Culinary Intern - Ardent Mills - Denver

About Us

Welcome to Ardent Mills, a new company dedicated to helping our customers innovate and grow, with the industry’s broadest range of traditional and organic flours, whole grains, customized blends and specialty products. Our ingredients are backed by unrivaled technical support, food safety solutions and the supply assurance of a coast-to-coast network of more than 40 community mills and blending facilities, an artisan commercial bakery and a Mobile Innovation Center. We are Ardent Mills, working with you for the good of grain. And we’re looking for dynamic people to join our team.

The Role

This 6-month Intern program will support the development of Ardent Mills Innovation and Growth portfolios.  The Culinary Intern will support translation of customer needs into product concepts, explore ingredients’ applications and develop prototypes for customer and industry/trade shows.  The student intern must have excellent interpersonal, relationship building and communication skills; and be able to work independently or as part of a team across organizational boundaries within Ardent Mills.

A successful candidate will have the following attributes:

• The ability to deliver results in first-time situations by inspiring others and working to earn trust every day
• The willingness to serve others with understanding, respect, and care
• The ability to operate with simplicity, clarity and transparency
• The willingness to effectively deal with and drive change
• The ability to organize, prioritize and own multiple tasks while meeting and/or exceeding deadlines
• The ability to learn and apply new technology, with the willingness to share knowledge with others

Above all you will be expected to carry out all your activities with reliability, integrity, compliance and in a safe, environmentally responsible, and efficient manner.

Key Accountabilities

Areas of exposure may include, but are not limited to:

• Safety: Exhibits and rewards Safety Champion behaviors, create a safe & inclusive environment where all employees comply with Ardent Mills Food Safety and EH&S policies
• Business Alignment: works with RQT team to understands business strategy, partners with leaders to understand and drive confident collaborative relationships with customers, assist in the development of new solutions for our customers and consumers
• Innovation: Delivers creative ideas that align with current and future food trends and lead to new customer solutions. Combines innovative and creative ideas and exceptional culinary capability in developing product concepts with commercial understanding of what will be profitable to the business and the customer/end user.  Effectively use enthusiasm, creativity, strong culinary skills and commercial acumen to actively sell the benefits and added value for each new product concept developed.  Ensure the company's reputation for nutrition and innovation is enhanced through the process and via the products presented
• Develops comprehensive project briefs from internal and external customers regarding specific product requirements and then develop viable concepts that consider some manufacturing constraints
• Communication: prepare & delivers oral and written communication for technical/non-technical audiences

Interns will be immersed in the day-to-day business activity while partnering directly with leaders across the organization, to create an environment that fosters learning and development. In addition to professional guidance, a variety of social and business-related activities are also available for further interaction and networking amongst peers and mentors

Skills & Experience

• Culinary Arts degree with >2 year experience; bread and pastry experienced is preferred
• Be highly visual and sensory with a good sense of food presentation styles
• Demonstrated ability to organize, manage and execute multiple projects within established timelines
• Highly motivated, self-starter, is very organized, demonstrated ability to learn, not afraid to take on ambiguous tasks
• Positive and flexible working style, able to quickly develop a positive working relationships with others
• Possess a basic understanding of food science
• Interact with customers to find new and novel market opportunities for products
• Demonstrated ability to create and tolerance tests recipes and procedures for new products using Ardent Mills products
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a cross-functional team
• Exercises independent judgment and discretion on the job

Other

Ardent Mills is an equal opportunity employer.  Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

The preceding position description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this position.  It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees in this position. The description, duties, functions, and responsibilities are subject to change at the discretion of Ardent Mills.