COVINGTON, KY – Club Chef, a company belonging to the Castellini Group of Companies, has announced a new Senior Vice President of Quality and Food Safety.
Dr. Peter Taormina has assumed the role, assuring quality and food safety is made a top priority, according to a company release. Taormina has previously held a number of similar roles, and served in various advisory and academic capacities.
“As Senior Vice President of Quality and Food Safety, Dr. Taormina will focus on the continuous improvement of the quality and food culture and management systems while implementing the best available technologies to minimize risk and assure the production of safe, wholesome foods,” said Brian Kocher, President and CEO of the Castellini Group of Companies, in a company statement. “While Peter’s time will predominantly be focused towards Club Chef operations and customers, his extensive background in food safety, quality assurance, and research will be leveraged as an important asset for the entire Castellini Group of Companies. We are excited to have Peter join our team.”
Most recently Taormina served as the Director of Science, Food Safety, and Quality for Smithfield Foods; his responsibilities included food safety, quality assurance, shelf-life, and microbiology testing and research for 36 Smithfield and co-packing meat facilities.
Before that, Taormina held a number of progressively-more responsible roles in quality and food safety leadership with companies like The Coca-Cola Company and John Morrell & Co. The doctor was also an Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety and Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Taormina has produced a number of peer-reviewed publications and also served as the Chairman of the North American Meat Institute’s Scientific Advisory Committee and has received the Scientific Achievement Award from the Meat Institute and the Harold Barnum Industry Award from the International Association for Food Protection.
We here at AndNowUKnow congratulate Peter on his new position, and wish him well in his new endeavors!
