James Murray
Co-Founder & CEO
James conceived of the original idea for TasteTro after a particularly frustrating experience seeking dinner inspiration in the spice aisle of the grocery store. A strong operator with 15 years of experience with two of the world’s largest retailers and five years experience running an entrepreneurial company, James has been successfully nurturing and leading TasteTro from vision to launch. He is known for cultivating strong teams and for his masterful planning skills.
Carlos Salazar
Co-Founder & Chief Financial Officer
Carlos has been involved with Tastetro since the concept’s inception. He leads TasteTro’s finance, legal and IP. Carlos brings 13 years of experience assisting companies with financings, acquisitions and strategy to TasteTro, including seven years with KPMG Transaction Services. His boundless passion and energy in the kitchen experimenting with various flavours, cultural influences and culinary techniques ignites his appetite for creating a product that inspires people to cook.
Tara Wilkinson
Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer
Tara comes to TasteTro after spending the last 15 years advising companies on how to build brand differentiation and loyalty. She formerly served as the Vice-President of Strategy for Shoppers Drug Mart, consulted for Bain & Company, started her own boutique advisory firm and led the marketing teams of two Canadian companies. Tara’s strong strategic leadership skills combine well with her boundless passion and drive to make things happen at TasteTro.
Gerard Meyer
Strategic Advisor
Gerard brings 30 years of direct housewares and food industry experience to TasteTro. As President of SodaStream US, he was instrumental in growing SodaStream US’s sales from $200K to $200MM. He has also held senior marketing roles at Kraft, Campbell Soup, Merk and B&G Foods. He has a passion for innovation and a nose for growth, and the team is thrilled to have his guidance bringing TasteTro to market.
Ken Hanna
Product Designer
Ken is an award-winning Industrial Designer with over a decade of Kitchen, Bath and Home Décor product design experience. Bringing the TasteTro concept to life with pen, paper and computer, Ken developed our counter worthy design. Ken founded Kloop Studio in 2011 after spending the previous 8 years with Kohler Company, ultimately serving as Lead Industrial Designer for the Global Faucets Division. Intrepid, creative and adventurous by nature, Ken keeps the ideas & innovation flowing.
Frank Giunta
Product Engineer
Frank is the brains that makes our vision (and product) work. A Mechanical Engineer with a Masters in Product Development, Frank leads the mechanical design and is the key interface with our manufacturing partner. Frank has 17 years of experience in the automotive industry, including 8 years developing Softail motorcycles for Harley-Davidson. Needless to say, our motor design is pretty solid.
Dana Lu
Creative Lead
Dana guides the visual art direction for TasteTro. She is an accomplished graphic designer with a special talent for packaging and POP display design. Dana is also our resident trend expert (music taste excluded). She has that rare combination of creative talent and flexible, easy to work with demeanor.
Christoph Milz
Strategic Advisor
Christoph has 15 years of hands-on experience in the food and tech space. Initially a chef, he made a left turn into the technology industry and combined it eventually as the head of marketing and global business development for PolyScience Culinary, the leading manufacturer of commercial sous vide equipment before the business was acquired by Breville. Christoph also co-founded and managed for the last 5 years Hestan Smart Cooking, the world’s smartest cooktop system.
