Michael Buononato

Chef and food technologist Michael Buononato is the Senior Vice  President of Creative Food Solutions, the commercial culinary division of The Food Group, which merges advanced product design with food marketing. In this role, he develops food and beverage products while managing a team of knowledgeable and talented research chefs, food scientists and industry specialists, providing research and development expertise to companies of all sizes.

A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America with additional studies in food science at Rutgers University, he has more than 30 years of experience in the development of products from inception to commercialization. Currently his focus is testing and evaluating industry first ingredients, scaling commercial formulations and creating products that are craveable and marketable for foodservice clients. He loves a challenge in product design and holds a patent for the flavored encapsulation of salt.