Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Chef Michael Formichella's passion for food preparation was nurtured from early childhood through the home-cooked meals he often helped prepare for his family. By 14, he was a prep cook at a prominent New Jersey hotel. A few years later, he left behind a football scholarship at The University of Pittsburgh to pursue his culinary calling full time.

Formichella's 40-year career in the food industry has taken him through the South Pacific and across much of Europe. Along the way, he's operated his own foodservice company and held several executive chef positions.

He served as executive chef of Hawaii's Lahaina Yacht Club and worked at other local well-known island restaurants. Two years later, he was leading the kitchen of the famed Orsini's Restaurant in Wellington, New Zealand, quickly elevating it from two to five stars.

His career led him through Europe and he returned to the U.S. as North American corporate chef of Belgo LLC, based in London and New York. From there, he joined Global Culinary Solutions (GCS) as corporate chef and director of product development.

In 2003, Smithfield Foods acquired GCS, and Formichella was named director of culinary arts for the company's Smithfield Innovation Group in Chicago. He rose to senior vice president and chief operating officer in 2006.

A Certified Master Chef, Formichella is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). He is also a past president of Les Amis d'Escoffier Foundation and a member of Chef de Cuisine of America, the Research Chefs' Association and Societe Culinaire Philanthropique. He was a featured chef at the Annual James Beard Foundation Awards from 2003 through 2005 in New York, and has presented his skills on nationally syndicated television.