Eric J. Foss, Aramark
Aramark has announced that its board of directors has elected Eric J. Foss as chief executive officer and president of the company effective immediately.
Foss, 53, was also elected to the Aramark board of directors. Joseph Neubauer, who served as CEO for 29 years, will remain as chairman of the board.
Foss led the Pepsi Beverages Company, a division of PepsiCo with about $20 billion in revenue and 80,000 employees, as CEO beginning in 2010.
During his tenure, he guided the reintegration of Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) and Pepsi Americas (PAS) into PepsiCo. Prior to the merger of PBG/PAS with PepsiCo, Foss was chairman and CEO of the publicly traded PBG.
Throughout his 30 years in the Pepsi system, he has been recognized as an accomplished global business leader, a world-class operator with experience in over 30 countries and a builder of talented and diverse teams.
“Eric Foss is an outstanding leader with extensive experience running global enterprises,” says Neubauer.
“He has a proven track record of delivering impressive results while building exceptional relationships with business partners, clients and employees. I am delighted to have an executive of Eric’s caliber lead Aramark forward.”
“I am very pleased to have been selected to lead this great company and outstanding team,” says Foss. “Aramark is a much admired organization and I am honored to be chosen to build upon its success. I look forward to a bright future here as we create the next impressive chapter in the history of Aramark.”
Robert Callander, chairman of the compensation and human resources committee of the Aramark board says, “The board is very grateful for the transformative contributions that Joe Neubauer has made to Aramark over the past 30 years. We are confident in our future as we welcome Eric Foss. He has a broad range of leadership experience, extensive capabilities and a long term track record of success.”
Kenneth Walters, The National Restaurant Association
The National Restaurant Association has announced that Kenneth Walters has been named vice president of sales for strategic accounts. Walters brings more than 25 years of sales and management experience to the association team, including extensive expertise in food safety to support the organization’s ServSafe Food Safety product portfolio.
“We’re excited to have Ken join our team to focus on building our product and services offerings, including our ServSafe portfolio,” says Paul Hineman, executive director of National Restaurant Association Solutions.
“His experience will help drive our product expansion and development to create high quality, innovative products and services for the association’s 400,000+ members and the foodservice industry at large.”
In his new role, Walters will be responsible for creating the strategic direction and executing a comprehensive sales program for non-traditional channels, including grocery stores, convenience and drug stores, and hotel and lodging. As the association continues to diversify its ServSafe and partner product revenues, this will be critical to grow accounts and channels.
Previously, Walters was client services manager/food safety with Prometric, where he led the food safety program by developing strategic business relationships and client solutions. In this role, he also assisted in developing and implementing Conference for Food Protection (CFP) standards for accreditation, including all aspects of ANSI surveillance audit compliance. Prior to that, he held key positions at Office Max, Galyans Sports & Outdoors, and Sportmart.
Walters holds a BS from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business, and lives in Rosemount, Minnesota. He will report to Hineman.
Mathias Gervais, The Setai, Miami Beach
The Setai, Miami Beach has named Mathias Gervais as the hotel’s new executive chef.
Chef Gervais will be responsible for overseeing all culinary operations for the award-winning hotel; he brings an extensive history of fine dining experience to the serene Asian-inspired hotel.
“It is gratifying to offer a young rising star on Miami’s culinary scene this important opportunity,” says vice president and managing director Guenter Richter.
“He is a great culinary talent who understands the intricacies of our Far East-inspired and southern European offerings.”
At age 33, chef Gervais has already developed an impressive resume rivaling the credentials of some of the most recognized chefs in the industry. Holding chef de cuisine and executive sous chef positions in a number of Michelin star-rated restaurants, chef Gervais honed his culinary skills working alongside some of the top chefs in the world including Joël Robuchon and Christophe Cussac as well as Takeo Yamazakiat the Hôtel Metropole in Monte Carlo, Monaco, a two Michelin star rated Japanese restaurant.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to assume the esteemed executive chef position at The Setai, Miami Beach,” says Gervais. “Our culinary staff is committed to creating a gastronomic palette that embraces an uncomplicated approach to Asian-inspired dining as well as southern European creations.”
Gervais, originally from France, specializes in a blend of French, Italian and Japanese cultures with a focus on the traditional gastronomic Japanese cuisine. Prior to his tenure at The Setai, he held leadership positions under top chefs in a number of well-known kitchens across Europe including three Michelin star awarded Annie Feolde at L’Enoteca Pincchiorri in Firenze, Italy; Maître Cuisinier de France Roger Vergé at two Michelin star Le Moulin de Mougins in Mougins, France; and two Michelin star Le Faventia at the Four Seasons in Fayence, France.
Traveling to Japan frequently to visit friends and his wife’s family, chef Gervais has developed a strong appreciation of Asian culture and cuisine.
Grant MacPherson, Jean-Yves Charon, The American Pistachio Growers
The American Pistachio Growers have tapped the talents of two distinguished chefs to serve as ambassadors to the food industry according to Judy Hirigoyen, director, global marketing.
Together, MacPherson and Charon bring diverse culinary expertise and award winning experiences that span several continents.
Grant MacPherson, a native of Scotland, is a celebrated executive chef who has been working on five continents for the past 30 years. During that time he has cooked for a multitude of celebrities, in the world of business, entertainment and government and spearheaded food and beverage operations at prestigious hotels stretching from Malaysia to Las Vegas.
In 2011, he penned his first cookbook, “In the Viking Kitchen with Chef Grant MacPherson.” He soon will be releasing “Word of Mouth” an autobiographical cookbook that follows his career using venues as chapters and includes tributes to people who helped shape his career.
Jean-Yves Charon, a renowned pastry chef and native of France, is co-founder and pastry chef for Galaxy Desserts. He has more than 25 years of experience in developing and manufacturing innovative desserts and pastries in the classic French tradition.
Charon’s creations have earned top honors in well-known culinary organizations, most notably the National Association for Specialty Food Trade (NASFT), where he earned the Outstanding Dessert in the U.S. Award. His creations have been featured five times on Oprah’s Favorite Things and on Oprah’s Favorite Breakfast.
As chef ambassadors, Charon and MacPherson will impart knowledge and culinary skills that enhance and expand American pistachio usage in menu and bakery applications.
They will participate in educational programs and culinary meetings and serve as spokespersons to encourage greater use of American pistachios. They also will assist American Pistachio Growers with new product development.
“We are so fortunate and excited to bring the expertise and enthusiasm of these two respected chefs to our industry,” says Hirigoyen. “They will help build a stronger link between culinary professionals, our growers and processors.”
Lisa DiVirgilio, WyckWyre
WyckWyre is pleased to announce that Lisa DiVirgilio has been promoted to director of business development.
DiVirgilio began with WyckWyre as the company's marketing manager in 2011.
In her new role, DiVirgilio will be responsible for further developing new and current customer relationships, managing marketing and public relations campaigns and executing strategic advertising partnerships.
DiVirgilio received her bachelor's degree in English from Binghamton University in 2008. She continued on to receive her master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University in 2009.
Prior to joining WyckWyre, DiVirgilio worked at FOX 40 WICZ-TV in Binghamton, New York, as the hyper local content specialist.
