Food / Agriculture: Jobs Landed

I was recently named Executive Chef and joins The Produce Station Gourmet Market by way of Toasted Oak Market and Grill in Novi, Michigan and Five Lakes Grill in Milford, Mi.  I have also cooked at the famed James Beard House in New York City.

Michigan born and bred, I infuse my love of my beautiful, bountiful home state into every dish I create. My passion is Michigan ingredients; seasonal produce from nearby farms, trout from Lake Huron, mushrooms upstate, and herbs and vegetables from local farms. I am known for my award-winning porchetta and signature house-made charcuterie. I deliver diners an authentic taste of the Great Lakes region.

I am a Michigan boy with deep roots here, and I want to do my part in keeping our farms and the local way of life alive and thriving. I have dedicated a great deal of my career to establishing relationships with small farmers and purveyors who have just as much pride in their farms as I do in producing memorable dining experiences.

Most recently, I was The Executive Chef of Toasted Oak, a “great lakes cuisine” fine dining restaurant in Novi, Michigan – which offers house-made charcuterie, artisan cheeses, unique condiments, local 2 Michigan specialties, and other fresh comfort foods. Under my leadership, Toasted Oak has achieved local accolades, including an Hour magazine “Top Ten Best New Restaurant” recognition and coveted “Best Restaurant for General Excellence,” as well as 944 magazine’s “Favorite New Restaurant.” Additionally, Chef Grostick and Toasted Oak were selected to be featured as the first restaurant in the pilot episode of “Great Lakes ~ Great Tastes” – a video series showcasing a culinary journey though Michigan.

I regularly step out from behind the stove to work directly with community organizations and events. I live in Highland, MI, with my wife, Stephanie, and our 2-year-old, Ashton. In my spare time, I regularly travels with my family throughout the state, especially to northern Michigan to show my son life on the farm.

I have always loved cakes, primarily because I find them to be the closest form of edible artwork. I am thrilled to be involved in creating edible masterpieces that are equally delicious and gorgeous. I also love that our refrigerator is currently packed with local damson plums so we can make jam for the coming year! The support of local producers is a clincher for me.

My particular role, as Business Manager of a very small business, is somewhat to be a jack of all trades. Which means a lot of variety! My main responsibilities include managing orders, maintaining financials in order to optimize business decisions, and marketing. The part that I really love, which includes all of the above, is strategic planning: where are we going, and how are we going to get there? That is so exciting!

My love for cake design stems from an education in art, a passion for food, and a childlike refusal to believe that there is anything I cannot create. While attending the University of Michigan School of Art and Design, I packed up my paintbrushes and headed to Florence for a semester abroad. Though I had hoped that immersing myself in the realm of the Italian masters would rub off on my artistic prowess, I found myself more interested in the perfect foam atop my cappuccino. I began to cook, and realized that I loved it. My time in Italy began to revolve around trips to the local market, home-cooked multicourse dinners with my roommates, and weekend pilgrimages to sample different types of regional cuisine.

Upon returning to the States, my newfound passion for food seeped into my art making. For my art school thesis, I dedicated myself to forming the same connection to food in Michigan that I had experienced in Italy. After working with food producers and artisans in the Ann Arbor area, I created a series of edible monuments to honor each one.

Since graduating in 2007, I have had the to opportunity to work with Eve Aronoff as a cook at eve the Restaurant, as well as with Courtney Clark of Cake Nouveau on a series of Food Network Challenges. Both experiences have been influential in developing who I am as a cook and an artist.

I love what I do, and look at each new cake as a challenge to create something beautiful that will make someone’s day.

I get to go into work every day and think about how to make your next meal more delicious, more special, more convenient and, really, more of what you need when you order out. The needs of our consumers are what fuels Domino’s innovation. A big part of my job is using insights into what people look for when they order from Domino’s to bring solutions to life that address those needs. This task can be accomplished in many ways, including developing a new menu item, finding a better way to package something, or making sure our current recipes and ways of doing things are relevant to our consumers. There is never a dull moment, and there is never a lack of inspiration. I love that about my job. Working for an iconic, global brand is wonderful - especially for a marketer. No matter where I am, all I have to do is mention that I work for Domino’s Pizza and I can come away from the conversation with 10 new ideas or musings because – when you think about it – almost everyone is a pizza consumer. I started working for Domino’s almost 4 years ago and have had the opportunity to work in different roles during that time, both here in Ann Arbor and in the field. I spent 18 months as a Field Marketing Leader based in Milwaukee, consulting franchise owners on local marketing plans. Domino’s is a company full of smart, creative people and we are given the opportunity to develop our careers by taking on roles in different parts of the country and – with our continued growth abroad – different parts of the world. This fosters a spectrum of perspectives within the organization, which adds to the strength and potential of the company as a whole, as well as for individual professionals. Domino’s is a special place, from our offices based at Domino’s Farms to our restaurants all over the world. I am very proud and thankful to be part of the team!

