Culinary Systems, Inc.

Tony Lagana, President
"New Product Guru"
Tony Lagana, president of Culinary Systems, Inc., is a thirty-one year veteran of the food industry and has often been nicknamed by his peers “The New Product Guru”. Since its inception in 1997, Culinary Systems Inc. has helped its clients develop and introduce new products and product lines generating approximately one “Billion” dollars in sales at the retail, food manufacturing, and restaurant level. Mr. Lagana says, “Our success has come from being able to see through the eyes of the consumer”.

Tony’s diverse background began with a classical European style apprenticeship at the “hall of fame restaurant” L’auberge Chez Francois. He has been executive Chef of several fine dining restaurants in the Washington D.C. area, a cooking instructor at L’Academie De Cuisine, and has been featured live on Metromedia Magazine demonstrating his recognized expertise in Southeast Asian cooking. Mr. Lagana held a senior position in New Concept Development for Kraft Foods, developing concepts and prototypes for the entire North American retail and food service division. His efforts produced new products in virtually every section on the grocery shelves.

Tony also held the position of Director of Culinary Development for the 700-unit Red Lobster chain, leading the development of new promotions and base menu items.

A successful restaurant designer, Tony and his team have developed concepts and built multiple, profitable, restaurant operations in Europe and the US. “It's a turn-key resource,” says Lagana, “we are there every step of the way from consumer research and concept design through construction, staff training and opening for buisness.”

“We have been able to put retail and foodservice products in the market that have national appeal and staying power by doing our homework”, says Lagana. “We look at the demographic and attitudinal data from all sectors of foodservice and retail. This information is cross-linked to our own internal Culinary tracking, which analyzes all categories in foodservice, including fine dining. This paints a broad picture of where things are going and what people want, even when they can not articulate that desire”.

The technical and culinary skills of Tony and his team can be seen on the menus of national chains, in the portfolio of national food manufacturers, and on the grocery shelves of products produced by major retail companies.

Culinary Systems Inc. is located in Windermere, FL and can be contacted by visiting their website at www.culinarysystems.com or by calling (407) 578-7343.

Bernhard Junkert, Executive Chef
European trained, Bernhard has over twenty years of cooking experience. Bernhard has held many positions in some of Europe’s finest hotels and restaurants, including a stint in Damascus, where he gained knowledge in Middle Eastern Cookery. Within the U.S., Bernhard has worked in various five-star hotels in the Chicago area gaining a thorough knowledge in multiple cuisines and Kosher cooking. His advanced skills in Garde Manger has been showcased most recently in Chicago’s University Club.

A. Yoelao, (Lek), Product Specialist/Food Stylist
Lek holds a B.S. in Food and Nutrition from the Sandusit Teacher’s College in Bangkok, Thailand. She has apprenticed in several major hotels under widely respected European chefs. Lek was Executive Chef at Royal Siam, a Thai restaurant in the Washington D.C. suburbs, where Lek and Tony joined forces in the Americanization of Thai and other Asian flavor systems. Lek worked in Recipe development for the Kraft Creative Kitchens and studied Food Styling at the CIA in Hyde Park, New York.

Susanne Bukey, Senior Consultant
After graduating from Framingham State College with a B.S. in Home Economics, Susanne taught high school food and nutrition classes before working in the restaurant industry. She held positions in Food Product Development for Ground Round Restaurants working on special Marketing projects, including Promotions and Banquet Menus. When Susanne left Ground Round, she did food development, photography and new menu development consulting for major restaurants in the Boston area. When Susanne joined Red Lobster in 1991 as a member of the Research and Development team, she worked in National Promotions, Regional and Base Menu development, Public Relations and New Concept Development. In 1998 Susanne joined the Culinary Systems team offering creative, culinary ideas to restaurant chains and manufacturers.