Eric Nelson

Culinary and foodservice leader with 20+ years of experience driving menu innovation, operational excellence, and profitable growth across restaurants, breweries, retail prepared foods, catering, and distribution environments. Builds scalable food programs, strengthens margins through cost and yield discipline, and leads teams through openings, rollouts, training, and process improvement. Trusted partner to operators, ownership groups, and sales teams for translating culinary strategy into stronger execution and business results.

Corporate Chef - Gordon Food Service - Cleveland, OH

(2025-01)

• Advise independent and multi-unit restaurant operators on menu performance, kitchen execution, labor fit, and profitability strategy.
• Lead menu development sessions, tastings, and back-of-house consultations tailored to concept and target margin.
• Improve food cost, yield, recipe consistency, and purchasing decisions through operational analysis.
• Partner with sales teams to support prospecting, onboarding, retention, and account growth.

Executive Corporate Chef - Lucky's Market - Concord, OH

(2020-03 - 2025-01)

• Led culinary strategy for a high-volume scratch prepared foods program spanning deli, catering, production, and retail operations.
• Standardized recipes, production planning, and execution systems to improve consistency, throughput, and quality.
• Managed purchasing, vendor relationships, specifications, and inventory controls to reinforce cost discipline.
• Built and coached culinary teams while strengthening food safety and operating standards.

Culinary Director - Voodoo Brewery - Meadville, PA

(2014-07 - 2020-04)

• Directed culinary operations for a growing brewery and hospitality group, aligning food strategy with brand growth and guest experience.
• Designed and launched a commissary kitchen program that centralized prep and streamlined production across locations.
• Standardized recipes, portioning, workflows, and prep systems to support scalable expansion.
• Led festivals, catering, and special events serving more than 800 guests.

Executive Chef - Copeland's of New Orleans - New Orleans, LA

(2003-04 - 2014-06)

• Led culinary operations for a high-volume restaurant and banquet program with accountability for quality, labor, food cost, and guest satisfaction.
• Directed staffing, scheduling, purchasing, prep, production planning, and line execution across restaurant and banquet business.
• Developed seasonal menus, banquet offerings, and signature dishes rooted in classic New Orleans cuisine.
• Implemented recipe and operational controls that improved food cost performance and reduced waste.