The Global Culinary Innovators Association (GCIA) Board of Directors is comprised of members from nearly every major segment in the foodservice industry. Board members are elected to a two-year term with the option to be reelected to one more term or a total of four consecutive years on the board. From the board of directors, four officers will be elected to a one-year term. These offices include president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. Officers are eligible to run for one more one-year term before retiring from that position.
Here are the GCIA Board of Directors for 2025/2026:
- GCIA President: Vanessa Marquis, Corporate Executive Chef/Dir. of Culinary Innovation, FSC Franchise Co.
- GCIA Vice President: Randall Sabado, Executive Research and Development Chef, Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurants
- GCIA Secretary: Nick Walker, Director of Culinary, Whiskey Cake
- GCIA Treasurer: Steve Sturm, Executive Chef, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
- GCIA Board Member: Ray Comiskey, Vice President & Corporate Executive Chef at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood (Darden Restaurants)
- GCIA Board Member: Josh Diekman, Culinary Program Director and Executive Chef at Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers
- GCIA Board Member: Melanie Auxer, VP of Cookievation, Insomnia Cookies
- GCIA Board Member: Justin Uchtman, Director of Culinary Development, Thunderdone Restaurant Group
- GCIA Board Member: Carlos Franco, Corporate Executive Chef at Xperience Restaurant Group
- GCIA Marketing Committee: RJ Harvey, Directory of Culinary, Potatoes USA
There are numerous committees within the GCIA with one of the most important being the Marketing Committee derived of a representative from each of the sponsoring companies. The importance of this community is access to their tremendous resources in just about every major category of the foodservice business. From the top proteins, fruits and vegetables to technology, GCIA members have access to the latest innovations in the industry.
Here are the GCIA Sponsors for 2023/2024:
Founding and Patron Sponsors
- Land O’Lakes Foodservice: Jim Churches, Corporate Executive Chef | jmchurches@landolakes.com
- Mars Foodservice: Natalie Barton, National Account Manager | natalie.barton@effem.com
- McCormick & Company: Dean Gialamas, National Accounts Manager | dean_gialamas@mccormick.com
- Potatoes USA: RJ Harvey, Director of Culinary | RJ@potatoesusa.com
- Sweet Street Desserts: Kelly Sholl, National Account Director | kelly@sweetstreet.com
Corporate Sponsors
- Damascus Bakeries: Suzanne Maxwell, Director Foodservice Sales | suzanne.maxwell@damascusbakery.com
- Fresh Concepts, Inc: Tom Bachar, Vice President | tom.bachar@freshconceptsinc.com
- Hormel Foods: Erich Chieca, Culinary Team Lead | emchieca@heritageimc.com
- Kikkoman Sales USA, Inc.: Miwa Thompson, Deputy Chief Marketing Officer | MThompson@Kikkoman.com
- PastaMia: Jessica Mazza, COO | jmazza@pastamia.com
- Pine River: Chauncey Behm, Director of Operations | chauncey@pineriver.com
- Tuxton China: Stuysonnie Lam, Business Development, Product Development, and Marketing | stuys@tuxton.com
- Unox: Sherief Shawky, Corporate Chef | sherief.shawky@unox.com
Membership is limited to the highest-ranking new menu developer from multi-unit operations ranking from 201 – 400 in annual sales. There is the opportunity for an additional GCIA member from an operating company, but it must be approved by the GCIA board of directors. Members are assembled at an annual conference called the GCIA Culinary Combine, two GCIA Culinary Connections and several networking events throughout the year. The GCIA Culinary Combine is a three day event featuring the leading experts in areas including trends, global ethnic flavors, manufacturing, marketing, farming and government legislation. The GCIA Culinary Connections showcase the nation’s top culinary destinations for a two-day immersion into the food culture and history of the cuisine of these cities and regions. To learn more about the membership in the GCIA, please view our video: