Our People

What do you like most about serving Kettle Cuisine?

That customers love it! They shower me with compliments. It surprises and delights, and shatters customers expectations of prepared soups.

What is your favorite variety of soup?

New England Clam Chowder!

Do you sip or slurp?

Both!

How do you spend your free time?

I am taking a Cabinet Making Course at Minneapolis Community Technical College. I make collapsible furniture components. Its like Tinker Toys or Legos for adults.

Jerry was born in Manhattan and grew up in New Jersey in an entrepreneurial family that owned a scissors and shears business. Jerry later attended Yale University as an undergraduate student majoring in English and a member of the varsity basketball team. While preparing for law school, Jerry waited tables and quickly developed a passion for the fast pace and continuous excitement of the foodservice industry.

After moving to Massachusetts to study law at Boston University and eventually practice as a bar certified attorney for a couple of years, Jerry realized that a career in law was not the right path for him. Looking to change directions Jerry decided to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School and upon graduation he returned to the industry that he had previously developed such a passion for but this time in a corporate role. Jerry spent two years working at a highly reputable restaurant chain as a strategic advisor to the founder.

It was during this experience in the foodservice industry that

Jerry discovered a glaring void in the market. At that time, in the mid 1980's, restaurateurs serving soup had two options: make it themselves or buy poor quality canned or frozen premade soups. Jerry saw an opportunity to provide discerning Chefs a better option; high quality, fresh, refrigerated soup that they could be proud to serve. This opportunity was all that Jerry needed to finally feed his natural entrepreneurial spirit that had gone unnourished for so long - Kettle Cuisine was born.

Jerry endured some very lean and challenging years at the beginning but his commitment to filling this market void never ceased. In the early years, Jerry's day started by picking up fresh meats, seafood and produce from local markets, he would then help prepare ingredients and cook the soups, and end his day by going door to door trying to convince Chefs to give Kettle Cuisine a chance. While twenty three years later Jerry no longer wears these same hats, he is still very actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and still loves getting out to meet with existing and prospective customers.

Today, Jerry and Lorna, his wife of 28 years, are adjusting to life as empty nesters as their two daughters have recently moved on to complete their undergraduate degrees and begin pursuing their own professional careers. Jerry's hobbies include traveling, music and refereeing rugby.

Volker was born and raised in Austria along the Danube River near the Hungarian border. He was first introduced to traditional cooking during childhood when he would often watch and help his mother prepare homemade meals for the family with ingredients raised and prepared at home.

At seventeen, Volker left home to begin his culinary career with a cooking apprenticeship in Germany. After working for many years in a number of European hotels and restaurants, as well as the Holland-America Cruise Line, Volker brought his culinary talents to New England. Many kitchens from Boston to Maine were privileged to serve Volker's creations prior to him settling in Newport, RI where he served as Executive Chef for two years at the Clark Cook House and the White Horse Tavern.

In 1978, Volker opened his own restaurant, "Frick's" in Newport and later a second "Frick's" in Jamestown. In parallel, Volker also served as a professor of International and Classical cooking at Johnson and Wales University's College of Culinary Arts.

Volker met Jerry Shafir while working at the New York Yacht Club in Newport and because the two had such similar philosophies about food, they immediately hit it off. In 1992 Volker accepted a position as a culinary consultant to Kettle Cuisine and in 1997 he joined full time as Executive Chef.

Chef Volker's culinary skill and artistry was instrumental in helping Kettle Cuisine expand its portfolio of great tasting, innovative soups to over 50 varieties. To this day, Chef Volker is viewed as the architect and enforcer of Kettle Cuisine's uncompromised culinary discipline.

Joseph was engaged in cooking at an early age, via his half-Greek, half-Italian mother, who prepared daily meals for a family of eight! Those values of fresh, local, communal fare never left him as he ventured through all segments of the restaurant industry. From quick service to white tablecloth establishments, his passion and knowledge grew.

During the journey, Joseph received degrees in Zoology and Entomology, satisfying the research scientist in him…and then circled back with a culinary degree from the famed Johnson & Wales University…with honors. In 1995, he moved to Maine to become the Executive Chef of the Camden Harbour Inn. This fine dining restaurant specialized in regional cuisine with all locally grown ingredients and seasonal menus. Joseph went on to occupy the top chef position in some of Rhode Island finest establishments.

As he yearned to merge his culinary and food science disciplines, Joseph joined the Research Chef Association and a foodservice consulting firm, after which his new product development skills have been honed at both independent restaurants and national chains. His talents were recognized by Papa Gino's Pizzeria / D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches, as he became their Corporate Chef from 2000 -2008.

Joseph joined Kettle Cuisine in 2008. His knowledge of manufacturing, experience in chain accounts, new product development cycles, culinary trends, and food science, make him a perfect fit for innovative ideation and proprietary projects.

In the early years, while her husband Jerry was struggling to get Kettle Cuisine off the ground, Lorna Shafir helped fuel his entrepreneurial ambitions by working a full time job as a sales rep for a top technology company. Several years later, as Kettle Cuisine slowly gained momentum, Lorna joined the Kettle Cuisine team and filled in several different roles, from accounting to human resources, while raising two young girls.

In 1989 one of their daughters, Kate, began inexplicably losing weight as an infant. After being sick for several months and losing nearly 20% of her body weight Kate was eventually diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which at the time was a little known condition. With no internet, no gluten-free labeling or cookbooks, and very little support outside her family, Lorna had few resources she could look to for help. Things were rough for a couple of years but Lorna credits a Celiac Disease support group she joined at Children's Hospital in Boston for turning the tide.

Given her 20 years of experience finding and cooking foods that were safe for Kate to eat, it was no surprise that Lorna enthusiastically embraced Jerry's idea to develop and introduce the first ever full line of gluten free soups. In 2007 Lorna shifted roles yet again playing a key role in developing a line of ten frozen single serving varieties of soups that are all natural and all gluten free.

Today, Lorna is Kettle Cuisine's very own Gluten Free Soup Mom. You can follow her on Twitter at gfsoupmom. Lorna is actively involved in the Celiac Disease community with numerous education, advocacy and support groups and she is often Kettle Cuisine's representative at gluten-free consumer events. Lorna is thrilled to be able to serve this community with all natural, great tasting, wholesome, convenient real food options that they have been missing for so long.