Culinary Director

Director of Culinary & BOH Operations

The Director of Culinary & BOH Operations at Tacombi plays a pivotal role in bringing Mexico's vibrant culinary traditions to life, creating a deep connection between guests and the richness of Mexico through its food. This leader drives culinary innovation and R&D rooted in Mexican regional cooking, ensures flawless execution of our authentic offerings, and upholds Tacombi's sourcing philosophy by working closely with partners to secure the highest-quality ingredients. Expertise in nixtamalization and tortilla-making is integral to this role, reflecting our commitment to sharing the soul of Mexican cuisine through exceptional food.

This position leads Tacombi's culinary vision, menu strategy, R&D, and back-of-house culinary standards, translating the richness and diversity of Mexican cooking into distinctive and scalable food experiences across Tacombi's markets. The Director owns the culinary innovation lifecycle—from research and concept development through testing, commercialization, training, launch, and ongoing optimization—while ensuring exceptional food quality, operational execution, and financial performance.

Working cross-functionally with Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and the Leadership Team, this leader ensures that culinary innovation strengthens both the Tacombi brand and the guest experience. The Director of Culinary & BOH Operations currently reports to the CEO of Taquerias.

• Develop and execute innovative menu items rooted in the diversity of Mexican regional cooking, honoring Tacombi's mission to share authentic Mexican culinary traditions.
• Lead the evolution of Tacombi's menu while protecting the culinary identity, authenticity, and quality of the brand.
• Oversee food production and culinary standards to ensure consistently high levels of flavor, quality, presentation, and execution across locations.
• Develop and maintain standardized recipes, yields, preparation methods, plating standards, and product specifications to ensure consistency and scalability.
• Partner with Operations and restaurant leadership to ensure new and existing menu items can be executed consistently and efficiently in the field.
• Conduct tastings, workshops, and culinary demonstrations to train and inspire teams in authentic Mexican ingredients, techniques, and culinary traditions.
• Continuously evaluate existing menu items and identify opportunities to improve quality, execution, profitability, and the guest experience.

• Own Tacombi's culinary R&D pipeline from initial concept and recipe development through testing, costing, operational validation, training, launch, and post-launch evaluation.
• Develop new menu items, Limited Time Offers (LTOs), seasonal offerings, and culinary initiatives that celebrate Mexican regional cuisine while supporting Tacombi's broader brand and business strategy.
• Develop and manage a culinary innovation calendar and product development roadmap in partnership with Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance.
• Establish a structured R&D and testing process that evaluates flavor, recipe consistency, food cost, yields, ingredient availability, shelf life, equipment requirements, labor impact, throughput, and operational feasibility.
• Lead restaurant pilots and field testing prior to broader rollout, gathering feedback from restaurant teams, operators, and guests and incorporating learnings into the final product.
• Develop complete commercialization packages for approved products, including recipes, specifications, yields, prep procedures, plating standards, training materials, and quality-control expectations.
• Partner with Training and Operations to ensure restaurant teams are fully prepared to execute new products prior to launch.
• Conduct post-launch evaluations using sales performance, food cost, waste, guest feedback, operational complexity, and execution consistency to identify opportunities for optimization.
• Maintain a pipeline of future culinary concepts, ingredients, techniques, and regional Mexican food traditions that can inform Tacombi's long-term culinary strategy.

• Serve as Tacombi's senior culinary subject-matter expert, ensuring the food experience and culinary storytelling remain authentic to the brand and its connection to Mexico.
• Partner closely with Marketing on the development of the annual menu, promotional, LTO, and culinary activation calendar.
• Translate the inspiration, regional origins, ingredients, techniques, and cultural context behind Tacombi's food into compelling stories that can be shared with guests.
• Support culinary content development, menu descriptions, photography and video shoots, media opportunities, tastings, events, and other brand initiatives.
• Partner with Marketing on product positioning and launch strategy while maintaining culinary standards, product integrity, and operational feasibility.
• Stay informed on culinary, restaurant, and consumer trends and thoughtfully evaluate opportunities that align with Tacombi's culinary identity and long-term brand strategy.

