinary events
• Develop and maintain relationships with customers, chefs, and sales teams through participation in local events, culinary competitions, culinary schools, and other opportunities
• Advise sales team on product specifications and serve as an expert on Cutting Edge Solutions/innovation items, Sysco Brand, and CatMan products
• Assist with employee training by facilitating training sessions and demonstrations
• Manage all operations of the test kitchen/culinary center including sanitation, product rotation, and organization of equipment and displays
• Manage test kitchen food and supply costs within budgetary parameters
• Ensure compliance with all local and state food safety and health code regulations
• Respond to regulatory agency kitchen/culinary center inspections
• Provide work direction to culinary staff, third-party vendors, and sanitation staff as necessary

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED and 3+ years executive chef experience in the foodservice industry
• Proficiency in culinary, restaurant operations, and food trends
• Ability to express information in terms of profit and loss, food cost, and expense ratio
• Strong financial acumen and ability to plan and execute business plans
• Track record of success in consultative selling and networking
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience building trust with prospective customers and securing new business
• Proactive, self-directed, and able to structure a weekly schedule
• Ability to deliver against deadlines and produce high-quality results
• Excellent organizational and project management skills
• Strong business and restaurant operations acumen
• Flexible and open to change and new ideas
• Proficiency in basic math
• Ability to learn proprietary CRM tools for planning and forecasting sales growth
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Understanding of marketing principles, product lines, ordering procedures, and credit terms

Nice to Have

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent culinary degree
• 3+ years of foodservice sales experience
• Internal and external certification in culinary or related fields

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED
• 3+ years executive chef experience in the foodservice industry
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent culinary degree (preferred)