R&D Chef

We’re Tovala, a food-tech company reinventing home cooking to save consumers time. Through an innovative combination of hardware, software, and fresh food delivery, we make it incredibly simple for anyone to prepare and enjoy delicious, home-cooked meals without sacrificing time to do whatever matters to them. Through our superior technology, product experience and food quality, we have separated Tovala from the busy pack of other meal delivery businesses. In the process, we’ve amassed a loyal, rapidly growing following and our retention, product engagement and customer NPS are all best-in-class. We’ve raised over $100mm from great investors like Left Lane Capital, Origin Ventures, Y Combinator and Comcast Ventures and have invested strongly in building a unique culture that fosters growth, personal development and camaraderie.

Food development and quality are core to Tovala’s business. In this R&D Chef role, you’ll perform quality testing on ingredients, products, and new meal components; execute weekly quality checks; and support product optimization projects. You’ll use your culinary expertise to prepare gold-standard samples, provide actionable culinary feedback, assist with photoshoots, and collaborate with production and commercialization teams to maintain the highest standards across our menu.

How you’ll spend your time at Tovala::
• Perform quality testing for products, ingredients and new meal components
• Execute weekly quality checks on produced meals
• Product optimization projects as assigned
• Prepare gold-standard samples and deliver actionable feedback to production and commercialization teams
• Prep and on-site support for photoshoots as needed
• Maintain cleanliness and organizational standards

Minimum Requirements::
• Minimum three years of of culinary experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong foundation in recipe development
• Culinary or food science degree preferred but not required
• Proficiency with google sheets or excel

About You::
• You are a proactive and resourceful self-starter, ready to take on any challenge.
• You’re disciplined, reliable, and highly effective at managing time and priorities
• You have culinary vision and strong food instincts, with an understanding of industry trends.
• You enjoy working in small, highly collaborative teams
• You value a people-first culture built on humility, integrity, ambition, and growth

Compensation / Benefits::
• Tovala uses market data, geography, and placement of internal employees to determine salary. Additionally, we offer all employees real ownership in the company in the form of a competitive equity package.
• Flexible paid time off (with a minimum of 15 days off you are highly encouraged to take)
• Comprehensive healthcare coverage we really invest in401k with match
• Free Tovala Smart Oven and discounted Tovala meals
• Paid holidays and our winter holiday office shutdown where the offices and facilities close for a week around Christmas and New Years
• Various other perks - recognition programs, continued learning stipend, casual dress code, in-office coffee, snacks and drinks, and Tovala swag

The values we hold dear

Put the team first
We put what is best for the broader team ahead of what is best for ourselves or our immediate department.
Get s#!t done (well)
We celebrate people at all levels for delivering high impact work that expands the bounds of what we’re able to do.
Connect the dots
We engage with curiosity to learn how our work impacts others so that we can problem-solve holistically and work collaboratively.
Be Direct
We share our perspective openly and directly, even when it feels difficult to do so.
Embrace the obstacles
We rise to meet challenges with a sense of urgency, resolve, and optimism.
Champion the customer
We consider and prioritize our customer in all of our decisions

At Tovala we‘re committed to building a workplace that represents a variety of backgrounds, skills, and perspectives and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Everyone is welcome here!