Young is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, College of Culinary Arts in Charleston, S.C., were he received his classical culinary training. He trained and worked in Lyon, France for one year as an apprentice for French master chef Pierre Orsi. Young also has years of experience working in award-winning fine dining restaurants across the country, including Charleston, S.C., Telluride, Colo. and Memphis, Tenn., working alongside such noted chefs as Memphis’ Erling Jensen, serving as his pastry chef and chef de cuisine. Young also spent four years as the executive chef for Memphis’ oldest fine dining restaurant, La Tourelle, and contributed to the opening of its sister restaurant, Café 1912.
“Chef Young really has a pulse on emerging trends in the food industry, and this provides a strong foundation for our culinary team,” said Paul Kenny, marketing director for Kraft Food Ingredients. “His creativity, classical culinary training and dedication to excellence are a big benefit to Kraft Food Ingredients and ultimately to our customers.”
Young worked his way through college and up the food chain by working in most every station in the restaurant, from his first real cooking experience as a line cook while in college, to running and opening a restaurant. Young believes his experience in the ranks taught him the importance of keeping everything on-time, clean and orderly to keep up with the lightening speed of a kitchen. His experience as a chef has also taught him not to take shortcuts. “I have very high standards in the kitchen. I believe in giving it 110% all of the time or why bother,” said Young.
Young joined KFIC in early 2007 and served as the company’s chef de cuisine before being promoted to executive chef. He has found that the many of the same principles apply to the product development process and to the fast-paced environment at KFIC.
“Every day at KFIC is an adrenaline rush,” Young added. “Whether it is developing a new customer application concept or enhancing an existing product, I enjoy adding real value to our customers’ business. Just last week, a customer brought in an application, and I was able to create a new concept for them on the spot using one of our Woodfired flavors. By adding this savory cooked note to a line of existing products, it completely changed the flavor and added a whole new dimension to their product that will allow them to sell to new channels of distribution.”
From the March 3, 2008, Prepared Foods e-Flash
