Matthew Reich, President
Matthew graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts and went into the credit training program at Citibank in 1974. After 4 years of corporate lending, he joined Hearst magazines as a business manager in their distribution company. In 1982, he founded New Amsterdam Brewery, which was the first microbrewery on the East Coast, and the first brewery in Manhattan in over 50 years. Upon selling his beer company in 1989, he embarked on a consulting career offering his unique combination of business, management and sales skills combined with his familiarity with things culinary to other growing businesses in the food industry. In 1994, he became the Chief Operating Officer of Terra Chips. Terra Chips was sold shortly thereafter, and he initially did consulting work for Tom Cat before signing on in 1995 as the Chief Operating Officer. In December 2008, Matthew was part of the management team which purchased Tom Cat from the original investor group and became the President of Tom Cat Bakery, Inc. On weekends, Matthew is most often found in the mountains, rock or ice climbing, or back country skiing.
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John Carcara, Controller
John received a Masters in Controllership from St. John’s University and has been in accounting ever since. He has been managing the accounting department at Tom Cat for 10 years, and accounts for every baguette and boule. He is a Queens native and loves fishing.
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Keith Cook, Director of Purchasing and IT
Keith started working in the restaurant industry at the age of 14 and completed his professional culinary training in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada before joining The Spectra Group of Great Restaurants in 1992. After 9 years as a chef with The Spectra Group's "Milestones Restaurants" Keith became Manager of IT for the company. In 2004 he moved to New York to start a family and joined Tom Cat Bakery. On weekends, Keith can be found cheering on the Yankees or, as is required of any good Canadian, playing hockey.
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Walter Knox, Director of Distribution
Walter graduated from Concordia College with a BA in education and worked for UPS as a center manager for many years. He joined Tom Cat in 1999 and he enjoys teaching all of our drivers how to be service ambassadors for Tom Cat Bakery. Walter makes sure that our 700 deliveries per day get done on time. Walter was a two sport athlete in college and is still a weekend warrior and plays on a semi pro softball team.
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Michel Peden, Production Manager
Michel grew up in a small Breton town in France where his father was the local baker. He moved to the USA in 1984 and brought his family’s artisan tradition with him. He joined Tom Cat in 2001 and makes sure every day that “his” breads are worthy of his father’s teachings. On weekends, when not baking in his own brick oven, Michel enjoys the pleasures of country living.
Pablo Rodriguez, Packing Manager
Pablo graduated in 1983 from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico with majors in Business Administration and Organizational Development and is currently working towards his MBA. He has over 15 years of managerial experience in FDA regulated pharmaceutical industries including Johnson and Johnson, Inc. and Merck. Pablo has been with Tom Cat since 2001 and enjoys working with the quality initiatives and continuous improvement programs inherent within the Tom Cat culture.
Amy Sisti-Baum, Retail Sales and Account Manager
Amy’s first job at the age of 15 was at a bagel bakery and she has worked in the food business ever since. Amy Graduated from Arizona State with a BS in Food and Nutrition in Business. She came to Tom Cat Bakery in early 2009 after a 7-year stint at Murray’s Cheese, and has a passion for food, loves maintaining relationships with customers, and lives in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
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Peter Sonenstein, Director of National Accounts
Peter graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz and holds an MFA from the New School University in New York City. In 2006 after nearly two decades in high-tech, Peter left the industry to become the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for an artisan bakery in New Haven, CT. In his 3 years at the bakery, he enjoyed working closely with the bakery's retail partners while developing the brand into the #1 supermarket artisan bread brand in New England. Peter joined Tom Cat in 2009 and now travels the country bringing our handcrafted frozen products to chefs throughout the U.S. In his down time, Peter enjoys spending time with his family on the Connecticut shoreline.
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James Rath, Vice President of Operations
James received his undergraduate training at SUNY Old Westbury and then headed west to California where he worked in the design and testing of Secure Communication devices for both Rockwell International and Hughes Aircraft. During his stay in California, he transitioned into cooking and worked as a cook and a chef in various restaurants. He returned to NY in 1985 and attended the French Culinary Institute, while continuing his training as a chef in several NYC restaurants. After being inspired by baking in various restaurants, James began his career at Tom Cat as a baker. After the first week at Tom Cat James knew he had found his true passion in the craft of bread baking. Everything about it was inspiring. “It was a perfect blend of art and science that was completely compatible with my personality” Everyday presented a new challenge. Everyday (or at least most days) peeling the baguettes from the oven was true confirmation of a successful day! James has facilitated and structured the growth and success of Tom Cat’s product line and manufacturing operations since 1988. As Vice President of Operations, James’ leadership and organization in production and product development have catapulted Tom Cat to the top of the class. James is part of the management team which purchased Tom Cat from the original investor group in 2008. He is an avid tennis player, snow boarder and cross country skier.
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Alba A. Cardona, Customer Service Manager
Alba graduated from Queens College with a BA in Business Administration and has been working in customer relations management for 15 years for companies including Mercedes Benz North America, Mcgraw Hill and Time Warner. She has been at Tom Cat since 2007 and leads a team of 7 customer service reps who work 365 days per year. Alba has two sons and enjoys yoga and spending time with her family.
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John Martinez, Sales Manager
After serving in the US Army for 6 years, John’s love of ice cream brought him to Blue Bell Creameries in Houston, where he worked as a salesman for 10 years. In 1997 he moved to NY with his family and joined Sysco Foods as an Operations Supervisor. In 2001, John came to Tom Cat and has been managing sales ever since. He is an avid Triathlete, and ran the NYC marathon in 2:31.
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Juan Perez, Facilities Manager
Graduated from Polytechnich University of Puerto Rico with a MA in Mechanical Engineering and after working for Ford Motor Company, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical and General Electric Inc in Puerto Rico, moved to New Jersey with his family in 2001. Juan makes sure all our equipment runs 365 day per year, and manage our safety and sanitation compliance programs. Juan is a 2nd degree black belt in Taekwondo.
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Donna Santa, Credit and Collections Manager
Donna graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BA in Sociology and is close to completing her MS from Nova Southeasten University. She has worked in accounting and collections for more than 25 years. She has a son at Hunter College and 4 dogs at home, and has been at Tom Cat since 2006.
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Bjorn Wenzel, Production Manager
Bjorn’s baking career began in his native Germany when he completed a 3 year apprenticeship and received a professional baking diploma from the Ferdinand-von Steinbeis School of Culinary Arts. In 1997 he moved to the United States as a baker and in 2004 he joined Tom Cat as manager of the night production team. He is pleased to bring a rich history of traditional German bread making to Tom Cat, and inspires his team to learn, excel and take pride in their work. Bjorn is an avid traveler and cyclist. |
