At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead kitchen operations, develop scalable menus, and innovate food experiences.
- Company: Eat Ping is a dynamic startup transforming meal prep with nutritious Asian cuisine.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, performance bonuses, equity compensation, and growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Join a fast-paced environment where your culinary creativity can thrive and impact thousands.
- Qualifications: 5+ years as a chef with Asian cuisine experience; startup mindset and leadership skills required.
- Other info: This role offers a clear path to becoming Culinary Director as we scale.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 84000 £ per year.
About Us
Eat Ping is a fast-growing food startup revolutionising meal prep and delivery with a focus on nutritious Asian cuisine. We launched just 2 months ago and have already hit £15k MRR in month 1, and £18k MRR in month 2 with a strong pipeline projected to reach £40k MRR. We are a tech-driven food company creating a fully integrated production and customer experience platform.
We are looking for a Head of Food who can lead today’s kitchen and build tomorrow’s culinary systems, scaling from hands-on batch cooking now to high-volume leadership as we grow.
The Role
This is a builder’s role — perfect for an ambitious chef ready to step up into a Head of Food (and soon Culinary Director) position.
- Hands-on running production batches each week alongside a small team; we have a fully functioning team of 1 junior chef and capable assistants.
- Developing, testing, and systemising menus that can eventually scale to thousands of meals/week.
- Working directly with the Founder and Operations Lead to integrate food into a smart kitchen operation — including robotics and automation.
- Balancing creativity and consistency — designing amazing Asian-inspired meals that are also operationally scalable.
- Setting culinary standards and culture — leading from the front now, managing a growing team as we scale.
This is NOT a standard restaurant chef role. This is startup food leadership — fast-moving, creative, experimental, operationally focused.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Lead daily and weekly food production with the current small team (~1K meals/week).
- Work closely with the Founder to define and refine the culinary brand, taste standards, and vision.
- Develop and document production recipes that are scalable, batch-tested, and process-efficient.
- Innovate new menu items, food experiences, and limited edition launches.
- Set quality control processes (taste testing, portion control, appearance standards).
- Help design kitchen workflows and production systems that will integrate with robotics.
- Recruit, train, and inspire future kitchen staff as we scale.
About You
- 5+ years experience as a professional chef (Asian cuisine experience required — Chinese, Southeast Asian, Japanese, Korean, etc.).
- Strong hands-on production experience — you’re comfortable both creating and executing at volume.
- Startup mindset — scrappy, experimental, high-output, solutions-focused.
- Excited about growing into a Culinary Director role as the company scales.
- Comfortable balancing quality, speed, cost, and operational constraints.
- Open to working alongside technology (robotic kitchen tools, inventory software, etc.).
- Passionate about both taste and execution — making meals customers crave and building systems that scale.
- Leadership skills: able to manage, teach, and eventually build a culinary team.
Why Join Ping?
- Opportunity to shape the culinary foundation of a fast-scaling food-tech company.
- Direct influence on both the product and the production systems.
- A clear growth path: Head of Food → Culinary Director as we hit 4K+ meals/week.
- A supportive, ambitious founder team ready to invest in your career and ideas.
- Competitive salary, performance bonuses, and future leadership opportunities.
- Equity compensation also rewarded.
Head of Food / Culinary Director employer: Eat Ping
Contact Detail:
Eat Ping Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Food / Culinary Director
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the latest trends in Asian cuisine and meal prep technology. This will not only help you understand the culinary landscape but also demonstrate your passion and knowledge during discussions with the team.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with professionals in the food tech industry, especially those who have experience in startups. Attend relevant events or join online forums to connect with like-minded individuals who can provide insights and potentially refer you to opportunities.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to showcase your hands-on production experience by thinking of specific examples where you've successfully scaled recipes or improved kitchen workflows. Being able to discuss these experiences will set you apart as a candidate.
✨Tip Number 4
Research Eat Ping's current offerings and think creatively about how you would enhance their menu. Presenting innovative ideas during your interview can highlight your proactive approach and alignment with their vision.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Food / Culinary Director
Some tips for your application 🫡
Understand the Company: Familiarise yourself with Eat Ping's mission and values. Highlight your passion for nutritious Asian cuisine and how your experience aligns with their innovative approach to meal prep and delivery.
Tailor Your CV: Craft your CV to emphasise your relevant experience in Asian cuisine and leadership roles. Include specific examples of your hands-on production experience and any startup environments you've worked in.
Write a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your enthusiasm for the Head of Food position. Discuss your vision for scaling culinary systems and how you plan to balance creativity with operational efficiency.
Showcase Leadership Skills: Provide examples of your leadership experience in the kitchen. Mention how you've successfully managed teams, trained staff, and implemented quality control processes in previous roles.
How to prepare for a job interview at Eat Ping
✨Showcase Your Culinary Passion
Make sure to express your enthusiasm for Asian cuisine and how it inspires your cooking. Share specific examples of dishes you've created or experiences that highlight your passion for food, as this role is all about creativity and innovation.
✨Demonstrate Leadership Skills
Prepare to discuss your experience in leading a kitchen team. Highlight instances where you've trained staff or managed a team, as the role requires strong leadership to inspire and develop future kitchen staff.
✨Emphasise Your Startup Mindset
Be ready to talk about your adaptability and problem-solving skills in fast-paced environments. Share examples of how you've successfully navigated challenges in previous roles, showcasing your scrappy and experimental approach.
✨Discuss Integration with Technology
Since the role involves working with robotics and automation, mention any experience you have with kitchen technology or software. Show your willingness to embrace new tools that can enhance production efficiency and quality.