Avendra International Expands Culinary Innovation Group to Serve International Clients and Brands
Key Takeaways
Avendra International has expanded its Culinary Innovation Group to provide clients and brands worldwide with integrated culinary consulting, procurement intelligence, responsible sourcing expertise, and AI-powered technology solutions.
The expanded group helps hospitality operators optimize menus, manage food costs, improve sourcing decisions, respond to guest preferences, and navigate supply chain challenges through a combination of human expertise and technology-enabled tools.
New global culinary leadership, including Paul Carr and Paul Bloxham, will drive a connected international culinary strategy that aligns menu development, procurement, operations, and innovation across global markets.
Avendra International is expanding its Culinary Innovation Group to better serve clients and brands around the world. The expanded group brings together culinary expertise, procurement intelligence, consulting, and technology-enabled tools, including a broader Culinary Co-Pilot, to strengthen operators' menus, sourcing, and procurement decisions across international markets.
"Hospitality operators need to balance a growing number of priorities, including compelling menu creation, responding to guest preferences, managing ingredient costs, and navigating a dynamic supply chain," said Autumn Bayles, Executive Vice President, Global Supply Chain & Group Purchasing Organizations, Aramark.
"Our expanded Culinary Innovation Group brings together deep culinary and operational expertise, procurement intelligence, responsible sourcing, and emerging technologies into one integrated framework to create a stronger platform to support client growth across global markets."
As part of the expansion, Paul Carr has been appointed Chief Culinary Officer for Global Supply Chains and GPOs for Aramark + Avendra International, and Paul Bloxham as Chief Culinary Officer for Avendra International Europe, newly created leadership roles. Both leaders have decades of culinary experience and will work together to drive a connected culinary strategy for clients and brands around the world.
The investment in Avendra International's Culinary Innovation Group builds on its longstanding culinary consulting capabilities. In a July 2026 customer satisfaction survey, Avendra clients identified food and beverage expansion as a top five business priority, highlighting the need for greater alignment across menus, sourcing strategies, and operations.
The expanded services within Avendra’s Culinary Innovation Group include:
Culinary and operational excellence consulting, including menu development, recipe optimization, food-cost management, and trend analysis.
Procurement intelligence and category expertise, including purchasing trends, supplier insights, and product availability guidance.
Technology-Enabled Culinary & Procurement Innovation Combining culinary expertise, procurement intelligence, and AI-powered capabilities, clients gain access to Hospitality IQ solutions, including Mosaic AI Supply Chain and Culinary Co-Pilot, helping operators optimize menu planning, sourcing, and purchasing decisions.
Responsible Sourcing solutions, enabling clients to access guidance on local, inclusive, and sustainable sourcing strategies, supported by analytics and reporting capabilities. The program is further enhanced by Sourcient, an AI-powered sourcing intelligence platform that provides greater visibility into purchasing activity and sourcing attributes to support reporting and decision-making.
Avendra's Culinary Innovation Group helps clients align menu strategies, procurement decisions and operational priorities while balancing quality, availability, cost, guest appeal and environmental, social and governance priorities. Capabilities continue to evolve across our international markets, with services and technologies introduced in line with local market readiness and client needs.
Through this expansion, clients and brands around the world gain access to integrated culinary expertise, strategic consulting, procurement intelligence and technology-enabled decision support designed to help them adapt and grow in today's operating environment.
Ready to elevate culinary operations across your portfolio?
AVENDRA INTERNATIONAL EXPANDS CULINARY INNOVATION GROUP TO SERVE INTERNATIONAL CLIENTS AND BRANDS
FAQs
What is Avendra International's Culinary Innovation Group?
Avendra International's Culinary Innovation Group is a consulting and advisory practice that combines culinary expertise, procurement intelligence, responsible sourcing guidance, and AI-powered technologies to help hospitality operators improve menu strategy, sourcing, purchasing, and operational performance.
What services does the expanded Culinary Innovation Group provide?
The expanded group offers culinary and operational consulting, menu development, recipe optimization, food-cost management, procurement intelligence, supplier and category expertise, responsible sourcing solutions, and access to Hospitality IQ technologies such as Mosaic AI Supply Chain, Culinary Co-Pilot, and Sourcient.
How does the Culinary Innovation Group help hospitality clients?
The group helps clients make more informed decisions by aligning menu strategy, procurement, and operations. Through consulting, data-driven insights, and AI-powered tools, clients can improve cost management, supply chain visibility, sourcing strategies, guest satisfaction, and overall business performance.
