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AGAR Bios

Jeff Merry

Jeffrey Merry

Corporate Executive Chef

Jeffrey Merry serves as corporate executive chef for AGAR. based in Taunton, MA. His main role is to guide customers of AGAR through the process of creating solutions for their establishments, with a main objective of helping them on a path of increasing profitability. AGAR, founded in 1940, has been a leader in providing small, independent food establishments with center of the plate solutions and Chef Merry complements AGAR’s history and tradition very nicely.

Chef Merry spends much of his time working closely with independent restaurant and retail operators. While many larger chains of restaurants have entire staffs dedicated to testing food and creating solutions, the independent restaurant operator does not. That’s where Chef Merry comes in, helping smaller, independent restaurants improve profitability by assisting them with menu selections, thereby enhancing profits and reducing operating costs. He helps operators put more value on the plate, both for the customer and the restaurant owner.

Chef Merry is a 25-year veteran of the foodservice industry. He has served as executive chef at three hotels in the greater Boston area and beyond and most recently served as Director of Food and Beverage at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in Natick MA. Chef Merry has also served as a Chef Instructor at Newbury College in Brookline, MA, training hundreds of students to enter a culinary career.

Chef Merry can be a valuable resource on a number of topics including:

  • Trends in Food Costs
  • Food Service Management
  • Quality Control Methods
  • Menu Development
  • Restaurant Trends and Issues
  • Product Trends

Chef Merry has a keen sense of what it takes to bring a restaurant into enhanced profitability. He’s a creative thinker and a skilled chef and manager. He’s been recognized numerous times for his expertise and professionalism. He was awarded the Peabody Hotel Group Culinary Leadership Award in 1996, Manager of the Year by "Executive Chef," the IHG "Best of the Best" Food & Beverage Director of the Year, Crowne Plaza Americas and Manager of the Year by "Director of Food and Beverage."