A native of Long Island, NY, David started his culinary journey in a local pizzeria, which lead to a stint at a small bakery giving way to the iconic McDonalds. Before his teenage years were complete, David found himself on the beautiful beaches of Long Island working his way up from a concession stand employee to managing an ocean-front restaurant and all of the satellite foodservice locations.
When he began his career in food nearly 20 years ago, he had no idea that the culinary field would expand to include career paths such as food scientist or research and development chef.
A native of Long Island, NY, David started his culinary journey in a local pizzeria, which lead to a stint at a small bakery giving way to the iconic McDonalds. Before his teenage years were complete, David found himself on the beautiful beaches of Long Island working his way up from a concession stand employee to managing an ocean-front restaurant and all of the satellite foodservice locations.
When he began his career in food nearly 20 years ago, he had no idea that the culinary field would expand to include career paths such as food scientist or research and development chef.
Seeking to become a well-rounded culinary professional, David attended Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he studied the culinary fundamentals — the essential building blocks for any chef — gaining the depth of knowledge to think creatively and analytically.
His approach to culinary science balances creative artistry with practical know-how, scientific understanding and integrated managerial and leadership skills. He received his Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Culinary Nutrition with a concentration in Culinary Science which gave him the foundation to build the skills to work in the field of new product development.
David’s spent almost five years at McCormick & Co. as a fulltime Innovation (Research) Chef in their Technical Innovation Centre in Maryland. There, he applied his culinary knowledge to the completion of complex projects in product development, marketing and innovation. From concept through commercialization and he supported a team of chefs whose responsibility was to develop innovative recipes and concepts for their branded and custom businesses.
At McCormick, David conducted many presentations for key customers to promote sales and provide innovative business solutions, provided insights into food and consumer trends, and used his culinary know-how to assist in the development of forward thinking concepts and products for their retail and industrial businesses.
David eventually made his way to NYC to UK-based Pret A Manger where he lead the product development efforts as the go-to–market chef leading myriad new product launches where he supported ‘Pret’s’ 53 retail business in the US. Chef David Ehrlinger successfully blends the scientific understanding of R&D with his culinary skills and nutrition know-how, and I feel certain that this unique combination will prove to be an asset to our Culinary Innovation team.