My specialty is building kitchens and executing food distribution models. This skill set utilizes an extensive array of tools, including: labor planning, vendor management, client relations, menu planning, culinary execution, physical construction, conflict management, vending, catering, marketing, branding, fabrication, lighting design, A/V support, environmental design, supply chain management, distribution and transport management.I prefer to participate, learning by listening and doing. I lead with respect and responsiveness, rather than simply reacting or dictating with fear.

In addition to hiring, training, and working alongside a staff of 17 managers, bakers, decorators, and clerks I was able to demonstrate same store year-over-year increases of greater than 30% on a regular basis. My team was able to meet and exceed EBITDA goals for sales and labor benchmarks consistently and consecutively.Through basic production and shrink tracking we were able to control our production numbers and decrease shrink to less than half our goals. During busy seasons we would employ a 24-hour decorating schedule, with nine decorators rotating to maximize output. Under my leadership we routinely would produce 100+ custom cakes per day. When graduation season coincided with Mother's day a Saturday might include 160+ custom cakes AND 7 additional wedding cakes. My time in the bakery allowed me to refine my ability in training teams to properly use precision communication.Albertsons LLC acquired United Supermarkets LLC during my time there. The reputation of United Supermarkets enticed Albertsons to adopt rather than absorb the acquisition. Safeway was also acquired by Albertsons. However, as Safeway was forced to adopt the best practices of Albertsons, United was invited to apply United's best practices to Albertsons stores. I was able to travel and convert supermarket bakeries while implementing these new best practices for the local management teams. The goal was retraining career chef/managers. This was an extremely rewarding experience as it required a finesse in addressing and evolving the sometimes bad practices of these managers.Production management and logistical efficiency are my bread and butter...especially when we're talking bread and butter. I oversaw production on 13 different scratch bread recipes daily, as well as scratch muffins, cookies, pies, pastries, tortillas, butter-cookie "printing," around-the-clock execution of par-bakes and retail merchandising. The art of retail is using spreadsheets to provide ultimate customer service.

I built and operated a satellite kitchen focused on preparing fresh food from local farm ingredients. This was a mobile kitchen, but not a kitchen on wheels. We designed the menu to emphasize minimum equipment requirements for quick set up and tear-down. We worked with local farmers to design seasonal menus for maximum attractiveness to market shoppers. Our recipes used the produce from the markets which we attended. We built relationships for robust supply chains to fill our menu. Most importantly we provided weekly sustainable income guarantees to startup farmers. The husband & wife team that provided our tortilla's has blossomed in the years since Native Veda featured their tacos at the market and in local print media.The food we prepared at Native Veda was based on Ayurvedic disease prevention through dietary management. The Cost of Goods for this quality of food often outpaced the local economy's willingness to meet the price point necessary to carry the business long term. I operated at a loss in order to show consumers the value and ease of producing food from fresh, local ingredients.The goal of Native Veda was to open the mindset of the consumer; to create appeal in the farmer's market, and to open the culinary scene to mobile vending. We succeeded in sparking an evolution of local food business that continue to flourish. Despite the short lived success of my model, the rural Texas community is no longer entirely averse to dining from mobile vendors.The local restaurant scene has several seasoned heavy-weights that have produced refined dining experiences ever since the spark that was Native Veda invigorated the locavores in Lubbock.

I operated a production kitchen, restaurant, cafe and frozen yogurt shop, specializing in cold-pressed juices, baked sweet potato meals, artisan coffee, and health-based shots. Worked to build a healthy living brand with franchising as the goal.

My responsibilities at Continental began with the execution of off-premise events. My diverse expertise in kitchen problem solving and my deep foundation in serving people allowed me to be the the optimum relay between our culinary team, our front of house team, and our executive team.At our peak I was charged with overseeing 60+ staff at 13 events across seven different venues. We operated full-service catering and events out of our central kitchen. We designed, built, and opened a state-of-the-art HAACP approved Culinary Innovation Center. We provided 13,000+ daily charter school lunches via delivery.Continental began as a workplace vending machine distribution company; keeping offices and warehouses fully stocked for their employees. During my time there we provided proof of concept for the financial viability of the event management business model. This bolstered the executive teams' decision to acquire our largest and larger competitor in off-premise events. As the two companies merged I shifted to managing a new project: Market 24/7 is a self-checkout micro-market built as the evolutionary next step between the workplace cafeteria and the lackluster vending machine. It is a self checkout convenience store built inside of a factory or office building. In Southeastern Michigan the auto industry was ripe with aging cafeterias that could not operate with solvency.My role was to assess, measure, and digitally build 3D models for re-imagining these dining spaces. I was the interface between the client, our production team, our culinary team, our executive team, and our marketing and branding team. We would provide a schematic and three "package" options to the client for approval before building and launching these markets. Often a new market was launched every week.

We at AntFarm are the people who make things. You don't know we are here, but you feel the raw guttural emotion experienced in our work. We specialize in environmental immersion though design, visual storytelling and event production. A Visceral Producer is a creator, one who brings forth passion and ability and produces a product that enhances the the human spirit. My expertise is lighting, cinematography, photography, production, and culinary art.