Benefits:

Health insurance
Paid time off
Training & development
Vision insurance
401(k) matching
Competitive salary
Dental insurance
Employee discounts

What you’ll do:

Taste Buds Kitchen is seeking an energetic, hospitality-driven Culinary Training Manager to serve as our brand's national culinary authority and training leader. Based at our Chester, MD headquarters, you will own the end-to-end training journey for incoming franchise owners, lead seasonal recipe testing, and ensure operational culinary excellence across our national studio network.

This premier individual contributor role blends kitchen leadership, adult education, and instructional content creation. You will take new franchise partners and their culinary staff from initial onboarding through comprehensive culinary certification—empowering them to run joyful, safe, and profitable studios.

Key Responsibilities

1. Franchise Culinary Onboarding & Training Programs

Lead On-Site Cohorts: Facilitate multi-day culinary certification cohorts for new franchise owners and lead instructors at HQ, covering event pacing, kitchen safety, and brand standards.
Lead Seasonal Training Clinics: Spearhead network-wide prep and operational training clinics for peak revenue drivers—including Summer Camp readiness, holiday Gingerbread House 101, and seasonal class launches.
Instructional Coaching: Coach non-culinary owners and experienced chefs alike to master our scratch-cooking techniques, kitchen systems, and hospitality-first teaching style.
Launch Continuity & Readiness: Help establish and lead structured virtual check-ins and kitchen readiness evaluations for newly opening studios; serve as secondary backup for grand openings (0–2 trips/year).
Cohort Support: Coordinate occasional per diem kitchen assistants for training support, prep and dishwashing during peak training weeks.

2. Recipe Testing, Event Standards & Kitchen Oversight

Menu Testing & Refinement: Test, scale, and standardize seasonal scratch recipes across youth, family, and adult classes—ensuring ease of execution, allergen adaptability, and profitability.
Marketing Collaboration: Partner with Marketing to operationalize buzz-worthy seasonal menus and limited-time event packages that drive bookings.
Brand Standards & Test Kitchen: Maintain our digital recipe and event guides, tray guides, allergen substitutions, and visual event resources. Oversee the corporate Test Kitchen inventory, equipment, and prep logistics.

3. Digital Learning & Brand Ambassadorship

Video Production: Film instructional recipe videos and setup demonstrations for our digital training library to ensure network consistency.
LMS & Curriculum Development: Maintain digital training manuals, checklists, and assessments in our operations platform (Operandio). Partner with internal SMEs as needed to format and assemble non-culinary operational modules.
HQ Workshops: Host occasional signature workshops and corporate Discovery Day events at HQ to test new concepts and connect with prospective owners.

Qualifications & Experience

2–4 Years of Experience: Combined background in professional culinary operations, culinary instruction, restaurant training, or hospitality education. Practical industry experience required.
Kitchen Intuition & Food Passion: High comfort level in commercial or scratch-cooking environments. A formal Culinary Arts degree is welcome, but equivalent boots-on-the-ground kitchen experience and serious culinary instincts are just as valued.
Recipe Competence: Solid instincts for recipe scaling, timing, seasonal adjustments, and allergen protocols (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, nut-free).
Facilitation & Stage Presence: Dynamic public speaker with warmth, energy, and the ability to command a room, engage adult learners, and present confidently on camera.
Procedural Detail: Strong eye for detail when creating SOPs, checklists, and recipe guide sheets; comfortable with digital platforms and LMS tools.
Certifications: Current ServSafe Manager certification (or ability to obtain prior to hire).

Compensation & Benefits

Salary: $60,000 – $70,000 annually, commensurate with experience.
Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) with company match.
Time Off: Generous paid time off (PTO) and paid company holidays.
Perks: Free culinary classes and event discounts for friends and family at our HQ Kitchen; ongoing professional development.

Position Details at a Glance

Location: Chester, MD (Corporate HQ & Test Kitchen). 15–20 minutes east of Annapolis via an easy reverse-commute across the Bay Bridge with free on-site parking.
Work Schedule: Full-time salaried/exempt. Standard Monday–Friday corporate schedule, with flexibility required for occasional evenings and weekends to support franchisee training cohorts, Discovery Days, and live event testing.
Travel: Minimal (0–2 trips/year) for new studio grand opening backup.
Hands-On Kitchen Stamina: Comfortable on your feet for extended training cohorts, active recipe testing, and event execution. Requires frequent bending, reaching, and safely lifting or maneuvering kitchen supplies and bulk ingredient boxes weighing up to 50 lbs.
Reports To: Executive Leadership / Director of Operations.

Compensation: $60,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year

About Us

Taste Buds Kitchen has taken the country by storm with a refreshingly simple concept. We provide culinary entertainment to kids, families and adults in a fun, beautiful and state-of-the art Kitchen Studio. Kids ages 2 to teen love our hands-on cooking classes, camps, birthday parties and field trips. Adults love our byob date night cooking classes, birthday parties, bachelorettes, showers and corporate events. Our innovative programs are as entertaining as they are educational. We always strive to engage and delight our guests.

Job Opportunities

We have incredible career opportunities in each of our growing Kitchen Studios nationwide, as well as our corporate office. Get involved in an exciting and growing company. We are always looking for dynamic talent to join our fun-loving and hard-working team! Perfect for culinary professionals, passionate foodies, teachers, managers, administrators, marketers and college and high school students alike.

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This position is based at our corporate headquarters and test kitchen in Chester, MD (Kent Island), approximately 15–20 minutes east of Annapolis. Are you able to reliably meet this on-site schedule and location?*

A core responsibility is independently developing, scaling, and physically testing signature recipes across baking, kids' camps, and adult party courses, as well as authoring step-by-step class guides. What direct experience do you have with commercial kitchen operations, recipe testing/scaling, or menu development?*

During scheduled corporate training cohorts, you will lead an intensive multi-day onboarding program for incoming franchise owners and general managers, turning non-chefs into confident kitchen operators. Can you describe your experience teaching, coaching, or facilitating adults or teams in a kitchen, workshop, or hospitality setting?*

What are your salary expectations for this role, and how does our target range align with your requirements?*

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