Co-Owner, Cuisine Concepts, LLC
Partner, Goodfellow's, LLP

Wayne Kostroski is a highly successful and nationally-known restaurateur whose extensive background includes experience with some of the country's finest restaurant and hospitality companies.

As partner for Goodfellow's, LLP, he oversees the strategic planning, management and operations of Goodfellow's and The Forum Private Dining - both located at the historic Forum Cafeteria site next to the Marriott Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. He is also a co-owner of Cuisine Concepts, the operating company for Tejas in Edina, Tejas Express in Dayton's flagship store, the Franklin Street Bakery in Minneapolis, and Bar Abilene in Uptown Minneapolis. Cuisine Concepts is also a full-service restaurant development and management company.

Originally a professional musician based in Wisconsin, Kostroski made the transition from music to restaurants in late 1976 when he became the beverage and entertainment manager of the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, operated by Bloomberg Companies. While with the Bloomberg Companies, Kostroski also directed food and beverage operations and participated in the restoration of the 104-year old St. James Hotel in Red Wing, Minnesota, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1980, Kostroski teamed with Restaurant Resource Group, Inc. (RRG) and helped plan the 1981 opening of the Twin Cities' first Northern Italian restaurant, Pronto Ristorante. As managing partner with RRG, he helped initiate new operations throughout the Twin Cities and Central Michigan. Kostroski was also co-creator of Figlio, the Italian bistro that opened in the Uptown area of Minneapolis in 1984.

In 1986, with partner Robin Getman, Kostroski created InterACT group, a management, consulting and training firm. Through InterACT, he consulted with then partners John Dayton and Stephan Pyles on the opening of Tejas and Goodfellow's restaurants. In 1990, he became a partner in Routh Street Investments-North, which became the operating entity for these two fine establishments. In the fall of 1994, Kostroski teamed with Dayton along with Mark Haugen to form Cuisine Concepts, a restaurant consulting and development company based in Edina, Minnesota.

In addition to his extensive business experience, Kostroski is active in numerous trade and legislative organizations. He has chaired the Joint Legislative Committee for the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Associations, which sets legislative policy for the hospitality industry in Minnesota. He is a board member and past president of the Minnesota Restaurant Association (MRA,) and has chaired the MRA's Communications, Joint Education, and Membership Committees.

Kostroski also has served on the board of directors of the Upper Midwest Hospitality Association, the governing body that oversees the MRA, as well as the Minnesota Hotel and Resort Associations. In addition, he serves as a key contact for the National Restaurant Association.

Kostroski's success and industry involvement have won him accolades and awards nationwide. In 1992, he was named Marketer of the Year by Hospitality Management magazine and National Retailer of the Month by Beverage Media magazine. In 1993, Sullivan College presented Kostroski with the Great American Restaurateur Award, given to an "outstanding restaurateur who, through a distinguished career in the industry, has exemplified education to quality food preparation, service and consistency." In 1996, Kostroski was named Edina Business Person of the Year by the Edina Chamber of Commerce, and also that year, received the National Distinguished Service Award from United Parcel Service (UPS), on behalf of Foodchain, a network of hunger relief programs in the U.S. and Canada. . In 1997, he received the prestigious Midwest Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Socially Responsible category. The American Legion Auxiliary honored Kostroski in 1998 with the Humanitarian Award for his contributions to humanity, and in 1999 he received the Leonard E. Lindquist Community Service Award.

Despite his busy career, Kostroski still finds time to make significant contributions to community organizations and events. A highly-successful fundraiser, he has served on the board of directors of Share Our Strength (SOS,) a national organization of chefs and restaurateurs that supports regional, national and international hunger-relief agencies. He has also served on the national board of the End Hunger Network, founded by Jeff Bridges in 1983. For ten years, he chaired the Taste of the Nation, which raised more than $1 million for hunger-relief in Minnesota. He serves locally as an advisor to the board for the Twin Cities Second Harvest St. Paul Food Bank.

When the Super Bowl came to Minneapolis in 1992, Kostroski co-chaired the Restaurant Committee for the 1992 Super Bowl XXVI Task Force. That year, he created and chaired the first Taste of the NFL, an event that brings top chefs and alumni players from each of the NFL cities to the Super Bowl host city for a fun-filled, food sampling gala event. Subsequent events followed each year with this year's most recent Super Bowl XXXV event generating over $650,000 for relief efforts and bringing the nine-year total to over $3.2 million.

Kostroski is also active in the Minneapolis business community where he serves on the board of the Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association and is the immediate past chair of the Edina Chamber of Commerce. He also has served on the board of directors of the Minneapolis Downtown Council, and is a member of the Council's Downtown Marketing Committee. As a member of that committee, Kostroski helped create and orchestrate Holidazzle, a series of 25 downtown holiday parades, now in its tenth year.

Kostroski resides in Edina with his wife Eda, daughters Lya and Judith, and son Peter. He is active in the Edina community also. In addition to his activities with the Edina Chamber of Commerce and the 50th & France Business Association, he has coached soccer and basketball, and has served on the board of directors for the Edina Soccer Association.