Culinary Field Chef

Vallarta is a dynamic and expanding foodservice company that operates a diverse portfolio of culinary concepts including Taqueria, Tortilleria, Restaurants, and more. With a commitment to delivering authentic flavors and outstanding guest experiences, Vallarta stands out in the foodservice industry by emphasizing quality, consistency, and operational excellence. The company is recognized for its strong hospitality culture known as Nuestra CASA service standards, which guide all team members in providing warm, attentive, and memorable customer service. Vallarta continuously strives to innovate its menus and foodservice programs while maintaining the highest standards of food safety and quality.

The role of Culinary Field Chef at Vallarta is a supervisory and hands-on position essential to the success of the company’s day-to-day culinary operations across all its locations. Reporting directly to the Director of Culinary, this exempt role involves about 80% of the time spent working in the field at various restaurant locations, supporting multiple foodservice programs simultaneously. The Culinary Field Chef is tasked with providing operational and culinary expertise to Kitchen Managers and foodservice teams, ensuring adherence to Vallarta’s standards in menu execution, recipe consistency, portion control, food presentation, and flavor profiles.

This position plays a critical role in driving sales growth by helping teams consistently deliver high-quality food and excellent guest experiences. The Culinary Field Chef also acts as a critical resource for training new and existing staff, executing company-wide culinary initiatives, supporting new store openings, remodels, and operational improvements focused on cost control and quality enhancement. Working closely with the Corporate Chef, the Culinary Field Chef assists in menu development and product rollout efforts, ensuring that all changes are successfully implemented and meet Vallarta’s expectations.

The Culinary Field Chef’s responsibilities are broad, covering operational oversight including compliance with health, safety, and sanitation standards, food cost management, kitchen cleanliness, and inventory controls. The role requires strong leadership and coaching skills to promote accountability, teamwork, and high performance among culinary teams. This individual must be adept at monitoring business metrics aligned with company goals and addressing operational challenges while fostering a positive, collaborative work environment.

Flexibility and resilience are key personality traits as the Culinary Field Chef works in a fast-paced environment requiring frequent travel within the company’s operating regions, including overnight stays. The position demands physical stamina to handle kitchen environments with exposure to heat, cold, noise, and requires frequent standing, walking, and lifting up to 50 lbs. The role also carries the responsibility to uphold food safety and HACCP compliance rigorously, ensuring proper food handling, storage, and temperature control.

This opportunity is ideal for candidates with a minimum of 5 years of experience in culinary leadership or multi-unit foodservice operations, who bring expertise in recipe development, team training, and operational management. A High School Diploma is required, with preference given to candidates with a Culinary Degree or equivalent experience. Vallarta offers mileage reimbursement for approved business travel and expects Culinary Field Chefs to contribute to the company’s ongoing success through dedication to culinary excellence and outstanding guest service.