Beverage Culinarian

Description

Lyons Magnus leads the food industry with creativity and innovation, crafting top-quality products across all manufacturing phases, from raw materials to marketing. With over 2,000 diverse items for industrial ingredient and food service sectors, Lyons caters to leading restaurant chains nationally and internationally. At Lyons, our diverse and talented staff is the heart of our organization. We foster a thriving work environment where employees are engaged in shaping both the company's and their own future. 

The Beverage Culinarian is a highly collaborative culinary leadership role positioned at the intersection of Culinary, Research & Development, Sales, and Marketing. This individual will serve as a beverage subject-matter expert and innovation leader, helping translate culinary trends, consumer insights, and customer needs into compelling beverage concepts and commercially viable solutions.

This role combines hands-on beverage development with customer engagement, innovation leadership, visual storytelling, and cross-functional collaboration. The Beverage Culinarian will partner closely with R&D on product development while supporting Sales through customer presentations, innovation sessions, ideation, and beverage expertise. This role will also collaborate with Marketing on trends, content, photography, sales tools, trade shows, and other initiatives that strengthen Lyons Magnus' position as a beverage innovation partner. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on Lyons Magnus' beverage strategy and help guide company decision-making from a culinary, customer, and innovation perspective.

Pay Range: $130,000 – $165,000 per year + Bonus

Hours:  8:00 am - 5:00 pm, with flexibility as needed

Schedule:  Monday – Friday. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required based on customer and industry events. 

Location: Remote

Travel Requirements: Approximately 50% travel required for customer meetings, innovation sessions, trade shows, industry events, and visits to Lyons Magnus facilities. 

Work Environment: Remote, with frequent customer-facing and cross-functional travel. 

Core Responsibilities

• Serve as Lyons Magnus' beverage and culinary subject-matter expert, providing leadership and perspective on beverage trends, menu development, applications, and innovation opportunities.
• Partner with R&D to develop innovative beverage and dessert concepts and translate culinary ideas into scalable, commercially viable products.
• Identify emerging flavors, ingredients, consumer behaviors, and industry trends and translate insights into proactive concepts and innovation platforms for Lyons Magnus and its customers.
• Partner with Sales to understand customer strategies and lead customer-facing innovation sessions, tastings, ideation workshops, product demonstrations, and presentations.
• Serve as a trusted culinary resource to customers, bringing relevant concepts and expertise that strengthen Lyons Magnus' position as a strategic innovation partner.
• Partner with Marketing to develop trend-driven concepts, customer presentations, sales tools, innovation materials, and other culinary content.
• Utilize food and beverage photography and styling skills to create compelling imagery that elevates product concepts, presentations, and marketing materials.
• Develop and deliver beverage education and training to the Sales organization to strengthen product knowledge, beverage expertise, and customer engagement.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing on trade shows and industry events, including concept development, menu planning, presentations, and execution.
• Provide culinary leadership across R&D, Culinary, Sales, Marketing, and Commercialization, balancing creativity, technical feasibility, customer needs, and commercial objectives to help guide innovation priorities.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of beverage development, culinary applications, flavor development, menu innovation, and emerging beverage trends.
• Demonstrated creativity and ability to translate consumer and industry insights into relevant, executable concepts.
• Strong culinary skills and understanding of ingredients, flavors, textures, and preparation techniques across beverage and dessert applications.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with R&D and technical teams to move culinary concepts toward commercialization.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills with a strong customer-facing presence and the ability to engage customers and senior leadership.
• Strong food and beverage photography, styling, and visual storytelling skills.
• Ability to influence and lead cross-functionally while managing multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of how culinary innovation supports customer and company growth.
• Self-motivated and comfortable working independently in a remote environment.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Culinary degree or equivalent combination of culinary training and relevant professional experience.
• 5+ years of experience in culinary innovation, beverage development, product development, foodservice, restaurant, café, or related industries.
• Demonstrated experience developing beverage concepts and applications and collaborating with R&D or product development teams.
• Strong customer-facing presentation and communication experience.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, R&D, or other commercial teams.
• Food and beverage photography and styling experience.
• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 50%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within food and beverage manufacturing or multi-unit foodservice, including coffee, café, QSR, or convenience.
• Experience leading customer innovation sessions, ideation workshops, culinary presentations, or Sales training.
• Broad beverage experience across coffee, energy, refreshers, tea, lemonade, smoothies, frozen beverages, and other emerging platforms.
• Experience supporting trade shows, customer events, or industry presentations.