Culinary connoisseurs join SAVOR top brass

Article posted by Coliseum, May 20^th, 2024

Image: ASM Global

The leading venue management company ASM Global Hospitality Division SAVOR has announced that the company has added two key players in the food and beverage (F&B) industry to its experienced team.

‘ASM Global’ stated that hospitality leader Jason Dowd has been appointed as SAVOR’s new Senior Vice-President of Culinary and Innovation and the industry veteran Craig Condra has been named as the Regional Vice-President, Food and Beverage.

Los Angeles (US)-based the ASM Global is the world’s leading venue management company and producer of live event experiences with over 400 venues worldwide. Operating and investing in the world’s most important stadiums, arenas, convention centers, and theaters requires unmatched dedication and the most profound expertise which the company boasts.

SAVOR is the culinary division of ASM Global, the world’s leading producer of entertainment experiences, which spans five continents and more than 350 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention and exhibit centers, and performing arts venues.

The team at SAVOR provides top-notch experiences at every event, from the food preparation to the beverage offerings, whether for intimate VIP experiences or banquets with over 20,000 guests. Besides authentic chef-driven food, the core elements of SAVOR’s food vision include partnerships with the local growers, producers and community members, a commitment to using antibiotic-free meats and poultry and dedication to minimizing impact on the environment through robust sustainability, recycling and composting programs.

‘ASM Global’ further stated that Dowd brings more than 25 years of culinary-innovation experience to SAVOR – with a background in restaurant operations, research and development (R&D) and menu creation – and is also a certified sommelier (a wine steward). Throughout his career he has worked with several well-known brands, from the Ritz-Carlton (American hospitality company) and the InterContinental Hotels Group (a British multinational hospitality company) to Olive Garden (American casual dining restaurant chain), Smashburger (American fast-casual hamburger restaurant chain), and Moe’s Southwest Grill (American fast casual restaurant franchise chain). Most recently, as the Vice-President of Culinary Innovation with the FAT Brands (American multi-brand restaurant operator), he was responsible for the menu strategy, evolution and renovation of 16 restaurant brands in the snack, quick-service restaurant (QSR) and fast-casual and casual-dining categories.

As SAVOR’s Senior Vice-President of Culinary and Innovation, Dowd will manage the execution of the overall strategic product-innovation plan for SAVOR in North America as well as oversee innovation, research, business development, and the key performance indicator (KPI) processes. He will also be charged with driving the product development efforts of the regional and executive chefs, establishing objectives and developing principles to guide product innovation among all the team members.

Condra brings more than 21 years of experience to SAVOR, including stints with Sodexo Live! (catering services), Levy Restaurants (a restaurant and hospitality company based in Chicago, US, specializing in providing food and beverage to major entertainment and sports venues), Legends (premium experiences company), and Aramark (American food company).

His expertise is wide-ranging – from culinary and premium services to finance, data and operations at a variety of venues, including stadiums, arenas and convention centers.

As SAVOR’S Regional Vice-President of Food and Beverage for convention centers, Condra will oversee food and beverage (F&B) operations for 12 convention centers throughout the ASM Global/SAVOR portfolio. He will be responsible for the overall direction, coordination and evaluation of the facilities as well as supervising the employees, from hiring and training to planning, directing and problem-solving.

Stated Shaun Beard, Senior Vice-President, SAVOR, “At SAVOR we take the force of decades of international experience and implement a hyper-local approach, offering our clients unique culinary innovations of the highest levels while also carefully tailoring services at each venue according to the region it operates. With Jason at the helm of the company’s culinary innovation program and Craig managing the facilities at the regional level, we are fully equipped to continue delivering this signature service and unparalleled experience to all of our clients.”

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