H-E-B Grocery logo

Culinary Selling Specialist

Job Overview

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Employment Type

Full-time
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Compensation

Hourly
Range $18.00 - $1.00
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Work Schedule

Flexible
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Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Paid Time Off
Retirement Plan
employee discount
Career development opportunities
flexible schedule

Job Description

H-E-B is a prominent American supermarket chain known for its dedication to quality, innovation, and community engagement. Established decades ago, H-E-B has steadily grown into one of the largest and most beloved grocery retailers in Texas and northern Mexico, catering to a diverse customer base with a broad selection of products and services that emphasize freshness, local sourcing, and culinary excellence. The company prides itself on fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment, both for its customers and its employees, championing values of service, integrity, and innovation.

This role, Culinary Selling Expert, plays a vital part in enriching the customer's shopping experience by leveraging in-depth culinary knowledge and sales skills within the Cooking Connection kitchen. The position is centered on activating sales through engaging cooking demonstrations, recipe development, and customer interaction that highlights key ingredient selections and beverage pairings tailored to local tastes.

As a Culinary Selling Expert, you will act as an ambassador for H-E-B's culinary vision, transforming the kitchen into an interactive hub for food lovers and cooking enthusiasts. You will create vibrant food experiences by demonstrating cooking techniques, offering personalized menu and meal planning advice, and suggesting distinctive alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage pairings. Your expertise will be critical in ensuring customers not only connect deeply with the products but also feel inspired to experiment with new recipes and cooking methods.

Key responsibilities extend beyond cooking demonstrations to include maintaining the aesthetic and operational standards of the Cooking Connection kitchen space. This includes regular upkeep of displays, inventory management, meticulous food safety practices, and compliance with health regulations. You will contribute to store-wide events and use your culinary insights to tailor offerings and enhance the culinary education programs through cooking classes, wine education, and dinner series.

The role requires a dynamic professional with robust communication skills, strong merchandising acumen, and a passion for hospitality. It demands adaptability to customer needs, the agility to manage multiple priorities, and a commitment to continuous learning, including the completion of relevant certifications such as TABC and wine selling credentials. The position is intended for individuals aged 21 and above with practical culinary experience and a deep appreciation for food culture and customer engagement.

By joining H-E-B as a Culinary Selling Expert, you become part of an organization that values creativity, customer connection, and culinary excellence. You will have ample opportunities to grow your skills, collaborate with passionate teammates, and impact the local community by making every cooking experience memorable and enjoyable. This is a full-time role that offers a rewarding blend of cooking artistry, customer interaction, and sales expertise, perfect for those who thrive in a lively retail environment dedicated to food and beverage passion.

Job Requirements

  • 21+
  • degree in culinary arts nutrition home economics or h-e-b culinary certification
  • 2+ years of experience related to food and cooking or experience cooking in a professional environment in sales or product demonstrations
  • strong knowledge of h-e-b systems and processes e.g systems related to scheduling recipe authoring product ordering display planning ms office internal websites h-e-b mobile apps
  • advanced communication skills
  • advanced customer service skills
  • passion for hospitality
  • strong merchandising skills
  • skills in intermediate cooking techniques
  • ability to read and interpret documents e.g safety rules maintenance instructions procedure manuals financial sales reports
  • ability to manage multiple priorities and shift focus between projects
  • ability and willingness to work flexible hours
  • h-e-b wine selling certification or similar experience
  • completion of or ability to complete tabc certification
  • constantly stand reach at waist and grasp
  • occasionally sit walk reach overhead reach at shoulder reach at knee reach at floor bend stoop squat crouch kneel stair climb ladder climb pivot twist push pull with arms pinch and perform fine motor movements
  • occasionally be exposed to cold and hot temperatures loud noise wet conditions
  • demonstrate the ability to lift 60 lbs and manage more than 60 lbs

Job Qualifications

  • degree in culinary arts nutrition home economics or h-e-b culinary certification intermediate culinary skills
  • 2+ years of experience related to food and cooking or experience cooking in a professional environment in sales or product demonstrations
  • strong knowledge of h-e-b systems and processes e.g systems related to scheduling recipe authoring product ordering display planning ms office internal websites h-e-b mobile apps
  • advanced communication skills
  • advanced customer service skills
  • passion for hospitality
  • strong merchandising skills
  • skills in intermediate cooking techniques
  • ability to read and interpret documents e.g safety rules maintenance instructions procedure manuals financial sales reports
  • ability to manage multiple priorities and shift focus between projects
  • ability and willingness to work flexible hours

Job Duties

  • follows the customer service and hospitality model to connect with customers building a sense of community and driving loyalty
  • creates an atmosphere of celebration by participating in total store events creating themed recipes and cross merchandising
  • welcomes approaches customers with the mindset of a host catering to the needs of the customer to ensure they feel welcomed invited and appreciated
  • offers advice for menu meal planning scales recipes in size and skill level depending on customer needs
  • conducts cooking method and recipe preparation demonstrations executes food prep methods with high efficiency to maximize customer interactions
  • offers engaging consistent and relevant culinary conversations on the microphone to attract customers
  • serves as the expert in the day s recipes answers culinary questions recommends variations and substitute ingredients for food allergy or food lifestyle needs adapts as needed to customer response inventory changes etc
  • suggests distinctive alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage pairings
  • develops maintains relationships with customers by recalling dietary needs restrictions and wine preferences to tailor future visits applies observation skills and intuitive selling techniques
  • contributes culinary insights food trends local trends and customer insights to in-store cooking events
  • assists in cooking classes wine education and dinner series execution when applicable
  • may conduct connections floor demos
  • ensures a+ standards at the connections kitchen including maintaining and cleaning fixtures stocking conditions plan-o-gram integrity daily beginning mid-day and end-shift recovery and perpetual inventory
  • assists in building maintaining merchandising displays uses appropriate signs tags and branding for all events
  • ensures customer signage for the daily menu and daily sampling hours is updated and on display
  • ensures backstock is worked
  • guides customers to multiple product uses shares product stories on origin flavor authenticity uniqueness etc
  • may support food production for retail sale
  • ensures compliance with federal state and h-e-b food safety regulations standards
  • completes all required food safety and related trainings
  • maintains professional clean healthy and safe work environment
  • ensures proper equipment use cleans sanitizes kitchen equipment and counter tops per the a+ standards
  • operates under 5-s guidelines set by department leader
  • preps products for use in demonstrations sampling and production using the mise-en-place method
  • uses proper personal protection equipment during operation of the department and during required tasks

Job Criteria

Experience

Mid Level (3-7 years)


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