Philipp Harrington
Corporate Account Manager - In-store Bakeries

Food has always been Phillip’s passion. Growing up in upstate New York, his family was, as he says, “part of a dying tradition in the American food world.” His parents made their own wine, cheese, sauerkraut, juice, preserves, processed their own meats and lived off the land they farmed in the summers and hunted in the winters. Eating was a time for family and togetherness, Philip says, “You learned to appreciate the land and the seasons. I grew up helping my Dad on the farm and my Mom in the kitchen… I knew at an early age that for certain the food business was going to be my future.”

It was at the age of 15 that Phillip began his career in culinary. “It was the best restaurant in the area… they wouldn’t hire me because I had no experience. So I worked for free.” Eventually, Phillip landed a paying position and quickly rose through the ranks. From there he began working at a variety of fine dining restaurants and hotels in upstate New York. Several years down the road, after gaining some experience, Phillip attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.

Post-graduation found him in the Hamptons at Amagansett’s Pacific East restaurant. “I was a cook at the time, the pastry chef quit during the middle of a very busy night.” They tossed Phillip into the pastry department until they could find a replacement. “I immediately fell in love, the sweet side was new to me… but I stayed late, went in early, studied and made many mistakes… they kept me on board and eventually promoted me to Executive Pastry Chef.” From there, he moved to North Carolina and worked in a variety of hotels and restaurants. After a few years in North Carolina, he ran the bakery program for Harpers Restaurants Inc. It was at this time that he was able to work with Jim Page. “He was an extraordinary baker, had an amazing business sense and had a long history with supermarket in-store bakeries” Mr. Harrington said, “He was a true inspiration, and so I began to take the same steps he took.”

Eventually, Phillip began to work for Associated Brokers in Atlanta training deli and bakery associates. After a few years, he joined Harris Teeter as a bakery project manager. “It was there that I first discovered AUI. I was implementing a pastry program and was not able to find quality product… and then an AUI catalog ended up on my desk.” He became a loyal customer and die hard fan for years afterward. “I discovered that nothing comes in comparison to AUI’s products and service.”

Phillip now serves as Corporate Account Manager for In-Store Bakeries. He understands the grocery industry and the challenges and opportunities they face with their in-store bakeries.  “I’m here to provide assistance and a solution for in-store bakeries. At AUI we have unique product and it has tremendous advantages and applications in the grocery bakery world.” He strongly believes that AUI has the quality and correct applications to make any supermarket chain successful in their cake and pastry programs. “I know what AUI can do in a grocery setting; I’ve relied on them for years for the success of my in-store bakery programs.”