Remarkably Fresh,Chef-CraftedFoods

Mark Piciulo is a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and Certified Executive Chef with more than 10 years of progressive leadership experience spanning concept development, culinary innovation, and full-scale commercialization. He has led NPD pipelines and product launches at FreshRealm, HelloFresh/Factor, and Tall Hat Foods, combining culinary creativity with operational know-how.

As Director, Culinary R&D, Mark owns NPD pipeline leadership, driving the 1 to 3 year innovation roadmap across fresh deli, kettle, sous vide, and emerging platforms from concept through gold-standard development. He serves as Sandridge’s primary culinary ambassador for customer-facing innovation, representing the company at tasting events, co-development sessions, and retail and foodservice RFPs. He also leads the culinary team by mentoring development chefs, setting Sandridge culinary standards, and managing the handoff of validated concepts to Soma’s team. In addition, he translates consumer trends and marketplace signals into commercially viable food concepts.

Ray’s culinary journey began in high school, where he trained at Oakland Schools Technical Campus in the morning, and tested his skills working in restaurants in the evening. Doing this, Ray learned that he wanted to work in a place that feeds more people than a restaurant ever could. After graduating high school, Ray attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY where he pursued a degree in Culinary Arts and Culinary Science. There, Ray learned about the modern techniques and intricacies that are a part of creating recipes on a large scale. After 3 years, Ray graduated top of his class in the Culinary Science program at CIA.

Today, Ray works in the Sandridge Innovation Team to create and design great tasting fresh food with incredible fresh ingredients and technology.

Matt’s culinary journey started in high school when he began exploring the world of food at the Concord Regional Technical Center. This initial exposure to the foodservice industry led him to blend his newfound passion for culinary arts with his strengths in math and science. Aspiring to enter the research and development field, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, where he pursued a degree in Culinary Arts and Culinary Science. Over the course of three years, Matt trained in both traditional culinary techniques and innovative food science research, graduating magna cum laude. 

Today, Matt works as a member of the Sandridge Innovation Team, developing new flavors and dining experiences by utilizing a wide variety of fresh ingredients and advanced cooking technology. 

Sam began his culinary journey at Rowan College at Burlington County as a Culinary Arts major where he built a strong foundation in cooking techniques and kitchen fundamentals. Wanting to expand his understanding of food through both creativity and science, he transferred to Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI.

Over the next three years, he gained valuable knowledge in food science and product development while honing his culinary skills. During his senior year, he completed an internship at Marlin Connections in Chicago, gaining hands-on experience in recipe development, testing, and product innovation.

Today, Sam works as a Product Development Chef on our culinary team – developing, testing, and refining recipes for real-world commercial applications.

Soma brings more than 25 years of global food industry experience, including over 13 years in executive R&D roles at ADM, J.R. Simplot, and Kent Worldwide. He holds a Ph.D. in Grain Science from Kansas State University and two patents. Across his career, he has driven hundreds of millions in revenue through ingredient innovation, commercialization excellence, and high-performing team leadership.

In his role at SCF, Soma owns existing product stewardship, including reformulation, cost reduction, nutritional optimization, shelf-life validation, and spec library accuracy. He also leads commercialization and scale-up, guiding validated NPD concepts through the full stage-gate process, from pilot trials and plant scale-up to spec development and first commercial run sign-off. In partnership with Procurement and Finance, he drives cost transformation and value engineering through reformulation, ingredient substitution, and yield optimization. He is also responsible for building food science as a core competitive capability, creating the technical infrastructure and talent depth that allow the portfolio to scale with confidence and speed.

By high school, Erica was winning in food science competitions, and she knew that was the direction to pursue.  This led her to The Ohio State University, where she obtained her Bachelors Degree in Food Science and Technology.  Through school she had the opportunity to work with DDW, The Color House, and learned good practices for using natural colors in foods.  After graduation, she worked with Cargill, focusing on product development of dressings and sauces. 

Erica returned to Ohio State for a deeper dive on emulsions, and studied alternative structuring agents to partially hydrogenated oils.  She obtained her Masters Degree, with her thesis on “Rice Bran Wax Oleogel Water Holding Capacity and Its Effects on the Physical Properties of the Network”.  Her next opportunity was with SodaStream, outside of Tel Aviv, Israel.  She learned an international perspective on health and marketing, and appreciated the access to fresh vegetables at every bodega.

JoAnn graduated from The University of Akron with a Bachelor of Science in Food and Environmental Nutrition.  She has spent much of her career in the food industry as a cook and baker.  She initially joined the Sandridge team as a member of the Quality Assurance Department where she helped to ensure that the processes by which Sandridge products were produced met the high-quality standards expected by our customers.

Coen began his journey in the food industry during his time at The University of Akron where he pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Food and Environmental Nutrition. During his studies, he gained valuable hands-on experience, applying classroom knowledge to real-world applications through projects and advanced-level classes. Starting as a Food Scientist Intern at Sandridge Crafted Foods in July 2023, Coen transitioned to the role of Commercial Application Technician after graduating in May 2024. 

In this role, Coen collaborates with the Sandridge Innovation team, leveraging his expertise to develop and refine recipes that prioritize both taste and nutritional value. His work involves integrating fresh ingredients with cutting-edge technology to produce high-quality, fresh food products that meet consumer demands on a large scale. Coen is passionate about creating food that not only tastes great but also promotes health and wellness, reflecting his commitment to nutrition.