FREEMAN MOSER III

Senior Executive Chef

Freeman Moser III brings his passion for creative brainstorming and his unfaltering pursuit of excellence to the Kraft Culinary Centre. As Senior Executive Chef, he manages the Kraft culinary team, who he characterizes as "tenured, professional and passionate."

Underpinning Chef Moser's expertise in recipe and product development is a studied culinary approach inspired by his 10 years at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Indeed, when cooking he carries the high level of excellence set there as his standard bearers.

At Kraft Foodservice, Chef Moser thrives when pouring his creativity and culinary finesse into solving the specific business challenges of our customers. "I appreciate that there are different segments of foodservice, each with their own business goals," he says. "So whether we're articulating culinary excellence through a slider or a deli-fresh sandwich, we're always going after being the best."

Born: January 22, 1962

Home: Clarendon Hills, Ill.

Education: Associates Degree in Occupational Studies from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y.; Masters Degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Employment: I joined the Kraft team in May 2009. Previously, I was senior strategic chef at Cargill, Inc., and worked on dressings, sauces and oils.

1st job in foodservice: Freeman's Café in Waterloo, Iowa. It was a family-run business, and I started cooking there when I was eight. My grandfather and father opened it, my mom was the hostess, my cousin was a cook and my older sister was a waitress. It was the way things used to be, and I developed my love of cooking there.

Greatest accomplishments: I feel like I'm doing it right when I instill passion for food in people. I think making food a total experience is so rewarding.

Favorite dish to cook at home: My favorite thing to cook is the most perfectly grown and ripened fruit or vegetable, or a sustainably raised protein, like a wild-caught fish or a nice grass-fed piece of beef.

Favorite cookbook: Southeast Asian Flavors (Mortar & Press, 2008)

Most rewarding part of my job: I really enjoy helping our clients explore their culinary boundaries, and show them where they can expand their parameters.

The two or three people from history (living or dead) with whom I would most like to have dinner: I would most like to have dinner with Jacques Pépin. He was the original R & D chef, working at Howard Johnson's back in the 60s. His classic, old-style approach drives me—I know we have to make food that runs in 8,000-pound batches, but we're going to make it to the best of our ability.

Sound byte: "Never compromise."

See what our other chefs are cooking up at Kraft Foodservice