Chef Michael Lockard
Consulting
For over 20 years, Mike has gathered experiences from some of the top restaurants and hotels in the USA & Europe. The culmination of this dedication has lead him on a 4 year run driving the food service program for both the largest annually attended sporting event in the world, The US Open and the Plaza Hotel as the Executive Chef.
He has offered his insight and skills to various projects ranging from a food hall and caterers to recently working with Stonyfield .
Stonyfield Project:
What you should know about the project:
Name: Stonyfield
Concept: Fast casual
Deadline: 6 weeks to open
Objectives: Kitchen set up to code and assess equipment, assess and order smallwares, learn brand, finalized menu, create recipe book, cost all items, project food cost, create kitchen schedule with projected cost to meet budget, set up vendors, set up all kitchen documents, hire chef.
Results: Opened on time, completed all objectives.
This was and exciting opportunity to with with one of the best known brands in organic foods - Stonyfield Organics. They were taking over a new space in Manhattan to launch their fast casual concept. The construction was delayed and they were left with no kitchen to fulfill their committed to supplying items to the US Open, which was 6 weeks away.
I was hired to help organize their operation to meet their commitment and execute a successful event. My approach was to learn, assess, plan and implement. The first step involved a trip to Maine to understand their concept and brand. Secondly, I had to drill down to finalize the menu, photograph items for training, and create recipes to reproduce. Third, organize equipment, vendors and all kitchen documents to facilitate the daily operations of the concept. Lastly, I focused on the staffing, beginning with hiring a chef and planning/ projecting the labor for the event.
We opened on time and completed all objectives.
Eatrageous Project
Worked with this innovative start-up company to help develop concept and flavors. They were looking for an out-of the box thinking chef to help bring the flavors of the fine dining world, translate them, and apply it to a new healthier and tastier way to snack.
Testimonials:
"Mike's an extremely talented guy, I love the surge of flavors in his food. He's also highly organized which makes him a great manager and makes my job much easier...."
- Chef Charlie Palmer
"Michael Lockard is the consummate professional. As a consultant his approach is global – he evaluates the entire production system and then proceeds to suggest solutions that fix not just what is broken but the cause of the break. He understands food and more importantly he understands the people who produce it and what makes them tick.
If you need someone to help you with issues in a hospitality environment Michael Lockard is the person to call."
-Paul Neuman
President Neuman’s Kitchen