Food & Beverage Consultants: 10

David Rutecki's career spans 39 years of Restaurant and Hospitality related experience. Working in more than 20 restaurants and involved in the opening of more than a dozen, he has worked every position possible within this industry. Mr. Rutecki currently owns and operates Mountain Deli in Hendersonville, garnering the 2016, 2017 & 2018 Blue Ridge Growth Award. He is a Member of the North Carolina and National Restaurant Associations. Mr. Rutecki has been invloved in the following selected restaurants:

• Fancy’s Food and Wine, Gourmet Shop, Coral Gables, South Miami & Grove Isle, Fl.
• Susie’s Bagels, Breakfast Restaurant, South Miami, Fl.
• Pizzaria Uno, Full Service Restaurant, Miami, Fl.
• Baystreet, Full Service Seafood Restaurant, Miami, Fl.
• Rusty Pelican, Upscale Seafood, Key Biscayne, Miami, Fl.
• Rudolph's BBQ, Upscale BBQ, Miami, Fl.
• Signature Gardens, Upscale Catering Hall, Miami, Fl.
• Chart House, Upscale Seafood, Coconut grove, Fl.
• Cafe Tu Tu Tango, Coconut Grove, Fl.
• Gatsby’s, Upscale Billiards and Cigar Bar, Boca Raton, Fl.
• Prezzo, Casual Italian, Boca Raton, Fl.
• Maxwell’s Chophouse, Upscale Steakhouse, Boca Raton, Fl.
• Mountain Deli, Delicatessen, Downtown Hendersonville, NC
• Tabica Grill, Upscale American, Jupiter, Fl.
• Jonathon's Landing Marina Club, Upscale Boating Club, Jupiter, Fl
• Jetty's, Upscale Seafood, Jupiter, Fl.
• Austin Grill, Casual, Washington, DC.

Litigation Support - David Rutecki offers expert witness and litigation support for restaurant related issues in the United States. His services are available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defendant. Areas of Expertise:

• Restaurant and Kitchen Design, Menu Development
• Food Safety and Sanitation
• Bar Operations & Liquor Liability... Dram Shop
• Safety & Security - Slips, Trips and Falls
• Daily Operations & Management, Employee & Staffing Issues
• Retail Operations
• Staff & Mgmt Training Programs & Handbooks
• Business Plan Development

Restaurant Consulting Innovations (RCI) provides services to the Restaurant / Food Services Industry, whether for new development, existing concept re-development and enhancement, or salvaging a company in crisis. RCI provides a highly focused and effective approach from evaluation to implementation of solutions to benefit their clients in the most efficient manner.

Clients List - Joe's Crab Shack, Cask ‘n Cleaver, Lord Charlie’s, El Gato Gordo, Pizza Pronto, Safari Bar Restaurant, Shark Club, Bull Dog Grill, Stronghouse, Pangea, The Ballroom, Juarez Grill, Dickerson’s Club 29, Yucatan Liquor Stand, Zepp’s Atomic Tex Mex, Cabo Grill, Angel Stadium, In Cahoots, The Ball Room, Slick Willie’s, Rodeo, Jake’s, Bobs on the Bay, Crabby Bob’s Seafood, PizzaRev, Honolulu Harry’s, Lahaina Mai Tai Lounge, Canyon Grill, Campagnia, Huey’s Grill & Brewery, Gladstone’s Long Beach, Pro’s Ranch Markets, Lily's Doughnuts & Pops

Consultant Services:

• Design Build Management - Design from Culinary Vision to Construction Documentation, Full Project Management / Installation, Consolidation and Delivery, Site Surveys to Determine Operational Efficiencies, Custom Stainless Fabrication, GPO Procurement Power
• Business Coaching - Leadership Development & Accountability, Performance Optimization, Franchise Model Development, Value Enhancement to Sell or Leverage Bank Financing, Business Performance Reviews, Strategic Planning, Business Turnarounds, New Concept Development
• Industries Served - Independent Restaurants, Multi Unit Operators, New Concepts & Emerging Brands, Franchise Companies, Food-service Suppliers, Hotel Food & Beverage, Investors / Private Equity / Landlords, Wineries, and Virtual Kitchens

Gary R. Coburn, Principal at RCI,  is an award-winning Restaurant Executive with 40 years of experience creating, opening, running, and advising hundreds of full service restaurants, limited service, quick-service, bars and nightclubs. Additional expertise in restaurant franchising and commercial kitchen design/build from remodels to ground up including conceptual development, viability and business interruption.

With over four decades in the industry, Mr. Coburn has held positions as VP of National Accounts and Design Build for the largest commercial kitchen and distribution company in the country to, Director of Operations, President, COO, Executive Director of Food Services and owner operator. His management experience has included supervising more than 2,000 employees, including 170 managers, along with overseeing consulting assignments for numerous companies.

View Gary R. Coburn's Expert Witness Profile.

Tom Jonaitis, DABT, is a Board Certified Toxicologist and Consumer Product Safety / Regulatory Consultant with 18 years of experience. He has broad expertise in the areas of Safety and Exposure Assessment, Regulatory Compliance, and Toxicology Evaluations.  

Mr. Jonaitis helps companies efficiently navigate and comply with various regulations and obstacles in the consumer product, food, cosmetic, dietary supplement, building material, and chemical industries. His has co-authored several manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals on the topics of safety, risk assessment, and other research.

Background Experience - Prior to forming RegTox Solutions, Mr. Jonaitis served as Manager of Toxicology & Regulatory Affairs at Intertek Scientific & Regulatory Consultancy (2005-2018). He worked as subject-matter expert (SME) and client contact for matters related to California Proposition 65, including presenting webinars and presentations. He also conducted human exposure assessments in relation to chemicals in food, dietary supplements, consumer products, cosmetics, as well as deriving exposure limits for carcinogens, reproductive / developmental or other toxins using traditional and benchmark dose modeling approaches.

Business Consultant Services:

• Regulatory Compliance Evaluations
• Scientific Literature Hazard Reviews and Summaries for Chemicals / Substances
• Creating Pre-Market Quality and Safety Dossiers for Novel Food / Dietary Supplement Ingredient Applications (primarily for US, Canada, Australia)
• Safety Assessments
• Label Claims Analysis and Compliance
• Deriving Exposure Limits
• HazComm, Pesticide Applications, and various other niche areas
• California Proposition 65 Compliance (and how to avoid costly enforcement)

Following a career in the public and private sectors, Catherine Adams Hutt, PhD, RD, CFS, launched a consulting career and is currently President and CEO of RdR Solutions Consulting. With vast experience in her field, she provides advice and guidance on a wide range of topics, including:

Regulatory Compliance Food Safety Quality Systems Management Supply Chain

Health and Wellness Business Strategy Product Development Software Solutions for Product Development Processes

Dr. Adams Hutt also partners with Elizabeth Sloan and Sloan Trends to create business strategy advice for Fortune 500 businesses in the Food and Dietary Supplement categories. Sloan Trends examines consumer trends using unique predictive tools to identify emerging mega markets. They help businesses better understand the market and differentiate long-term business opportunities from short-term trends. Dr. Adams Hutt compliments the trend analysis with in-depth investigations of the science behind the issues and regulatory considerations.

A Registered Dietitian and Certified Food Scientist, Dr. Adams Hutt was formerly Chief Quality, Food Safety, and Nutrition Officer for McDonald’s Corporation and led Supplier and Restaurant Food Safety teams for YUM! Brands. She was Chief Quality Officer for Coors Brewing Company, led the North America Quality team at H.J. Heinz, and developed next generation Quality programs for the Campbell Soup Company. Dr. Adams Hutt was Assistant Administrator for the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) where she led the development of HACCP as a regulatory tool. She has been an active participant in international programs, and led the U.S Delegation for the Codex Food Hygiene Committee.

Texas Office 4568 Elm Bottom Circle Aubrey, TX 76227

Virginia Office 124 South Fairfax Alexandria, VA 22314

View Dr. Adams Hutt's Expert Witness Profile.

Perry Group International, founded in 1985, provides consulting, interim hotel management and restaurant and hospitality expert services for lodging, food services, resorts, and nightclubs. Their group does work nationally and internationally with new startup, profitable, and under-performing and distressed hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, retail and mixed-use real estate. 

The professionals at Perry Group International serve as third-party asset manager, owners representative, and advisor, for investors and owners. They also act as court appointed receivers and interim hospitality managers for lenders, operators, and their legal and real estate professionals. Clients have included Biscuits & Blues, Cantina’s, Chevy’s, Choice Hotels, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns, Hilton, Holiday Inns, Hooter’s Casino, Hyatt, Marriott, McDonald’s, Microtel Inn & Suites, Outback Restaurants, Radisson, Residence Inns, Signature Resort, Sizzler, Sonic Drive-Ins, Starbucks, Starwood, Sheraton, Togo’s, Wendy’s, and Willie Mays Skybox Lounge among others.

Hospitality Management Consulting:

Interim Hotel Management Temporary General Manager Short Term Corporate Manager

Owners Representative Hotel Asset Manager Project Supervisor

Hotel Restaurant Nightclub Consulting:

Acquisition and Disposition Due Diligence Financial Evaluation and Income Impact Planning, Market Analysis, Feasibility Operations and Internal Review Business Interruption

Pre-opening / Post-opening Technical Support Workouts, Restructuring and Repositioning Court Appointed Receiver Provisional Director Expert Witness

Dennis Gemberling, CHA, CFBE, FMP, FCSI, President and Founder of Perry Group International, has over 35 years of experience in the Hospitality Management industry. His experience includes managing, operating, and consulting on full-service, limited-service, extended-stay, all-suite, condo and timeshare hotels and resorts, casual, fine-dining, and quick-service restaurants, bars and nightclubs, special event facilities, casinos, and mixed-use real estate. 

