Harpers Trace Cooking Connection - Culinary Selling Specialist - Part time

Culinary Selling Specialist

As a Culinary Selling Specialist, you'll perform selling activation events in the Cooking Connection kitchen while assisting in development of appropriate recipes targeted to the local Customer base using key focus items. You'll engage Customers by creating a hub of food experiences through your knowledge of multiple ingredients, beverage recommendations, and cooking techniques to drive customer engagement and sales.

Key Responsibilities & Essential Functions:

• Sales / Customer Service: Follows the customer service and hospitality model to connect with Customers, building a sense of community and driving loyalty
• Creates an atmosphere of celebration by participating in total Store events, creating themed recipes, and cross merchandising
• Welcomes / approaches Customers with the mindset of a host, catering to the needs of the Customer to ensure they feel welcomed, invited, and appreciated
• Offers advice for menu / meal planning; scales recipes in size and skill level depending on customer needs
• Conducts cooking method and recipe preparation demonstrations; executes food prep methods with high efficiency to maximize Customer interactions
• Offers engaging, consistent, and relevant culinary conversations on the microphone to attract Customers
• Serves as the expert in the day's recipes; answers culinary questions; recommends variations and substitute ingredients for food allergy or food lifestyle needs
• Suggests distinctive alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage pairings
• Develops and maintains relationships with Customers by recalling Customers' dietary needs / restrictions and wine preferences to tailor future visits
• Contributes culinary insights, food trends, local trends, and Customer insights to in-Store cooking events
• Assists in Cooking classes, Wine education, and Dinner Series execution when applicable
• May conduct Connections floor demos
• Merchandising: Ensures A+ standards at the Connections kitchen including maintaining and cleaning fixtures, stocking conditions, plan-o-gram integrity, daily beginning, mid-day, and end-shift recovery, and perpetual inventory
• Assists in building / maintaining merchandising displays; uses appropriate signs, tags, and branding for all events
• Ensures Customer signage for the daily menu and daily sampling hours is updated and on display
• Ensures backstock is worked
• May support food production for retail sale
• Food Safety / Sanitation: Ensures compliance with federal, state, and H-E-B food safety regulations / standards
• Completes all required food safety and related trainings
• Maintains a professional, clean, healthy, and safe work environment
• Ensures proper equipment use; cleans and sanitizes the kitchen, equipment, and counter tops per the A+ Standards
• Operates under 5-S guidelines set by department leader
• Preps products for use in demonstrations, sampling, and production, using the mise-en-place method
• Uses proper personal protection equipment during operation of the department and during required tasks

Qualifications & Key Requirements:

• Age Requirement: 21+
• Work Experience: 2+ years of experience related to food and cooking or experience in sales, product demonstrations, or cooking in a professional environment
• Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Comprehensive knowledge of displayed products to guide customers in multiple uses - Required
• Knowledge of or aptitude to learn H-E-B systems and processes (e.g., systems related to scheduling, recipe authoring, product ordering, display planning, MS Office, internal websites, H-E-B mobile apps) - Required
• Advanced communication skills - Required
• Strong customer service skills; passion for hospitality - Required
• Merchandising skills - Required
• Skills in basic cooking techniques (grill, saut, roast, fry, etc.) - Required
• Ability to read and interpret documents (e.g., safety rules, maintenance instructions, procedure manuals) - Required
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and shift focus between projects - Required
• Ability and willingness to work flexible hours - Required
• Education: Degree in culinary arts, nutrition, home economics - Preferred
• Licenses/Certifications: Completion of / ability to complete H-E-B Wine selling certification or similar experience - Required
• Completion of / ability to complete TABC Certification - Required

Physical Demands & Working Conditions:

• Constantly stand, reach at waist, and grasp
• Occasionally sit, walk, reach overhead, reach at shoulder, reach at knee, reach at floor, bend, stoop, squat, crouch, kneel, stair climb, ladder climb, pivot, twist, push / pull with arms, pinch, and perform fine motor movements
• Occasionally be exposed to cold & hot temperatures, loud noise, wet conditions
• Demonstrate the ability to lift 60 lbs, and manage more than 60 lbs