Friends of the Zoo appoints new executive chef

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo recently announced it has promoted Allison Walts from sous chef to executive chef of Catering at the Zoo.

Walts has worked in many restaurant kitchens and, more recently, as a private chef for fraternities and sororities at Syracuse University and Cornell University with a company called Gill Grilling, according to a news release from Friends of the Zoo. She also spent 10 years at the Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles, working her way up from prep cook to sous chef/ kitchen supervisor.

The current executive chef of Catering at the Zoo, Dan Hudson, is departing to join the culinary staff for the Georgia Bulldogs football team.

“Chef Dan’s skill and dedication has played a key role in Catering at the Zoo growing our catering business, which is now double pre-Covid volume. With his knowledge, creativity and vision, we overhauled our menus and truly raised our game across the board,” Carrie Large, executive director of the Friends of the Zoo, said in the release. “Chef Dan brought people together through monthly pairing dinners, fundraisers and weddings, and did an amazing job establishing Catering at the Zoo as a bona fide catering option in Central New York. His contributions will be felt for years to come, and we wish him the best of luck!”

Walts joined the Friends of the Zoo’s catering department as sous chef in July 2021, but has collaborated with Chef Hudson for a total of 13 years.

“Chef Allison has been our secret weapon for a couple of years under Chef Dan here at the zoo. She has earned this promotion with her work ethic and commitment to quality,” Catering at the Zoo Director Chuck Anthony said. “We are thrilled see her step up into the executive chef role and we can’t wait to watch her lead the culinary team into our next phase.”

Walts says she has been coming to the zoo for more than 30 years and takes pride in the knowledge that her everyday work is directly contributing to the welfare of the animals in the zoo’s care. Under her guidance, the zoo’s catering department will continue to thrive and expand while maintaining the prestige and professionalism that has helped Catering at the Zoo to grow and garner such rave reviews in the last three years, Friends of the Zoo contended.

Walts, who earned a bachelor’s degree at Clarkson University in 2008, withdrew from law school in 2010 to pursue a culinary career. Since then, she has developed extensive experience in working and leading kitchens, as well as overseeing catering events — her favorite part of her job.