Sergio Mueller

Corporate Account Manager - RFEC Group

Currently

A veteran of Albert Uster Imports for nearly 16 years, Sergio Mueller is the corporate account manager for the Resort Food Executive Committee (RFEC). This elite group of chefs is associated with four- and five-star resorts throughout the United States who exchange ideas, solutions to problems and concern themselves with the continued training of young chefs new to the industry. Although not a trained chef by profession, Mr. Mueller makes it his business to keep the group updated on what AUI does and to share his enthusiasm and business expertise.

Professional Background

Having grown up in a household where cooking and entertaining company were part of his Swiss heritage, food has always been important to Mr. Mueller. “My mother was an excellent cook,” he says, “well-versed in Swiss French and Swiss Italian cooking.” Working in the family business alongside his father, a Master Machinist, taught him a respect for the job, equipment and a sense of discipline, three skills he later found transferred seamlessly to the kitchen.

It was as a boy that he met company founder Albert Uster in Washington, DC at the Les Champs Restaurant. Years later, the two were reintroduced by Peter Staehli, Albert Uster Imports' first corporate pastry chef, when the company was searching for someone to take on the role of telemarketing sales. Mr. Uster’s insistence on learning the business from the ground up, from working in the warehouse to making local deliveries, developed Mr. Mueller's keen sense of the way the business operated.

Eventually, Mr. Mueller became the sales representative for a five-state territory that encompassed Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and western Pennsylvania. He built up the region, managing sales and making it a profitable business before moving on to focus solely on the state of Virginia. There he served the needs of pastry chefs for a number of years, providing detail oriented customer service and developing a reputation among his customers as a knowledgeable and reliable resource for their needs.

Mr. Mueller insists on devoting at least one week a year to working in a professional kitchen, believing that it helps him “understand the working conditions and importance of timing while on the line.” This continuing education experience, combined with classes at the Notter School of Pastry Arts in fields such as sugar art, desserts, and chocolate decorations, keep him up to date on the latest trends.

“I love to find unique solutions,” Mr. Mueller says. “I love to help clients make money. Together we find the correct blend of product and the necessary service delivery where everyone wins. I am in the smile business.”

Accomplishments

Mr. Mueller devotes much of his time to sharing his love and expertise of food with the industry and community. He’s worked with chefs at two of the finest private clubs in the Washington metro area, working not only on the special events team but applying the skills he’s learned to volunteering to help cook Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for a homeless shelter. In 2004, he was co-chairman for the Chocolate Festival, an American Culinary Federation (ACF) annual scholarship fundraiser in Richmond, Virginia. He received the Chairman’s Award in 1999 and President’s Award in 2000 from the ACF / Nation’s Capital Chef’s Association (NCCA) for outstanding service and professionalism. In 2000, he was the junior team assistant coach for the local ACF/NCCA chapter, winning the silver medal in regional competition. In 1999, Mr. Mueller was selected to present Cuisine d’Assemblage at the National ACF Conference along with Chef Dennis Nowe and Chef Roger Anderhalden.