Shari’s Management Corp. and Shari’s Restaurant Group have named Tony Fialho executive chef and director of culinary innovation.
Fialho, who most recently was director of culinary innovation at Taco Bueno, replaces Kevin Bechtel, who left Shari’s in September 2017 after 25 years with the company.
Fialho has also worked on the culinary teams of Chili’s parent Brinker International Inc. and Black Bear Diners. He received an associate’s degree from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., in 1998.
“Tony is a very talented chef and menu strategist, and he brings a wealth of experience from family-dining, casual-dining and quick-service restaurants,” Joe Adney, Shari’s vice president for marketing, said in a press release. “Tony is the right guy to lead our product development efforts as Shari’s works to elevate the quality and freshness of our menu.”
Shari’s Management Corp. manages Shari’s Cafés & Pies, a 94-unit family-dining chain based in Beaverton, Ore., with locations in California, Idaho, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.
“It’s an exciting time to join Shari’s as they look to create a unique, ‘craveable’ dining experience for guests,” Fialho said. “Our goal is to leverage Shari’s Northwest roots and bring fresh, new thinking to the menu.”
Shari’s is known for its comfort food and pies, including seasonal items such as blackberry pie, which won a Nation’s Restaurant News MenuMasters Award for Best Menu Line Extension in 2011.
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