Werner Simon

About Werner Simon

Werner Simon is a seasoned culinary professional with a long history of successful endeavors in the baking industry. He trained in Baeckerei Susan, where he learned the basic foundations of the bakery artisan trade. He then honed and refined his craft in various prominent bakeries throughout Germany to earn his Master’s Degree in Baking. Werner moved to New York City and worked numerous jobs in many bakeries, learning the American and specifically the New York styles. He eventually took ownership of a very successful local bakery in Brentwood, NY and then opened multiple retail locations. After several successful years in the retail business, Werner took a culinary risk to import the now well-known whole grain and artisan breads, in mix form, to the United States and became the sole owner and distributor of the products. He sold them to upscale supermarket chains, such as Publix, Wegmans, HEB, Randalls, Pioneer and Grand Union, and some local boutique market operators wishing to bring the European product to their customers. Caravan a privately owned company with a national following, recognized Werner’s knowledge and his supervisory skills,asked him to become a Manager in the company. Werner brought his own existing formulations and developed new and exciting products for the American consumer. After five years with the company, Caravan was acquired by CSM. Once within CSM, Werner moved his talents to the Brill and Best Brands portion of the company, utilizing his years of experience and knowledge of the baking industry, and the products themselves, to develop a Corporate Culinary Team. As the Corporate Chef, Werner supervised a very talented team, who credited him as a very encouraging and devoted mentor. As CSM moves in 2013 to divest its current bakery business, Werner has stepped down from this role and will stay on as a Consultant to aid the company in realizing its future needs, strengths and products.

Experience

1. Global Culinary Consultant

   Manhattan Sweets Boutique Bakery

   Jun 2013 — Present · Islip, NY, US

   PRODUCT CREATIONIntroduced ancient grain breads and cakes to several In Store Supermarkets with excellent results. Adjusted and improved artisan bread manufacturing in retail In Store settings Produced a very rich yogurt cake mix formulation, containing yogurt powders and several gums and natural flavors to create a cake that was superior to other cream cake mixes in the industry that did not suspend the fruit. Although the formulation was more expensive than the original mix and caused concern within the sales force, it sold well because of its superior quality. This product was later manufactured and distributed by Caravan and became the #1 cake mix in the company.Created 5 varieties “Cake Truffles,” consisting of 15 internal and external sensory panels. Sourced the equipment in the U.S. and from overseas. The second generation of the product in the development with 10 more flavors and more upscale appeal.SOURCING AND MARKETINGTraveled to Europe to collect and evaluate 18 European Artisan bread varieties from France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland. During the trip, Caravan CSM launched a marketing campaign with the slogan “Where is Werner?” Bakery industry contestants followed Werner’s travels and entered information to win a three-day trip to New York for sightseeing and a bakery plant visit. The selected contestants formed a focus group and identified eight breads with a superior rating. Caravan CSM selected five varieties, created beautiful paper bands or sleeves for the bread, indicating the country of origin and launched the product for distribution.TURN-AROUNDAs Corporate Chef, improved and implemented product changes within five months; this resulted in regaining approximately $8 million in sales with a major customer.

Education

• Duesseldorf Germany

  Master's degree, Baking/Confectionary

  1954 — 1957

Skills

• Fmcg
• Commercialization
• Pastry
• Cooking
• Food Processing
• Customer Insight
• R&D
• Bread
• Pricing
• Haccp
• Chocolate
• Retail
• Sensory Evaluation
• Food Industry
• Cakes
• Purchasing
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Food Quality
• Confectionery
• Tpm
• P&L
• Grocery
• Catering
• Food Safety
• Food Service
• Food Technology
• Chef
• Flavors
• Product Innovation
• Frozen Food
• Dairy
• P&L Management
• Food & Beverage
• Culinary Skills
• Menu Development
• Baking
• Sanitation
• Consumer Products
• Product Development
• Food Chemistry