45 min listen
How craveability, sustainability and the guest experience drive Avi Szapiro's menu mission
FromMenu Talk
How craveability, sustainability and the guest experience drive Avi Szapiro's menu mission
FromMenu Talk
ratings:
Length:
32 minutes
Released:
May 25, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
As VP of culinary innovation at Untamed Brands, the parent company of fast-casual Taim Mediterranean Kitchen and Hot Chicken Takeover, Avi Szapiro brings years of fine-dining experience to the job.
He grew up in Bogota, Colombia, and thought he’d become a lawyer. But he caught the cooking bug as a teenager and never looked back.
Szapiro graduated from the CIA; worked in top restaurants and hotels in Latin America, Europe and California; operated his own highly rated restaurant in New Haven, Conn.; and cooked in volume for a nonprofit in India. Now, he’s excited about playing with the rich, varied flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean in developing craveable menus for 13-unit Taim and creating fresh, bold items for Hot Chicken Takeover.
Sustainability is the three-pillar foundation of both concepts, with environmental, social and economic components all having equal weight in Szapiro’s vision. Listen as he talks about his menu mission, why he’s laser-focused on the guest experience and where Untamed may be going next as the company expands its fast-casual footprint.
He grew up in Bogota, Colombia, and thought he’d become a lawyer. But he caught the cooking bug as a teenager and never looked back.
Szapiro graduated from the CIA; worked in top restaurants and hotels in Latin America, Europe and California; operated his own highly rated restaurant in New Haven, Conn.; and cooked in volume for a nonprofit in India. Now, he’s excited about playing with the rich, varied flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean in developing craveable menus for 13-unit Taim and creating fresh, bold items for Hot Chicken Takeover.
Sustainability is the three-pillar foundation of both concepts, with environmental, social and economic components all having equal weight in Szapiro’s vision. Listen as he talks about his menu mission, why he’s laser-focused on the guest experience and where Untamed may be going next as the company expands its fast-casual footprint.
Released:
May 25, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
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