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2016
SPRING
OUR ROADMAP TO IMPROVING ANIMAL WELFARE PAGE 8
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: BRAVO IS THE ALMOST QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF
BON APPÉTIT MANAGEMENT COMPANY |
Winning the Acterra Award for Sustainability
A Member of the Compass Group
100 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 400 Palo Alto, California 94301 650-798-8000 www.bamco.com
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LEARN HOW FOOD CHOICES AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY,
The True Cost of American Food Conference
Celebrating Farmworker Awareness Week PAGE 42
AND YOUR WELL-BEING AT www.cafebonappetit.com
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VOL 1
INDEX
Adobe 40-41, 114 Albion College 7 Alliance Healthcare 100 Arguello 33 AT&T Park 10-11, 106-107 Bakery 350 92, 96 Biola University 71 Capital Café 55 Carleton College 6, 45, 56, 72, 108 Case Western Reserve University 23, 95, 109 CHS 69 Citrix 99, 100 College of Idaho 96 Colorado College 29, 77 Concordia University 7 Cornell College 57 Crossroad Café 63 Daimler 83 Denison University 64 Disney 27 Eckerd College 34 Electronic Arts 53 Emmanuel College 94, 99 Emory University 18-19, 50-51, 52, 112 Franklin Templeton 61, 97 Garden at AT&T Park, The 14 Genentech 31, 95, 105 George Fox University 98 Georgetown Law Center 35 Hamilton College 7, 111 Hampshire College 28 Hillsdale College 60 Hitachi Data Systems 72, 95, 99 Johns Hopkins University 46-47, 67, 73, 93 Lafayette College 77, 93 Lawrence University 102-103 Lesley University 88 Levi Strauss 75 Lewis & Clark College 72 LinkedIn 97 Lucasfilm 10-11 Medtronic 105
Mills College 67, 92 Mount Saint Mary’s University 98 Oberlin College 11-12, 108 Oracle 111 Oregon Museum of Science and Industry 29, 108 Otterbein University 5 Pacific Café 15, 91 PayPal 24-25, 62 Petco 45, 89 Re-insurance Group of America 97 Reed College 70, 110 Regis University 112 Roger Williams University 86, 111 Royal Caribbean Cruises 22 Samsung 45 Santa Clara University 65, 88 Santa Fe University of Art and Design 30 SAP 101 SAS 17, 71, 83 Savannah College of Art and Design 16, 94 Seattle University 98, 99, 109 St. Edward’s University 44, 104 Stadium TechCenter 87 Target 4, 6, 67, 75, 95, 99, 110 TaylorMade 79 Thomas Aquinas College 70 Trine University 58-59, 109 Twitter 4, 63, 74, 76 University of La Verne 66 University of Northwestern – St. Paul 55 University of Pennsylvania 32, 78 University of Portland 45, 94, 112 University of Redlands 30, 37, 82, 110 University of the Pacific 88, 113 VMware 26-27 Washington University in St. Louis 68 Westminster College 56 Whittier College 45, 84-85 Willamette University 20, 54 Williams-Sonoma 80-81 Yahoo 53
BRAVO WAS PRINTED ON PAPER MADE FROM
100%
RECYCLED FIBER INCLUDING
THIS SAVED...
81 fully grown trees 37,770 gallons water 36 million BTUs energy 2545 pounds solid waste 6976 pounds greenhouse gases
57%
POSTCONSUMER WASTE .
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Fear of (Not) Failing
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hen I founded this company, I sat down and wrote a dream and a set of food standards that I thought would make us uniquely different in the industry. I called it a “dream” instead of a mission statement because I wanted to create an emotional attachment for our people and our guests. I also wanted to establish a very special corporate culture. To help with that, I drafted a set of beliefs. (See the following page.) In today’s rapidly changing environment, I think it’s important to remind ourselves of one of those beliefs in particular: Innovation and risk taking are necessary to our success with the understanding that sometimes we may fall short To keep up with the speed of business and with the expectations of our clients and customers, we always need to be trying new things. What is exciting today becomes business as usual tomorrow and passé the day after that. We need to be constantly evolving. I don’t want you to ever be afraid to try something new because it might fail. If we’re not failing, we’re not being innovative enough. Whether it’s a new food concept or service style, be bold, be creative, and be willing to fail.
What is exciting today becomes business as usual tomorrow and passé the day after that. We need to be constantly evolving.
This is not a license to go off half-cocked. Find inspiration, research, bounce the idea off others, put a plan together, and then try it out — and — very important — analyze the results and try again. Maybe two out of three times nothing comes of the idea but that third time is a home run. We’ll never get those big breakthroughs without some ideas falling flat.
As I’ve said many times, each week you start out with a clean sheet of paper and write a new menu. That means each week you have an opportunity to innovate. Don’t be afraid to use it.
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Our Beliefs We will conduct our business with the highest ethical standards and consider the following beliefs to be fundamental to our success: •
Food sustains us, nourishing our bodies, minds, and souls. It is precious, to be celebrated and not wasted
•
A culture created around a common passion will inspire people to do the right thing and deliver on our promises to our customers
•
Educating our employees and guests about food can open their minds to new cultures, healthful practices, and an appreciation of the global impact made by their individual choices
•
Making sound fiscal and business decisions at all levels of the organization will contribute to the realization of our customers’ goals and our culinary dreams
•
Being flexible allows us to integrate into the structure and framework of our customers and provide extraordinarily customized services
•
Embracing technology allows us to better meet the needs of our clients and guests
•
Innovation and risk taking are necessary to our success with the understanding that sometimes we may fall short
•
Decision making power should reside with the people closest to our customers, unencumbered by bureaucracy
•
By taking a leadership position in our industry, we can be a catalyst in re-inventing the food supply chain
•
Buying local and sustainable ingredients preserves flavor and regional diversity while investing in the community
•
Listening to our employees’ specific needs and finding solutions recognizes their individuality and importance
•
Providing opportunities for all employees to develop their potential ensures their long-term growth as well as our own
•
Having fun and not taking ourselves too seriously keeps us grounded
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highlights | 2016
VOL 1
IN THIS ISSUE
12 01
From Fedele
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FEDELE BAUCCIO
Bits & Bites Twitter turns 10, kids learn pizza making at Carleton, Hamilton aces MWGCI baking, and more
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36
Bon Appétit NorCal Impresses Hundreds at Key Conference The True Cost of American Food conference was a three-day, 500-guest marathon
Award-Worthy Oscar Celebrations
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Celebrating African American History Month
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Events...in Brief
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Holiday Celebrations, Bon Appétit Style Creating fun festivities for Valentine’s Day, Lunar New Year, and more
MICHAEL BAUCCIO
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What’s the Recipe for 1,000 Days Without Accidents? STEPHEN SAMUELSON
MAISIE GANZLER
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From Michael Why it’s critical that we take a “What if...” look at our business
Talking about Food A report card on our last set of animal welfare commitments — and our new 10-year road map
Awards & Recognition Bon Appétit wins prestigious Acterra Award for Sustainability, is honored by Disney and Genentech, and more
Innovation means risking failure
04
65
40
42
54
102 From the Fellows A visit to Red Barn Family Farms inspires hope for the food system
Echoing Stories During Farmworker Awareness Week
AMANDA WAREHAM
NICOLE TOCCO CARDWELL
108 Thank You, Bon Appétit!
Bean There, Won That
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Bon Appétiters love going head to head in chili cook-offs
The Back Page Baby Food 101 draws a hip, young crowd at Adobe - Lehi
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bits & bites Twitter Turns 10
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n March, the San Francisco–based social media giant Twitter celebrated its 10th birthday, and the Bon Appétit team worked closely with the company’s events masterminds to celebrate the #LoveTwitter theme in fun culinary style.
