Retainer
Consulting Culinary Director
Embedded culinary leadership for operators who need a senior chef in the room — without putting one on payroll.
A typical engagement runs twelve months. Two on-site visits a month, plus a phone check-in mid-month, focused on quality control, troubleshooting, and recipe development as it comes up. Scope is held tight to back-of-house; broader operational questions get directional input or a hand-off to the right specialist.
Best fit for operators with food they care about and an exec chef who benefits from peer-level input. This is embedded work — not a consultant report that sits in a drawer.
In Scope
- ~24 on-site visits per year (2 / month)
- Monthly review call covering menu sales and current challenges
- Between-visit guidance on BOH issues
- Basic catering guidance off the standard menu
- Quality control and recipe troubleshooting
Not in Scope
- Catering operation build-out (separate engagement)
- Multi-location work beyond the retained location
- Deep R&D programs (priced separately)
- Health, liquor, and labor permitting
- Public-facing use of the chef's name without pre-approval