Chef Vaccaro is responsible for development and preparation of desserts for the Borgata Casino Hotel and Spa. Borgata an MGM property has sixteen full-service restaurants, convention and catering facilities, and two bakery cafes. Thomas Vaccaro also is a consultant focused on new product innovation, process improvement, training, and development. He highly regarded for his executive coaching in persistence, leadership, and empowerment. Known for his vision and ingenuity, Vaccaro facilitates innovation at the intersection of savory and sweet cookery, leveraging his deep mastery of technique to foster new approaches to creativity. Clients include major food manufacturers, retail restaurants, food processors, and food-related non-profit organizations. Thomas is the past Dean for Baking & Pastry at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) which included oversight of curriculum, food and quality of instruction, identifying new faculty, and fostering student development. Also, was the General Manager of the award-winning Apple-Pie Bakery Café and CIA-Bocuse Restaurant. For many years, Vaccaro was a culinary leader in Atlantic City, where he was executive pastry chef at the Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino and Trump’s Taj Mahal and Tropicana Casino and Entertainment Resort in Atlantic City. Vaccaro also served as executive pastry chef at the famed Waldorf = Astoria Hotel in New York City. Vaccaro is a Certified Executive Pastry Chef C.E.P.C. And a Certified Master Baker C.M.B. He was the American Culinary Federation’s National Pastry Chef of the Year in 2004. He coached the U.S. Culinary Team to many gold medals in the 1996, 2000, and the 2004 Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany and earned a perfect score in pastry as the team ACF pastry chef at the 1992 Culinary Olympics. Throughout his illustrious career, Vaccaro has earned gold medals in competitions around the world, including Scotland (2001), Switzerland (1993 and 1999), Chicago (1992 and 1999), New York (1990, 1996,1997,2008,09,10,11,12,13,), and London (1992) Orlando team winner Culinary Super challenge (2010,2011,2012,2013).