How craveability, sustainability and the guest experience drive Avi Szapiro's menu mission

This episode of Menu Feed is brought to you by Tock.
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.

 
Avi Szapiro

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.

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