Gourmet News

Fortune International Appoints Top Executives

Published January 17, 2024

Fortune International, LLC, the country’s leading processor, distributor and importer of quality seafood, meats and gourmet products, has appointed six senior executives to further strengthen and expand the company’s financial, operational and marketing capabilities.

Joel Jorgensen

Fortune named Joel Jorgensen as chief financial officer, Richard Deferia as chief revenue officer and Kevin Hoople as chief information officer, all reporting to President and CEO Sean O’Scannlain. The company also named Ethan Farber as vice president of marketing, Steven Gwozdz as vice president of frozen seafood and Trey Kidd as market vice president of Texas.

“We are very pleased to announce the addition of six exceptional new senior executives to our leadership, corporate and regional teams at the start of 2024,” O’Scannlain said. “We continue to attract the industry’s very best talent, which allows us to invest in and build stronger customer relationships, accelerate business momentum and drive growth into new markets. I look forward to supporting my new colleagues in their new responsibilities. This is an exciting way to start off the new year.”

Jorgensen will oversee overall financial and operational management at Fortune, as well as play a key leadership role in strategic business planning, M&A execution and integration. He brings over 15 years of financial executive experience in food distribution and packaging to Fortune.

Previously, Jorgensen was chief financial officer at B2B Industrial Packaging, LLC in Addison, Ill., where he led and supported the acquisition of 16 companies and built out the company’s leadership, treasury and HR functions. Before that, he was CFO at Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors in Detroit. He received his B.A. in Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa.

Richard Deferia

Deferia will lead and support the continued national expansion of the Fortune Fish & Gourmet distribution business. He has over 15 years of experience in the food and restaurant industries, starting his career as a chef before transitioning into sales and marketing. Before Fortune, Deferia spent 13 years at Sysco, starting his career as a marketing associate before working up to Regional vice president of sales mideast region.

Prior, he was an executive chef at Dockside Jack’s and JB’s Wharf in Michigan. Deferia received a degree of culinary arts from the French Culinary Institute and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame.

Kevin Hoople

Hoople will be responsible for overseeing Fortune’s IT, information security teams and strategy, with an initial focus on data collection infrastructure. He has been an IT executive in the food and distribution industries for over 20 years.

Prior to Fortune, he spent 14 years at Lawson Products, starting as a director of ERP integration & deployment and rising eventually to chief information officer. Before Lawson, Hoople spent 10 years at Reyes Holdings L.L.C. and Martin-Brower L.L.C. He received his B.A. in management computer systems from the University of Wisconsin.

Farber brings nearly 20 years of experience in brand and creative strategy, strategic planning and business insights to the company. Prior to joining Fortune, he was Senior vice president and partner in creative planning at FleishmanHillard in Chicago. Before that, he was executive vice president and U.S. head of planning at BCW Global, formerly Burson-Marsteller, for nearly six years. He is an alumnus of Bowdoin College.

Experienced in front-line retail operations, Gwozdz is a senior food industry leader with expertise across fresh commodities and other categories. Before joining Fortune, he was a category manager III of Seafood Merchandising at Stop and Shop Supermarkets. Gwozdz also spent three years as category manager III of meat merchandising at Giant Food Stores and, before that, as a manager of meat merchandising at Price Chopper/Market 32. He is an alumnus of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams.

Based in the Greater Houston area, Kidd is a proven sales and operations leader with over 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. Before joining Fortune to oversee Texas operations, he was general manager for three years at BakeMark, a manufacturer and distributor of bakery ingredients. Prior to that, he spent nearly 22 years at Sysco, rising from a marketing associate to vice president of field sales for the Southern Market. He received his B.S. in agriculture from Texas A&M University.

Fortune International, LLC, is the parent operating company of Fortune Fish & Gourmet, a full-service processor and distributor providing white-tablecloth restaurants, private clubs, elegant hotels and gourmet retail stores with the finest quality fresh, live and frozen seafood and gourmet foods. The company handles more than 18,000 unique products daily and delivers to more than 35,000 customer locations throughout the United States with a fleet of refrigerated vehicles, and nationally through FedEx and common carriers. For more information, visit www.fortunefishco.net.

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UNO Pizzeria Celebrates 80th Anniversary, National Pizza Week

Published January 16, 2024

National Pizza week is Jan. 14-20 and Uno Pizzeria and Grill is celebrating with deals on all styles of its amazing pizza. Uno Pizzeria and Grill is the inventor of deep dish pizza and just celebrated its 80^th birthday. To mark the occasion and National Pizza Week, Unos is offering a deal a day on their different pizza styles. Each day features a different deal.

On Tuesday, Jan 16, the offering is Detroit Style Pizza with a BOGO .80 cents deal. Buy one small Detroit style pizza (cheese or pepperoni) and receive a second for only .80 cents. Available for take-out and dine-in. Available at select locations only. Limit one deal per guest.

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, the deal is $6 individual cheese or pepperoni thin crust pizzas. Available for take-out and dine-in. Limit 5 per guest.

On Thursday Jan. 18, celebrate the 80^th birthday of deep dish pizza with a $6 individual deep dish cheese or pepperoni pizza. Available for take-out or dine-in. Limit 5 per guest.

On Friday Jan. 19, enjoy the new tavern-style pizza for $9.99. This new Unos pizza style features a buttery and crisp crust, a flavorful sauce and a tangy mozzarella and cheddar cheese blend. It is available at select locations only and is for dine-in only.

On Saturday Jan. 20, the deals end with a take-out deal that features a BOGO 5 percent off pizza deal. Buy any pizza and get the second one for 50 percent off. Enjoy your weekend with this great deal.

Availability on all offers may vary by location.

Come join in the celebration of both National Pizza Week and the 80^th birthday of Uno Pizzeria and Grill.

Based in Boston, Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation includes approximately 80 company-owned and franchised UNO Pizzeria & Grill restaurants located in 18 states, and the District of Columbia, India and Saudi Arabia. UNO is all about connecting people over pizza – from its famous Chicago Deep Dish, which UNO invented in 1943, to its Chicago Thin Crust to its gluten-free and vegan pizzas. For more information, visit www.unos.com.

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Cargill Names Varma to Succeed Richo in Legal Role

Published January 16, 2024

Cargill has named Rishi Varma corporate senior vice president, chief legal and compliance officer and corporate secretary, effective Jan. 29. In this role, he will also serve as general counsel. Varma succeeds Anna Richo, who will transition to corporate senior vice president, strategic advisor to the general counsel and CEO until her retirement in September.

Varma joins Cargill from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he serves as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. While at HPE, he oversaw corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracting, supply chain matters, litigation, intellectual property and corporate securities.

He also played an integral role in the legal separation of Hewlett Packard Company into Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP Inc. Prior, Varma was general counsel for two publicly traded companies – TPC Group, Inc., a petrochemical company, and Trico Marine Services, Inc., a global subsea service provider. At Trico, he also served in additional management roles, including chief operating officer and president. Varma holds a bachelor of science degree in political science from Georgetown University and a J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rishi, a highly respected attorney and business leader, to Cargill,” said Brian Sikes, Cargill board chair, president and CEO. “His commitment to operational excellence and ensuring this is achieved in compliance with the highest legal and ethical standards builds on our strong culture of integrity.”

“We will miss Anna’s contributions and leadership,” Sikes said. “Anna led with purpose and passion to transform and integrate our legal, compliance, government relations, corporate governance, security, and shareholder relations functions to operate with a strong focus on the customer. Her contributions strengthened our diverse and inclusive culture and will leave a lasting mark on the company.”

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