Twin Peaks has named James ‘Jamie’ Carawan Vice President of Food & Beverage Innovation, a promotion that recognizes his outstanding contributions to further strengthening the brand’s made-from- scratch menu since joining the company nearly a year ago.
“Jamie has done an amazing job leading our culinary development and successfully rolling out our exciting new menu,” says Beth Collins, chief marketing officer for Twin Peaks. “We’ve always been committed to serving fresh, delicious, made-from- scratch food. Jamie’s team is taking us to another level with craveable and creative new items that our guests are raving about.”
In addition to his culinary expertise, Carawan has broad restaurant experience in operations, training, kitchen design and logistics. Before joining Twin Peaks he served for six years as senior director of culinary and innovation for On The Border Mexican Grill and Cantina, a 157-unit casual dining chain owned by Brinker International until 2014. His accomplishments included launching a new “healthy menu” as well as “daily specials” that both served to drive increases in sales and guest satisfaction.
During his 16 years with Brinker he also worked on culinary innovation at Chili’s and served as a regional training manager, overseeing 35 new restaurant openings.
Before joining Brinker as a restaurant manager in 1998, Carawan spent three years as a teaching fellow at the University of North Texas, where he taught American history.
He worked as a manager at Tia’s Tex-Mex restaurant while earning his Bachelor and Master degrees from the University of North Texas. Carawan has been featured in several culinary magazines and co-chaired the Culinary Institute of America’s Healthy Menu R&D Collaborative.