For breakfast, that meant breakfast pizzas, bananas rolled in granola, smoothies, and individual quiches with bacon crusts. For lunch, multiple stations were renamed in honor of famous moments on Twitter through the years, such as “just setting up my twtr” chicken noodle soup (for the first tweet ever sent), and Miracle on the Hudson shrimp and grits (in honor of the 2009 photo of an airplane landing on the river that crashed Twitter’s servers and made journalists everywhere take notice). At an evening dessert reception, guests enjoyed macaroons, mini cheesecakes, and a build-your-own s’mores station. But the showstopper was the 80-pound blue velvet cake in the shape of a huge number 10, finished with little frosting birds, that was created by Bon Appétit’s commissary bakery, Bakery 350. The tweeps loved it.
The blue velvet cake created by Bakery 350
MEET A COFFEE CONNOISSEUR: Of the hundreds of thousands of people employed by Starbucks at its more than 21,000 locations worldwide, only 5,000 hold the special title of Coffee Master. The Bon Appétit team at Target North Campus in Minneapolis is proud to count a Coffee Master within its ranks. Retail Manager Bri Wood (pictured left with Barista Shelly Beugen) achieved the esteemed distinction after completing coursework in the coffee education program and passing both written and taste tests. Donning the black apron reserved for Coffee Masters, Bri is the go-to person for all matters coffee, expertly handling all barista trainings and new store openings as well as generously giving advice to café guests who have questions about coffee. Submitted by Salvatore Rosa, General Manager
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Just one glimpse of the 20-plus-footlong candy and dessert buffet
Who Can Take a Rainbow…? The Candy Man Can — at Otterbein University
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niversity students can always use a smile and a little pick-me-up — and the Bon Appétit team at Otterbein University used some pure imagination to take care of both for the students in Westerville, OH. As a surprise, on a random Wednesday evening, Catering Manager Colleen Maul and her team brought Willy Wonka’s wonderful world to life right in the Cardinal’s Nest Café with a spread designed to appeal to the candy lover inside everyone. This extraordinary dessert buffet was so packed full of goodies it was almost overwhelming to students as they entered the usually faculty-only section. The station included tie-dye cupcakes created by Baker Jim Eddingfield, blueberry pie (inspired by the character Violet Beauregarde), a chocolate fountain with treats to dip (but not to get stuck in), and of course, lots and lots of colorful candies. Westerville’s new Shirley’s Popcorn provided fruityflavored rainbow popcorn that added color and pizzazz. The night offered more than tasty teasers: Lucky raffledrawing winners walked away with a DVD or even a 10pound gummy bear! A photo booth offered the chance for sweet selfies and lifelong memories. Overall, Willy Wonka Wednesday was the perfect way to brighten the midweek monotony. Submitted by Colleen Maul, Catering Manager
Supervisor Myra Mills and Line Cook Sarah Hoerle
These colorful cupcakes by Baker Jim Eddingfield tasted even better than they looked
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bits & bites Young Chefs Learn Pizza Making at Carleton
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hat food is the common denominator in kids’ palates? Pizza! The picky ones can stick to cheese, while the more adventurous can try out a rainbow of vegetable toppings. So for the students of Greenvale Middle School enrolled in the school’s Young Chefs program, Sous Chef Gibson Price at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, taught a pizza class. Gibson discussed the origin of the ingredients and how to make pizza sauce. They rolled out dough, chose their custom toppings for a personal pizza, and then had a pizza party. “The kids had a great time and learned a lot,” said organizer Alex Bice of the event. Submitted by Kimberly Driesch, Director of Operations West
General Manager Salvatore Rosa pedaling the smoothie bike
Target Provides Instant Gratification for MiniWorkout
S
Greenvale Middle School students learning to toss pizza dough
ometimes it’s fun to work for your food. At Target North Campus in Brooklyn Park, MN, participants flocked to pedal-power their own smoothies. General Manager Salvatore Rosa, Executive Chef Lyle Schoenthaler, and Sous Chef Deziree Klema all took turns pedaling in between Target team members. Producing power from exercise — and not electricity — was a sustainable angle that did get mentioned, but the primary focus this day was the smoothie, which promoted a smoothie-making protein blend by Vega now carried at, you guessed it, Target. The powder is based on pea protein and contains almost no sugar. It can be used as is, or it can be dressed up with fruits and vegetables. Everyone was invited to give it a “spin,” but even those who declined to mount the bike did get to try the samples. Submitted by Salvatore Rosa, General Manager
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Sweet potato cupcakes with brown butter–cream cheese frosting
Lead Concession Worker Glenda Culp and student Alyssa Glenn
Hamilton Bakers Start a Campuswide Pastry Revolution
Fast Farm to Fork Breakfast Satisfies Albion Students
F
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ood allergies and intolerances are on the rise, and so is demand for baked goods made without gluten-containing ingredients (known at Bon Appétit as G). Rebecca Bolton and Leigh Shearin are Bon Appétit’s expert G bakers at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. The dynamic duo started with the goal of producing a single delicious G dessert item daily and have expanded to up to six items — more than 1,000 pieces each day distributed between three dining locations on the campus. The popularity of their treats is so great that they now take a variety of orders for everything from thousands of commencement cookies to decadent chocolates for Hamilton Trustees. Hamilton students and staff, whether they are gluten sensitive or not, are gobbling up the G muffins, scones, bars, brownies, cakes, pies, and more. No one can pass up their sweet potato cupcakes with brown butter–cream cheese frosting!
