R&D Culinary Data & Systems Specialist

Description

About Abby’s Catering:

Abby’s Catering has been providing one-of-a-kind culinary and hospitality experience since opening in 1980. Our customers are high profile passengers visiting or residing in Houston. Celebrities, government officials, head of states, secretaries, industry leaders, all traveling out of Houston aboard private, corporate, and commercial aircrafts are part of Abby’s valued circle of customers. Abby’s also provides exclusive gourmet delights for corporate offices, private and corporate events as well as food service management contracts.

Position:

The R&D Culinary Data & Systems Specialist bridges Culinary Operations and ERP, ensuring recipes, costing, and production data are accurate and reliable.

This is primarily an office-based, computer-focused position requiring culinary knowledge, strong Excel skills, and experience with recipe costing software.

The R&D Chef develops the recipes. You will translate them into accurate system data, validate production outputs, and help train employees on new workflows.

Your First 100 Days

• Work alongside the ERP team to learn AeroChef, recipe structures, and data entry processes.

• Collaborate with R&D and Purchasing. Enter ingredients, yields, recipes, and sub-recipes to create complete composite meals.

• Validate ERP-generated preparation lists, production lists, requisitions, and purchasing requirements against approved recipes. Identify and correct discrepancies.

• Support the rollout of production modules, train employees on new workflows, and help departments transition to ERP-generated documentation.

Success is measured by data accuracy, implementation progress, and operational adoption. Our ERP team will provide training and ongoing technical support.

Essential Functions:

1. Culinary Data & Recipe Management

• Translate R&D recipes into accurate ERP records.
• Maintain ingredients, yields, portions, sub-recipes, and composite meals.
• Validate recipe specifications, conversions, and yields.

2. ERP Systems & Production

• Validate preparation lists, production lists, and requisitions.
• Troubleshoot recipe configurations and calculation errors.
• Support ERP implementation and process improvements.

3. Recipe Costing & Analysis

• Use Excel and culinary costing software to analyze recipe costs.
• Identify ingredient, yield, and costing discrepancies.
• Support food cost analysis and operational efficiency.

4. Training & Collaboration

• Develop SOPs, training materials, and recipe documentation.
• Train employees on ERP-generated production workflows.
• Collaborate with Culinary, ERP, Purchasing, Warehouse, and Production.
• Support food safety, allergen, and customer requirements.
• Support cycle changes & presentations

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Professional culinary experience or culinary degree.
• Strong understanding of recipes, yields, portions, and food costing.
• Strong Excel proficiency, including formulas and data analysis.
• Experience with recipe costing or culinary management software.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to train employees and troubleshoot system-related issues.
• Food Protection Manager Certification (e.g., ServSafe), or ability to obtain one.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ChefTec, xtraCHEF, AeroChef, or similar systems.
• Airline catering or high-volume food production experience.
• ERP or production planning experience.
• Bilingual English/Spanish.

Prior ERP experience is not required. Culinary knowledge, Excel proficiency, and experience with recipe costing software are essential.

Reporting & Accountability

The R&D Chef provides direct supervision of culinary development, training, and departmental priorities.

The ERP Director provides functional oversight of culinary data integrity, ERP integration, and system implementation.

Success Measures

• R&D: Accurate, standardized, production-ready recipes.
• Data: Reliable recipe costs, ERP data, and production calculations.
• Training: Effective employee training and consistent execution of culinary standards.
• Implementation: Timely completion of ERP deliverables and successful system adoption.

Company Core Values:

You must be willing to embrace our Company Core Values in the way you dedicate yourself to work:

CATCH

· Customer Service

· Accountability

· Teamwork

· Competitiveness

· Honesty

Our Mission:

"To continue to be the leading in-flight and corporate catering company serving the Houston & Dallas Metro market by using locally sourced and sustainable raw ingredients, providing the most memorable and personalized attention to detail all while maintaining a fiscally sound budget and complying with the highest food safety standards."