Walk down any grocery aisle today, and you’ll spot them: products stamped with celebrity chef names, restaurant-quality flavors in frozen dinners and CPG brands touting culinary excellence.
The numbers tell the story. Google searches for “chef partnership” have skyrocketed 1,385% in the past year alone—a clear signal that brands have discovered something powerful in the chef collaboration playbook.
It’s not just happening at the grocery store. Companies across the food industry are turning to culinary talent to elevate their credibility, create new flavors and stand out to buyers.
Food manufacturers, healthcare foodservice suppliers and QSR restaurant chains are all working with chefs to elevate their offerings and brand.
Bottom line: Brand collabs are hot, but chef collabs are hotter.
Let’s break it down…
Why chef partnerships are having a moment
- They solve for innovation. Chefs help suppliers, operators and brands better meet evolving consumer demands for globally inspired, health-forward and sustainable foods. Chefs can take a brand’s existing capabilities, infuse their experiences and style and push them in directions that feel both surprising and natural.
- They signal trust, quality and taste. A respected chef’s name cues originality and cultural relevance. That’s gold in categories where differentiation is difficult. Buyers interpret that a chef-partnered product has been held to higher standards than typical mass-market offerings, pushing it ahead of generic competitors.
- They draw attention. When partnering with a celebrity chef, their existing fan base means immediate reach. Chef partnerships create natural PR moments, from product launches to cooking demonstrations, generating attention that other promotions can’t match.
Six ways the food industry is partnering with chefs in new and meaningful ways
#1 Chef-developed private label
In the first half of the 2025 private label dollar sales rose 4.4% while national brands grew 1.1%, and units ticked up for store brands as national brands slipped. To keep the edge—and compete on flavor, not just price—retailers are rolling out elevated lines and chef tie-ins.
Target expanded its private label Good & Gather offerings through chef partnerships. In May 2025, the retailer teamed up with James Beard Award-winning pitmaster Rodney Scott to launch 12 co-branded barbecue products, including Carolina-style appetizers, relish, sauces, honey-flavored cornbread and muffin mix, pork rinds, trail mix and brown sugar baked beans. In March 2025, Target also launched frozen pizzas and appetizers with James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Ann Kim that included flavors representing her Korean heritage.
Albertsons launched its new Chef’s Counter private label line with a celebrity chef. In May 2025, the grocer partnered with Antonia Lofaso for a new private label line of globally inspired, weeknight-friendly flavors. The product range leaned into consumer demand for easier, convenient and affordable food solutions. The product line includes options like pre-seasoned and marinated proteins.
#2 – Chef-led CPG products
Food Navigator reported that food brands are now being “pushed to deliver relevance through convenience, credibility and cultural capital.” In the race to premiumization, chef collaborations are helping them to level up and stand out in crowded categories, enter new markets and showcase dedication to flavor.
IQBAR teamed up with chefs to elevate the protein bar category. In June 2025, the brand rolled out its new Salted Caramel Chip Protein Bar, which was co-developed with Michelin-Star Chef Thomas Keller, positioning them beyond performance to showcase taste.
Daesang’s Jongga launches in the United States with chef collaboration. In June 2025, the global brand launched a gourmet kimchi line in collaboration with Michelin 3-star chef Corey Lee and his acclaimed restaurant San Ho Won. The special edition, named San Ho Won Kimchi, introduces two premium varieties.
#3 – Foodservice menu innovation
Foodservice providers are aligning with culinary names to signal increased relevance in a competitive space. With premium, on-trend offerings they are overcoming historical reputations for overly simplistic or boring menus.
Aramark entered multiple culinary partnerships to elevate collegiate, healthcare and workplace menus. The foodservice management provider worked with celebrity chefs Judy Joo and Grace Ramirez to provide modern Korean and Latin menu items to guests who have an increased interest in exploring flavorful, global cuisine. In May 2025, it was announced that recipes from Chef Judy’s cookbook, “K-Quick” would be featured across multiple lines of the business, and in September 2025 that several new dishes were added to its La Latina Cocina collegiate hospitality concept.
Sodexo elevates corporate dining offerings with chef involvement. The supplier partnered with restaurateur and Top Chef winner Brooke Williamson to bring flavorful and nutritionally dense recipes to the menus of its corporate dining brand, Modern Recipe. The February 2025 collaboration delivered on-trend, seasonal dishes that centered around lemon, apricots, tahini, cashews and hot peppers.
#4 – Restaurant LTOs
Typically not associated with specific chefs, fast casual and quick service chains are now teaming with popular culinary voices for limited runs that spike traffic. With LTOs serving as major traffic drivers, elevating promotions with well-known chefs can draw even more sales.
Swensons collaborated with local chef to elevate its menu for a month-long promotion. By collaborating with chef Vinnie Cimino from its founding city of Akron, Ohio, the burger brand celebrated regional pride and served up fun new flavors that pushed the brand’s culinary boundaries.
Shake Shack announced its first-ever chef collaboration for LTO. It collaborated with Chefs David Schwartz and Braden Chong of Michelin-recognized MIMI Chinese, one of Toronto’s most celebrated restaurants, to introduce three menu items that were available in May 2025.
Circle K collaborated with Guy Fieri to elevate its foodservice offerings. The exclusive collaboration, launched in September 2025, provides the convenience store with “additional energy and recognition in the food space” so it can compete head-to-head with fast-food restaurants.
#5 – In-house chef positions
Foodservice and CPG brands often employ chefs for R&D, but this role is growing. Job boards are currently flush with openings and the U.S. labor outlook predicts 8% growth for chefs through 2033, which is higher than the average projected growth for all occupations at 3–5%.
Additionally, chef roles are extending to non-traditional companies. For example, foodservice equipment manufacturer Alto-Shaam recently hired culinary industry veteran Matt Dugan as Corporate Executive Chef to involve him with product development and product demonstrations.
Check out these job postings from July 2025 for further information:
- Senior Research Chef at McCormick
- Executive Corporate Chef at Sargento
- Corporate Chef at High Liner Foods
- R&D Chef at Tokyo Gardens
#6 – Chefs as brand storytellers
As mentioned above, foodservice and CPG brands are hiring full-time chefs, but there has also been an uptick in brands involving these internal culinary experts as subject matter experts in social content and media interviews. Bringing these voices to the forefront of communication strategies is helping to elevate brand positioning and build buyer trust.
Lamb Weston [Belle client] showcases advanced knowledge of food trends. Riley Baird, the brand’s executive development chef, underscored the company’s commitment to meeting evolving consumer preferences in a July 2025 Food Institute article. She highlighted how the global potato supplier leverages proprietary consumer data, monitors social media trends and applies these insights to enhance its products and help customers align with current market demands.
Restaurant Hospitality Group shares stories behind new dining experiences. The brand’s chief culinary officer, Chef Matthew Thompson, spoke to FoodServiceDirector in February 2025 about how his team stays on top of trends in senior living and recently rolled out a more restaurant-like experience.
The Future is Chef-Driven
Chefs are now building brands, driving innovation and turning grocery runs into culinary adventures. As food preferences shift, the line between restaurant and retail continues to blur.
This marks a fundamental shift in how food brands think about credibility, creativity and connection. As consumers become more sophisticated about flavor and increasingly uninterested in generic products, the chef’s jacket has become the ultimate differentiator at every level of the food supply chain.
But finding the right chef partnership isn’t as simple as scrolling through Instagram follower counts. The most successful collaborations require strategic matchmaking that aligns brand values with culinary expertise, ensures operational feasibility and structures partnerships to deliver measurable results beyond just social buzz.
Read more about choosing the right chef partner
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