Linda Funk, Vice President

For more than 25 years, Linda Funk has chosen a career in food marketing. Her professional experience has included extensive management experience with two large food and beverage manufacturers, Ambrosia Chocolate and Pepsi-Cola and one of the largest commodity associations, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB).

The food industry has been a cornerstone in all of Linda’s professional endeavors. During her tenure at Ambrosia Chocolate, she worked with research/development and sales/marketing to develop and introduce appropriate products to this channel and specifically to high profile chefs. She also designed and built their first test kitchen and developed the test kitchen program.

While at WMMB, Linda was in key leadership positions and was responsible for the development of the channel strategies and many innovative highly visible programs that included consumer, retail and foodservice advertising, public relations, media relationships, research, sponsorship opportunities, new marketing materials, tradeshows, high profile chef and media events, culinary schools events and operator/distributor programs and promotions. Linda also managed the various agencies and consultants that worked on WMMB’s foodservice programs.

Linda created Food Insight three years ago to assist food clients in developing strategies for marketing programs, new product introductions and high impact public relations campaigns. Her philosophy is “Food is Fun” and applies it to Food Insight client's programs.

Linda has served on the Boards of The American Institute of Food and Wine, International Foodservice Editorial Council, Culinary Institute of America and the Stout University Foundation, (Menomonie, WI) where she graduated in 1972 with a BS degree in Home Economics.

Cate Puzo

Cate Puzo loved the kitchen from the day she was tall enough to see over the countertop. From her first batches of homemade brownies, she knew she was destined to be in food for the rest of her days. Now, she brings more than 20 years of food industry experience to Food Insight, in marketing, publishing and agency work, in foodservice and food retail, for trade and consumer audiences.

Creativity, meticulous client service, and business acumen are Cate’s trademarks. She counts among her past employers Quaker Oats, Wegmans, Stop and Shop, Restaurants & Institutions/Reed Business Information, Better Homes & Gardens, Leo Burnett USA, and Marriner Marketing. Cate started out in test kitchens, moved on to establish QA standards for grocery items, manage store openings and closings, and conduct focus groups. Then she moved into publishing where she developed and edited magazines and promotional brochures, developed and tested recipes, and produced cookbooks, packaging content and use & care instructions. She’s developed and managed budgets large and small, supervised b2b advertising and media relations (both creative and media), and participated in strategic development for employers and clients alike.

Her clients include SYSCO, Kellogg’s Away From Home, Campbell’s Food Away From Home, Cargill Flour, Perdue Farms Foodservice, General Mills Foodservice, Rich Products, Coca-Cola Fountain, National Dairy Board, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, California Prune Board, California Date Committee, Tupperware, Nestle/Toll House, Produce Marketing Association, and, she hopes, you.

Cate earned her B.S. from Purdue University in Food & Nutrition, Communications & Hospitality Management. She has served on the Board of Directors for the International Foodservice Editors Council, and volunteers weekly at the National Museum of Natural History just down the street from her home office in Washington D.C.


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