A development chef is a trained
chef
A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a ki ...
specialising in the development of new dishes or food products.
With food companies, this type of chef is often responsible for the creating of new pre-prepared meals and food products. Within
health care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health pr ...
, the chef is often responsible for the development of variations on mainstream meals, to fit different types of diets while still having an appetizing meal. Individual restaurants seldom have development chefs but restaurant chains often do. Here the chef is typically responsible for designing dishes and ensuring that the local kitchen staff can create/prepare them to an exact standard.
Training
Development chefs need sufficient training in
Culinary arts
Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs ...
, experimental food methods and
food science
Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the development ...
plus sufficient experience in the actual preparation of dishes. In practice, this means most development chefs will have a background as a professional chef.
Sources
What does a development chef do
Chefs