hen a student voice survey at Albion College in Albion, MI, revealed that students wanted fast and easy breakfast bites, Executive Chef Ken Dixon and his team brought their Dub Box out of its winter hibernation to the rescue. Every weekday from 9 to 11 a.m. students can now find the Dub Box stationed conveniently at the doors of the main café, staffed by a smiling Bon Appétiter ready to serve speedy and satisfying breakfast fare. But the best part? Those grab-and-go English muffins and wraps contain not only Farm to Fork produce, but also sausage and bacon from locally and humanely raised pork, plus Certified Humane cage-free eggs. The response has been nothing short of spectacular. Submitted by Shane Powers, Marketing Manager
Submitted by Jennifer Clark, Administrative Assistant
PLANTING IDEAS AT CONCORDIA: The Bon Appétit team at Concordia University in Irvine, CA, has been keeping their eyes on a patch of land on campus that’s been in the process of restoration for the past two years by the university’s Heritage Garden Club. Student volunteers have removed mustard grass and other unwelcome vegetation and are educating both students and visitors on the importance of sustainable ecosystem planting, especially indigenous plant seeding. Cold Salad Prep Judith Garduno, Sous Chef Dustin Kelly, and Manager of Operations Rafael Covarrubias (not pictured) recently visited the garden and got a tour from volunteer Arya Shahsavarani. They’re looking forward to coordinating with the club’s leaders on how Bon Appétit can participate and support the garden as it grows. Submitted by Rafael Covarrubias, Manager of Operations
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talking about food | maisie ganzler
setting goals — and then moving the goalposts KC Wagner, Foodbuy’s director of business needs for the hospitality, leisure and retail brands channel, holds a piglet on a visit to Bon Appétit’s new pork supplier as Mark Swenson, Bon Appétit director of purchasing initiatives, looks on
“
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hat do you mean, five years? I want to do this now!” bellowed our fearless leader Fedele Bauccio back in 2012 when I laid out the plan for our new suite of humane commitments. I’m not just throwing around a cliché when I call him“fearless.” Fedele is ready to take on any problem of any scale at any time. I love his fearlessness, but sometimes see my role as countering it with a bit of reality.
We compromised and set our goals with a three-year time frame — even though we didn’t have a clear road to achieving them. Part of our intention was to signal to large-scale, industrial meat producers that we want — no, demand! — change, and we’ll use our purchasing power to prove it. Fedele was right: Time was of the essence.
The vast majority of breeding sows are confined to gestation crates for their entire pregnancies. That’s almost four months spent in cages too small to even turn around in. That’s not acceptable! I am proud to say that our contracted pork now comes from sows that live in group housing, in which these highly intelligent creatures are free to move and socialize. Our new supplier is the most progressive in the industrial-scale U.S. pork industry when it comes to animal welfare. And an important bonus: the pork we’re now buying is also from hogs never given antibiotics or growth promoters (including ractopamine, which causes severe animal-welfare problems). I know this transition has had some bumps in the road. I appreciate everyone’s commitment and patience. Leadership often comes with barriers and setbacks. The change for these sows is worth the work.
Get sows out of gestation crates:
On December 31, 2015, the clock ran out. How’d we do? Eliminate foie gras and crated veal: Done. Switch to cage-free precracked/liquid eggs: There are few
industrial-scale suppliers of precracked eggs from hens that are certified cage free by a credible animal welfare organization. We were close to making a deal with one when avian flu hit the egg industry like a meteor, cratering the supply of all eggs. We have since found another supplier and have begun the rollout. Cage-free liquid eggs coming soon to a MOG near you! 08 | BRAVO
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25 percent of meat, poultry, and egg purchases from producers with third-party-certified animal-welfare practices:
We fell short of this goal, by failing to get our supply of cagefree liquid eggs within the three years and although our new pork producer is leading the industry, it is not third-party certified for its animal welfare practices. We were also hindered by the fact that meat prices have risen dramatically, making the denominator of that 25 percent a moving target. We will continue to focus on improving this number.
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Not perfect, but pretty darn good. And the industry took notice. Since we made our announcement, our parent company, Compass, has rolled out its own suite of animal-welfare commitments — including announcing in 2015 that it will move liquid-egg purchases to cage free by 2019. Our competitors have followed and so have major fast-casual chains: Panera Bread, Taco Bell, and even Denny’s have all pledged to go cage free. You really won’t find any major company that isn’t condemning battery cages and gestation crates in 2016. So are we close to the end of our to-do list? You should know me better than that by now. What we’ve done is huge, but there is more change to make. Next we want to take on the less-talked-about animal welfare problems — tail docking and dehorning in dairy cows, and tail docking and castration without pain management in pork. We’d like to encourage genetic changes such as polled cattle (no need to dehorn if cattle are born without horns) and discourage the use of chickens genetically designed to grow so quickly that their legs aren’t strong enough to support them, plus ask our suppliers to provide more enrichments and lower stocking densities. And it’s time to take a fresh look at our once-groundbreaking antibiotics policy, which is now over a decade old.
The advocates agree that even with a 10-year deadline, these are the most progressive commitments in the industry. When I told our old friend Josh Balk, senior director of food policy for the Humane Society of the United States, he was elated! Here’s the official quote he gave us for the press release — but I promise you his in-person reaction was a lot closer to “wahoo!” “Bon Appétit Management Company has been leading the way on animal welfare issues within the food industry since its inception,” said Josh. “Whether it’s sourcing from more humane suppliers, endorsing legislation tackling animal cruelty, or offering more plant-based meals, the company sets a very high bar for social responsibility.” The most important reaction thus far, though, has been an article Josh sent me from Meatingplace, an online meatindustry publication. The communications director for the Animal Agriculture Alliance warned producers, “With so many animal care issues simmering in the background and others currently sharing the stage (such as antibiotic use) it can be difficult to get a handle on which practice might be coming under fire next. However, the message was heard loud and clear last month when both Bon Appétit Management Company and Whole Foods Market announced plans to switch to sourcing chicken from breeds that grow to market size about 25 percent more slowly than conventional birds.”
What we’ve done is huge, but there is more change to make. Next we want to take on the less-talked-about animal welfare problems — tail docking and dehorning in dairy cows, and tail docking and castration without pain management in pork.
But my realism sets in. The meat, egg, and dairy industries are by nature slow moving, whether for ending abuses that could be eliminated in the near term, or for making the massive infrastructure changes that require time and capital to overhaul their physical facilities. Breeding animals that can tolerate and thrive in the new environments (such as group housing for sows) doesn’t happen overnight. So what is the right time horizon for this new set of commitments? After much thought, research, and, yes, some debate with Fedele, we settled on 10 years. You read that right, not three like the last time, not the five I’d initially wanted and Fedele had been shocked by, but 10. We’re not going after the lowhanging fruit; we have to figure out a way to climb up the tree to reach for the fruit at the very top. A lot of stretching (of minds) is going to be necessary.
She went on to mention that our companies shouldn’t be dismissed as outliers, but as industry leaders who can be counted on to point where consumer pressure would soon start following.“If you’re involved in the meat and poultry business, whether directly with chickens or not, I would encourage you to prepare to start hearing more from the media, consumers, and your customers about growth rates,” she urged. Mission accomplished. Oh, wait. We still have to actually find those suppliers who’re using slow-growth chickens at scale, or phasing out tail docking. I have a feeling that we’ll get there before 2026, but don’t hold me to that!
