Dorothy Cudia named vice president of Middleby Automation Solutions

Dorothy Cudia has been named vice president of Middleby Automated Solutions, leading the effort to bring transformational innovative equipment into the foodservice industry.

Her areas of focus include robotics, 3D printing and autonomous systems.

"The deep technical and engineering background in foodservice Dorothy brings to Middleby is a tremendous asset. She is leading our automation and robotics solutions team, an initiative that will enable foodservice operators to reduce labor and food costs, increase service speed and improve food quality," said David Brewer, COO of Middleby Commercial Foodservice.

Cudia said, "I am proud to be joining Middleby in this newly created role to bring emerging technology into foodservice. Much of my job will be bringing solutions that exist in other industries and making it commercially viable in food service. A great example is the robot that we debuted in our booth at the National Restaurant Show. The lines were five deep to see a robot simulating making French fries. We all know robots can do a lot more but in our industry the headwinds around cost, service, limited footprint and variety of tasks have made it difficult to deliver commercially viable solutions. The interest and desire from our customers is fantastic and Middleby will provide a variety of options to automate their kitchens."

Cudia brings more than 25 years of domestic and global experience to her new position. She has held several senior level positions with Nabisco Brands in automation and process control, McDonald's Corp. in engineering and capital equipment and most recently at Darden leading a variety of innovation efforts across supply chain for food, energy and capital equipment.

Cudia is a graduate of Manhattan College with a B.E. Degree in Mechanical Engineering. She is a member of Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma. She has attended continuing education at the University of N. Florida for study in Supply Chain Management and Data Interchange.

She is an active coach and weekly volunteer with Special Olympics and a key sponsor for BASCA's New Campus, to provide residential services for special needs individuals. Cudia resides in Celebration, Florida with her husband and two daughters.