Cura Hospitality has promoted Chris Fitz to director of retail and culinary services.
A professionally trained executive chef and retail operator who served sister company Parkhurst Dining on college and corporate campuses such as PNC Bank in Pittsburgh, Fitz will was recently applauded for his achievements while serving on The Washington (PA) Hospital café renovation team, where he was instrumental in the redesign of the café space that now affords additional seating, several points of sale, scratch and made-to-order cooking and health-focused branding and merchandising.
The Washington Hospital café continues to outpace retail sales projections as a result of these improvements, which also includes a variety of on-the-go fresh food offerings and healthy inspiration point (HIP) snack alternatives. The latter are healthier choices like pre-packaged assorted nuts, fruit and fat-free sweets that are positioned near the register to make them more convenient impulse purchases than less healthy snack alternatives.
Fitz's responsibilities will include continuing to evolve retail programming and operational training, as well as providing direction for the creation of healthier menus featuring freshly prepared and locally sourced foods through FarmSource, a purchasing program that currently procures more than $13 million from over 200 growers and food producers within a 125-mile radius of the organization’s service areas. He will also chair Cura’s Culinary Advisory Board.