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Bon Appétit NorCal Impresses Hundreds at Key Conference Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications
Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio (right) with True Cost of American Food VIPs at Skywalker Ranch
…including revolutionary restauratrice Alice Waters
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ongtime Bon Appétiters in the DC area may recall a high-profile conference, the Future of Food, that the company catered in 2011 at Georgetown University for none other than His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Washington Post, and a UK group called the Sustainable Food Trust. Five years later, it was the Northern California team’s turn to feed the attendees of the Trust’s followup three-day version, The True Cost of American Food. More than 500 CEOs, thought leaders, government representatives, academics, entrepreneurs, activists, farmers, and others came together to learn and debate the hidden costs to health and the environment of our current food system. The Prince, alas, was not in attendance — he sent a video greeting.
servers outfitted by Paula Nielsen and Andrea Junca from the Regional Operations Support team, while helping Stephen back of house were 350 Kitchen Executive Chef Bob Clark, VMware Executive Chef Matt Dark, Yahoo Executive Chef Bryce Yee, and VMware Sous Chef Michael Nguyen.
The first event was an invitation-only preconference lunch for 130 VIPs at Lucasfilm’s beautiful Skywalker Ranch in Marin. Luminaries such as Alice Waters (mother of California cuisine and leader of the school-food movement), Laurie David (producer of the films Fed Up and An Inconvenient Truth), and entrepreneur Kimball Musk (founder of The Kitchen and the Kitchen Community school garden nonprofit) laughed and chatted as they enjoyed a leisurely multi-course, family-style menu created by Bon Appétit at Skywalker Executive Chef Stephen Simmons that drew almost entirely from within 50 miles, including produce from Skywalker’s own garden, Bill Niman’s locally raised lamb, and Cowgirl Creamery and other local cheeses. The long tables were gorgeously dressed and the
The next day, the conference began in earnest in Fort Mason’s cavernousHerbstPavilion. Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio took part in the plenary Food Business panel moderated by Civil Eats Editor Naomi Starkman, along with Whole Foods CEO Walter Robb, Theresa
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That night, the conference kicked off with a market-hall-style reception for 400 at Fort Mason’s Gallery 308. Joseph DeBono, Bon Appétit’s Presidio Foods catering executive chef, served grilled asparagus and truffled Just Mayo crostini as well as creamy polenta with spring vegetable ratatouille that were big hits with Paul Shapiro,vice president forThe Humane Society of the United States’ Farm Animal Protection unit, and other vegans and vegetarians. Presidio Catering Sous Chef Matt Gorski and Executive Chef Joseph DeBono chat with guests at the kickoff reception
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FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Fedele with fellow business panelists Howard-Yana Shapiro from Mars, Theresa Marquez of Organic Valley, and Whole Foods CEO Walter Robb, and moderator Naomi Starkman from Civil Eats
Marquez of Organic Valley, and Howard-Yana Shapiro from Mars. Fedele’s comments about the need to move toward more plant-based diets and for a more just system for farmworkers were very well received, as was his offer to debate Mars’ Howard-Yana, who said increased food safety in factories was really the most pressing issue facing big companies. Lunch for the 550 people attending both days of the full conference was again served family-style, to facilitate maximum interaction and conversation and minimum food waste. (All excess edible food was donated to Food Runners, a local food recovery organization.) In keeping with the themes of the conference, it was mostly plant-based with a few sustainably raised meats: a new pastured, slow-growing breed of Mary’s Chicken on day one and Mindful Meats beef on day two, sourced from organic dairy cows. The guests seemed amazed by the quality and flavor of the lunch offerings, with many of them marveling that it was not only the best conference food they’d ever had, and then at least one — recognizing that that wasn’t a very high bar — was overheard hastening to add“it was like having lunch in a restaurant!” The lunches were even more impressive considering that Fort Mason has no kitchen. AT&T Park Executive Chef David Button, Director of Operations James Hall, and their team plus many, many helpers cooked everything off site and then, working out of a refrigerated truck donated by SF Specialty and a
huge catering tent outside the pavilion, put it all together and finished it beautifully. “Over the last 30 years I’ve organized numerous conferences and events, many of which were extremely successful, but I can honestly say that I have never been so touched by the depth, quality and generosity of the support given by any donor as much as yours,” wrote the Sustainable Food Trust’s Patrick Holden to Fedele a few days later.“It wasn’t just the financial value represented by the food and service, which was of incredible quality, plus also the enormous 350 Bakery Executive Chef Ian Farrell creeffort you must have gone to provide such Pastry ated a coffee flour brownseamless services when you didn’t even have butter almond cake with roasted rhubarb ginger catering facilities inside Fort Mason, but flan and a chocolate shell a vegan dark chocoultimately it was the deliciousness of the plus late cake with ALBA food and the atmosphere spontaneously Organics strawberries for the conference attendees produced by those wonderful lunches that completely blew everyone away and contributed pretty centrally to the inspirational impact of the conference.” It’s safe to say that,for theTrue Cost of American Food conference, the Bon Appétit NorCal team delivered a priceless experience.
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Visiting Chef Brings Home Cooking to Oberlin Written by Amanda Nagy, Media Relations / Office of Communications, Oberlin College* Submitted by Wayne Wood, General Manager
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ocal-food and nutrition advocate Vel Scott believes food is much more than what we eat: It’s nourishment for the mind, body, and spirit.
When Bon Appétit, Oberlin College’s food service provider, recently hosted Vel for a series of dinners in each of the campus dining halls, many students said the meal “felt like home.” That’s precisely the goal Vel had in mind. “I want students to get a bold taste of the freshness and love that the food was prepared with. I hope it will remind them of home,” said Vel while supervising the kitchen of LordSaunders, where Bon Appétit cooks were busy preparing batches of succulent collard greens. On the menu that evening: beef short ribs prepared with vegetables and fresh herbs; baked chicken coated with seasoned breadcrumbs and herbs; blackeyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread. When asked if this would be considered soul food, she gives a quizzical look — the kind that tells you she’s been doing this much longer than you have. “You can’t box in soul food,” she explains. “Soul food is how you prepare it. It comes from the earth, then we each put in our flavors, our love, our cultural background. It’s good for the soul.” A longtime Cleveland resident and former business owner with her late husband, Don Scott, Vel is a leader in the movement to promote healthy living. Through her workshops, lectures, and cooking demonstrations, she teaches that food can be a catalyst for better living. Bon Appétit District Manager Dan Farrell, who knew Vel from previous community outreach projects, invited her to share her knowledge with Oberlin’s chefs, managers, and cooks, who then took what they learned by offering a special meal using some of her favorite ingredients. A self-made cook, Vel’s expertise in healthful, culturally relevant food stems from the changes she made when her husband experienced health problems. The couple owned three nightclubs in the Cleveland area, and she ran the kitchens. She made a conscious decision that if rich, salty foods were bad for her husband, they were bad for customers, too. Not wanting to sacrifice flavor and enjoyment, they decided to travel to West
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Vel Scott, a local-food and nutrition expert from Cleveland, shared her knowledge with Bon Appétit chefs and planned a special meal for Oberlin dining halls
Africa to explore their culinary roots. “I saw the simplicity of life, with people eating together,” she recalls. Garlic, onions, greens, and fresh coconut played recurring roles in the food they ate.“We tasted the warmth and love. It was a real eye-opener.” Since then, she’s gone all over the world to learn about regional cooking styles and traditions. Along the way, she discovered that every culture has its own soul food. For instance, just as sauerkraut always goes with sausage in Germany, you wouldn’t think of serving collard greens without cornbread in her native Mississippi. Second-year Anthony Allen, a chemistry major and football player, says he came to the dinner looking for some good sources of protein, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that the meal was healthful too. “Everything was prepared with great care and forethought. It was a pleasure to talk with Vel. Bringing in outside chefs to train Bon Appétit staff can help diversify the menu in the dining halls. I would enjoy seeing more visiting chefs in the future.”
