Whether it’s baking fresh baked goods or perfecting a signature pizza crust, the foundation for success begins with the dough. That’s why General Mills Foodservice is proud to have a team of dedicated of experts to work alongside pizzerias, bakeries and foodservice operations at the ready to share their expertise and help customers solve dough dilemmas.
From their deep knowledge of flour to technical baking skills in baking honed through decades of experience, the Doughminators™ are a distinct group of individuals within General Mills and the industry who know their dough.
Each and every Doughminator is passionate about helping customers to identify the best flour to meet their needs and the necessary steps to make dough that will achieve consistent results every time. In addition to working directly with customers, they travel to industry events like the International Pizza Expo and also share their knowledge online with dough troubleshooting, videos and recipes at www.generalmillsfoodservice.com.
Tom Santos
Tom has more than two decades of experience as a bakery owner plus more than 20 years of sales field experience at General Mills, giving him a unique perspective to help solve customer’s challenges with dough. “I’ve seen things with the same lens they look through daily. I’ve crafted a lot of different doughs, from pizza to apple pie, over the course of four decades.” He has seen about every issue that an operation can have with dough and is often called on to help pizzerias solve their crust catastrophes.
Shotsie Wilson
Employed with General Mills for 20 years, Shotsie has spent much of her tenure honing and sharing her flour expertise. She loves working closely with foodservice operations and distributors to understand how different flour can impact their dough when making baked goods and pizza. Known for her high-energy, educational presentations about flour, Shotsie is proud to be part of the Doughminator team. “It’s such an honor to be recognized for my level of experience and the passion I have for working with my customers to help them succeed.”
Mike Krygier
Mike has been with General Mills for the past 17 years and is known for his vast flour and baking mix expertise, working across all foodservice segments to help operations with their baking needs, from cake to donuts to pizza. Prior to General Mills, he designed, installed and consulted with bakeries worldwide and operated his own bakery for 13 years. He is also active within the industry with Chicago Area Retail Bakers Association and the Bread Bakers Guild of America. “I am excited to be part of the Doughminator team and have the opportunity to continue to share my expertise and knowledge I’ve picked up over the years,” he said. “If our customers are going to create, we help them do it right.” .
Curt Wagner
Curt has been in the Baking/Pastry industry for over 37 years. He currently is a corporate chef at Headquarters supporting FMCs and our FSI team. He developed a sugar-free and no sugar added dessert line, (Remember When Desserts), that we were eventually served at 5 Las Vegas hotels. He has an extensive teaching background working at Kendall College, Illinois Institute of Art, Le Cordon Bleu, Keiser University, and The Culinary Institute of America and he was also the Director of Production for Endangered Species Chocolate Company. “This is an amazing honor for me; it is the culmination of my entire career where I’ve built up my knowledge base to a level where now I can utilize my skills as well as my passion for the bakery to educate those in the industry. I’m also excited to take my current knowledge to the next level by working next to our extraordinary Doughminator’s currently in place."
General Mills serves independent bakeries, pizzerias and restaurants as well as non-commercial foodservice operations by providing high-quality flour, baking mixes and frozen baked goods along with technical support and marketing resources to help them succeed. The Convenience & Foodservice division also offers General Mills branded cereal, yogurt, snacks and more to a wide variety of away-from-home venues, from cafeterias to convenience stores to vending machines.