Board of Directors

Christopher Pappas is our founder and has served as our chief executive officer since 1985 and has been a director on our Board and our Board chairman since our IPO, and he also served as a director and the chairman of the board of our predecessor company, Chefs’ Warehouse Holdings, LLC. He has been our president since April 11, 2009 and before that was our president from our formation to January 1, 2007. Prior to founding the Company, Mr. C. Pappas played basketball professionally in Europe for several years following his graduation from Adelphi University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. Mr. C. Pappas currently oversees all of our business activities, with a focus on product procurement, sales, marketing, strategy development, business development and operations. Mr. C. Pappas currently serves on the board of directors of the International Foodservice Distributors Association and the Hudson National Golf Club, respectively. Mr. C. Pappas’ qualifications to serve on our Board include his extensive knowledge of the Company and the specialty food products distribution business and his years of leadership at the Company.

Ivy Brown is an accomplished senior executive in the transportation services and package logistics field. Ms. Brown spent 32 years at United Parcel Service, Inc. and recently retired as President of United Parcel Service, Inc., Northeast District (Norwood, MA) where she led a $3.8 billion business unit with over 21,000 employees. Ms. Brown was responsible for growing key markets, sales, implementing technology, and all P&L responsibilities. Ms. Brown also has over 20 years of experience as a non-profit board director and previously served as a member of the advisory committee for the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Ms. Brown was a recipient of the United Way “2017 Woman of Impact Award” for her achievements in the areas of professional excellence, contributions to community service, and active assistance to other women in their attainment of professional and leadership skills. Ms. Brown earned her Master’s degree in Business Administration from Golden Gate University and her Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Dominick Cerbone has been a director on our Board since May 24, 2012. Mr. Cerbone brings over 40 years of financial and accounting experience, which have all been spent at Ernst & Young. Most recently, he was a senior partner and consultant of the national office of Ernst & Young from 2006 to 2008. Prior to that position, Mr. Cerbone was a senior partner of transaction advisory services for Ernst & Young from 1990 to 2005, where he was responsible for structuring, negotiating, facilitating, and integrating business transactions involving global public and private entities in numerous diversified industries. Other positions held at Ernst & Young include cross-border market leader of the transaction advisory services department, a partner of the audit practice and managing partner of the Stamford, Connecticut office. Mr. Cerbone is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Cerbone holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, with a major in Accounting, from Iona College. Mr. Cerbone’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his extensive background and experience in accounting. Furthermore, he qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC, for our Audit Committee.

Steven F. Goldstone has been a director on our Board since March 7, 2016. Previously, Mr. Goldstone was the Lead Director of Greenhill & Co., and the non-executive chairman of ConAgra Foods, Inc., one of the largest manufacturers of packaged food products in the US. He has also previously been a director of two other New York Stock Exchange firms, American Standard Companies and Merck & Company, Inc. From 1995 to 2000, Mr. Goldstone was chairman and chief executive officer of RJR Nabisco, Inc. one of the world’s largest consumer product companies. Prior to joining RJR Nabisco, Inc., Mr. Goldstone was a partner in the New York City law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell (“Davis Polk”). As a Davis Polk partner from 1978 to 1995, Mr. Goldstone advised corporate clients on many of the largest national and international mergers and acquisitions transactions and securities matters of the day. Mr. Goldstone is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and attended New York University School of Law. Mr. Goldstone’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his more than 30 years of experience in leadership positions, his knowledge of the food industry, and his corporate governance expertise.