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Vel with the Oberlin Bon Appétit team
Cook Louis Bliss with Vel
Wayne Wood, Bon Appétit’s general manager at Oberlin, says the dinner with Vel was a new way to connect with students. He says the most common feedback he received was that the food “felt like home.”
Vel with Oberlin students
“We have passionate chefs and managers. They’re still talking about what they learned from Vel. I hope this is the start of more programs like it in the future.” *Very lightly edited and reprinted with permission from the Oberlin News Corner. Photos by Pang Fei Chiang ’19.
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Biting into garden-fresh pizzas made with kale that the students harvested
Empowering Youth in the Garden at AT&T Park Submitted by Hannah Schmunk, Community Development Manager
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f your plate could talk, what would it say? That was the tough question put to students from Design Tech High School during their two-week“intersession course” hosted by Bon Appétit at the Garden at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
Design Tech High School is an innovative public charter school in the San Mateo Union High School District that incorporates technology, design thinking, and transferable success skills. One of its unique educational experiences is the intersession period, in which students participate in halfday elective courses taught by professionals who work in the local community. These courses allow students to gain meaningful experiences outside their everyday classroom, and many students emerge with new perspectives about themselves, their futures, and the greater global society. During their two weeks in the Garden at AT&T Park, students took a deep dive into the story of the food system. Students studied all aspects of the food system and heard from some of the Bay Area’s top food connoisseurs. They also started seedlings, harvested garden greens, and prepared recipes from freshly picked ingredients. Eric Blasen, one of the landscape architects who designed the Garden at AT&T Park, explained, “An edible garden needs a lot of care, but it gives back. There’s nothing like fresh, off-the-vine produce.”
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The group learned the importance of urban agriculture and connected with farmers during a field trip to the farmers’ market. “When you buy local food and meet the person who grew it, you have a different level of accountability and a better connection to the community,” Maisie Ganzler, Bon Appétit’s chief strategy and brand officer, told them during her visit. They also heard from Regional Forager Joseph DeBono about how Bon Appétit sources local food and about the big-picture challenges facing the food system from CEO Fedele Bauccio. To wrap, the students volunteered at a local hunger relief organization and talked about their own health and wellness goals — all while learning how to be food justice leaders in their own community. Students returned to their regular curriculum more empowered to take on systemic change.
Students try to match prices to their corresponding food item for an activity on food cost
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Go Team! Pacific Café Teaches Problem Solving in the Kitchen Submitted by Nicole Bell, General Manager
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hen the Bon Appétit team at the Pacific Café in Irvine, CA, was asked by their client to cater and host a unique team-building event for 18 employees, they decided a cooking contest would be just the thing. Instead of focusing on a mystery ingredient, the entire cooking competition was a secret to the participants until the day of the event. With one vegetarian team and two made entirely of carnivores, the atmosphere was jovial, but the competition was fierce.
Along with customized aprons that read “Iron Chef 2016” and different-colored bandanas for the different teams, the participants were given tofu, chicken (for the carnivores), and an array of fresh vegetables, grains, and starches, as well as wine, stock, herbs, and spices to work with. Then they heard a quick but thorough safety lecture from Executive Chef Eric Morgan. At the end of the night, they were told, the dishes would be judged by Eric and senior managers from the client side, Mike Catlin, Kathy Lomax, and Coleen Miller, on their taste, presentation, and creativity. Each member of the winning team would walk away with a bamboo cheese board set and bragging rights. Once the buzzer rang, the teams were off and running. All three teams dove into the competition with full force — assigning roles, shielding their process from the other teams, whispering questions to the chefs, and using every Alton Brown kitchen hack they could think of. The Bon Appétit managers enforced a strict 60-minute timeframe. Then came the final announcement: dishes needed to be on the counter in 30 seconds. All hands were on deck as the Iron Chefs plated their meals and — with an air of professionalism — perfected their presentations before the buzzer went off. Morale was boosted, communication was improved, and each team learned a little more than they already knew about what it takes to work together well. In the end, the purple team reigned supreme for their jalapeño chicken in cream sauce over yam risotto, but that probably won’t be what most participants remember about the night. While the event’s primary goal was team building for the client’s employees, the relationship between the Pacific Café team and their guests was also strengthened. The contestants really appreciated how the Bon Appétiters’ attention to detail — in everything from the personalized aprons, ingredients, and prizes — made their night a success.
A family-style meal to give each team a sample of each others’ creations 2 0 1 6 Vo l u m e 1
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SCAD Chefs Pop-Up to Get Face-to-Face with Students Submitted by Brooklyn Cole, Marketing Director
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he Bon Appétit team at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, GA, have been practicing thinking “outside the kitchen” in order to connect more directly with students. For the fall semester they surprised the SCAD community with a new dining pop-up every week, each with a unique menu and theme.
The series kicked off with a chili cook-off on the patio at Byte Café. SCAD Radio was on deck to bring the entertainment, and more than 100 students showed up to cheer on the chefs and choose their favorite chili. The contestants were Adrian De Haro, catering chef; Eli Scott, sous chef at the Café at the Hive; Johnny Battles, artisan deli chef; Chris Melton, sous chef at the Café at the Hive; and Stephane Baloy, sous chef at Byte Café. After a fierce competition, Eli took home the glory for his fiery short-rib chili. Next came a shrimp and grits “patio pop-up” with Chris at the helm. He gave this classic Southern dish a sophisticated flair with jalapeño cheese grits, Gulf shrimp, Gruber Farms mustard greens, Savannah River Farms andouille sausage, and chow-chow. Stephane’s pasta demonstration at Byte Café wowed his audience. By using simple ingredients — wheat pasta, arugula pesto, tofu, sugar snap peas, carrots, and red bell peppers — he showed the students and staff how easy it can be to get creative with seasonal produce. Sous Chef Kenneth Alston followed with a gourmet popcorn tasting station set up at the Hive. There was a flavor for everyone, from bacon and Parmesan-dusted popcorn to a vegan version with salt and cracked pepper. At the heart of these events was a renewed effort by the Bon Appétit chefs to step out from behind their stoves and connect with SCAD students. “We’re offering the students and chefs a chance to talk directly to one another,” said Emanuel May, executive chef. “We want the students to know that the chefs and managers are always accessible.”