• Lead, mentor, and develop the culinary operations management team, establishing clear expectations and accountability for culinary excellence.
• Mentor taqueria leaders to cultivate a culture of culinary excellence, hospitality, and passion for authentic Mexican cuisine.
• Design and implement culinary training programs emphasizing leadership, operational readiness, product knowledge, and technical skills in regional Mexican cooking.
• Build culinary capabilities throughout the organization by identifying and developing emerging culinary talent.
• Partner with Operations and People & Culture to identify training opportunities and strengthen BOH leadership and succession planning.
• Prepare teams for inspections and ensure adherence to high food safety, sanitation, and operational standards.
• Create an environment of continuous learning, collaboration, accountability, and culinary curiosity.

• Establish and maintain best-in-class BOH standards that support quality, consistency, productivity, and scalability across Tacombi locations.
• Partner with Operations to evaluate kitchen workflows, production processes, equipment, and restaurant design to improve execution and efficiency.
• Partner with the Leadership Team to achieve labor and COGS targets in alignment with P&L goals.
• Implement waste-reduction strategies and optimize ingredient utilization while preserving food quality, flavor, and authenticity.
• Ensure proper maintenance and utilization of kitchen equipment and identify equipment needs related to culinary innovation and growth.
• Establish and monitor culinary KPIs related to food quality, recipe compliance, COGS, waste, yield, product consistency, training effectiveness, and new-product execution.
• Partner with Finance and Operations to evaluate menu profitability and identify opportunities to improve financial performance without compromising quality or the guest experience.
• Use sales data, guest feedback, operational feedback, and product performance to inform future menu and R&D decisions.

• Partner with Supply Chain and trusted vendor partners to identify, evaluate, and develop ingredients that support culinary innovation, quality, scalability, and cost objectives.
• Establish ingredient and product specifications to ensure quality and consistency across suppliers and markets.
• Evaluate alternative ingredients and suppliers when necessary to protect product quality while supporting availability, scalability, and COGS objectives.
• Participate in vendor tastings, product evaluations, and new-product development.
• Build strong relationships with suppliers and culinary partners who share Tacombi's commitment to quality, authenticity, and responsible sourcing.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive culinary standards library, including recipes, product specifications, yields, preparation techniques, plating standards, photography, training materials, and product-development documentation.
• Ensure culinary standards are accessible, current, and consistently implemented across all Tacombi locations.
• Protect Tacombi's institutional culinary knowledge by establishing clear documentation and change-management processes for recipes and culinary standards.
• Ensure modifications to ingredients, recipes, or preparation methods are appropriately tested, approved, documented, communicated, and trained before implementation.

• 5 to 8+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience, with significant experience leading culinary innovation, R&D, and multi-unit restaurant operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading menu development and culinary R&D from concept through testing, commercialization, launch, and multi-unit implementation.
• Deep knowledge of Mexican regional cuisine, ingredients, techniques, and culinary traditions; expertise in nixtamalization, masa, and tortilla-making strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to scale recipes, production methods, and culinary standards across multiple restaurants and markets.
• Experience developing LTOs, seasonal menus, new-product launches, and structured culinary testing processes.
• Strong knowledge of recipe costing, menu engineering, food-cost management, yields, waste reduction, labor efficiency, and restaurant P&L.
• Demonstrated ability to partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Training, and other business functions.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance culinary creativity, guest experience, operational feasibility, and financial performance.
• Effective leadership and mentoring skills with a demonstrated ability to develop culinary leaders and high-performing teams.
• Excellent organizational, communication, project-management, and presentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple R&D and operational initiatives simultaneously from concept through implementation.
• Knowledge of restaurant operations, food safety, sanitation, and applicable health and safety standards.
• Ability to use data, guest feedback, and operational results to evaluate menu performance and inform future culinary decisions.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and restaurant management technology.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred.
• Strong relationship-building skills with a collaborative, curious, and inspiring leadership approach.
• Adaptable and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, evolving, multi-market environment.
• Passionate about hospitality, culture, Mexican cuisine, and the Tacombi brand—especially tacos!

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods as needed while working in restaurant and kitchen environments.
• Ability to navigate a computer, associated computer programs such as email and Google Workspace products, and participate in video calls.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 25 lbs regularly and occasionally up to 50 lbs, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Ability to bend, stoop, and reach overhead as needed.
• Comfortable working in environments with heat, humidity, cold storage, and exposure to common allergens, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Adequate vision, hearing, and manual dexterity to evaluate food quality and safety and handle kitchen tools, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Ability to travel between Tacombi locations and across all jurisdictions by plane, train, or car as business needs require.