Meredith T. Presti blends culinary training with food service sales

Meredith T. Presti, a territory manager at Don Stevens Food Service Equipment Company, manages about 200 accounts across Wisconsin and northern Illinois while pairing kitchen experience with consultative sales. Her career highlights how technical product knowledge and customer relationships can drive equipment sales in a competitive food service market.

Why it matters: - Meredith T. Presti works at the intersection of culinary operations and equipment sales, which helps her tailor recommendations to how kitchens actually run. - Her role shows how food service suppliers can use operators’ point of view to build trust and close business. - Presti's approach matters in a market where customers often resist change and need practical solutions, not just product pitches.

What happened: - Presti serves as territory manager at Don Stevens Food Service Equipment Company. - She manages a territory that covers nearly all of Wisconsin and parts of northern Illinois. - Her responsibilities include overseeing about 200 customer accounts, developing new business, running product demonstrations, and preparing pricing programs and proposals. - She works with chefs, restaurant operators, dealers, and end users. - The profile was published by Influential Women on Nov. 13, 2026. - Readers can view Presti's profile.

The details: - Presti has more than a decade of experience in the food service industry. - She earned an Associate of Arts and Sciences degree in Culinary Arts from Milwaukee Area Technical College before starting her food service sales career in 2013. - Her background includes roles with Sysco, US Foods and Performance Foodservice. - At US Foods, she managed major accounts and helped with the Avendra contract transition. - That work contributed to sales growth. - She was named Marketing Associate of the Year in 2014 for sales and profitability growth. - In 2019, she was nominated to participate in the Women’s Foodservice Forum. - She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in French Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. - Presti speaks both French and English. - She is an active member of the American Culinary Federation and the Women’s Foodservice Forum.

Between the lines: - Presti’s selling style leans on culinary training, language skills and relationship-building rather than a purely transactional pitch. - She says her biggest challenges are overcoming objections, handling rejection and working with customers resistant to change. - She frames those obstacles as chances to build trust and find workable solutions. - Her advice to younger women in the industry is to stay calm, keep perspective, work hard and enjoy the process. - She credits mentors Damon Amaya and Tom Spencer with helping shape her career. - Outside work, she participates each year in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

What's next: - Presti says she will keep focusing on learning, improving and building stronger customer relationships. - Her work will continue to center on helping operators choose equipment that fits their needs and supports their guests. - Her career path suggests continued growth in consultative sales within the food service equipment sector.

The bottom line: - Presti’s profile shows how culinary expertise and sales discipline can combine into a durable edge in food service equipment selling.