For 20+ years, Rich served as Executive Chef and Executive Vice President of Legal Sea Foods (LSF), a company with 30+ restaurants voted Best Seafood Restaurant in America by USA Today. At LSF, Rich helped design and develop 28 new restaurants and eventually managed a suite of 34 restaurants. He was passionate about delivering the highest quality products, efficient operations and ensuring first-class customer service – all of which helped make LSF an admired brand nationwide. Prior to LSF, Rich owned a critically acclaimed restaurant, lived and cooked throughout Italy, and was a graduate of the French Culinary Institute of New York, Hamilton College, and Harvard Business School`s Executive Education Program. A graduate of Hamilton College, he studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York before spending two years in Italy. Rich also completed the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program. He was a former chef and owner of a three-star restaurant in Massachusetts. Profile Profile: Richard Vellante, Executive Chef and Executive Vice President, Legal Sea Foods – Boston, USA “With inspiration from an unlikely source, operations in Legal Sea Foods` kitchens have changed significantly” The two years he spent in New York gave him a taste of what the restaurant industry is like. “The culture is aggressive and the people are very competitive,” Rich told me recently. “It`s ruthless. You are alone. You take days off, you`re outside. And there is so much screaming! However, I have to say that I have been an athlete all my life and I didn`t necessarily care about “physicality.” He quickly explained that he was a very quiet and shy person and that what he really liked about the restaurant environment in New York was the camaraderie and competition that took place every day.
“That`s what got me into it in the first place,” he said. Legal Sea Foods` lean mindset allows the company to conduct bold and aggressive experiments that could one day reinvent how their restaurant kitchens operate. These insightful comments lead me to ask Rich if he believes anyone can be a lean leader. “I think there are innate traits, but you also have to evolve. You need to be open to learning and listening, be humble and always try to find better ways to do something. I think it`s a matter of curiosity! ” he said. Vellante currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the father of two children.
About four years ago, Legal Sea Foods decided to bring lean to the fish processing plant and from there to restaurants. People just seemed attracted to it. “They had the courage to try,” says Rich. In doing so, the legal team realized that to change the operating system, they first had to change the mindset. Rich continues, “There`s a lot of bravery and big egos in the restaurant business. We react to things and if there is a problem, we fix it and then go back to the old way. By adopting Lean thinking, we can learn better ways to solve problems. Twenty-two years ago, Rich landed at Legal Sea Foods, a group of 36 restaurants on the East Coast of the United States. Today, he is Executive Chef and Senior Vice President. Award-winning chef Rich Vellante founded Sea-Suite Kitchen (SSK) in 2020 to share his passion and expertise in all things cooking, from creating unique tasty dishes to overseeing efficient restaurant operations.
Executive Director of Community Events and Training, Lean Enterprise Institute After working in marketing for a Fortune 500 company for a year, he swapped business attire for Weisskoch and enrolled at the French Culinary Institute. From there, he worked in kitchens around the world and owned an Italian restaurant in Massachusetts before embarking on his journey with Legal Sea Foods, where he is now Executive Vice President and Executive Chef. While in the Big Apple, Rich worked two jobs to complete his studies at the French Culinary Institute. Since then, he has been working in gastronomy. It`s been 32 years. In fact, Rich seems to have a very clear idea of what it means to be a Lean leader. In order not to be distracted (which is all too easy in a high-intensity environment like a restaurant), Rich distills his own growth as a leader in four areas: being a good planner, solving problems, learning how to execute, and developing people. As for his favorite dish on the menu? It changes with the seasons, but its staples include lobster roll, Dover sole with capers and lemon butter sauce, and cioppino, a seafood blend in a tomato-basil broth. “Many of us feel like the leader is the loudest in the room or the person who has all the answers,” he says. “That`s not necessarily the case! Lean showed me that you don`t have to be the most talented.
Instead, it taught me teamwork and asking good questions. I think what`s really important for your leadership is your ability to leverage each person`s strengths and develop their skills. Send summer with these 11 delicious inspirations that are perfect for Labor Day As Rich and I talk, I can`t help but think about how carefully he looked at work a few hours earlier. For me, this reflective approach is a sign of a good lean leader. In fact, as we discuss the tendency of people to want quick fixes, Rich explains how Lean teaches you to understand the problem you need to solve first (as well as your true goal) before making decisions. “Richard Vellante, Executive Chef of Legal Sea Foods, said his company has introduced a gluten-free menu” Richard Vellante is in his 22nd year as Executive Chef and Executive Vice President of Legal Sea Foods. In 2014, he worked with LEI to lead the implementation of methodologies to continuously improve the chain, as an expansion plan required a new level of efficiency while providing quality food and a better customer experience. Vellante oversaw the step-by-step implementation of lean management methodologies, starting with a model line in a Boston restaurant. He helped guide the multi-year effort by solving problems, applying Lean tools, and creating a Lean thinking culture that improved work, quality, and deadlines.
Recent Comments