Richard E. Hopkins, FCSI, CFSP, LEED Green Associate
Senior Vice President
Project Manager and Design Principal
A.A., 1975, Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park
Having decided early in life to devote himself to food service, Richard Hopkins worked in restaurants during and after high school. As a dishwasher, cook, and all-around assistant in the busy back of the house, he learned food service from the bottom up. Upon graduation from high school, Richard learned that there was a three-year wait to enter the nation’s premier cooking school, the Culinary Institute of America. In the meantime, he took food service management courses and worked nights to accelerate his education.
Soon Richard was renowned for his culinary skills at PW’s Saloon, a Washington, DC, bar where a patron-reporter featured him in a local newspaper. The story that ran in the Washington Star told of a rare young man, who wowed his customers with fresh mincemeat pies, hearty stews, succulent roasts, and rich mashed potatoes. The article drew crowds to this cozy hometown bar.
Upon his eventual entry into the Culinary Institute, Richard thrived, sometimes challenging the instructors, with positive results. Above all else, he discovered that he preferred pastry-making for its emphasis on chemistry and the artistry of presentation.
Upon graduation, Richard returned to the RMI Restaurant Group in time to assist with the opening of the Greenery. Here Richard met Lynn, who had also just returned to DC from the Peace Corps. At the Greenery, Richard introduced California foods to the nation’s capital. His colorful and fresh dishes ― prepared with what were then exotic avocados and sprouts — were an immediate and overwhelming success. Patrons were happy to wait in line for hours and even to dine with strangers just to get a seat at the Greenery.
After three RMI restaurant openings, Richard went on to explore other opportunities. It wasn’t long before he and Lynn prepared business plans for their own restaurant ventures, The Great Dane, The Mark Twain, and Pizzazz. Lacking funding, the creative and ambitious young Hopkins next chose the path of food service consulting. Early in his consulting career, Richard heard from his former mentor, Chef Albert Kumin, who asked him to come work at the White House as his assistant pastry chef. Richard was on-call throughout the Carter and Reagan Administrations.
A professional member of the Foodservice Consultant’s Society International since 1981, Richard Hopkins worked to become a Certified Food Service Professional almost as soon as the accreditation process became available through the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers’ qualifying program. Since then, Richard has been elected to serve two terms on the Board of Governors of the CFSP program. Richard Hopkins also co-founded the Foodservice Industry Council to promote process improvement among his peers and affiliated industry professionals. He has long been a sought-after speaker at industry conventions on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points planning, design, and cook-chill technology.
With more than one thousand food service design projects behind him, Richard Hopkins continues to seek new ways to improve the food service design industry. His commitment to sustainability in food service design is clearly demonstrated in his program, Greening Food Service: the Point and Beyond, prepared to teach architects a systematic approach to planning green kitchens that achieve sustainable design goals.
