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.
Compensation & Benefits
Tovala uses market data, geography, and placement of internal employees to determine salary (more detail on the range for this role below)
All employees receive real ownership in the company in the form of a competitive equity package
Flexible PTO (corporate roles) | Accrued PTO (production-based roles)
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage we really invest in
401k with match
Free Tovala Smart Oven (after your 3rd month @ production) and discounted Tovala meals
Paid holidays and our winter holiday office shutdown where all offices and facilities close for a week around Christmas and New Years
Various other cool perks - recognition programs, continued learning stipend, casual dress code, in-office coffee, snacks and drinks, and Tovala swag you actually want to wear
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
Our Values
> 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!
