46 Occupational Outlook Quarterly ● Fall 2002

Research hen Anne Albertine gets creative in

the kitchen, millions taste the results. As

a research chef, she mixes good taste

with good science, creating recipes for

Taco Bell restaurants at its corporate

headquarters in Irvine, California. Her

tacos, chalupas, and burritos fill the menus

of more than 6,500 restaurants. “My team

and I make restaurant quality food that

can be mass produced,” says Anne, “so the

culinary quality—the freshness, taste, and

texture—has to hold up.”

Research chefs, also called product

development or food innovation chefs,

create new foods for restaurant chains,

coffee shops, and food manufacturing

companies. They blend culinary training

with a knowledge of food science. “As

chefs, we can make food that tastes

good and has visual appeal,” says Anne.

“We can weave flavors together.” But

research chefs also understand food

preservation, mass production, and the

technical terms used by scientists. And

they use this knowledge in their recipes.

Research chefs get ideas for new

menu items from many different

sources. They often use the results of

customer surveys to determine what

customers crave. Suggestions are

general. They might include requests for a

large portion size, a low price, or a certain

flavor, such as smoky or sweet. Research

chefs give the ideas substance by creating

several different recipes to match these

characteristics. “My job is to create

options,” says Anne. For every product

that makes it to the public, researchers

cook up 30 to 100 alternative recipes that

never make it out of the laboratory.

Research chefs also find inspiration

by following trends in consumer tastes.

They sample the menus of fine restaurants, often traveling abroad to stir up

their creativity. And chefs read culinary

magazines and study cookbooks,

searching for recipes to modify.

With a set of food qualities in mind,

research chefs start experimenting with

ingredients. Anne often begins her day

with a trip to the grocery store. “I pick

up fresh ingredients,” she says, “then go

play in my test kitchen.” She might try

different styles of chopping, compare

grilling an ingredient with frying it, or

contrast vacuum-packed ingredients with

frozen ones. In one recipe, Anne was

striving for the just right level of

spiciness and the best type of cheese to

give a toasty flavor. She uses her technical expertise to pick ingredients that will

taste good when cooked in bulk, under

the real world conditions of a restaurant.

Anne’s recipes also need to be convenient. To make a burrito that was portable,

for example, she decided to grill it. The

grilling process seared the burrito so it

would stay closed, even when it held more

food than the other burritos did.

A research chef’s test kitchen is

similar to the kitchen of any professional chef, with heavy-duty mixers,

salamanders—tools for browning the

tops of food—and other gadgets. But a

research chef’s kitchen is designed for

precision. Graduated cylinders stand in

for measuring cups, and scientific

balances that are accurate to the

milligram replace the standard

countertop scales. Large-batch recipes

have to be detailed and accurate so that

they can be reproduced in every

restaurant. “We strive for quality and

consistency,” says Anne.

At each stage of development, recipes

are tested with customers. In the first

testing session, a focus group of customers might choose among 50 or more

pictures and written descriptions of

possible menu items. “I let the customers

tell me what they like,” says Anne. “I’m

cooking for them, not myself.”

Eventually, focus groups taste

samples of the most appealing of the

proposed foods. Responses are taken

during experiments conducted in

sensory labs by food scientists and

marketers. Anne observes and learns

from these experiments. “People might

say a product is too messy, too spicy, or

too expensive, so I tweak it,” she says.

“With food, small changes in ingredients can make a dramatic impact.”

When Anne isn’t fine-tuning recipes,

she meets with other members of the

staff. “Development is a collaborative

process,” she says. Financial experts

check a recipe’s profitability. Market

researchers confirm its popularity. Food

scientists concentrate on food safety and

other considerations. And training and

operations managers ensure that the

restaurant crews will be able to make

the food quickly and well.

Meetings like these highlight nonfood-related skills that research chefs

need in their jobs: good communication

skills and the ability to persuade. “You

have to prove your hunches,” says Anne.

She gives evidence that her ideas will be

successful, especially when they require

a large monetary investment, such as

new restaurant equipment.

Research chefs who work for food

manufacturers instead of restaurant

chains perform slightly different tasks.

They help food scientists develop flavor

additives and prepared and frozen foods.

They consult with restaurant chefs to

learn what they need and explain flavor

possibilities. If the restaurant wants a

You’re a what?

Olivia Crosby is a contributing editor to the OOQ,

(202) 691-5716.

W
Occupational Outlook Quarterly ● Fall 2002 47

chef by Olivia Crosby

lemon flavor, for example, should it be

acidic, sweet, or peely? Should it be

liquid or dry? Research chefs translate

the specifications of the restaurant into

the technical language of scientists.

Research chefs also test food scientists’

products, using them in recipes to make

sure they taste good.

To gain their unique mixture of

skills, most research chefs earn a degree

in culinary arts from a school accredited

by the American Culinary Federation.

And they take additional classes in food

science and chemistry. Anne received a

bachelor’s degree in general science and

worked in consumer product development

before following her love of cooking and

getting her culinary arts degree. After

graduating, she completed several

internships with chefs experienced in fine

dining, an experience she recommends

highly. “Intern with as many different

people as you can,” she says. “It’s

important to learn different techniques and

to build contacts in the industry.”

The Research Chefs Association

offers certification to research chefs

who have culinary education, 3 to 5

years of experience in both research and

culinary arts, and a passing score on the

certification exam. The Association also

offers a culinary scientist certification to

those who have a bachelor’s degree in

food science, at least 8 weeks of

accredited culinary education, research

experience, and a passing score on a

written cooking exam.

The Research Chefs Association had

almost 1,400 members this year, but the

number of research chefs may be higher

or lower than that number because not

every member is a research chef and not

every research chef is a member.

According to a survey taken at the

association conference in 1999, earnings

varied widely for research chefs, but

many experienced chefs earned between

$70,000 and $90,000 per year. This

suggests that research chefs often earn

more than other chefs do. The Bureau of

Labor Statistics does not collect data on

research chefs.

The benefits of working as a research

chef extend beyond earnings. Unlike

restaurant and cafeteria chefs, who

usually work weekends and evenings to

prepare meals and supervise kitchen

staff, most research chefs work standard

business hours. And although they have

deadlines to meet, research chefs

usually work at a more relaxed pace

than their restaurant counterparts.

The chance to be innovative adds

spice to the job. “I’m always looking for

a new way to achieve something in a

recipe,” says Anne.

And when a recipe succeeds, research chefs share it with a wide

audience. “I love seeing a product go

national,” Anne says. She also enjoys

seeing people eating and liking her

creations—and if people discover what

her job is, they often tell her which of

her menu items are their favorites.

Knowing that her creations are

popular adds zest to Anne’s work, but the

work itself is what she likes best. By

mixing a passion for food, a knack for

science, and a flair for creativity, she

wrote a recipe for a career she loves.

Photo courtesy of Taco Bell