Mr. Gemberling has held prior positions for different owners, operators, and chains as Senior Vice President, General Manager, Director of Food & Beverage, and Restaurant Unit Manager. He has been retained for over 400 projects with typical values in the $1 million to $75 million range and revenues in the $1 million to $100 million range both nationally and internationally. 

View Dennis Gemberling's Expert Witness Profile.

Packaging Technology & Research LLC provides Food Packaging Consulting, Tailored Packaging Science, and Value Chain Solutions that improve   packaging in the Food and Beverage Industry. 

Science-Based Consulting:

Problem Solving and Technical Consulting - Help uncover and shine a spotlight on what’s working and what is NOT to help our clients take bold steps rooted in science-based packaging expertise.

Sustainable Packaging - Unlock the optimal blend of food and packaging science, value chain experience, and consumer insights to achieve more sustainable packaging for clients. This includes food packaging system, flexible packaging, and packaging materials that support food packaging sustainability.

Increase Shelf Life and Prevent Food Waste - Empower clients with packaging solutions to prevent food waste, meet bold commitments on addressing UNSDGs, food justice, hunger, and GHG. reduction. F

Strategy and Roadmaps - Steer clients’ futures by developing science-based, systems-thinking strategies and roadmaps to ensure both an intelligent plan and a strong business case. From food packaging for frozen food to edible packaging and pet food packaging 

Clients: Food Companies, Produce Companies, Frozen Food Manufactures, Meal Kit Delivery Companies, Food and Packaging Wholesaler, Restaurant Chains, Industry Associations, Packaging Companies, Bakeries, Pet Food Companies, Packaging Manufacturers, Quick Service Restaurants, Environmental Advocacy Groups, Chemical Companies, Dairy Farms, Butchers, Copackers, Meat Delivery Companies, Restaurants.

Claire K. Sand, PhD, is a Global Packaging Technology  Leader with over 35 years of Food Science and Packaging experience. Dr. Sand's background includes working with Total Quality Marketing, Nestle, General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Safeway, and academia, as well as in basic research, development market research, and marketing in Germany, Colombia, and Thailand. 

Dr. Sand is the owner and founder of Packaging Technology and Research, LLC, as well as Gazelle Mobile Packaging Inc. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Michigan State University and CalPoly. She is an IFT Fellow, the Riester-Davis-Brody Lifetime Achievement in Food Packaging Award recipient, a member of numerous Editorial Boards, the author of the Packaging Value Chain, and the co-chair of pacfoodwaste. Dr. Sand received her doctorate in Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Minnesota, as well as master's and bachelor's degrees in packaging from Michigan State University.

View Dr. Claire K. Sand's Expert Witness Profile.

mdi Consultants, Inc - Experts in FDA regulatory affairs, quality assurance and ISO 9000 certification. With 6 years in the FDA and 26 years consulting to the industry, mdi Consultants, Inc. has been an invited Speaker worldwide on FDA regulations and policies and has obtained FDA expert status as third party auditors.

OUR APPROACH

We utilize the following three part approach to providing high quality services to our clients:

Unsurpassed consultant experience – we identify and recruit only top quality consultants with deep industry knowledge to provide the most complete and insightful advice to our clients

Up-to-date systems and processes – we have highly defined systems (e.g. manuals, training programs, technical files) and processes (e.g. audit methodologies, 510(k) submission, validations) that are constantly refined and kept current across the ever changing regulatory environment

Involvement in regulation development – we stay ahead of policies by participating in the development of regulation (e.g. HACCP, Scientific Advisor to U.S. Congressmen)

Keystone Hospitality Solutions (KHS) provides full service Restaurant Consulting, from concept development through launch. For the past 32 years, KHS has worked with an extensive network of industry professionals that they bring to each project. Their goal with every project is to fully commit their expertise to support the vision and success of their clients.  

Consulting Services:

Business Plans: Create and Review Branding and Marketing: Comprehensive plan and strategies Menu Development: Recipes, costing and presentation Site Selection: Location research and lease negotiations Staff Training: Staff hiring, training, handbooks and scheduling Facility Design: Work with architect, kitchen designer and contractor

Financial Setup: Capital budget, income/profit projections Investment Strategies: Investment offerings Technology: Latest technology for operations and profitability Executive Coaching: One on one leadership coaching Resources and Networking Expert Witness Services

Alan Someck’s 42 years of experience in the Hospitality Industry as an owner, operator, consultant, and teacher has given him the in depth practical knowledge to provide highly professional and thorough expert witness reports, depositions and testimony.  For the past 14 years, he has been a full time Management Instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City as well as serving as an Adjunct Professor of Hospitality Management at the New York Institute of Technology.

