ASB is currently working on the next Table of 10. 

• Members: $0
• Non-members: $135  $0 (for summer 2022)

• Open to young professionals and students only.
• Must be 40 years of age or younger
• Must commit to attending all three sessions
• Must agree to share contact information with other participants
• Must read and agree to ASB’s virtual programs code of conduct

The following are past hosts of the ASB Table of 10 Program:

• Xochitl Cruz, Bimbo Bakeries USA
• Larry Marcucci, Alpha Baking Company
• Brittny Ohr, Sugar Foods Corporation
• Rod Radalia, Aunt Millie’s Bakery
• Jeremiah Tilghman, Canyon Bakehouse (Flowers Foods)
• Greg Toufayan, Toufayan Bakeries
• Jorge Zarate, Grupo Bimbo

Xochitl’s Table of 10 met from August through October of 2021.

Get to Know Xochitl:

Xochitl Cruz began her career with Bimbo Bakeries Co. in 2004 where she gained experience in areas of operations, logistics, strategic planning, process controls, productivity and efficiency improvement, quality and lean systems.

Currently, Xochitl leads the supply chain for the sweet baked good operations in USA, where she is responsible for driving brand growth while maximizing operational excellence and quality, and delivering financial performance.

Xochitl holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Carson College of Business in Washington State and a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Tecnologico de Monterrey.

Larry’s Table of 10 met from October through December of 2020.

Get to Know Larry:

Larry Marcucci is one of the Founders of Alpha Baking Co., Inc. and its current CEO.  His roots in the industry start in high school when he worked for the family baking business.  Shortly after graduating from college he and his cousin went off to start their own bakery.  That was 43 years ago.  Growing a bakery from zero requires doing just about every job there is but now Alpha has 6 bakeries and over 1500 employees.  Throughout his career he has served on the Board of Directors of ASB, AIB, and ABA as well as being a graduate of the AIB Baking school in 1981.  In addition, he was named to the Baking Hall of Fame in 2018.

Brittny’s Table of 10 met from June to September 2022.

Get to Know Brittny:

Brittny Stephenson Ohr is the Director of Product Management at Sugar Foods Corporation with responsibility for Bakery & Cheese product categories.

Brittny has been working in the baking industry for nearly 20 years and has been an active member of ASB since 2011. Brittny began by graduating from Johnson & Wales University with a degree in Baking & Pastry Arts. In her studies with pros like Chef Mitch Stamm, and Chef Ciril Hitz, she mastered the fundamental of artisan bread baking. After settling into the wholesale baking world, Brittny chose to become a member of ASB to build her network and gain access to a wealth of technical resources uniquely catered to the challenges in large-scale commercial baking operations.

Today, as Chairman of the American Society of Baking, Brittny is excited to engage with members and set a new course for the future that will keep the Wholesale Baking Industry thriving.

Rod’s Table of 10 met from April through June of 2021

Get to Know Rod:

Rod Radalia is Vice President of Innovation at Aunt Millie’s Bakery, a family-owned company headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  The company produces Aunt Millie’s bread and bakery products and other brands, which are distributed throughout the Midwest.

During his almost 20 years at Aunt Millie’s Bakery, Rod has held multiple positions  within the organization.  As Director of Technical Services he was responsible for managing and improving the customer service program, as well as overseeing the nutritional labeling of all products and product development of new products.  He then served as Vice President of Technical Services & Quality Assurance during which he oversaw the quality assurance department, provided formula guidance and bakery training, and managing the research & development laboratory, among other responsibilities. With the growth and changes of Aunt Millie’s Bakeries, In October of 2019 he was elevated to overseeing product innovation and integrity. Recognizing the importance of innovation, a stronger commitment was needed and Rod’s current focus is on innovation.

Rod is an active member of ASB, currently serving as the Society’s 2021-22 Chairman.

Jeremiah’s Table of 10 met from January through March of 2021.

