Chef Robert Lafond – Corporate Executive Chef
Chef Robert Lafond is the corporate executive chef for JTM Food Group. His focus is primarily on supporting the sales process. More specifically, he assists the sales department by developing a consistent approach to client presentations through the creation of recipe applications, operational tools and presentation standards. In addition, he has been participating in various work groups focused on new product development, innovative product recipe applications and standards for our trade show presentations.
He is also developing peer relationships with chefs across our customer base to facilitate quality feedback regarding our products and recipe applications for them. This often leads to new business opportunities as the creative process takes over and menu and recipe ideation become the focus.
He has been working at JTM for almost a year after leaving a position with one of the foodservice industry’s largest contract foodservice companies: Sodexo. He rose through the ranks over 16 years with Sodexo starting as a chef manager of a small cafeteria in downtown Boston to various positions including, general manager, area executive chef and, ultimately, director of concept development where he was responsible for the creation, development and implementation of new menu programs from within the government services sector. This division provided menu and hospitality services to the United States Marine Corps for over 55 dining facilities providing 28 million meals annually.
Prior to Sodexo, he worked primarily in the hotel and restaurant industry as a line cook, sous-chef and executive chef for 13 years. He was also fortunate enough to spend nearly three years in Vieques, Puerto Rico managing two restaurants that featured American continental, Italian and Puerto Rican cuisine.
He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (AOS ’84) and has taken many continuing education classes relative to emerging food trends, ethnic cuisines, food safety and sanitation. He is an active member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and Research Chefs Association (RCA). He is also a Certified Executive Chef (CEC) within ACF and has a current food safety certification from ServSafe® sponsored by the National Restaurant Association (NRA).
Above all, he maintains a passion for food and people which is the driving force behind his nearly thirty-year career in the foodservice industry. His move to JTM has revitalized his creative passion for food and placed him “front and center” with the customers which, for Rob, is the best of both worlds.
Chef Martin Johnson – Corporate Chef
Chef Martin Johnson, an up and coming corporate chef from Cincinnati, Ohio, has years of culinary experience in many different areas: restaurant food service, banquet dining, research and development, and culinary support for sales and marketing divisions.
Martin graduated from the Midwest Culinary Institute and is currently pursuing a Bachelor Degree in Culinary Science from the University of Cincinnati.
He is an active member of the Research Chefs Association, as well as a founding member of the Research Chefs Association Culinology Club at the University of Cincinnati.
Martin currently holds the position of corporate chef with JTM Food Group, an international, multi-segmented food processing company located in Harrison, Ohio. He supports the JTM sales force in all divisions – schools, military, foodservice, national accounts and retail – through development of recipe applications that showcase JTM products, sales presentations and product demonstrations.
Mike Pickett – Research and Development Chef
Mike Pickett has been at JTM Food Group for about two years. He is currently the research and development chef.
His previous experiences were as the executive chef for Plaza Three; training kitchen manager for TGI Fridays; executive chef for The Restaurant Group in Hartford, Connecticut; executive chef for Bensons; and Chef/Owner of The White House Inn. During his culinary career, he has prepared food for and served four United States presidents – Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Gerald Ford, George H. Bush and George W. Bush – as well as Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, The Rolling Stones, Alabama, James Taylor, The Doobie Brothers, and ZZ Top just to name a few. Another culinary highlight during his career was having dinner with Julia Childs.
He graduated from The Culinary Institute of America where he was second in his class and received the Conrad Statler Award for Academics.
