Research chefs’ competencies: a Delphi approach

Identifies the basic competencies of research chefs. A modified, three‐round (pilot round plus two rounds) Delphi procedure was employed. The Research Chefs Association nominated 33 research chefs. Ten of these chefs contributed to the pilot round; 25 to the first round; and 22 to the second round. In the pilot round, the chefs identified the knowledge, skills and abilities that a successful research chef should have. In the first round, the chefs rated and analyzed the competencies identified in the pilot round. In the second round, competencies were identified. The title “research chef” is actually a generic name for two different kinds of research chef: “research‐focused research chef” or “management‐focused research chef”. Even though these chefs share some common competencies, they differ in their basic competencies. A total of 12 basic competencies (competencies rated four and over on the five‐point Likert scale) were identified for research‐focused research chefs, and eight basic competencies were identified for management‐focused research chefs. A total of 19 basic competencies were also identified that applied to both research‐ and management‐focused research chefs.