This role blends culinary mastery with financial, operational, and R&D leadership. The Executive Chef ensures scalable recipe execution, cost efficiency, manpower productivity, food safety compliance, and innovation that addresses today’s consumer trends—including plant- based diets, vegetarian offerings, and dietary needs such as Halal and Kosher.
The Executive Chef (Food Engineering Focus) is responsible for leading large- scale production of savory Vietnamese and Western cuisine, butchery, and ready- to- eat meals while integrating modern food engineering, sustainability, and dietary inclusivity into daily operations.
Planning & Budgeting
Support the Head of Production in developing annual production plans, manpower forecasts, budgets, and Capex, ensuring alignment with growth and automation strategies.
Manage food cost, labor cost, and productivity to meet budget targets.
Track productivity KPIs (output per FTE, yield per batch) and drive improvements.
Contribute to long- term capacity planning to meet store expansion, partnerships, and B2B opportunities.
Identify cost- saving opportunities through recipe optimization, by- product utilization, and supplier negotiations.
Culinary & Production Leadership
Ensure consistent production of authentic, premium ingredients and RTE products, balancing traditional recipes with efficiency at scale.
Create a team culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Mentor chefs, butchers, and line cooks to strengthen technical, cultural, and leadership skills.
Oversee and train teams in advanced culinary techniques (e.g., sous- vide, smoking, braising, steaming, grilling) as well as core chef skills and product knowledge, ensuring store- based associates meet brand standards.
Lead operations in commissary across various sections: receiving, hot kitchen, butchery, soups, sauces, grills, and RTE lines, product waste lines.
Collaborate closely with Supply Chain, QA/QC, Marketing, and Operations to ensure seamless alignment of production with business needs.
Food Engineering & Operational Excellence
Supervise protein handling from receiving to finished goods, ensuring portion control, cold chain compliance, yield optimization, and by- product utilization.
Monitor yields, batch performance, and process productivity with data- driven controls.
Ensure hygiene systems and in- store compliance, including dietary and religious requirements (Halal, Kosher, vegetarian), in coordination with the Hygiene & Sanitation Manager.
Standardize recipes for high- volume production while maintaining flavor, nutrition and consistency.
Integrate automation and advanced technologies (combi steaming, pressure cooking, sous vide cooking, vacuum, MAP, pasteurization, freezing).
Lead HACCP, ISO, and cold chain programs across production, conducting audits, enforcing SOPs, and aligning with export standards.
Design and optimize food processing layouts and workflows to maximize efficiency, safety, and scalability.
Innovation, Sustainability & Consumer Trends
Partner with NGOs and community partners for food donation initiatives.
Collaborate with relevant stakeholders and suppliers to design scalable savory recipes and detect/respond to consumer trends.
Lead initiatives in energy efficiency, water usage reduction, sustainable sourcing, and eco- friendly packaging/storage solutions.
Conduct trials and validations for automation, shelf- life extension, and consumer acceptance.
Stay ahead of global and local food trends (clean label, organic, low- carb, wellness- driven).
Integrate health- conscious, functional, and sustainable food solutions.
Ensure inclusiveness in offerings by addressing Halal, Kosher, Vegan, allergen- free, and other dietary requirements.
Research and develop plant- based and vegetarian options to meet modern dietary trends.
Develop and implement waste reduction and sustainability programs for raw, cooked, and packaging materials.