Alan Guarino has been a director on our Board since November 7, 2012. Mr. Guarino brings over 25 years of global recruiting and talent management experience to our Board. Currently, Mr. Guarino is vice chairman in the CEO and Board Services practice at Korn Ferry. Mr. Guarino serves as chairman of the board of directors of the Saint Pio Foundation 501(c)(3). He has also held other board/advisor roles as president of the West Point Society of New York, a member of the Army Science Board, as a member of the board of trustees of the New York Institute of Technology, and as a member of the investment committee of the Cappuchin Franciscan Province of Saint Mary. In 1993, Mr. Guarino launched the start-up company Cornell International that grew into a top ranked firm engaged in retained executive search and strategic human resource consulting on Wall Street. He sold the company to Adecco in March of 2003. Prior to that role, he served as chief operating officer of Career Directions, a regional staffing firm, as a department head in Global Securities Processing at The Bank of New York and as a captain in the U.S. Army. Mr. Guarino’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his extensive knowledge of human resources, compensation matters and organizational development.

Aylwin Lewis was most recently the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Potbelly Corporation (Nasdaq: PBPB), a growing Chicago-based sandwich chain with operations throughout the United States and internationally, from 2008 to 2017. Prior to Potbelly, Mr. Lewis was Chief Executive Officer and President of Sears Holdings Corporation, which was created from the merger of two retail giants, Kmart and Sears. Mr. Lewis was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Kmart at the time of the merger, a distinction that made Mr. Lewis the highest ranking African- American executive in the U.S. retail industry. He has also held various executive positions at both Yum! Brands and Pizza Hut. Mr. Lewis presently serves on the board of directors of Marriott International and VOYA Financial and previously served on the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Mr. Lewis earned his Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Houston, Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Houston Baptist University and Bachelor of Science and Arts degrees from the University of Houston.

Katherine Oliver has been a director on our Board since November 3, 2015. Ms. Oliver brings over 25 years of media and entertainment experience to her appointment. She is known for her innovative branding strategies, business development expertise, creativity, and an unparalleled understanding and commitment to customer service. Ms. Oliver is a founding Principal at the global philanthropic consulting firm Bloomberg Associates, which was established by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to help improve the lives of citizens in cities around the world. Ms. Oliver oversees the media and technology portfolio, advising mayors and international civic leaders on economic development and public communications strategies and helping them harness the power of media and technology to improve government services. Ms. Oliver also advises a diverse range of corporate, cultural and non-profit organizations, including Bloomberg L.P., on cutting-edge content creation and marketing strategies. Ms. Oliver also sits on the board of directors for 1-800- Flowers.com, Inc. From 2002 to 2013, Ms. Oliver served under Mayor Bloomberg as New York City’s Commissioner of Media & Entertainment. During her tenure, New York’s media and entertainment industry saw its strongest growth in history, supporting 130,000 jobs and generating direct spending of $7.1 billion annually. Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, Ms. Oliver was the General Manager of Bloomberg Radio & Television. Ms. Oliver’s qualifications to serve on our Board include her extensive knowledge of branding, content creation, and marketing strategy.

John Pappas is a founder of the Company and currently serves as our vice chairman, a position he has held since March 1, 2011, and chief operating officer, a position he has held since February 24, 2022. From our founding in 1985 to March 1, 2011, he served as our chief operating officer. Mr. J. Pappas has been a director on our Board since our IPO, and he also served as a director on the board of our predecessor company, Chefs’ Warehouse Holdings, LLC. He has over 35 years of leadership experience in logistics, facility management and global procurement and oversees our entire network of distribution centers in North America. Mr. J. Pappas is also active in the development of our corporate strategy. Mr. J. Pappas’ qualifications to serve on our Board include his extensive knowledge of the Company and the specialty food products distribution industry and his years of leadership at the Company.

