Features Food & Beverage

John Matter knows how to deal with adversity. And not the kind someone faces when ordering the wrong Papa John’s pizza for a family gathering. Matter has been through several work challenges throughout his legal career, including an attempted hostile takeover in the first few days on the job of his first in-house legal position. […]

To the average customer, walking into a burger joint or pizza parlor is a simple experience. But to the people behind the scenes at BurgerFi, there’s a lot more involved than just serving someone a Swag (spicy wagyu) burger and fresh-cut fries. Just ask Stefan Schnopp, the company’s chief legal officer and corporate secretary. He’s […]

One reason Sal Roccaro wanted to apply his legal skills at Maximum Quality Foods is because he liked the company philosophy and culture. According to the general counsel, the leadership team works collaboratively with members in every department and at every level of the family owned and operated food distribution company. Located in New Jersey, […]

Piece of cake? Well, it won’t be quite that easy to grow this franchisor of specialty retail bakeries, but the right ingredients and people are in place.  So assures Camille Penniman, who’s soon to celebrate her first anniversary as general counsel and the only in-house lawyer at Nothing Bundt Cakes. The Dallas, Texas-based company, which […]

Danielle Lemack may not have been the creative mind behind HP Hood LLC’s latest commercials, but she played a crucial role in the lines being delivered on screen. In one, a furry blue alien named Sensa makes her first visit to Earth, arriving at the breakfast table where a little girl is pouring Planet Oat […]

A world without candy—a world without chocolate—feels unfathomable. Yet, it’s something Mars Wrigley and its assistant general counsel of cocoa and global initiatives, Stephanie Felicetty, are working daily to prevent. Just consider, she says, that cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana accounts for almost two-thirds of the world’s cocoa supply, and both countries face […]

In retrospect, Doug Martin wonders why it took some persuasion for him to accept the position. Texas-born and bred, Martin so craved the locally produced Blue Bell Creameries ice cream that he’d arrange for half-gallons to be sent to the faraway places where life and career took him. Besides, its headquarters is in Brenham, the […]

There’s no real highs or lows on his watch. Just an overall steadiness that Bhavin Patel helps enable at Compass Group USA where, come August, he’ll celebrate his 15th anniversary as assistant general counsel. But, as he told Vanguard in May, the past couple years have taken some doing to sustain business as usual at […]

Bananas, pineapples, melons and other produce products, like juice, may be what most people associate with Fresh Del Monte. But there’s something else coming to fruition behind the scenes, and it’s responsible for the company’s wide-ranging impact. Fresh Del Monte has 40,000 employees who produce, market and distribute products globally from Asia, Africa and Central […]

Gerald Walden has risen through the ranks and been promoted five times in The Fresh Market’s legal department. Last year, he added a new title that adds responsibility, pressure and pride—and he wouldn’t have it any other way. “The new position is the culmination of a journey I’ve taken much of my adult life,” says […]