Clark Wolf
President & Founder

Clark Wolf has more than twenty years of experience in the food industry and is founder and President of Clark Wolf Company, a New York-based food and restaurant consulting firm.  He has been called the "slam dunk, hit city food consultant" and a "Merchandising Maestro."

Wolf is a Contributing Authority to Food Arts Magazine and has written a regular cuisine and culture commentary column for Forbes Magazine. He is currently working on a book about America’s cheeses for Simon & Schuster. He has been a contributing editor to COOK'S Magazine and Mirabella, a consulting editor to the Gourmet Retailer and Wine & Food Companion and editorial director of Spice, a food and beverage industry publication. In addition to numerous other media appearances, he has appeared on CNN, the TV Food Network, and as a regular contributor on CNBC's "The Real Story”. He was The Cheese Wizard on AOL’s website, Thrive.

Traveling extensively, he lectures and gives seminars to chefs' associations, food professionals, cooking and food service students and industry groups from California to Paris on subjects ranging from food trends, specialty foods, restaurants and marketing to restaurant real estate and finance.

Wolf’s success in Design Direction has led to the creation of Clark Wolf for Fortessa, a custom line of tableware in collaboration with Fortessa, on of the industry’s leading design, development and marketing companies. 

After leaving his Southern California hometown for the San Francisco Bay Area to complete a degree in English Literature, Wolf was a waiter on the railroad, working eighteen-hour days on the line from Oakland to Chicago. He then opened and managed a cheese and wine shop at the base of Nob Hill, where a chance meeting led to a lasting friendship with the legendary James Beard. 

Wolf next opened the San Francisco branch of the Oakville Grocery and retooled the original Napa Valley store. He was the first to retail Laura Chenel’s California Chevre and spent countless hours finding and sampling foodstuffs with the likes of Marion Cunningham, Alice Waters, Ruth Reichl, Jeremiah Tower and Catherine Brandel.

In 1982, he was brought to Manhattan by Barbara Kafka to open and run Star Spangled Foods.  One year later, Wolf began traveling, lecturing, consulting to specialty food retail stores and doing some ancillary restaurant consulting.  After being recommended to The Santo Group by John Mariani, Wolf and Joe Santo created Arizona 206. They then collaborated on the re-do of The Sign of the Dove (earning three stars in the NY Times) Yellowfingers, and Arizona café.

In 1986 Wolf formed Clark Wolf Company.  In 1989 he began consulting to Jonathan Tisch and Loews Hotels, with whom he has worked on eighteen hotels.  In 1994, he opened his own restaurant, The Markham, in New York City.  After a successful two year run, wolf sold his part of The Markham to refocus on Clark Wolf Company.

Since 1996, Wolf has served as Chair of the Advisory Committee to New York University’s Department of Nutrition & Food Studies.  After founding the New York chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food, he served on its National Board and mounted six international conferences.  Other pro bono work includes:  consulting to annual fundraising event for Thirteen/WNET for the last sixteen years, creating the Sunday Night Supper for God’s Love We Deliver and serving on the Executive Committee of Aid & Comfort benefits in San Francisco and Boston.

Current and recent projects include: Mandalay Resort Group in Las Vegas; Park Place Entertainment in Las Vegas and other locations nationally, including Caesar’s Palace, The Flamingo, Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas; East West Partners in North Lake Tahoe, Denver and Beaver Creek, CO; the recently opened Royal Pacific Resort, Portofino Bay Hotel and The Hard Rock Hotel for Loews Hotels and Universal/MCA in Orlando; the Loews Miami Beach Hotel and the Loews Philadelphia Hotel; The San Jose Marriott; the California Milk Advisory Board; the Walnut Marketing Board.

Scott Mitchell
Vice President & Partner

Scott Mitchell has extensive experience at the core development of creative and trend-based small businesses. 

As a design partner at the leading custom bridal design house in New York he was instrumental in doubling the sales without increasing staff size.  During his years as assistant to the designer John Bartlett, Mitchell was key to the launch of a new division and the transfer of the production to Italy and managed the
New York headquarters.

Mitchell studied design at the University of Texas at Austin and has led several academically based national organizations.

For Clark Wolf Company, Mitchell oversees strategic planning and business operations, as well as acting as the company’s Treasurer.

Tim Shaw
Tabletop Coordinator
Assistant to Clark Wolf

Tim Shaw holds a Bachelors degree in classics and archaeology from Williams College, a Masters in Food Studies from New York University and The Grande Diplome from The French Culinary Institute.

His extensive food service experience includes both Front of the House and Back of the House work in restaurants such as Osteria del Circo and One if by Land, Two if by Sea in New York City , The Mill on the Floss and The Orchards in Williamstown , Massachusetts as well as Mood Food, David Kron and Marcey Brownstein Caterers.  

He is an adjunct professor in New York University's  Department of Nutrition and Food Dtudies and a teacher at Cooking By The Book - an avocational cooking school located in Tribeca.  Most recently he taught a course in Food Service Sanitation to the entire staff of the French Culinary Institute and will be teaching the same course to students starting in the summer of 2003.

In 1998, Tim began his own Private Chef service which grew to include over 30 families, including members of the Soros Family, the LeFrak Family, Denise Rich, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, among others. 

In addition to coordinating community outreach and professional conferences, assisting in the activities of the Advisory Committee to New York University ’s Department of Nutrition & Food Studies and overseeing all office activities, Tim manages the selection, acquisition, specification and presentation of Tabletop programs for Hotel and Restaurant clients.