Chef Justin Young
Justin Young, Executive Chef for Kraft Food Ingredients, began his culinary career
at an early age by "busting suds." Washing dishes in a commercial kitchen isn't
glamorous, but it is a good place to start for a quick learner with ambition to
move up the kitchen ranks and learn to cook via the school of hard knocks. Young
quickly expanded his skills through many years of service in one of Memphis' oldest
family-run upscale Italian restaurants. The next stop for Young was Johnson and
Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude
from culinary school. Young applied his talents in Charleston restaurants for several
years before moving back home to Memphis where he began working for his long-time
mentor Erling Jensen, owner of one of Memphis' most renowned fine dining establishments.
Young sought an even higher level of culinary accomplishment by moving to Lyon,
the culinary epicenter of France, where he secured a position working for Master
Chef Pierre Orsi, a French Michelin-starred chef. Shortly after Young's return to
Memphis and to his friend and mentor, Erling Jensen, Kraft Food Ingredients recruited
him to apply his 20+ years of restaurant, culinary and trends expertise to working
in the food manufacturing industry. Young eagerly accepted the challenge and for
the past four years has been working with food manufacturers and foodservice chains
to develop a wide variety of on-trend, culinary-driven applications.
"I enjoy the challenge of working creatively with food manufacturers," says Young.
"Developing food products to meet consumer trends in a manufacturing environment
is very different from developing dishes in a restaurant, yet my restaurant expertise
has been a critical asset to working in partnership with our customers to bring
projects to a successful outcome."
"Keeping my hands on the pulse of food trends is a very enjoyable and critical part
of my job," states Young. "I travel extensively and seek out different food experiences
during my travels. From the Kogi BBQ truck in Los Angeles to a Varsity dog in Atlanta
and everything in between – if it is a unique food experience, I love it!"
Young will soon be celebrating his sixth wedding anniversary with his beautiful
wife, Amy. They have an equally beautiful daughter, who is the joy of their lives.
After food and family, scuba diving is Young's greatest passion. As a Master Diver,
he can frequently be found swimming with the fishes and imagining how good they
might taste!