Food and Beverages Tech Review: Specials Magazine

Ata Baroudi is the Vice President of Quality Assurance and Food Safety at The Cheesecake Factory. He has over 30 years of leadership in food safety, holds advanced degrees in food science, and is a certified food scientist. Recognized industry-wide, he received the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership in Food Safety from the National Restaurant Association and Ecolab. Ata is a frequent speaker on food safety culture and technology innovation. Recognizing Dr. Baroudi’s extensive expertise in food safety leadership and quality assurance, this piece provides valuable insights into overcoming industry challenges, implementing innovative technologies and fostering a culture of integrity to protect consumer health and advance food safety standards. From Early Challenges to Industry Innovations Food safety is not negotiable if you are in the food business. That belief has been the foundation of my career in food safety and quality assurance. I also firmly believe that human dignity is not a privilege, but everyone’s right. No one should go to bed hungry. My journey began early. My father saw my potential and encouraged me to pursue a path in the food industry. I studied in Lebanon, where most of my education was in French. Then, I went to Cairo University for my undergraduate degree in Agricultural Engineering, where classes were taught in Arabic. The first two years were challenging as I had to maneuver between languages, but I graduated with honors. The Lebanese government awarded me a scholarship to pursue graduate studies anywhere in the world. I chose UC Davis for my Master’s in Food Science and Technology. However, UC Davis only offered a master’s degree, so I moved to The Ohio State University for my Ph.D in the same field.

What problem does TeamFund address for families managing youth sports participation costs? For young athletes with big dreams, support matters the most. But participation isn’t always affordable, and families feel that pressure every season. At TeamFund, this struggle became the catalyst for creating a smart food fundraising system that keeps local groups, school clubs, and minor sports teams thriving. TeamFund brings together teams, vendors and buyers, offering an online storefront where families can sell food products to supporters and raise essential funds. Leading this initiative across eight Canadian provinces is Dominique Fraser, the parent who built TeamFund after struggling to fund her 11-year-old daughter’s soccer travel. The platform is designed for families with children aged 6 to 18, involved in minor sports. Like many parents, Fraser knew that the registration fee was just the beginning. Travel and out-of-town tournament expenses quickly add up, especially for families coming from remote areas. How did TeamFund’s founder shape the platform based on firsthand fundraising challenges? She sought a solution that would simplify fundraising, and what better way to bring communities together than through food? That spark inspired a food fundraising model that is flexible for local teams and remains vendor-friendly. “We tap directly into vendors’ distribution networks and are not limited by warehouse or inventory. This allows us to reach new markets and bring fresh, seasonal products that aren’t found locally, helping groups raise more funds,” says Fraser, founder and CEO..

MonkeyMedia Software combines enterprise-grade catering-specific software with strategic support to help restaurant brands transform catering from a fragile side operation into a disciplined, scalable growth engine. It works on a clear premise: catering is not simply an extension of B2C takeout, it is a fundamentally unique standalone B2B business. While takeout focuses on speed and simplicity, catering demands advance scheduling, bulk production, cross-functional coordination and long-term customer management. Generalist takeout solutions, repurposed POS systems, and food marketplaces were never designed to support that reality at enterprise scale. “Restaurants leaned on spreadsheets and instinct for years, but catering needs structure,” says Ben Pidduck, CEO. “It behaves like a B2B business, not a walk-in transaction.” MONKEY treats catering as a high-value revenue stream for restaurants that deserves real process and clear workflows. The catering management platform centralizes ordering, client communication, kitchen production, delivery coordination and back-office reconciliation, helping restaurants gain the control and visibility required to maximize revenue. Founded over 20 years ago in the back of a deli kitchen, MONKEY pioneered catering technology – well before the recent wave of takeout driven tools entered the space – and continues to shape the forefront of catering technology. As former catering operators themselves, MONKEY has stayed true to its roots, working closely with partners to guide catering program development, smooth operations, and act as a thought partners as they grow. Unlike transaction-based platforms, MONKEY does not take a percentage of orders. With a flat monthly fee, MONKEY is fully aligned to drive its partners’ growth and profitability..