Hormel Foods Corporation announced the hiring of Tony J. Finnestad as corporate development chef for its foodservice division.

“We are thrilled to have Tony on our team,” said Jeffrey R. Baker, group vice president, foodservice for Hormel Foods. “He has a fantastic knowledge of food and the real world experience of working in a foodservice kitchen. Tony will be a great asset to our organization and will help us to continue to bring delicious, value-added solutions to foodservice operators across the country and the world.”

Prior to his employment with Hormel Foods, Finnestad worked as the corporate chef for Michigan-based Cherry Republic, Inc., where, Finnestad was responsible for new product development for two restaurants and four retail shops. As corporate chef, Finnestad managed a team of ten individuals and worked closely with the company’s marketing and sales departments to launch new products.

Finnestad’s past experience also includes acting as the lead chef at various restaurants and companies in Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming and New Mexico.