By Amelia Levin
Photo by Grant Kessler
April 01, 2020, FE&S Magazine
Not many can say they have been working in the foodservice industry for a half a century — or more if you count childhood activities. Harry Schildkraut can. But most of you knew that already.
Considered a legendary figure among foodservice consultants and some manufacturers, Schildkraut was one of the earliest graduates of Cornell University’s famed School of Hotel Administration. This program was once known as the main recruiting ground for consulting firm Cini-Little, where Schildkraut spent a large portion of his career.
“Harry is a legend to all who have worked with him,” says Carl Boutilier, principal of PB&J Commercial Agents, a Chicago-area independent manufacturers’ rep firm. “In the rep and factory world, he is a ‘one-name’ celebrity: Harry — kind of like Madonna or Elvis.”
Of course, Schildkraut wouldn’t define himself like that, preferring to lead off with “I’m just a little Jewish kid who grew up working at his family’s resort in the Catskills of upstate New York.”
It’s well known in the industry, however, that Schildkraut is much more than that; he has led and worked on hundreds of high-profile projects, mostly in the sports segment. S2O Consultants’ impressive roster includes, most recently, Chase Center, home to the Golden State Warriors, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Fiserv Forum and Chicago’s United Center, among countless others.
For these and many other reasons we will get into, FE&S named Schildkraut, principal and owner at S2O Consultants Inc., its 2020 Hall of Fame award winner.
Let’s first back up with a little history. Schildkraut grew up in his parents’ hotel, so it’s not a total surprise that he chose a career in hospitality. He also has many other family members in the hospitality business. “I have been in the hospitality industry all my life, so when I got out of high school, I knew I wanted to go into the hotel business, and that’s why I went to Cornell,” says Schildkraut, who graduated in 1969.
After graduation, he was recruited by the likes of Marriot and McDonald’s, but it was the then-consulting firm Cini-Grissom, now known as Cini-Little, that snagged him. “I liked the idea of designing kitchens, and it looked like there would be more variety in terms of projects over the long term, and that was true,” Schildkraut says. “When I started with them in ’69, I worked on corporate dining cafeterias for the U.S. government and IBM corporate dining facilities all over the country, with the occasional restaurant and hotel project.”
