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How Neil Doherty and Sysco's culinary team help operators meet today's labor challenges

As senior director of global culinary development, Doherty and Sysco’s 87 chefs develop solutions to ease back-of-house operations.

Patricia Cobe, Senior Editor

January 18, 2024

Neil Doherty’s official job title at Sysco is senior director of global culinary development, but it wouldn't be wrong to call him “chief problem solver” for the broadline distributor.

He works along with the 87 chefs Sysco employs at 32 test kitchen sites around the country to help operators in every segment source products to meet back-of-house challenges. Right now, the biggest challenge is labor. Kitchens in restaurants, colleges, healthcare and other segments are still understaffed or short of skilled workers.

Neil Doherty

Neil Doherty

 

Listen as Doherty talks about his journey through the hospitality industry that landed him at Sysco, how he and his team are curating top quality, labor-saving culinary solutions and the trends he’s predicting will most impact menus in the year ahead.

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About the Author

Patricia Cobe

Senior Editor

Pat plans and executes the menu sections of Restaurant Business and FoodService Director, covering food and beverage trends, Menu R&D, profiles of chefs and restaurateurs and Technomic research. She also contributes to the digital content of both RB and FSD and is editor of two weekly e-newsletters, Recipe Report and On the Menu. Pat’s weekly podcast, MenuFeed, covers a wide range of menu topics through interviews with chefs and operators.

Pat came to Winsight from Hearst, where she was an executive editor. She is the co-author of the Mompreneurs series of books as well as two cookbooks. She graduated from Cornell University and earned a Masters in Journalism from Boston University. She is active in several professional organizations, including Les Dames d’Escoffier and the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC), and serves as a judge for the James Beard Media Awards.

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