Food First by Jennifer is a company that specializes in educating people on how to optimize energy and prevent disease. It is designed to teach people the healing properties of food and empower them to make simple changes to improve their health and lives.

After graduating from Michigan State University, I had a continuum of health issues that compromised my quality of life. It wasn’t until I took a natural approach that my health dramatically improved.

I speak to companies, associations and do one-on-one consultations with individuals educating them on the “food first” philosophy.

I'm a business analyst working on online ordering on dominos.com.  I am the proxy customer in an agile project management team that is completely redesigning dominos.com online ordering. I work with marketing to understand and shape the creative needs for the site and marry that with the technical and architectural requirements of our new system. This allows me to spend my days doing both creative and technical work. It is a perfect fit for me.

I have over twenty five years of experience in the catering business. My experience includes everything from cooking to training and management of many different types of operations. In the recent past, I built my own full service catering company in Washtenaw County called Effortless Entertaining and received caterer of the year in 2009 & 2010 from the U.S. Commerce Association and Southeast Michigan caterer of the year many times. I will work directly with Produce Station Executive Chef Brian Cromwell for all catering events. I will focus on customer relations, sales, and operations of the catering department.

After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1996 I realized that my General Studies degree (even though it was a tremendously rewarding experience) was not extremely conducive to much in my future.  At the time I happened to be working part time at an iconic Ann Arbor wine retailer and I realized how wine, in all of its manifestations and tangents, incorporated the gamut of my studies--history, literature, anthropology, and religion, even philosophy.  However, the most rewarding of all my human experiences have always been related to savoring the fruits of this Earth and I thank my family for that (plus the great cuisine and bounty of my native Peru).  Therefore I could not pass the opportunity to engage in what I classified as my "Grad School" and inculcate myself with the knowledge of wine and food.  I realize now that it has become the brunt of my existence.  I cannot spend a day without cavorting over the pleasures of the palate and all of the social variety thereunder.  Briefly stated: I enjoy food and wine and its history and I have never been the same since I started this love affair.  I would love to share my passion for food and wine with you!

I wear several hats - a student, entrepreneur, and intern at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. 

I will graduate in May 2010 with a BBA from the Ross School of Business, minor in Environmental Studies, and College of Engineering Certificate of Entrepreneurship.  At the University, I was the president of the Net Impact Undergraduate chapter at the University of Michigan, leading and growing a group of students to use their careers to make a positive impact in the world.  I completed a nine-month project on the voluntary carbon market (link to http://erb.umich.edu/Research/Student-Projects.htm), and I have advised individuals and organizations on carbon instruments.  I have been recognized for my on-campus sustainability and entrepreneurship efforts, as a 2009 Graham Scholar, Dare to Dream grant award recipient, and 2009 Student Entrepreneur of the Year, among others.  I have also been involved with the Sustainable Energy Fellowship (www.teachenergy.org) for over two years.   

I have been pursuing entrepreneurial ventures since high school and my efforts have been awarded with grants and awards (including acceptance to the 2009 and 2010 Clinton Global Initiative and 2009 Lakeshore's Next Top Entrepreneur). I have completed business plans for, pitched, launched, and developed companies in the food and beverage and clean tech industries, and social ventures.  I have grown my family’s Italian treats retail/catering business, Iorio's (www.iorios.com) since its launch. Currently, I am helping start-up companies in the clean tech, food and beverage, consumer products, and nonprofit sectors, while continuing to build the entrepreneurial community in Michigan.

At the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, I assist with the Capital Access Program, 21st Century and Venture Michigan Funds, and helped raise $12 million for the Michigan Supplier Diversification Fund.  I organized the inaugural Entrepreneurial Tailgate, bringing together the Michigan entrepreneurial community, and continue to build the resources and programs for Michigan companies and entrepreneurs. 

I facilitate the selection and recruitment of candidates for all professional positions within Domino’s Pizza’s World Resource Center. This includes reviewing and screening applicants, interviewing, and building relationships with local organizations, diversity organizations, colleges, special interest groups and other sources for possible candidates. 

I am in charge of coordinating the physical workplace with the responsibilities of team members at Domino’s Pizza’s World Resource Center. I direct all aspects of building operations including: space planning, move management, interior design, building layout, renovations, repairs, and preventative maintenance planning.?

I work with large and small businesses and share information on membership with Sams Club, showing the member the value of the membership and the merchandise that Sams carry to help out small and large businesses. I am responsible for special benefits for personal and business memberships and offer special deals for companies.

I research new technologies, purchase phone and electronic equipments for Domino's International department, maintain International finance databases, maintain and implement upgrade to International audit program, provide IS support to Domino's International field personnels and franchisee, and analyze monthly International cell phone bill to minimize cell phone charges.