Role & responsibilities

Responsibility and Mandate
Support the R&D; team in developing recent products, recipes, and culinary solutions for the Eastern portfolio.
Assist in the preparation of product prototypes, benchmarking samples, and sensory evaluation sessions.
Conduct culinary research on regional cuisines with a primary focus on Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
Prepare and standardize recipes ensuring authenticity, consistency, and scalability for commercial production.
Support ingredient sourcing, evaluation, and testing for current product development projects.
Assist in organizing and maintaining the R&D; kitchen, ensuring food safety, hygiene, and compliance with company standards.
Participate in consumer studies, culinary immersion programs, and market visits to gather insights on regional food habits and preferences.
Support plant trials and scale-up activities from kitchen to factory production.
Maintain accurate documentation of recipes, trials, observations, and sensory feedback.

Main tasks/Projects
Prepare traditional and contemporary South Indian dishes for product development activities.




Conduct competitive benchmarking of spice mixes, masalas, ready-to-cook, and ready-to-eat products.
Assist in developing authentic recipes from Kerala, Coastal Karnataka, Mangalore, Udupi, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana cuisines.
Participate in recipe optimization to improve taste, consistency, cost, and manufacturability.
Support sensory evaluation panels and product tasting sessions.
Collect, compile, and organize culinary and market intelligence databases.
Work closely with Marketing, Quality, Manufacturing, Procurement, and Packaging teams during NPD projects.
Assist in conducting kitchen and factory trials and recording observations.
Contribute to building an internal repository of traditional recipes, culinary techniques, and regional food knowledge.

Preferred candidate profile
Minimum 2 years of experience in Hotels, Restaurants, Catering Operations, or Food R&D; settings
Exposure to South Indian cuisine is mandatory
Experience in recipe development, standardization, or menu development will be an added advantage

📌 Junior Chef Research & Development Kochi
🏢 Orkla India
📍 Kochi