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Sous Chef Kenneth Alston tossing a batch of his gourmet popcorn
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SAS Goes Whole Hog for Two Special Days in One Submitted by William Ashford Jr., Executive Chef
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t’s probably no secret that Bon Appétit teams look to their calendars for inspiration — and that they love a reason to celebrate! The team at SAS in Cary, NC, takes full advantage of holidays, historical birthdays, and national insert-subject-here days for the opportunities to highlight their love of food and the wonderful local products from all over the state. For National Roast Suckling Pig Day, which happened to fall on beloved culinary superstar Jacques Pépin’s birthday, the team at SAS roasted two suckling pigs to celebrate both occasions. Jacques has spent his career focusing on the fundamentals of cooking and creating recipes that continue to use traditional culinary techniques from centuries past, so the joint celebration felt befitting, especially with the level of passion and patience required to execute traditional culinary techniques for the pigs. The goal was to prepare an extra-special holiday family meal for the Bon Appétit staff, while providing a culinary teaching opportunity. To begin, both of the 20-pound pigs were brined for a total of nine days. At the end of the brining process, the suckling pigs were stuffed with mirepoix and then roasted at 350 degrees for three hours. During the roasting time Executive Chef William Ashford Jr. returned three times to baste the pigs with butter and olive oil. The process rekindled for William an appreciation for the time, effort, and skill required to create a culinary masterpiece — an appreciation he shared with his entire team.
After days of brining and hours of cooking, the end result was perfection and well worth the time spent in preparation. For sides, the team put together coleslaw, potato salad, and a full charcuterie plate made of the hog headcheese with pickled red onion, apple butter, grain mustard, cornichons, and crostini. Sitting down to fellowship with the staff over this amazing meal was a great experience for William and his team, and they were reminded of the joy that comes from the true fundamentals of cooking while breaking bread together.
Suckling pig
SAS Guests Love Getting Cheesy: For National Cheese Lover’s Day, the SAS team provided a tableside cart that traveled through the café during lunch service. Bakers Taylor Dyczewski (pictured) and Courtney Lariviere served up samples of cheeses from three North Carolina cheesemakers, as well as some locally cured salami and a variety of housemade crackers and breads. Diners were delighted, and word spread throughout the café. Some customers simply couldn’t wait for the cart to come to them, so they got up from their tables to seek out the local delicacies themselves. Submitted by Chapin Campbell, Sous Chef
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Emory - Oxford Expands Farm to Fork Partnership Submitted by Samantha Lenard, Community Partnerships Coordinator
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on Appétit teams love partnering with clients who not only share the company’s values, but also seek to extend their reach even further: Emory University in Atlanta and Oxford, GA, has committed to purchasing as much as 50 percent of its food from local or sustainable sources, including 100 percent of its animal proteins. Alyse Festenstein, former Bon Appétit Fellow and now community partnerships manager at Emory, reached out to Riverview Farms in Ranger, GA, to purchase their farm-grown and -milled stoneground grits for Emory’s Atlanta campus — and Riverview also happened to be looking for a customer for its pork. Executive Chef Duke Walsh at Emory’s Oxford College formed a great relationship with farmer Charlotte Swancy, and the partnership has provided Oxford with quality pork while helping the farm to expand its business. The Bon Appétit team at Oxford recently had a chance to visit Riverview Farms. Alyse, Duke, General Manager J. Paul Keiser, Line Cook Amber Batchelor, and Community Partnerships Coordinator Samantha Lenard were excited to see the 100-acre farm. They opted for a hike through the forest instead of a walk on the paved road (a decision they may have regretted after having to hop over an electric fence). After the shock wore off, Charlotte toured everyone through the three areas where the pigs live, separated by age. In the barn, each sow and her nursing litter have their own farrowing hut and enclosed area. At first, the mother pigs were very protective, snorting and blocking the view of their piglets. But after a while, the piglets came out to feed and play. Weaned piglets and sows spend their days roaming and sunning in a forested area. Older pigs get to enjoy the“pig spa,” where they eat, sleep, and play for three weeks until harvest time.
The Oxford team learned about the different stages of a pig’s breeding cycle and heard how a small-farm operation like Riverview differs from a conventional pork breeder. After seeing the way these pigs were treated, each member of the team commented on how proud they were to be able to serve such humanely raised pork.The visit to Riverview Farms not only strengthened the relationship between the Bon Appétiters and their Farm to Fork supplier, but also instilled pride in the Oxford team for being part of a company that supports such farmers. The partnership with Riverview has provided Oxford College of Emory with a premium product while making a significant difference to the business of a small farm. 18 | BRAVO
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Executive Chef Duke Walsh posing with a sow in Riverview’s new barn
A sow feeding her piglets
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Emory Dining Surprises Students with Remarkable Chef’s Table Meal At Emory University in Atlanta, the Bon Appétit team works closely with the 13-student Food Advisory Committee at the school. The committee holds monthly meetings with the dining staff in order to update the students about what’s new in the café and provides an outlet for students’ suggestions and ideas. Food Advisory Committee Chairs Bryce Robertson and Molly Talman, Manager of Community Partnerships Alyse Festenstein, and Resident District Manager Nadeem Siddiqui
It’s a lot of work for the students, but they — led by Chairs Bryce Robertson and Molly Talman — volunteer consistently, believing it’s important to build a bridge between the students and the dining staff at Emory. With this dedication in mind, the Bon Appétiters surprised the committee with a very special five-course chef’s table dinner to thank them for working together. Resident District Manager Nadeem Siddiqui and Manager of Community Partnerships Alyse Festenstein invited the students to the kitchen under the pretext of an in-depth tour of the café, including descriptions of Bon Appétit’s kitchen principles, equipment, and procedures. Little did the students know, there was an unforgettable meal waiting for them at the end of the tour. Prepared by Nadeem and Executive Chef Heath Miles, Director of Operations Kimberly Triplett, Sous Chef Diana Yu, and Kaldi’s Culinary Director Frank McGinty, the menu started with Winesap apple salad followed by pear and parsnip bisque; braised beef cheeks with wheat berries, chard, and pomegranate seeds; grilled lamb chops with roasted green cauliflower; and basmati rice with turnipkohlrabi curry. The dessert options included vanilla cupcake with candied cranberries and chocolate mousse cake with poached pears and whipped cream prepared by Executive Pastry Chef Newton Pryce. The students were thrilled by all the thought that the Bon Appétit team put into the dinner. “This is better than any wedding I’ve been to,” said committee member Jennifer Lenchner. “I can’t believe you did this for us!” Submitted by Valencia Jackson, Marketing Manager
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Willamette Shares Secret Dorm Food “Hacks” Submitted by Chris Linn, General Manager
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hen students at Willamette University in Salem, OR, are not eating at the Bon Appétit café, they often resort to junk food. So when students approached Executive Chef Joshua Green to show them how to cook for themselves in a series of on-campus evening classes, an interesting idea landed on the table. What if participants were taught how to “hack” common dishes cooked in residence halls in a way that could elevate their flavors and make them more nutritionally complete?