Get to Know Jeremiah:

Jeremiah Tilghman serves as General Manager for Canyon Bakehouse (Loveland, CO), owned and operated by Flowers Foods.

A graduate of Kansas State University’s Bakery Science Management (operations options), Mr. Tilghman has over 20 years of experience in the baking industry.  During his career, Jeremiah has held multiple positions with increased responsibilities within the major wholesale bakeries in the US including George Weston Bakeries, Bimbo Bakeries and more recently Canyon Bakehouse part of Flowers Foods.  He has had the opportunity to be directly involved in two plant start ups – one green field, one brown field – and indirectly involved in four additional plant start ups

Jeremiah serves on the Board of Directors for ASB, and is also involved with ABA and BEMA.

Greg’s Table of 10 met from October through December of 2020.

Get to Know Greg:

A 1995 graduate of Hofstra University with a BBA in Business Administration, as well as a graduate of the American Institute of Baking’s 4-month resident course, Greg Toufayan has held a variety of positions within the family business of Toufayan Bakeries.    For the first 5 years of his career, Greg could be found dumping hot pans of rolls and operating forklifts to eventually troubleshooting process problems and developing new products and production processes for their Orlando, Florida bakery.   These were some of the most fulfilling years of his professional career.

In 2002, Toufayan Bakeries moved their HQ and New Jersey bakery to a new location while simultaneously starting new contract baking business.  With these changes occurring, Greg returned to NJ and has been based there ever since.  In 2005, Greg had the opportunity to purchase a cookie bakery in Plant City, Florida; allowing him to start an entirely new business of baking cookies and buns at the Plant City location.  Since then, under the leadership of his father and with the help of his two sisters, Greg manages the family baking company.

While still working all hours and days of the week, Greg also volunteers as a board member for charitable community organizations and coaches his two boys.  Greg has been blessed with the opportunity to actively raise his two sons and a daughter with his beautiful wife Meline’ in Northern New Jersey.

In Greg’s words: “I’ve worked a solid 6-day work week, and sometimes more since 1995 and believe strongly that without the attention and commitment to the business/bakery by everyone from the owners to every employee it cannot succeed the way it has.”

Jorge’s Table of 10 met from September through November of 2020.

Get to Know Jorge:

Jorge Zárate Lupercio is currently  Grupo Bimbo´s Global Senior VP of  Operations.  Since he joined Groupo in 1987, he has been in charge of different positions such as Plant Superintendent at Bimbo Mexico, Production Manager at Bimbo Northwest, Corporate Bimbo and Marinela Operation Manager, Corporate Planning Manager, General Manager at Bimbo de Argentina, and Business VP for Latin America, Asia Organization President for Grupo Bimbo based in Beijing, China, and Supply Chain VP for Bimbo Mexico.

He holds a Biochemical Engineering degree from ITESM (Mexico).  He attended the AIB (USA) Baking Science & Technology course, attended  the Advanced Management Program at IAE (Argentina),  and  holds a postgraduate degree in Strategic Marketing at UCA (Argentina) and an MBA at EDDE (Argentina).

Member of ABA, IBIE Committee and ASB Board of Directors

Participating as board member of SCIRE Automation, KANAN Smart Solutions, Panglo de Mexico,  American Institute of Baking, former board member of Galletas La Moderna.

• Must agree to abide by the ASB Virtual Programs Code of Conduct
• Must commit to attending all three sessions
  • 3 1-hour virtual events held every 3-4 weeks over a 3 month period
• Must agree to share contact information with other participants
• Is required to complete the end of program online evaluation
• Should clearly communicate when information being shared is confidential and honor any requests for confidentiality

ASB is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all virtual program participants and ASB staff.  All participants, including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, ASB staff members, service providers, and all others are expected to abide by this Virtual Programs Code of Conduct. This Policy applies to all ASB virtual events, including those sponsored by organizations other than ASB but held in conjunction with ASB events, on public or private platforms.

