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As the Executive Chef- Founder of Restaurant Associates’ Central Catering Kitchen, Tim McLaughlin defines the company’s sophisticated and innovative catering presence. Tim joined Restaurant Associates in 1996, after a 10 year career with Glorious Food with the goal of spreading RA’s existing a la carte reputation into the realm of New York catering. He soon established the Central Catering Kitchen, RA’s centralized production a kitchen from mere concept into thriving machine.

Tim McLaughlin has been responsible for menu design and food service for the catering aspect of the US Open Tennis Championship since 1996. Tim McLaughlin’s career goal has been to change the image of catered food. Over the years, he has helped the company establish relationships with some of the most prestigious cultural centers in Manhattan such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim Museum, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Beyond his culinary expertise, Tim’s keen interest in food presentation and decor has remained a signature of Catering by Restaurant Associates. It is this attention to detail that is appealing to the Entertainment Industry; some of his most notable premiers are HBO's The Sopranos and Sex and the City.

Tim has collaborated with Wolfgang Puck in the execution of the Academy Awards’ Governor’s Ball, Eric Ripert to cater the Guggenheim Museum’s Pop Art Ball and Joachim Splichal of Patina Group at the Grand Opening of Disney Hall in Los Angeles; they catered to eight thousand guests over four nights of celebration. As an employee of Restaurant Associates, he has inspired trends of food presentation across RA’s Restaurants, Business and Industry accounts, and the many Special Events they cater Nationwide. In particular, he received the Special Achievement Award at the Annual Restaurant Associates Chef and Director’s Meeting in 2002. Tim McLaughlin’s name has become synonymous with catering. His culinary expertise and artistic eye continues to influence, not only all areas of the Restaurant Associates, but the entire Food Service Industry.