Willamette students prepping ingredients for their class
Back in his office, Joshua considered what budget-strapped students were likely to have in their cupboards and drawers. Instant ramen noodles seemed a safe bet. Canned tuna was another likely suspect. Boxed macaroni and cheese and powdered vanilla pudding rounded out the ideas of instant, easy food. When the evening of class came, Joshua, General Manager Chris Linn, and approximately a dozen students gathered together in the quiet of the closed-for-the-evening Kaneko Commons Café to embark upon their collaborative and interactive learning process. Students were divided into groups and given food items and tools of the trade: knives, cut gloves, bowls, whisks. As they peeled eggs and cut vegetables, they chatted and asked questions.
Enjoying quick and easy rice noodle “ramen”
Joshua made a point of describing the principle behind the subject: you can always make the most of what you have. He demonstrated how easily rice noodles (no gluten) could be substituted for ramen noodles and what a difference the addition of a little spinach, green onion, sweet corn, and egg could make to a bowl of the cheap supermarket staple. He showed the way to an easy yet bold mac and cheese by stirring in oven-roasted Brussels sprouts, bacon, and smoked Gouda. He encouraged students to add pizzazz to their tuna salad by roasting a few cloves of garlic and stirring them in with light mayonnaise and chopped wilted greens. And for dessert, Joshua clued participants in to the easy improvement that blended berries and a slice of poached pear can make to an otherwise banal bowl of instant pudding. The response to the class and to the subject matter was enthusiastic and positive. When students weren’t asking questions or laughing at a food-prep fumble, they were mmming and yumming while tasting their hacks. The Bearcats left well fed and well educated on how to turn $3 of food into what could pass for a $20 restaurant meal. Photos: Frank Miller, Willamette University
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Bon Appétit’s Online Training Now Certified by American Culinary Federation Submitted by Autumn Rauchwerk, West Coast Fellow
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number of Bon Appétiters are closely involved in creating the Circle of Responsibility online training series, from the nutrition team and the Fellows to the Web team at headquarters. They take the feedback from post-course surveys very seriously, graphing the results and compiling a table with the specific feedback and their proposed solutions to address each issue. One individual’s helpful comment encouraged the Circle of Responsibility team to look into gaining American Culinary Federation certification credit for the courses. The American Culinary Federation (ACF) is the largest professional chefs organization in North America, focusing on promoting the professional image of American chefs through educational resources. One of those resources is the most comprehensive chef certification program in the country. After applying and earning the certification, chefs must earn 80 continuing-education hours during the five-year certification period in order to maintain their certification. The Bon Appétit team applied to have the courses count toward these hours so that our chefs can earn continuing education credits for time they spend completing Circle of Responsibility training program coursework. And the ACF said yes! This means that ACF will offer 8.75 continuing education hours for the full program that a Bon Appétit employee needs to complete just once, plus three continuing education hours for the refresher program required annually. The program completion certificate notes this, and ACF has the Bon Appétit training programs as part of the accepted coursework. So there’s yet another incentive to finish up those Circle of Responsibility courses and another advantage to working for Bon Appétit — no other chefs have access to these trainings.
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OPENING
Royal Caribbean Cruises Through Grand Opening Submitted by Jennifer McGann, Marketing Manager
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he opening for Royal Caribbean Cruises’ headquarters was smooth sailing! Two cafés at the Port of Miami for the Miami-based company have joined the Bon Appétit family. Café 1050 and Café 1080 are situated on the shores of Biscayne Bay, where guests can enjoy spectacular water views complete with majestic cruise ships and wildlife while enjoying their breakfast and lunch. About 1,200 people dine there daily, a mix of executives, designers, architects, call center staff, and more.
The home team of General Manager David Marshall, Executive Chef Blas Baldepina, and Catering Manager PJ Kern, along with their new employees and opening support team, executed a successful opening. Menus included items that embrace Miami’s strong Cuban roots, such as traditional Cuban coffee, fried plantains, and Cubano sandwiches. Guests also enjoyed some unexpected treats with a pop-up crepe station, as well as a visit from a local doughnut vendor, Salty Doughnuts. So far, guest feedback has been very positive (see box), with Cuban-style picadillo and ropa vieja (a Cuban dish of stewed beef and vegetables) fast becoming favorites.
Sous Chef David Sutton working the pop-up crepe station Back row: Cashier Reggie Desjardins, Cook Bradley Kelly, Cook Larry Burns, Prep Cook Brandon Roan, and Cook Jean Joseph. Front row: Utility Cook Holder Simon, Cook Jeremiah Drummond, Cook Flora Downs, Cashier Debra Burris, Sous Chef James Welfinger, Cashier Maddia Servocio, Executive Chef Blas Baldepina, and Utility Cook Sonson Agenord
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A Very Public Thank You Not long after the opening, a Royal Caribbean guest posted this excited note on Bon Appétit’s Facebook page: I work at Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and Bon Appétit just recently took over our cafeteria. I do not eat meat, and [you] have so many vegetarian and vegan options! Today I had a barley and roasted veggie salad, a side of lentils, arugula and tomato salad, a white bean soup and a cup of fresh mixed berries for dessert! And the price? AWESOME! I paid the same I’d pay for a much less healthy “fast food” meal.... I [used to have to] bring lunch to work every single day. But now, with the #FarmToFork philosophy of Bon Appétit, not only do I have so many awesome menu options to choose from, but it feels good knowing you practice sustainable, local, and organic sourcing and make everything in house! So I am eating delicious food that’s ALSO good for the planet and my soul! Thank you so much, Bon Appétit and Royal Caribbean, for this amazing partnership! #OneHappyCamper Michelle Bustillo
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Executive Chef Victor Lane teaches a student team member how to roll and cut fresh house-made pasta
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Executive Chef Victor Lane with two student teams
Bacon Battles Come to Case Western Reserve University Submitted by Beth Kretschmar, Marketing Manager
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f you had to create a meal for a famous food celebrity, who would you choose, what would you cook, and where would you serve it? These were among the questions to the student would-be contestants for an Iron Chef–style competition at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. And if that wasn’t enough, they were also asked to explain why they would make the competition great. The selection process, therefore, ended up being as interesting as the bacon-laden foods made for the competition! (As you probably guessed from the headline, the secret ingredient was bacon.)
