Cory Lattuca

Restaurant and culinary professional with 20+ years of experience in menu development, multi-unit operations, procurement, and supply chain management.

Background spans both culinary and purchasing disciplines — with hands-on experience in custom product development, private label manufacturing, and building sourcing programs from the ground up. Supported high-growth organizations through significant expansion, including scaling procurement infrastructure from 17 to 39 locations across 7 states at Upward Projects, and contributing to concept growth from 1 to 51 locations over a 17-year tenure at Grimaldi's Pizzeria.

Director of Procurement at Upward Projects (2021-10 – 2026-06)

• Supported organizational growth from 17 to 39 restaurant locations across 7 states, building scalable procurement infrastructure to match expansion pace.
• Partnered directly with the culinary team on ingredient sourcing, product specifications, and supplier selection — bridging the gap between kitchen vision and purchasing execution.
• Developed and launched a custom, nationally distributed bread program, transitioning from local bakery sourcing to a scalable private label solution — improving consistency, cost, and supply reliability across all markets.
• Managed custom product development across imported and domestic suppliers in categories including food, beverage, and packaging; worked with multiple importers to bring proprietary items to market.
• Managed $25M–$50M in annual procurement spend; oversaw a multi-distributor network including multiple broadline and specialty distributors across 7 states and regional produce partners.
• Maintained COGS targets through strategic purchasing and Actual vs. Theoretical reporting; coached operations teams on performance accountability at the unit level.
• Led evaluation, selection, and rollout of restaurant technology platforms, owning the full process from vendor assessment through team adoption and performance management.

Principal at Chef Lattuca Consulting LLC (2020-11 – 2021-10)

• Independent consulting practice focused on culinary development and restaurant operations; advised clients on menu strategy, concept development, kitchen operations, and sourcing.

Director of Operations & Training at Ignite Creative Services (2020-04 – 2020-11)

• Advised operator and supplier clients on F&B strategy, menu engineering, LTO development, and sourcing vision; delivered data assessments, APL recommendations, and actionable implementation roadmaps.

F&B Director / Corporate Executive Chef at Grimaldi's Pizzeria (2003-05 – 2020-03)

• 17-year tenure building and evolving all food & beverage programs through significant concept growth — scaling from 1 location to 51 nationally, maintaining culinary integrity and operational consistency throughout.
• Created the original menu from the ground up and led ongoing culinary evolution — developing seasonal and LTO programs, researching emerging ingredients and flavor trends, and continually refining the core offering.
• Directed custom product development across proprietary ingredients including flour, pizza cheese and cheese blends, and pepperoni — working directly with manufacturers and importers to develop and source exclusive items at scale.
• Managed the full alcoholic beverage program including wine curation, cocktail development, LTO beverage promotions, and bar operations — collaborating with importers and distributors on proprietary wine and spirits offerings.
• Managed full kitchen P&L including budgeting, supply ordering, cost controls, and labor planning; established QA standards and operational policies that scaled across all 51 locations.
• Designed and delivered cross-departmental training programs; coached teams on culinary standards, food preparation compliance, and operational efficiency.

Associate of Arts in Culinary Arts – Scottsdale Culinary Institute (2003)