Michael Formichella, C.M.C.
President
Chella Foods

Chella Foods is an International food service consulting company specializing in product development, from bench top gold standard recipes to full plant production, national account presentations, trade shows support, culinary training, sensory science and marketing research and trends.

Prior to creating Chella Foods, Formichella was senior vice president and chief operating officer for the Smithfield Innovation Group, where he was responsible for managing product development, from creating ideas, conducting research and development through introducing Smithfield products into the marketplace. He also developed and presented menu solutions for many of the top 200 national foodservice operators.

During his 40 years in the food industry, Formichella’s distinguished culinary career has taken him on a long and winding road from his days as a 14-year-old prep cook to a certified master chef today. He has worked extensively throughout the South Pacific and all across Europe.

Prior to joining Smithfield, Formichella held numerous executive chef positions and operated his own highly acclaimed food service company in New Jersey. Formichella also served as the North American corporate executive chef of Belgo LLC, based in London and New York. He later became corporate chef and director of product development at Global Culinary Solutions (GCS), where he was at the forefront of new-trend product development. In 2003 Smithfield Foods acquired GCS and Formichella continued to work for the Smithfield Innovation Group as director of culinary arts.

He was promoted to senior vice president and chief operating officer in 2006. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), one of the world’s premier culinary colleges. He also is a past president of Les Amis d’Escoffier Foundation and a member of Chef de Cuisine of America, the Research Chefs’ Association and Societe Culinaire Philanthropique. Formichella was a featured chef at the Annual James Beard Foundation Awards celebrations in 2003-05 in New York City and has appeared on nationally syndicated television programs.

He and his wife Kate live in North Barrington, Illinois with their four children.