Adam Crocini grew up in a big Italian family in Connecticut where the kitchen was the hub for socializing and eating good food. On the weekends, his parents took him to New York City to dine at some of the country's best restaurants. With that kind of background, it's not surprising that Crocini went into food and beverage; his first job at age 16 was as a barback for the Max Restaurant Group. Today, Crocini is the global head and vice president in charge of food and beverage brands for Hilton, overseeing all F&B operations across the group's 18 brands. "That part-time job really became my life's work and my passion," he says. "One thing I encourage - the 'secret sauce' - is [ being] thoughtful about everythingyou do and what you are trying to communicate to the guest - what story you're trying to tell and what experience you're trying to create," Crocini says. "If you really ground yourself with an idea of where you want to be. you think about the uniforms, the design, the lighting, the music, and at the same time, you ask yourself, 'how can we push boundaries and invent?' The industry calls for that right now."
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