Chef Thomas Macrina, CEC, CCA, AAC – A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY, Tom Macrina is approaching his fourth decade of culinary excellence. As a young executive chef he cut his teeth in the hotel business with the Downington Inn Resort, Downington, PA and Clayton Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, MO. Later as the corporate executive chef of Tabas Enterprises, in Philadelphia, he directed operations for the company’s varied entertainment, restaurant, and hotel properties before assuming similar duties with Desmond Great Valley Hotel and Conference Center. Presently, Tom is executive chef/product specialist manager for US Foods, Philadelphia Division.
As a recognized culinary leader, Tom Macrina lends menu development, product procurement, and back-of-the-house operations skills to the Synergy Group roster. Retail and foodservice operators who recognize they have products suited for retail distribution will benefit from his savvy product launch experience in preparation for mass marketing, sales, and distribution.
Macrina is an active member of the American Culinary Federation where he currently serves as business manager for the ACF Culinary Team USA. Among his numerous awards and honors Tom has won two bronze, two silver, and two gold ACF medals in individual culinary competitions and was named International Culinarian of the Year, 2009. He is a member of the ACF Philadelphia Delaware Valley Chefs Association, a Fellow of the American Academy of chefs, a member of the Honorable Order of the Golden Toque and Escoffier Society of Chicago, a member of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs™, and the Brandywine Chapter of the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association.
Tom Macrina
VP Culinary Operations
Chef Tom Macrina, will provide a Synergy Group client the inherit value of “hands on expertise.” Tom’s years of executive level experiences fortifies Synergy’s value proposition that focuses on the “business of food.” With his ability to provide a Synergy client practical solutions for both the manufacturers “sell through” growth challenges and opportunities, Tom will provide a dedicated focus on the client's, whether manufacturer or operator, “culinary operations” in the retail foodservice channel.
- Menu planning/meal planning for both major
multi-unit restaurant chains and independent
groups.
- Restaurant and retail back of the house
operations/management
- Product development and mass market “batching”
- Procurement specialist
- Relationship worldwide with chefs, universities,
food manufacturers, and food operators
- Food procurement costing and analysis
- Menu costing
