Culinary Director

Culinary Director Company Honey Hospitality Detroit, MI Job Details Contract $60,000 - $85,000 a year 14 hours ago Qualifications Menu design Hospitality Clear verbal communication Operations management Team leadership Kitchen quality control Operational management Coaching Menu concept development Improving operational efficiency Leadership development Team development Developing staff training programs as a food service manager Attention to detail Kitchen staff training Organizational skills System development Managing kitchen staff Professional development training Kitchen organization Communication with kitchen staff Team building Full Job Description Position Overview Company Honey is seeking an experienced Contract Culinary Director to lead, elevate, and strengthen the culinary department across the organization's portfolio of hospitality brands. This role is ideal for a seasoned culinary professional with executive-level experience who understands how to create memorable food experiences within real-world hospitality environments. The right person will be able to provide clear direction, develop strong menus, train existing kitchen leadership, and improve culinary consistency across both established and new concepts. This is a contract role designed for someone who can step in with confidence, assess current culinary operations, identify opportunities for improvement, and help bring a higher level of creativity, execution, organization, and accountability to the kitchens. Key Responsibilities Culinary Leadership & Direction The Culinary Director must provide executive-level leadership for the culinary department across Company Honey's brands. Establish clear culinary standards, expectations, systems, and processes that support consistency, quality, efficiency, and brand identity. Be able to communicate expectations clearly, provide constructive feedback, and lead teams toward improved performance. Elevating Existing Brand Experiences Evaluate the current culinary offerings within established Company Honey brands and identify opportunities to improve food quality, presentation, consistency, menu structure, guest experience, and operational efficiency. The Contract Culinary Director will work with Company Honey leadership to assess current culinary needs, support existing food programs, develop new menus, and train culinary teams.

Responsibilities include:

• Reviewing current menus and food programs
• Identifying underperforming or outdated menu items
• Improving food presentation and plating standards
• Strengthening prep systems and execution standards
• Creating consistency across service periods
• Enhancing the overall culinary experience while respecting each brand's identity New Menu Development Develop creative, thoughtful, and operationally realistic menus for new Company Honey brands and concepts.

Menus should reflect each brand's personality, target audience, physical kitchen limitations, staffing model, equipment, service style, and financial goals. This role requires someone who can create food programs that are exciting, memorable, and executable.

Responsibilities include:

• Creating new menu concepts
• Developing recipes and prep guides
• Building menus around limited kitchen footprints and resources
• Designing food programs that can be consistently executed by the existing team
• Supporting menu costing and operational feasibility
• Ensuring menus align with the overall brand direction Training & Development Train existing kitchen managers, cooks, and support staff to improve execution, organization, food quality, prep procedures, cleanliness, timing, and consistency. While holding standards without creating unnecessary complexity Training responsibilities include:
• Coaching kitchen managers on leadership and daily kitchen operations
• Training staff on recipes, prep standards, plating, timing, and service execution
• Creating simple systems that teams can follow
• Building accountability around quality and consistency
• Supporting stronger communication between kitchen and management teams Systems, Standards & Operational Support Develop clear culinary systems and standards that can be maintained after the contract period.

This may include recipe documentation, prep lists, ordering guides, cleaning standards, menu roll-out plans, training materials, and kitchen checklists. The role should bring structure without overcomplicating operations. Ideal Candidate The ideal candidate has significant experience in an executive culinary role and understands how to lead multiple food programs with discipline, creativity, and attention to detail. This person must be highly organized, confident in their culinary point of view, and able to work within practical limitations. Company Honey's kitchens may include simple layouts, limited space, and limited cooking resources, so the right candidate must know how to create strong food experiences without relying on large-scale kitchen infrastructure. Required Experience & Qualifications

• Executive Chef, Culinary Director, Corporate Chef, or senior culinary leadership experience required
• Strong menu development experience for both established and new concepts
• Ability to create menus that are creative, profitable, and operationally realistic
• Experience working in multi-concept environments
• Strong training, coaching, and team development skills
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Ability to assess kitchen operations and quickly identify areas for improvement
• Strong understanding of prep systems, kitchen organization, food quality, consistency, and service flow
• Ability to work within small kitchens, limited equipment, and simple culinary setups
• Clear communicator with the ability to provide direct, constructive leadership Role Type This is a contract position .

Schedule, duration, and scope of work will be determined based on Company Honey's current culinary priorities and project needs. Position Goal The goal of this role is to strengthen Company Honey's culinary department by creating better systems, stronger menus, more confident kitchen leadership, and elevated guest experiences across both established and new brands. The right candidate will leave the organization with improved culinary standards, trained kitchen teams, operationally realistic menus, and a stronger foundation for future food and beverage growth.

Pay:

$60,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Experience:

Executive Chef:

5 years (Preferred)

Work Location:

In person