Chef, Recipe Developer, Marketing, Entrepreneur, Food Stylist

RUTH HERDAN *** South Camac Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107; *******@***.***; phone: 267-***-****

Summary

Hardworking and dedicated culinary professional with prior work experience in corporate marketing and management.

Educational background includes business operations, culinary arts and marketing.

Key Areas of Expertise

Recipe Developer Food Styling Chef/Event planner/Caterer

Project Management Writing/Editing Department Head/Management

Customer Oriented Ability to handle/resolve problems Employee training and development

Experience

QVC August, 2012 – Present

Recipe Developer/Food Stylist West Chester, PA

• Selected to be the Lead Recipe Developer for cookbook being published by Random House. Developed and tested over 125

recipes in a 4 month timeframe. Recipes included appetizers, drinks, grilling, comfort food, desserts, slow cooker, seafood and

“Light and Healthy” options.

• As the lead Recipe Developer for the cookbook, I was the primary interface between the author, writer/editor and test kitchen

chefs on a daily basis throughout the project.

• Food Styling for Customer Top-Rated QVC product – Temptations. This client requires attention to detail and significant

organization skills

• Assistant to Lead Food Stylist for the Kitchen-Aid product.

Tastebuds Market & Catering June, 2003 – August, 2013

Owner/Chef/General Manager Philadelphia, PA

• Created business plan and concept for local cafe/catering business and opened Tastebuds Market and Catering in 2004

• Executive Chef/Manager of kitchen and market staff ranging from 9-12 employees

• Responsible for all menu and recipe development and implementation for both the market and catering business

• Lead kitchen staff in developing and preparing all standardized recipes.

• Responsible for business planning, food costing, monthly budgeting and new business development

• Created and developed content for company website www.tastebudsonlombard.com.

• Responsible for all vendor selection and negotiating.

• Developed separate product/division – Très Chocolat Brownie. Awarded Best of Philly 2009.

Off-Premise Corporate and Private Catering:

• Full service private and corporate catering, including cocktail parties, breakfasts, lunches and dinners to an existing client base of

over 80 companies, universities and private individuals. We have catered events ranging from 10 to 350 guests

• Event planning from start to finish, including proposal development, food preparation, client liaison, menu development,

equipment rentals, staffing, buffet setup and presentation.

• Experience with numerous theme/occasion catering events including but not limited to dinner parties, baby showers, holiday

parties, graduations, birthdays, cocktail parties, afternoon teas, bridal showers and wedding day brunches.

• Extensive Private Chef Work for families within Center City Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs, including daily

meal preparation, dinner parties and weekly meal delivery.

Dibruno Bros (Cheese Shop & Pronto Gourmet Takeout) October, 2002 - June, 2003

Externship Philadelphia, PA

• Food preparation of extensive number of menu items for gourmet takeout establishment.

• Experience with preparation of both continental and international cuisine.

• Extensive knowledge of both domestic and international cheeses and Responsible for preparation of cheese platters.

The Rittenhouse Hotel October, 2001 - January, 2003

Internship with Chef Jean Marie Lacroix Philadelphia, PA

• Experience in both front and back of the house at the hotel’s 5-Star Restaurant.

• Assisted in food preparation for banquet events of up to 250 people. Events included weddings, bar mitzvahs, private

dinner parties, Thanksgiving dinners, Afternoon Tea and Corporate breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

• Setup of Sunday brunch buffet, including creation of elaborate displays/platters using flowers, fruits & vegetables.

AI Advertising (Division of AIG) July, 1999 - September, 2001

Account Manager Philadelphia, PA

Liaison between clients at AIG Marketing and in-house advertising staff of AI Advertising.

Responsible for managing all aspects of Direct Mail Campaigns, including leading the design team, production department

and data processing departments of AI Advertising to successful implementations of numerous marketing campaigns.

Streamlined the direct mail packages and marketing efforts for AIGM client leading to a 30% decrease in overall marketing

costs.

Oversaw the Implementation of three successful Sweepstakes Marketing Campaigns that led to over a 10% increase in

response rates, when compared to past direct mail efforts.

American International Group (AIG) March, 1998 - July, 1999

Marketing Manager – Group Property & Casualty Division Alpharetta, GA

Accountable for the establishment of the Marketing Department for a startup division of the largest international insurance

company based in the U.S. The responsibilities of this position included strategic development, budget development, staffing,

training and vendor selection. Overall responsibility/training for a staff of 6 employees

Managed and oversaw the development of all marketing collateral for use by the Group Property and Casualty division. This

included material for business-to-business as well as business-to-consumer marketing.

Developed an Incentive Program for our telemarketing organization. This resulted in a 30% increase in sales over a six-

month period.

Managed all aspects of vendor selection and relationships. These vendors included printers, designers, copywriters, mail

houses and a market research firm.

Allmerica Financial Corporation January, 1996 - February, 1998

Marketing Manager– Group Property & Casualty Division Atlanta, GA

Promoted from a Senior Marketing Analyst to the manager of the department within 1 year. With this promotion, my

responsibilities were increased from account management for individual clients to the overall accountability for the entire

Group P&C Marketing Function to over 100 client accounts and overall responsibility for a staff of 8 employees

Established strategic plans that focused on the ongoing marketing efforts for both new and existing clients. This tripled the

number of marketing campaigns launched annually within the division, ultimately increasing sales by 40%.

Overall responsibility for the development and ongoing maintenance of our marketing database. This database was used as an

internal tool by all levels of management to better understand the overall client base, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of

our marketing efforts.

MetLife January, 1992 - December, 1995

Senior Marketing Coordinator– Group Property & Casualty Division Bridgewater, NJ

Promoted from a Marketing Assistant to a Senior Marketing Coordinator within two years.

Developed, presented and implemented annual marketing plans for over 50 Group Property and Casualty clients. This

included responsibility for marketing to many high profile clients such as Microsoft, USAir and CSX Transportation.

Responsible for tracking the effectiveness of marketing campaigns for each client. This included analysis of results in terms

of response rate, quote-to-sale ratio and marketing dollars spent.

Coordinated and attended Annual trade show events.

Education: The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College May, 2003

Associates Degree in Culinary Arts GPA: 3.9

Rutgers University, School of Business May, 1992

B.S. Marketing/English Minor GPA: 3.1

Contact this candidate