Mr. Someck has had 25 years of experience as a full time operator in fine dining and fast casual restaurants. Through his active consulting firm, Keystone Hospitality Solutions, he has helped develop a wide variety of restaurant concepts ranging from cafes to full service restaurants, and worked as a food service operations analyst for organizations such as the U.S. State Department, U.S. Patent Office, and the F.A.A. 

Mr. Someck has organized and presented at workshops, conferences, and training programs for the New York State Restaurant Association, and has been a national keynote speaker and author of hospitality related business articles on hospitality management strategies, food service operations, and franchising.  He has been featured in a variety of industry media publications such as Forbes.com and Full Service Restaurant Magazine. Mr. Someck is also a Nationally Certified Trainer in ServSafe Food Safety and ServSafe Alcohol.

View Alan Someck's Expert Witness Profile.

Gary Deel, Ph.D., J.D. has 10 years of experience in executive-level positions in the hospitality industry and 10 years of experience teaching hospitality management and law curriculum for some of the nation's top hotel schools.

Dr. Deel holds both a Ph.D. in Hospitality and a J.D. in Law, so he understands the nuances of expert witness testimony from the perspective of attorney strategy. He has also worked in a variety of different hospitality industry capacities including operations, sales, security and risk management, training and administration, and others. His services are available to help attorneys make the strongest possible arguments for clients in hospitality-related cases. Dr. Deel offers expert witness services nationwide in the areas of:

Hotels Resorts Restaurants Travel and Tourism Meetings and Events

Theme Parks Airlines Cruise Lines Casinos Golf Courses

Recent Cases:

• Suit against Miami beach resort involving catastrophic injury in the ocean and hotel duty to warn about latent hazards known to hotel and not obvious to visitors (plaintiff).
• Suit against Orlando city center convention hotel involving sexual assault of a minor guest by an employee and hotel duty to monitor employee whereabouts and activities (plaintiff).

Dr. Ewen Todd is a Food Safety Expert with over 45 years of experience in the reporting and surveillance of Foodborne Disease, as well as development of analytical methods for identifying foodborne pathogens. As a result of his knowledge of foodborne disease and work researching different pathogens and toxins, Dr. Todd has influenced research programs and regulatory approaches taken by the Health Protection Branch of Health Canada. In the US, he held the position of Director of the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center and the Food Safety Policy Center at Michigan State University.

A leader in microbial research, foodborne disease surveillance, costing of outbreaks, food safety policy, seafood toxins, standard-setting, risk assessment, risk management and risk communication, his presentations and food safety programs have been influential in many countries including China, Cambodia, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Europe, as well as Canada, and the USA. Dr. Todd has delivered over 400 presentations and posters at national and international meetings, with over 200 invitations to speak and teach workshops.

An acclaimed author in the field of Foodborne Illness, he has written 109 research papers, 16 reviews, 36 book chapters and booklets, 40 departmental publications, 37 conference proceedings, 9 laboratory methods, 56 investigational and editorial articles, 90 published abstracts, and 3 editings of proceedings or books. Dr. Todd has received 20 appointments and awards, including the Excellence in Science Award for 1998, the first to be awarded by Health Canada. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Association for Food Protection and MSU University Outreach and Engagement as well as Editor in Chief for the Elsevier Encyclopaedia of Food Safety.

Dr. Todd's Consulting services are available to businesses and governments internationally. He responds to telephone calls, emails, and written requests for information on food and waterborne disease.

Consulting Services Include

• General Food Safety and Spoilage Issues
• HACCP and GHP Systems
• Standards for Poultry
• Listeria Monocytogenes in Soft Cheeses
• Standards for Poultry
• Seafood Toxins
• Food Workers
• Investigation of Foodborne and Waterborne Illnesses
• Foodborne Disease Surveillance Systems
• Risk Assessment, Risk Management and Risk Governance
• Safety of Aquaculture Systems
• Norovirus in Elder Care and Other Facilities
• Salmonella and Shigella in Schools and Child Care Centers
• Salmonella in Tahini and Other Oil-based Foods
• Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Leafy Greens
• Staphylococcus aureus in Cheese, Clostridium botulinum in Canned or Preserved Food and Native American / Inuit Fermented Food
• Listeria monocytogenes in Deli Meats and Soft Cheeses
• Controlling Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-eat Foods
• Hydrophobic Grid Membrane Filter Systems

View Expert Witness Profile.