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WINN MEAT COMPANY NAMES
CORPORATE CHEF JAMIE SAMFORD
VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Fine Protein Purveyor for Texas’ Restaurant and Hospitality Industry Builds Team of Powerful Experts to Serve Customers Across State
 DALLAS (August 22, 2007) – Jamie Samford, one of the Southwest’s leading chefs, has been appointed Vice President for Winn Meat Company, company officials announced today.
Winn is one of the United States’ premier providers of fine proteins, serving Texas’ multi-billion-dollar restaurant and hospitality industry through operations in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Austin/San Antonio.
Samford joined the company in 2006 to head the company’s product development and expanded outreach to the continually growing upscale restaurant, country club and hotel business in Texas and neighboring states.
Along with directing the company’s product development kitchen, Samford has led Winn Meat Company’s marketing initiatives. Samford has brought to the company extensive experience in the fine dining and retail markets in Texas. He is also regularly featured on morning show television as an entertaining expert who inspires viewers on the joys of cooking and fine flavors.
As Vice President of Product Development, Samford will lead new initiatives that leverage Winn’s extensive history of serving Texas’ foodservice industry, with innovations and custom-programs to serve the specific needs of chef customers.
“Jamie Samford’s appointment to Winn Meat Company as corporate chef was a solid strategic move to add to our intellectual capital and provide leadership and tools for our team of chef and culinary professionals throughout all departments,” said Walter Wilkerson, co-president of Winn Meat Company. “His leadership on initiatives to enhance our programs for chef customers in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Austin and beyond has been tremendous, and we look forward to his continued expert contributions as Vice President of Product Development.”
“Jamie’s work with our powerful group of premier protein brands continues to help grow our service and product offerings to our customers,” said Todd Winn, Co-president of Winn Meat Company. “He thoroughly understands the high standards we maintain and how that supports the success of our customers. Jamie’s ongoing leadership is greatly valued.”
“I’m proud to be a part of the amazing Winn Meat Company team – with a tradition of quality that is genuine, through and through,” said Chef Samford. “I’m enthusiastic about all the facets of the fine protein business – from purveying the best offerings, customizing to chef’s particular needs, to recipe development, to culinary innovations – and to helping continue the Winn tradition of excellence in service to customers as our company grows throughout Texas and the Southwest.”
Winn Meat Company has five-star restaurants and hospitality brands throughout Texas’ major markets on its client roster. Winn is also the exclusive supplier in the region of Cargill Meat Solutions’ Sterling Silver® Premium Meats, a prestigious line of superior-quality beef and pork.
Samford will work closely with Winn’s expert sales teams in Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin/San Antonio and Houston. The sales team is comprised of seasoned foodservice professionals including several chefs. Recent additions to the team include Michael Pearce who was a chef at Austin’s famous Driskill Hotel and Nick Zotos who was a chef and trainer for the prestigious Smith & Wollensky brand.
Samford came to Winn Meat Company having served as Executive Chef for famous fresh-market concept Central Market’s Dallas location, where he led an 80-member culinary team in cooking restaurant-quality food in Café on the Run for the store’s enormous North Texas customer base. Samford also helped develop recipes for Central Market and was an expert commentator for television and print news reports.
Samford began his culinary career in 1988 as a student in the prestigious El Centro apprentice program, during which Samford went to school, worked at the Double Tree Lincoln Center and studied as a line cook at the renowned Baby Routh under the tutelage of Stephan Pyles and Kevin Rathbun. He also worked under Dean Fearing at The Mansion on Turtle Creek as a lunch cook after graduation from El Centro. Samford also held executive positions with Bristol Hotels & Resorts, the Rosewood Corporation, and was Executive Sous Chef of the Hotel Crescent Court and Chef de Cuisine at Angeluna in Fort Worth. In 2000, Samford opened Lola, The Restaurant, Uptown Dallas, which served New American cuisine. In the two years Samford was the Executive Chef, the establishment received rave reviews. Lola was recognized as one of the “Top 10 New Restaurants” in Dallas, a four-star restaurant by The Dallas Morning News, Texas Monthly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Dallas Observer. His recipes have been published in Food & Wine, Southern Living, Dallas Morning News and Ft. Worth Star Telegram, among others.
For more background, please visit www.winnmeat.com.
Winn Meat Company has been providing food service clients with top-quality meat products and services for over 100 years. The company was originally founded as Bunting’s Wholesale Market in 1902. Robert Winn bought the company in 1974. Today, Mr. Winn’s son Todd and son-in-law Walter Wilkerson continue the family tradition of service excellence that is now the hallmark of Winn Meat Company.
From specialty cuts to custom orders, Winn Meat Company is dedicated to giving customers not only high-quality products and services, but value. Capabilities range from sourcing unique products to in-house development of products to meet customer specifications. Winn Meat Company is proud of many longstanding relationships built on a commitment to quality and service. Winn Meat Company offers a broad range of products, from true dry-aged beef to fresh foie gras. For more background, please visit www.winnmeat.com.
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