Steve Joseph, former president of Dacor and a scion of the company’s founding family, is back on the appliance scene.
An early advocate of smart appliances, Joseph is now a partner of, and leading product development for, SideChef, a cooking-app company that’s looking to enter the hardware side of the business.
In his new role, Joseph is tasked with building a smart-kitchen business by leading new product design and development and cultivating strategic partnerships, while also heading product management, business and channel development, and product marketing and sales.
“I’m excited to be joining a company that shares my passion for helping people cook better,” he said in a statement. “Our creative team of food enthusiasts is full of innovative product ideas and I look forward to helping bring them to life.”
Joseph had previously served as an advisory board member for SideChef, and led the manufacturing, marketing, design and development of ultra-premium kitchen appliances — including the first Android-controlled ovens and ranges — while at Dacor.
Joining Joseph at SideChef is new chief technology officer Matt Au, a former Yahoo! software engineer who will lead the company’s mobile development team in the launch of a Smart Kitchen solutions platform. The platform will connect and operate multiple smart kitchen appliances in concert with SideChef’s interactive, step-by-step cooking app.
“A team’s most valuable asset is our people and with the addition of these two seasoned entrepreneurial leaders, the company is well positioned to build the future of cooking,” said SideChef founder/CEO Kevin Yu.
Following Joseph’s recent departure from Dacor, the 51-year-old family business agreed to be acquired by Samsung Electronics America for an undisclosed amount. Under terms of the deal, Dacor will continue to operate as an independent, albeit wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung.
The company, founded by Joseph’s grandfather Stanley in 1966, has distinguished itself as a domestic manufacturer of sleek, innovative, luxury kitchen appliances including ranges, cooktops, wall ovens, refrigerators, wine coolers and vent hoods.
