Tom Lynch is an experienced Food Scientist and R&D Chef. With degrees in both Food Science and Culinary Arts, he brings a uniquely talented skill set to whichever project, collaboration, or position he pursues.

Throughout Tom’s 14+ year career working with food, he has worn many different hats: Intern, Line Cook, Private Chef, Research & Development Chef, Food Science Grad, Food Technologist, and Culinary Specialist, just to name a few. Some of Tom’s work can be seen in the 2016 Chicago Michelin Guide and Food & Wine Magazine, and he helped secure a 2-Michelin star rating while acting as R&D Chef for 42 grams restaurant in Chicago. While studying Food Science at the University of Illinois, he led his student team to a national 2nd place finish at the Institute of Food Technologists Food Product Development Competition at the IFT 2018 Expo. More recently, Tom helped develop several different plant-based meat products at Beyond Meat, including products for KFC, Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, A&W Restaurants, Panda Express, and many more nationally recognized brands. One of Tom’s strengths is excelling in the alt-protein space, where he has provided invaluable insight and collaboration to bring some of the best plant-based, cultivated, and hybrid meat products to life.