JENNIFER SCOCCA

chief of staff

As Chief of Staff, Jennifer Scocca dedicates her time to strategic initiatives throughout Apicii and its entity operations while offering her support across multiple departments such as HR, operations and finance. Through her role, she loves combining her passion for food, wine and cooking with her love of crunching numbers and analyzing data. Her mission is to help Apicii achieve greater efficiency, organization, communication and profitability within each department.

With more than 25 years of multi-level experience in hospitality brand management, operations, service and financial/business strategies, she brings seasoned expertise to everything she leads. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in opening and/or operating critically acclaimed restaurants across the United States, including Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning PUBLIC and Saxon + Parole with AvroKO Hospitality Group in New York, NY; Michelin-starred Musket Room in New York, NY; James Beard Award-winning TORO in New York, NY; and Ava Gene’s, voted #5 Best New Restaurant in American by Bon Appetit in 2013, and regionally-celebrated St. Jack in Portland, OR.

Jen is alum of Penn Sate University, where she studied business. After entering the hospitality industry, she furthered her education with a Grande Diplome in Pastry Arts from the French Culinary Institute. The secondary degree opened the door to cook alongside some of the most high-profile chefs in the USA at the James Beard Foundation and several charity events. 

At her core, she believes in empowering and inspiring her team to help them achieve the highest standard possible. She regards one of her most outstanding achievements as seeing the people she managed and have worked under or alongside her enjoy successful careers as they develop their teams with the same philosophies she passed on to them.

Jennifer currently resides in New York City.  Outside of the office, you may find her volunteering and coordinating aid for her native country of Ukraine. She also enjoys photography and growing roses.

HIGHLIGHTED EXPERIENCE

  • More than 25 years of multi-level experience in hospitality brand management, operations, service and financial/business strategies.

  • Instrumental in opening nationally acclaimed restaurants in markets across the United States, including multiple Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning concepts.

  • Business Degree from Penn State University

  • Studied at International Culinary Center in New York City