Debra Walton-Ruskin was elected as one of our directors in February, 2024. Prior to joining Chefs’ Warehouse, Ms. Walton-Ruskin served as the Chief Revenue Officer at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), following LSEG's acquisition of Refinitiv. Her leadership was instrumental in successfully selling Refinitiv to LSEG, marking the culmination of nearly two decades at Refinitiv, Thomson Reuters, and Thomson Financial. She has held numerous C-suite roles, including Global Head of Market Development, Chief Data Officer, Chief Product Officer, and Chief Revenue Officer. She was also President & CEO of Nucleus Financial, a VC-backed startup, a Partner at Cantor Fitzgerald, and a founding Board Member of the Cantor Fitzgerald Futures Exchange. Ms. Walton-Ruskin began her career in financial services as head of sales for Australian-based Giltnet Limited, and was part of the team that took Giltnet public on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Richard N. Peretz has been a director on our board since March 2024. He has served as a Venture Partner at Playground Global, LLC, a technology-focused venture capital firm, since May 2021 and has served as an independent consultant since February 2020. Previously, Mr. Peretz served as the Chief Financial Officer of the United Parcel Service, Inc. (“UPS”), an American multinational shipping and receiving supply chain management company, from July 2015 to February 2020. Mr. Peretz also held various leadership positions at UPS, including as the Controller and Treasurer as well as head of Mergers & Acquisitions from 2007 to 2015, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of International Operations from 2002 to 2007 and in various other roles of increasing responsibility from 1981 to 2010. Mr. Peretz also currently serves on the boards of directors of several companies, including: Boxbot, Inc., a startup venture that produces conveyors and package handling systems, since September 2023, Altus Power, Inc., a provider of alternative energy solutions, since December 2021, and Iris Acquisition Corp., (formerly Tribe Capital Growth Corp. I), a special purpose acquisition company, since March 2021 where he serves as Chair of the Audit Committee. Mr. Peretz previously served on the board of directors of Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company, from October 2021 to June 2022, Electric Last Mile Solutions, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of electric vehicles, from June 2021 to June 2022, Tribe Capital Growth Corp. II, a special purpose acquisition company from March 2021 to May 2022, and First International Bancorp, a state-chartered bank of Connecticut, from 2008 to 2015. Mr. Peretz served as an Investment Committee Member for the UPS Strategic Venture, a venture capital fund managed by the UPS Strategic Enterprise Fund of UPS, from 2013 to February 2020. Mr. Peretz served as a Board Member on the Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross, a disaster and humanitarian relief organization, from 2008 to 2015. Mr. Peretz earned a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio and an M.B.A. from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

Wendy M. Weinstein has been a director on our board since March 2024. She has served as Chief Marketing Officer at W2K Consulting, a marketing and management consulting firm with restaurant and food and beverage industry clients, since January 2001. In addition, Ms. Weinstein is a consultant in the restaurant technology, media and food distribution verticals through the Gerson Lehrman Group, Inc., a consulting and information services company, since October 2011. Previously, Ms. Weinstein was an owner and operator of Plates Restaurant, a fine dining restaurant in Westchester, New York, from January 2003 until its sale in October 2019. Prior to that, she served as Director of International Marketing at Sanpellegrino S.p.A, an Italian mineral water company (acquired by Nestle S.A. in 1998), from 1996 to 2000, and as Director of Marketing from 1989 to 1995. Ms. Weinstein currently serves as a director on the board of Newport Restaurant Group, a hospitality services firm, where she serves as a member of the Audit Committee, since January 2024. Ms. Weinstein earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Lester Owens has been a director on our board since March 2024. He previously served as Senior Executive Vice President and former head of Operations and as a member of the Operating Committee at Wells Fargo & Company, a multinational financial services company, from July 2020 to March 2023. Mr. Owens joined Wells Fargo from Bank of New York Mellon, where he was Global Head of Operations from February 2019 to July 2020. Prior to joining Bank of New York Mellon, Mr. Owens spent 10 years at JP Morgan Chase, where he was responsible for Global Wholesale Banking Operations, among other roles. He previously led significant operations functions for Deutsche Bank, Citibank and Bankers Trust. He has served on several boards of directors, including the Board of Directors of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) in 2016, and he chaired the Clearing House Interbank Payments Board from 2015 to 2016. Mr. Owens is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health, Inc. Mr. Owens has a B.A. from Long Island University and an M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson Executive.