Tim Foley

Tim Foley, HAAC, started in the hospitality business at age 16 and after 42 years in the industry, he says, “I still love it!”

Tim’s passion for cooking began at the BOCES Vocational Culinary High School program in Long Island, New York. He was fortunate to be raised by a single mother who supported and encouraged his aspirations of becoming a chef.

Tim’s first job was working in a steakhouse as a dishwasher. He quickly moved into the position of hot and cold prep cook, then night shift line cook working the broiler and sauté station. He rapidly learned the value of timing and great food. Tim developed an expertise in creating chowders, lobster bisque, and fileting the fresh-caught fish of the day.

In 1984, Tim graduated from Johnson & Wales College in Providence, Rhode Island, with a Culinary Arts Degree. He states, “I must thank the great chefs I was educated by at Johnson & Wales. They continually encouraged and inspired me to strive for culinary excellence.”

Tim has held many positions and titles in the culinary world: Chef Tournant at The Sea Fair Resort in Dania Beach, Florida; Sous Chef at Bert and Jack’s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and The Diplomat Hotel in Miami Beach; Executive Sous Chef at the Doral Country Club in Miami, Florida; and The Palmer House in Chicago, Illinois. Tim fine-tuned his expertise in running kitchens and banquets of all sizes. He studied kosher cooking under the rabbis at the Palmer House and developed incredible ice carving skills at the Doral.

According to Tim, the Doral in the 1980s was the place to be. They hosted the Doral Ryder Open, a professional golf tournament for elite golfers from around the world. He learned how to feed 15,000 people and host the sponsors’ tents. One of the highlights of his time at the Doral was cooking for President George Bush Sr. He said it was an incredible experience to learn the protocols necessary for preparing meals for such a high-level dignitary. Tim’s skills in managing and creating high-end foods did not go unnoticed. The Doral was an incredible learning experience that launched his professional career, and after several years there, it was time to move on.

In Chicago, Tim joined The Palmer House Hilton as Executive Sous Chef. The Palmer House is known for its elegance in catering kosher cuisine as well as its five restaurants. It was an exciting and creatively professional atmosphere. In 1990, when Hawaii was experiencing hotel strikes, Tim was sent there under Hilton’s employment to assist for three months. It was a difficult managerial situation that taught him invaluable lessons. He worked six days a week, 12-hour shifts, preparing 1,400 meals a day.

After the Palmer House, Tim became Executive Chef at Olympia Fields Country Club in Chicago, focusing on weddings, golf outings, The Grille Restaurant, and a private dining room where he specialized in tableside cooking. However, the repetitive menu left him professionally unstimulated, so he continued his culinary journey.

Tim then became Executive Chef of Production with Lady Aster’s manufacturing division, where he focused on volume cooking. He worked with large kettles making three-thousand-pound sauce batches, 60-foot-long chain ovens, cranes, and chillers to rapidly cool food from 180 degrees to 38 degrees within an hour. The most fascinating part of this role was plating 220,000 meals a day for airline catering.

He later continued his career at The Sheraton Towers in Chicago as Executive Chef of Restaurants, creating menus for four different restaurants and training more than 90 employees. The Sheraton Towers was host to the NBA, where Tim met many famous actors, professional athletes, Robert Mondavi of Mondavi Wines, and President Bill Clinton. During presidential stays, Tim was unable to leave the hotel and worked closely with White House staff to prepare meals — an experience he described as amazing.

An Executive Chef opening then brought him to Bristol Hotels in Atlanta, Georgia, an eight-hotel chain that would host the world during the 1996 Olympic Games. Tim’s responsibilities included staff education, menu development, and catering operations. However, during this time, his mother became terminally ill, and he decided to move back north to be closer to family.

In 1997, Tim became a food broker with Pilgrims of New England, a company partially owned by his college roommate and friend, Tom Hills Jr. He learned the distribution side of the business and participated in food shows, which he described as catering on the road. He thrived on helping chefs succeed by introducing them to new products and ideas.

To further expand his knowledge, Tim took a position with Best Foods, later acquired by Unilever, and then with Venture Foodservice, which was eventually purchased by Acosta Foodservice. The company grew nationally, and today Tim works with Core Foodservice, which merged with Acosta to become the largest foodservice broker company in the country. Tim says, “It’s great to be back with old friends growing the business into the largest foodservice broker company nationally.”

Tim and his wife Patti have been happily married for 27 years and have raised two incredible young adults in Massachusetts. Tim enjoys coaching lacrosse and baseball and supporting his family’s activities.

One of Tim’s most exceptional traits is his commitment to volunteerism. He has organized and participated in hospitality suites for judges at figure skating events, built gingerbread houses with patients at Boston Children’s Hospital, cooked at open kitchen dinners in Natick for those in need, supported Natick lacrosse auctions, and most recently founded the Connor Heffler Golf Classic to benefit the Cops for Kids with Cancer organization.

Tim is currently the President of the Epicurean Club of Boston, the oldest chef’s club in the country. His infectious personality, love of learning, and passion for food and people have been the keys to his success.

His advice to fellow culinarians: “Love what you do, be passionate, don’t be afraid to talk to people. Mentor up-and-coming culinarians, and remember — stay positive and keep learning.”