THE SEA PINES RESORT CHEF BEN HARRIS PROMOTED TO RESORT EXECUTIVE CHEF

Ben Harris, The Sea Pines Resort’s Executive Chef of Restaurants, has been promoted to Resort Executive Chef. He will oversee all resort restaurants including Quarterdeck, Links, an American Grill, Coast, Ocean Lounge, Fraser’s Tavern and Harbourside.

Since arriving at The Sea Pines Resort, Harris has built strong relationships with the Lowcountry’s finest purveyors and fishermen and works closely with the Sea Pines community’s Heritage Farm to showcase the herbs and greens grown there on menus throughout the resort.

JOSEPH DAY APPOINTED EXECUTIVE CHEF AT THE SAINT ANDREW’S GOLF CLUB

SCOOP learned that with more than 25 years of culinary experience, Joseph Day is the new executive chef at The Saint Andrew’s Golf Club, America’s oldest golf club.

Day joins The Saint Andrew’s Golf Club after serving in a similar capacity for two years at Quaker Ridge Golf Club, a private golf club in Scarsdale, N.Y. He supervised four kitchens there, overseeing as many as 20 employees. It was his second stint at Quaker Ridge as he was Executive Sous Chef for three years beginning in March 2002.

Prior to Quaker Ridge, Day worked at Hudson National Golf Club where, in 2006, he joined his mentor, Gerard Bourkney. Day started at the Croton-on-theHudson property as Chef de Cuisine before earning a promotion to Executive Chef in 2017 when Bourkney retired. In all, Day remained at Hudson National for nearly 15 years.

Day also has held chef positions at Morefar Golf Course (Brewster, NY), Peter Pratt’s Inn (Yorktown, NY), and Crabtree’s Kittle House Restaurant & Inn (Westchester, NY), where he was mentored by Bourkney.

ERIC MARTINO NAMED PRESIDENT OF MINA GROUP, MOVES FROM JOSE ANDRES GROUP

SCOOP learned that most recently Martino spent six years as the José Andrés Group’s chief operating officer overseeing more than 30 restaurants in nine countries, and a team of more than 2,000 employees with more than $275 million in revenue. During that time, he oversaw hotel partnership agreements with the Conrad Hotel in Los Angeles and The Ritz-Carlton Nomad in New York City, as well as the opening of Mercado Little Spain, a multi-concept food hall at Hudson Yard’s in New York City. Martino began his career working through the ranks of Carrabba’s Italian Grill, where he was trained as a chef before moving on to be a general manager. He later became vice president of operations of the Nashville based MStreet Entertainment Group.

FARM TO FORK INCUBATOR FEATURES FOOD-TECH STARTUPS

SCOOP learned that Techstars, a global investment firm that provides incubators across a range of industries, has unveiled the 11 food-technology startups in this year’s Farm to Fork Accelerator.

The companies chosen for the 2023 Farm to Fork Accelerator, which is based in Minneapolis, leverage artificial intelligence and other tech to address foodindustry challenges such as sustainability, labor, supply chain, and human and animal health.

The Farm to Fork Accelerator, which is conducted in partnership with Ecolab, is a three-month, inperson learning program during which startups have access to Techstars mentors and other resources. The program concludes with a “Demo Day” in which the startups pitch their concepts to other potential investors. The Farm to Fork portfolio, which includes cohorts of food companies from 2021 and 2022 Farm to Fork Accelerators, has raised a total of $154 million, according to Techstars.

This year’s finalists are:

• BeChained, an AI-powered energy-tech solution based in Spain that seeks to help industrial consumers save money and reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from efficiency in production.

• ConnectedFresh, a provider of “internet of things” (IoT) monitoring solutions that automate tasks and monitor equipment to minimize food safety risks in continued on page 104 commercial kitchens.

• Farmshare, an online marketplace that allows consumer to order products from small, independent food producers, including farms, ranches, and fisheries around the country.

• Gentian, which uses AI and remote sensing to monitor biodiversity and track vegetation ecology.

• OrdrSmart, a platform that enables ingredient suppliers to automate and track the process of sending samples to CPG manufacturers.

• Population, an environmental health and safety operating system for the food industry’s last mile.

• Puebla.io, which seeks to provide digital supply chain collaboration solutions for tropical commodities such as coffee.

• Rubilabs Veterinary Services, which provides final-mile delivery for essential vaccines and other animal health products for livestock in Africa.

• Tavolo, an AI-driven restaurant analytics platform that enables business owners to automate marketing.

• Uuvipak, which makes a patent pending, 100 percent home compostable — and edible — material created from upcycled food waste and designed to replace single-use plastic.

• xBlock, an AI assistant for restaurants connecting all data into one system to better communicate with customers, staff, and managers across multiple devices.

“We are thrilled to welcome an incredible group of talented founders to Minnesota this summer for our Farm to Fork Accelerator,” said Sarah Bain, managing director of Techstars Minnesota, in a statement. “This year’s cohort delivers forward-thinking solutions that address the most dire issues across the food space and the ways technological innovation can be implemented for efficiencies.”

Techstars, which has conducted accelerator programs in Minnesota since 2016, provides initial funding and takes an ownership stake in the startups. This year’s Farm to Fork program kicked off on July 10 and runs through Oct. 5.

LES DAMES D’ESCOFFIER NY AWARDS 2023 SCHOLARSHIPS

SCOOP learned that Les Dames d’ Escoffier New York (LDNY), the nonprofit educational, scholarship, and advocacy organization serving women in the culinary, beverage and hospitality industries, announced 19 meaningful scholarships were awarded to recipients enrolled in accredited culinary and pastry arts, nutrition, food science, hospitality, and wine and spirits/fine beverage programs in New York and New Jersey.

The students were recognized and celebrated for their current achievements and promising futures at the annual LDNY Scholarship Awards held at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City.

“LDNY’s scholarship program brings our mission to life. To truly empower the next generation of women leaders, Dames know it is imperative to provide talented and ambitious women with the financial resources needed to pursue their professional goals. The impressive achievements of our scholarship recipients are powerful proof that investing in talent improves individual lives and our industries,” explained Wanda Mann, President of LDNY.

Since its inception in 1977, LDNY has awarded more than two million dollars to over 1,000 recipients. In her keynote address, Ikimi Dubose-Woodson, co-founder and CEO of The Roots Fund, reflected on the impact of that milestone contribution as she discussed leading by example and empowering people to take an active role in society. “Scholarships provide financial relief and a sense of community. Oftentimes, scholarship organizations become your first mentors and folks to network with in an authentic way. It builds a forever connection,” said DuboseWoodson.

Armita Jamshidi of Cornell University was awarded the 2023 L’Etoile Scholarship, which is given to a student destined to be a star in the culinary world. Jamshidi was recognized for founding a nutraceutical food product, based on her Iranian grandmother’s recipe, that helps relieve menstrual cramps, called SheBalls.

Culinary Institute of America student Cassandra Coe was the recipient of the Tony May Scholarship, established by Dame Marisa May Metalli in loving memory of her father, Tony May, the restaurateur and authority on Italian cuisine. Although Coe is not of Italian heritage, she feels as though she is “Italian by heart.” Her mission, like May’s, is to teach people that there’s more to Italian food than spaghetti and meatballs.

Over $75,000 was awarded to the 19 students attending Cornell University, Culinary Institute of

America (CIA), Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), International Wine Center (IWC) Kingsborough Community College, Montclair State University, New York City College of Technology, New York University and Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP).