Honing the skills ofTomorrow’s Innovators.
History in the making
The paid Internship Program at The Culinary Edge offers creative and curious individuals an opportunity to work side-by-side with our team of strategists and chefs. The 3-month Strategy Internship is geared towards undergraduate students that are eager to learn about food & beverage strategy through exposure to F&B concepting, operations, brand design, menu strategy, and product development, while the 6-month Culinary Internship is intended to cultivate an in-depth understanding of foodservice operations for people with a strong background in culinary arts.
We like to think of our internships more like apprenticeships. As an intern, you get the opportunity to immerse yourself in every aspect of our business and take on and manage your own projects. The internship program at TCE is a unique opportunity that can serve as a great accelerator for your career.
Former Intern Testimonials
Sam Aronson, Strategy.
What were you working on before you began your internship at TCE?
Prior to my internship, I was studying economics at a liberal arts college. I dabbled in several food spaces during that time--I interned in restaurant management, worked as a cashier at a quick service restaurant, and wrote restaurant reviews for an online food publication. Coming out of these experiences, the one thing I was sure about was my love of food. What led me to TCE was that passion coupled with the critical thinking mindset I had developed in school.
What was your most valuable experience as a TCE intern?
Being surrounded by incredibly diverse minds and backgrounds. Everyone at TCE brings a unique skillset to the table; it only makes problem solving that much more innovative and my brain that much sharper. In other words, a fabulous place to be a sponge and develop my own strategic thinking methods.
What surprised you most while interning at TCE?
How quickly the industry adapts to ever-changing trends, needs, and wants of consumers.
What are you up to now?
I’m back as a strategist researching trends of tomorrow, reimagining the restaurant experience each and every day, and eating a pizza (or two…) per week to add to my official ranking of the best pies in the Bay Area.
Kevin Villanueva, Culinary.
What were you working on before you began your internship at TCE?
Just before joining TCE, I was working at In Situ, a restaurant by Chef Corey Lee at the SFMOMA that specializes in recreating classic dishes by famous chefs. Prior to that, I was cooking over live coals in Philadelphia and plating food on banana leaves in New York.
What was your most valuable experience as a TCE intern?
Being exposed to a whole other world of restaurant operations; from restaurants without knives to restaurants operated by robots, every project had unique challenges, roadmaps, and definitions of success.
What surprised you most while interning at TCE?
How similar fine dining restaurants and quick service restaurants can be; although their market, their operations, and their philosophies may differ, the keys to success, e.g. quality, consistency, and service, remain the same.
What are you up to now?
Finding the next Big Thing, designing the kitchen of the future, exploring the intersection of food and technology, and eating my way through San Francisco.
Annie Culver, Marketing.
What were you working on before your internship at TCE?
After college I moved to New York City to work in advertising. When I left New York I was working at a London-based digital advertising agency called House of Kaizen. Prior to that, I’d had a strategy internship at DIGO, a creative ad agency. But after a year of living in New York, I was ready for a change. I needed something new, personally and professionally, and decided to leave all my family and friends and move out to San Francisco. I started at TCE a little over three weeks after moving to SF.
What was the most surprising thing you learned at TCE?
The most surprising thing about TCE is the environment and how open everyone is. It’s such an established business and it’s so apparent that the culture has been something that is so well cultivated. Employees may come and go but our culture is so solid. TCE really does feel like a family.
Describe a day in the life of a Marketing Intern at TCE.
The marketing internship role was a fairly new position when I began so there was a lot of collaboration and flexibility in designing the role. When I started, my primary focus was on managing the daily upkeep of The Culinary Edge, and helping the team to craft our evolved brand identity — as an innovation agency that serves food with purpose. Early into my internship I also began working on the branding and marketing for Starbird. We were opening our first restaurant in Sunnyvale and there was so much opportunity to get involved. Soon I was spending about half my time on developing the branding and marketing for Starbird. That was such a fun process — working on everything from the launch messaging to field marketing efforts