Chef Stephen Kalil & Jody Denton
Chef Stephen Kalil
Chef Stephen is both a Certified Executive Chef (CEC) with the American Culinary Federation and a Certified Research Chef (CRC) with the Research Chefs Association.
His career in foodservice began at home as a teenager in the late 1970’s when his family opened a small market specializing in Mediterranean foods, Steve’s Backroom, in Detroit, Michigan. The family business made a big impression, and before long the small bakery expanded into a new kitchen and warehouse facility. In time, Stephen became involved in the superb brand and product development that today encompasses a wholesale and retail grocery business, as well as two dine-in locations. As manager and later as executive chef of Steve’s Backroom, Stephen managed the restaurant, wholesale, and catering kitchens and was integral in developing new food products and increasing sales by nearly 200% for the family business.
His experience at Steve’s Backroom led him to California in 1997, where he expanded his knowledge of food, flavors, and menu development for casual dining as chef de cuisine for Culinary Research and Development at The Cheesecake Factory. Stephen developed new recipes and procedures for the restaurant, designing variations on traditional and popular dishes. He also was instrumental in the opening of many the company’s new concepts including The Grand Lux Café, The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Café, and The Cheesecake Factory Express.
In 2002, Stephen’s expertise in menu development brought him to Chili’s Grill & Bar (Brinker International), where he worked as Director of Culinary Innovation
In July of 2007, Stephen joined PepsiCo and Frito Lay as their first ever corporate chef. In his role, he leads and inspires product development through the application of Culinology- the blending of culinary arts and food science and technology. Stephen and his team were instrumental in designing a rigorous and efficient process of integrating culinary design with consumer insights, food science, technology and marketing. This process has been come to be known as “iCrave” and is responsible for delivering over 3 billion dollars in innovation, globally, and growing.
Stephen is serves as president of the Culinology Education Foundation and is past president and strategic advisor to the board of the Research Chefs Association (RCA) for which he received the President’s Award in 2011. He is also a member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF.) He has been honored as a Distinguished Visiting Chef at Johnson & Wales University and has been featured on Bloomberg, Fast Company, the Food Network’s Unwrapped, and in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Culinology, Flavor and the Menu,QSR, Nation’s Restaurant News, and Prepared Foods and presents at major industry events on the topics of Culinology and food product development.
Chef Jody Denton
In 2011 Jody Denton joined Frito Lay after more than 30 years working in independent restaurants across the country and around the world. He is currently the Executive Research Chef for Frito Lay North America working at the Culinary Innovation Center known as “The Flavor Kitchen” located at Frito Lay Headquarters in Plano, Texas.
Denton began his culinary journey after high school, serving as an apprentice under Texas’ first Certified Master Chef, Ernst Gruch at the Dallas Country Club. After graduating his apprenticeship, Denton spent two years working in restaurants in Switzerland.
Following his time in Switzerland, Denton embarked on a journey across the United States, working for several famous chefs and restaurateurs, such as Dean Fearing at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Wolfgang Puck at Spago and Eureka in Los Angeles, Mark Miller at Red Sage in Washington D.C., Richard Melman of Lettuce Entertain You in Chicago, Reed Hearon at Restaurant LuLu in San Francisco and Rick Tramonto and John Folse at Restaurant R’evolution in New Orleans.
While at Restaurant LuLu in the late 1990’s, he launched a successful and award winning line of Restaurant LuLu Gourmet Foods teaturing a full line of Mediterranean products such as White Truffle Honey and Fig Balsamic Vinegar.
From 2001 to 2009 Denton owned two of his own restaurants in the resort town of Bend, Oregon: Merenda Restaurant and Wine Bar, a wood fired Mediterranean bistro offering more wines by the glass than any other restaurant in the Pacific Northwest, and Deep, a modern Japanese Izakaya and sushi bar.
It was while working for Wolfgang Puck in 1990 that he first met PepsiCo Corporate Executive Chef Stephen Kalil, a relationship that led to Denton’s current role of Executive Research Chef for Frito Lay North America.
