Job Description
Director of Culinary
About Umami Riot
Umami Riot is a chef-driven hospitality collective founded by James Beard Award–winning chefs Tim and Nancy Cushman. Our portfolio includes some of Boston’s most acclaimed and culturally relevant restaurants (o ya, Bianca, Hojoko, Clucks Asian Chicken, and gogo ya) each with a distinct point of view, yet united by a shared commitment to flavor, creativity, and experience.
Umami Riot redefines hospitality by crafting a legacy of bold, creatively-driven experiences that break tradition, ignite passion, and foster genuine human connections. We create immersive hospitality and lifestyle experiences with heart, intention, and creativity - nourishing people through thoughtful service, expressive food, and a team culture rooted in care and connection.
Role Summary
We are seeking an accomplished Director of Culinary to join our senior leadership team. This role is for a highly disciplined culinary operator with a refined palate, deep technical skill, and the ability to translate fine-dining standards into repeatable, scalable systems across a multi-concept portfolio.
This role will lead tactical execution of the strategic culinary vision while partnering with the SVP of Culinary and executive leadership to evolve departmental initiatives that ensure excellence, innovation, and operational performance across all concepts.
The ideal candidate has trained and/or led teams in top-tier, chef-driven, Michelin-recognized (or equivalent) environments and brings the operational maturity and financial acumen required to support multi-unit performance and future growth.
This is an opportunity to shape culinary culture, build world-class teams, and elevate the quality and consistency of our culinary operations across the Umami Riot portfolio.
What You’ll Do: Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Vision
- Serve as a senior culinary leader responsible for executing the strategic vision and standards for all Umami Riot culinary programs.
- Contribute to overall brand strategy, menu evolution, concept growth, and long-term culinary planning in collaboration with the SVP of Culinary and executive team.
Operational Excellence
- Oversee day-to-day culinary operations across all restaurants/brands to ensure executional consistency, quality, and operational integrity.
- Maintain strict adherence to food safety, sanitation, regulatory, and compliance standards.
- Lead effective systems for standard operating procedures (SOPs), recipe control, plating guidelines, and kitchen flow.
Culinary Talent Development
- Recruit, lead, mentor, and develop Executive Chefs and culinary leadership across the portfolio.
- Build and implement training programs that elevate performance, deepen skills, and reinforce Umami Riot values.
- Foster a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and creative problem-solving.
Quality, Consistency & Innovation
- Uphold and evolve culinary standards rooted in technique, product integrity, and execution excellence.
- Ensure consistency of flavor, presentation, and operational processes across all kitchens.
- Collaborate with culinary and operations teams on seasonal menus, specials, and concept-specific innovations.
Financial & Operational Performance
- Partner with Operations and Finance on food cost, labor cost, inventory controls, and P&L performance; drive cost optimization while protecting quality.
- Monitor vendor relationships, strategic sourcing, and procurement adherence to quality and cost expectations.
- Contribute to budget planning and forecasting for culinary operations.
Project & Growth Initiatives
- Lead culinary planning for new openings, concept expansions, and back-of-house design collaboration.
- Actively participate in cross-functional leadership discussions to integrate culinary goals with marketing, service design, and guest experience strategies.
What Success Looks Like
The ideal Director of Culinary will:
- Be a culture carrier for Umami Riot’s mission, values, and creative spirit.
- Drive operational consistency and elevate quality across all culinary touchpoints.
- Inspire and build high-performing teams that reflect excellence, empathy, and innovation.
- Balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution, even in high-velocity service environments.
- Represent the culinary vision externally and internally with professionalism and influence.
Qualifications
Experience & Skills
- 7+ years of progressive culinary leadership, ideally with multi-unit or multi-concept oversight.
- Proven ability to manage kitchen operations, food cost controls, and culinary teams at an enterprise level.
- Demonstrated success training and developing leadership across culinary teams.
- Strong understanding of procurement, vendor relationships, and supply chain essentials.
- Expertise in fine dining/fine casual execution with creative and technical mastery.
- Comfortable with ambiguity, rapid change, and scaling culinary operations.
Preferred Background
- Experience in Michelin-recognized, chef-driven, or similarly distinguished fine-dining environments.
- Track record of menu innovation, concept development, and culinary process standardization.
- Pre-opening and kitchen launch experience.
- Ability to travel as needed to support culinary oversight across markets.
Personal Attributes
- Excellent communicator, mentor, and collaborator.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and solutions-driven.
- Passionate about cultivating culture, elevating hospitality, and nurturing creative excellence.
Reports to Senior Vice President of Culinary
Salary Range: $100k - $120k annually + Bonus
Why Umami Riot?
This role offers a rare opportunity to shape the culinary future of a growing hospitality group — to lead talented chefs, influence brand direction, and deliver experiences that resonate deeply with guests and teams alike.