Editor’s Note: This special feature focuses on professional chefs from various facets of the foodservice industry. Culinarians answer questions delving into their views of current foodservice developments and how culinary students can obtain positions within different industries. Introduce your students to a plethora of foodservice career options. Click here to view the previous profiles.

In what foodservice area do you work?
I work in the Research and Development/Culinology area of foodservice.

Briefly describe your position.
I am the Senior Vice President of a Commercial Culinary R&D Center.

Where do you see your foodservice area in five years?
Rapid growth due to the complexity and challenges facing our industry.

Describe two current foodservice trends you are seeing right now.
The move to push labor and skill issues upstream to the supplier network and the desire to have innovative offerings that are deliverable, craveable and social media friendly without being overly complicated.

What steps would you advise culinary graduates to take in securing a position in today's market?
Make yourself stand out and present yourself in a manner that is personable and represents your career skills, experience and goals.

Please describe one surprising event in your professional life that made a valuable impact on your career today.
Early in my career, my boss told me that not every project makes it to the point of consumer purchase. The problem is, you will never know which ones will make it, so you need to approach all of them with the same passion, dedication and creativity.

About Michael Buononato
Chef and food technologist, Michael Buononato is the Senior Vice President of Creative Food Solutions which merges advanced product design with commercial culinary expertise. In this role, he develops food and beverage products while managing a team of knowledgeable and talented industry chefs and specialists. He provides research and development expertise to companies of all sizes. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with additional studies in food science at Rutgers University, he has over 30 years of experience in the development of products from inception to commercialization. Currently, his focus is on developing commercial formulas and innovative creations for brands and menu development for foodservice chains.