Smithfield Innovation Group

With an unrestrained entrepreneurial spirit, Smithfield Innovation Group (SiG) products and services will meet your needs by providing unmatched innovation, excitement, and culinary integrity from thought to finish.

Leading a team of internationally recognized chefs and bringing to SiG and all its projects a wealth of food creativity, imagination and sense of what excites the palates of today's educated consumers is our President, Chef Michael J. Brando.

A food industry executive with more than 30 outstanding years in the culinary arts, Chef Brando and his team of Product Developers, Manufacturing Experts and Marketing & Sales Professionals bring our trendsetting food innovations to market in a Cut-to-the-Chase timeframe.

Smithfield Innovation Group
1631 Barclay Blvd. Buffalo Grove, IL 60089

1 877 FOODS4U

Chef Brando has layered Smithfield's savory pepperoni, ham and salami with velvety-smooth provolone cheese inside his succulent dough to create this delectable Italiano Panini Sandwich.

See more products by Chef Brando

Chef Michael J. Brando, CMC
President

Chef Michael Brando is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has achieved Master Chef status. Upon graduation, Chef Brando spent four years training throughout Europe

Chef Brando is now celebrating his 36th professional year in culinary arts and is a gold and silver medal winner in several international culniary competitions. Most recently, Chef Brando had the distinction of being a featured chef at the 14th Annual James Beard Foundation Awards celebration on May 10, 2004 in New York City.

Formerly, Chef Brando was the Corporate Executive Chef and Vice President of a major international hotel chain. Additionally, he is a highly regarded authority in product and menu development. During the past ten years, Chef Brando has focused his culinary career in the area of product development for both the foodservice and retail marketplace. Throughout that period, he has successfully developed and launched several hundred innovative products.

Michael Formichella, CMC
Director of Culinary Arts and Product Development

A past President of d' Escoffier Foundation, he is also a member of Chef de Cuisine of America, the Research Chefs' Association and Societe Culinaire Philanthropique.

Upon graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Michael Formichella worked extensively throughout the South Pacific and Europe. He has achieved Master Chef status and garnered a Five Star rating for his cuisine.

Michael has experience as Corporate Executive Chef and Director of Operations for an international restaurant group based in London. Together with Chef Brando, Michael has the distinction of being a featured chef at the Annual James Beard Foundation Awards celebrations in 2004 and 2005 in New York City. He has also appeared on nationally-syndicated television.

Richard J. Camerota, Sr., CEC

Chef Richard is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He brings over twenty five years of experience in culinary arts, contract foodservice management, foodservice sales, and marketing development.

As the National Foodservice Sales Executive Chef, he is focused on creating opportunities with national foodservice chains and distribution, as well as offering culinary sales support to the Smithfield family of independent operating companies.

Chef Albert Helton

Chef Albert has over twenty five years of experience in culinary arts. He has trained and certified with Le Cordon Bleu.

He has worked in several national foodservice dining restaurants. Albert is very strong with ethnic menu development, as well as managing multiple kitchens. Chef Albert worked his way from production chef to Sous Chef.

Our Kitchen

We have the operations of a full-service restaurant in our new test kitchen. That way, when we present new products to customers we're able to demonstrate how our products perform in their respective environments. Our team of professionals, centered at what we call our Culinary Campus, carefully manage the development, marketing and production of our exciting new products and can be found at Smithfield Innovation Group Headquarters in Buffalo Grove, IL.

Contact SiG and and let us know how we can work together.

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