Suzanne Florek
Chicago
With experience in some of Chicago’s most acclaimed restaurants and boardrooms, Suzanne E. Florek brings a unique blend of business savvy and culinary expertise.
Florek currently enjoys a freelance career in New Product Development as a corporate chef for several clients.
Florek recently launched a savvy WEB site Salty Fig http://www.saltyfig.com, a WEB tool designed to Collect, Organize and Save recipes, while promoting and cross linking indie food sites.
Before striking out on her own, Florek was the Director of Culinary Services for a Chicago food marketing and advertising firm, Noble and Associates.
Prior to joining the agency, Florek was Chef de Cuisine for the critically acclaimed Tuttaposto Mediterranean Taverna, formerly in Chicago.
Florek launched her culinary career in Chicago at Spiaggia/Spiaggia Café as Executive Chef, taking the reigns from long time mentor Tony Mantuano.
Florek is a member and Past President of Les Dames d’Escoffier, an international organization open to women who have achieved success in the culinary and hospitality industries.
She has cooked for Vice President Al Gore, was nominated by the Women’s Food Service Network of Chicago for its “Women of the Year” award, and participated in fund-raising events for local charitable organizations such as Rainbow House, Meals on Wheels, the Cradle and others.