ASB has zero-tolerance for any form of discrimination or harassment, including but not limited to sexual harassment by participants or our staff at our events. If you experience harassment or hear of any incidents of unacceptable behavior, ASB asks that you inform either Tawnee Brydebell, Director, Meetings & Operations, [email protected] or 1.800.713.0462, ext. 2, or Amanda Gonzalez, Director, Member Relations, [email protected] or 1.800.713.0462, ext. 3 so that we can take the appropriate action.

Unacceptable Behavior is defined as:

• Harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form.
• Verbal abuse of any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, ASB staff member, service provider, or other program guest.
  • Examples of verbal abuse include, but are not limited to, verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, national origin, inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces or in presentations, or threatening or stalking any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, ASB staff member, service provider, or other program guest.
• Disruption of presentations during sessions, in the exhibit hall, or at other events organized by ASB throughout the virtual program. All participants must comply with the instructions of the moderator and any ASB virtual program staff.
• Presentations, postings, and messages should not contain promotional materials, special offers, job offers, product announcements, or solicitation for services. ASB reserves the right to remove such messages and potentially ban sources of those solicitations.
• Participants should not copy or take screen shots of Q&A or any chat room activity that takes place in the virtual space.

ASB reserves the right to take any action deemed necessary and appropriate, including immediate removal from the program without warning or refund, in response to any incident of unacceptable behavior, and ASB reserves the right to prohibit attendance at any future program, virtually or in person.

“Hosting the Table of Ten program was energizing and inspiring. Networking with young professionals and having industry discussions was value adding and informative, as I was encouraged by the enthusiasm and commitment to their professional and personal development.”

Xochitl Cruz, ASB Young Professional Member
Late Summer/Early Fall Table of 10 Host

“The sessions were a great informal way of discussing industry topics with industry peers. Our host did a great job starting and steering the conversation but allowed the discussions to grow organically. We had participation from students to tenured professionals which allowed for great perspective on some of the challenges we are facing as an industry. Our industry challenges are not going away and it was a great opportunity to continue to discuss them while most in the industry are focused elsewhere. I would recommend Table of Ten for anyone who is finding it hard to make industry connections due to the separation and isolation caused by the pandemic. Lastly, it was a fun and engaging break in a busy workday schedule, I left the conversations refreshed and curious.”

John Hinds, ASB Young Professional Member
Participant, Jorge Zarate’s Table of 10

“The Table of Ten program gave me the unique opportunity to have discussions with someone at the top of their field in the baking industry. What a great opportunity for someone looking to expand their network and learn about the industry from the best!”

Rachel Klataske, ASB Young Professional Member
Participant, Jeremiah Tilghman’s Table of 10

“Thank you for setting up the Table of 10 with Larry and the rest of the group. I think this was a very good idea and enjoyed all 3 of our meetings. After seeing the success of this event it has definitely made me look forward to more virtual ASB events in the future. I really do appreciate ASB looking for ways to keep us all connected in these challenging times.”

Joshua Posz, ASB Young Professional Member
Participant, Larry Marcucci’s Table of 10

“As a host, the Table of 10 offered me a chance to mentor fellow members with whom I may not otherwise have had the opportunity to do so. For each of us, it was a new way to increase our network of colleagues. Most importantly, it was a way to learn from each other. A lot of wonderful ideas were shared.”

Rod Radalia, ASB Professional Member
Spring 2021 Table of 10 Host

“Table of Ten is a great format for young professionals to network and engage with industry experienced leaders. As host it is great way to give back to the baking industry. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a host and look forward to seeing the young leaders grow in their careers.”

Jeremiah Tilghman, ASB Professional Member
Winter 2021 Table of 10 Host

“It was very enriching to participate in the Table of Ten.  I got to know young professionals and their thoughts increased my network.  Together we can improve our industry!”

Jorge Zarate, ASB 2020/21 Chairman
Fall 2020 Table of 10 Host