About MiLa MìLà is a Chinese food company . Our teams work tirelessly to enhance delicious products that we all enjoy at home! While MìLà is a Chinese food brand, it's really a celebration of the power of food to bring us together, share our stories, and discover new flavors and cultures.
Our mission is to build something that feels authentically and uniquely true to our roots as a Chinese-American-founded brand. Something we can own, but that's also meant to be shared. One of the things we love about Chinese food is that it's traditionally served family-style—shared with everyone gathered at the table. MìLà is a Chinese food brand, but it's really a celebration of the power of food to bring us together, share our stories, and discover new flavors and cultures. Job Summary
Under the general supervision of the R&D Culinary Lead, the R&D Chef is responsible for collaborating with team members and cross-functional partners to generate and test culinary concepts. The R&D Chef will be responsible for planning and executing dish creation, iterative testing, feedback collection, and refinement of the concept for qualification as a product.
Duties/Responsibilities
Propose existing format extensions and new concept ideas.
Continuously plan, test, and collect feedback for ideation concepts.
Distill insights from ideation testing to define key product characteristics.
Refine concepts with further benchtop development to prepare for commercialization.
Produce and document recipes and operating materials.
Manage database of food trends, market research, and culinary techniques to support ideation.
Research and test new ingredients and vendors.
Occasional travel, less than 10%
Running local errands (purchasing ingredients)
Occasional industry trade shows or food events (1-2 times per year)
Other duties as assigned
Required Skills & Abilities
Strong Chinese, Asian, and general culinary knowledge: You are fluent in concepts and their execution and can transpose them in new contexts.
Clear Culinary POV: You know what's good, why it's good, and how to make it so. You stand by your creations and can synthesize feedback.
Communication: You know when to keep it short, and how to go into detail. Proficient in verbal and written dialogue; gaining and providing insight with collaborators.
Time Management: You know how to budget your time and prioritize your actions, on a daily and monthly basis.
Productivity: Proficient in Google Workspace, or Microsoft equivalent. Familiarity with Notion, Slack, and general productivity principles are a plus. Clean and organized in the kitchen.
Education & Experience
Culinary degree preferred, with 3+ years of experience in the culinary field.
3+ years experience in recipe development.
Why Should You Join Us? Employer-funded health benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance. MiLa covers 75% of employee premiums & 25% of dependent premiums Voluntary/optional employee paid group insurance for Life & AD&D (with guarantee issue amounts at time of hire), Hospital, and Short Term Disability Great company culture! ENPS in the 80s! See other openings at MiLa: The pay range for this role is:
80,000 - 120,000USD per year (Sumner)
