McIlhenny Names Executive Chef

AVERY ISLAND, LaMcIlhenny Company, maker of TABASCO^® brand Pepper Sauce, named Judson C. McLester as its new Executive Chef and Manager of Ingredients Sales. He is a 1986 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY.

McLester had nearly 20 years in the restaurant industry before transitioning to food product development where he shared his culinary training with food technologists to help bridge the gap between food science and culinary. He is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the American Culinary Federation (AFC), and a founding member of the Research Chefs Association (RCA).

He has worked with flavors, marinades and rubs, salad dressings, soups, sauces and value-added seasoning blends. These products were for both foodservice and consumer packaged goods markets.