Specialist, Culinary Commercialization (63847)

Title: Specialist, Culinary Commercialization

Department: Culinary Development

Reports To: Senior Manager, Commercialization

Who we Are

Thistle makes it easy to eat well - without overthinking it. Thistle was founded in 2013 with a mission to help people get and stay healthy while improving the sustainability of our food system. Thistle delivers fully prepared, healthy-by-default meals, snacks, desserts, and organic cold-pressed juices. We believe the health of people starts with eating real, whole foods, in the right balance, without the friction. We're building a future where nutritious, sustainable food is accessible, craveable, and part of everyday life.

About the Role

The Culinary Commercialization Specialist plays a key role in bringing new menu items from concept to successful production. This position serves as the liaison between Culinary Development and Production, ensuring recipes are translated into scalable, repeatable processes that can be executed consistently in a high-volume manufacturing environment.

Reporting to the Senior Manager of Commercialization, this individual partners closely with Culinary Development, Operations, Quality Assurance, and Production teams to scale recipes, conduct production trials, document standardized processes, train production teams, and support new product launches. The goal is to ensure every product consistently meets company standards for quality, food safety, efficiency, and guest experience.

This is a hands-on, individual contributor role ideal for someone who enjoys working both in the kitchen and on the production floor. The successful candidate thrives in fast-paced, high-volume culinary environments and has experience preparing and executing recipes at commercial scale while collaborating across cross-functional teams.

This position is based onsite at one of Thistles production facilities.

How You'll Make a Difference

Commercialization & Recipe Scale-Up

• Translate approved culinary recipes into production-ready formulas and standardized batch sheets.
• Scale recipes from test kitchen quantities to pilot and full-scale production while maintaining product quality and consistency.
• Validate ingredient usage, yields, production methods, equipment requirements, and preparation instructions.
• Partner with Culinary Development and Operations to optimize recipes for large-scale production without compromising quality.
• Collaborate with Quality Assurance to establish measurable product quality standards.

Pilot Testing & Product Launch

• Coordinate and execute pilot production runs for new menu items.
• Evaluate production performance, including yields, labor efficiency, throughput, and product quality.
• Identify production challenges and recommend practical process improvements.
• Support first-production launches by providing onsite guidance and troubleshooting.
• Facilitate post-launch reviews to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Training & Production Support

• Train production teams on new recipes, preparation methods, assembly standards, and operational procedures.
• Conduct product tastings and educate teams on quality expectations.
• Demonstrate culinary techniques and production best practices.
• Provide hands-on support during product launches and process changes.
• Help ensure consistent execution across shifts and production facilities.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Evaluate finished products for taste, texture, appearance, consistency, and adherence to specifications.
• Participate in quality audits and production reviews.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, yields, and product quality.
• Partner with Culinary, Operations, and QA to evaluate ingredient substitutions when necessary.
• Maintain accurate production documentation and process records.

What Were Looking For

• High school diploma or equivalent.

• Minimum of 4 years of culinary experience in a high-volume commercial food production environment such as:

• Large hotels

• High-volume restaurants

• Commissary kitchens

• Catering operations

• Meal delivery companies

• Food manufacturing facilities

• Demonstrated experience preparing food using commercial-scale production equipment.

• Experience scaling recipes for large batch production while maintaining quality and consistency.

• Strong knowledge of yields, batch calculations, recipe conversions, and kitchen mathematics.

• Ability to taste and evaluate food products for flavor, texture, appearance, and overall quality.

• Experience using Google Workspace, including Google Sheets.

• Strong communication and training skills with the ability to work effectively across cross-functional teams.

• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with Culinary, Operations, and Quality teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree or formal training in Culinary Arts or a related field.
• Experience supporting commercialization, new product development, or product launches.
• Experience in food manufacturing or meal production environments.
• Experience with recipe management or food manufacturing software (such as Galley).
• Experience with plant-based, vegan, or allergen-friendly food production.

Preferred Experience

Successful candidates will typically have experience in one or more of the following environments:

• Executive or Sous Chef experience in a busy hotel or resort
• High-volume restaurant operations
• Large-scale commissary kitchens
• Airline, healthcare, or institutional foodservice
• Meal kit or prepared meal manufacturing
• Commercial food production facilities

The ideal candidate enjoys being a hands-on culinary expert and individual contributor who can bridge culinary creativity with operational execution. They are comfortable working on the production floor, solving problems in real time, coaching teams, and ensuring recipes can be executed consistently at scale.

Our Culture

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential values at Thistle. We know we do our best and most impactful work when we feel we are represented and belong. Were proud to actively recruit and hire talented individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. We do not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally recognized basis ("protected class"), including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, citizenship, national origin, color, hairstyles, hair texture, religion or religious creed, age, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, veteran or active military status, marital status, criminal record, genetics, retaliation, sexual harassment or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.