For instance, a group of sorority sisters asked if they could apply as a group, and they were allowed. (Part of their backstory involved making a bet with a nearby fraternity; whoever lost the bet had to cook for the other.) Another team was composed of previous strangers; one of the most poignant answers came from a student who’d grown up watching Iron Chef with her family, was truly inspired by it, and taught herself to cook with the philosophy that anyone could learn. “I think the Iron Chef format happens to be an entertaining way to communicate that message, and I'd love to be a part of that,” she wrote. The two four-student teams — Captain Porkers (strangers meeting each other for the first time) and Team Bacon (the sorority sisters) — went to work. Each team had four hours to create two appetizers, an entrée, and a dessert all incorporating
bacon. Executive Chef Victor Lane mentored and guided both teams and was around to answer questions throughout. After spending several hours with the students, dealing with such challenges as students making fresh pasta for the first time ever, plus food timing issues and making bacon desserts tasty, Victor commented that they were “an awesome group of students, and each one brought something unique and special to the challenge.” Three Case Western administrators judged the competition: Katherine Gullett, operations manager at the Fowler Center; Allison Heuring, director of budgets and financial planning; and Jamie Mancine, director of operations for The Triangle. Both teams presented creative, well-planned dishes, but Team Bacon won with skewered bacon-wrapped pineapple with sriracha glaze; a phyllo “Napoleon” of mushrooms, three cheeses, and bacon; seared pork over house-made apple sauce cooked in bacon fat with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed kale with pork lardons; and flourless chocolate cake with raspberry coulis and bacon strip gar- Mushroom, goat cheese, and bacon Napoleon nish. All participants won a $25 Starbucks served as a course by gift card, with an additional $25 gift card Team Bacon going to the winners.
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PayPal’s First Wine-Pairing Dinner Debuts to Rave Reviews Submitted by Toni Ansuini, General Manager
Natural colors, specialty linens, flowers, and glassware transformed the dining room
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ttempting to go out for dinner in Silicon Valley often means fighting traffic and then endless circling in search of a parking spot. The Bon Appétit catering team at PayPal in San Jose, CA, saw an opportunity to eliminate this problem with wine-pairing dinners held right after work, which also elevate service and experiences within the corporate environment. For PayPal’s inaugural pairing dinner, Director of Catering and Special Events Danielle LaClair, Executive Chef Kristela Mendoza, and Café Chef Kris Wisdom created a delightful, relaxing experience for a select group of administrators, allowing their guests to enjoy not having to be the ones in charge of planning for a change. Danielle transformed the Café 10 dining room with natural colors, specialty linens, candles, and simple flowers that accentuated the spring blossoms outside, creating an inviting environment in which to enjoy world-class wine and food and good company.Twenty-five guests, joined by representatives from Stonestreet Winery of Healdsburg, CA (makers and pairers of the evening’s special wines), attended the first event. It was a great success, judging from the comments (see boxes) and the additional wine-pairing dinners that have now been booked. 24 | BRAVO
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The special touch of tablecloth and lighting made it seem like we were in a restaurant. And better yet, no fighting traffic! Loved the wine pairing and, of course, the gluten-free options.
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Lead Cook Fernando Calixtro
Menu
I thought the dinner was done extremely well; the ambience created was really nice, like we had our own private room (which we did :-)). The food was amazing! And the best part was we didn’t have to deal with driving somewhere, parking, ordering...and then having to drive home. This was superefficient and still a great team experience.
Asparagus Ribbon Salad | with pomelo vinaigrette, blood orange–honey nectar, and oregano crème fraîche STONESTREET 2014 SAUVIGNON BLANC
Seared scallops
Seared Scallops | with pea shoot tendrils, radicchio, roasted spring onions, lemon oil, and sherry balsamic glaze STONESTREET 2013 CHARDONNAY
Cabernet-Braised Lamb Shanks | with red creamer potatoes, cocoa-dusted organic carrots, spring onions, and chanterelle mushrooms STONESTREET 2012 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Bourbon Bread Pudding | with Madagascar vanilla bean crème anglaise and bourbon-caramel sauce BOURBON TODDY
It was nice to just walk down after a long day/meeting and be able to have the meal on campus. I thought the setup was great (festive, special), and the meal felt special.
Bread pudding topped with bourbon-caramel sauce
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g Bon Appétit Wins Prestigious Acterra Award for Sustainability
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f course Bon Appétiters know that striving to deliver “food service for a sustainable future” is its own reward, but a little recognition doesn’t hurt, either. In late spring Acterra announced the recipients of the 2016 Business Environmental Awards, identifying nine Bay Area companies and organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary environmental leadership from among a highly competitive field of applicants. Bon Appétit Management Company was honored to be selected as the recipient of the Acterra Award for Sustainability, Acterra’s highest award, which recognizes businesses whose programs achieve significant triple bottom line benefits (people, planet, profit) and advance the state of sustainability in a given industry or across industry sectors. Acterra’s Business Environmental Awards is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s oldest and most prestigious environmental recognition programs. Begun in 1990, it is considered a champion among awards programs due to its broad geographic scope and rigorous judging process. The process began with a detailed application, and once Bon Appétit was selected as a finalist, a panel of judges came to the Palo Alto headquarters to meet with CEO Fedele Bauccio and Chief Strategy and Brand Officer Maisie Ganzler to hear a presentation about the company’s pioneering history and achievements. The judges peppered Fedele and Maisie with detailed questions about the Low Carbon Diet, the Food Standards Dashboard, farmworkers’ rights, and much more. Then the group set off for a tour and a special lunch at nearby VMware, sitting together at a wooden communal table beautifully set and styled by Assistant General Manager Lauren Mello. Executive Chef Matt Dark prepared a family-style feast of Turkish Adana lamb kabobs made from Solano County lamb that was brick oven–roasted and served on warm flatbread with tomato bulgur wheat pilaf and Jayleaf Farms arugularadish Meyer lemon salad; Imperfectly Delicious cauliflower florets cooked with coconut and whole-grain mustard; and more. General Manager Casey Dennison and District Manager Bridgeen Keys ably fielded questions about energy- and water-efficient appliances and practices they’ve put in with the help of the VMware sustainability team, and Maisie explained the origin of
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VMware Executive Chef Matt Dark lists the dishes for the Acterra judges, General Manager Casey Dennison, and Chief Strategy and Brand Officer Maisie Ganzler
the Imperfectly Delicious Produce program and the company’s best-in-class food waste fighting efforts. The judges left full of delicious food and information — but were soon hungry again, following up multiple times with more questions by email. And in a final food twist, the judges met for lunch to deliberate over the winners at Oracle - Redwood Shores, where Acterra judge George Denise is the director of sustainability and director of facilities — and Bon Appétit is the caterer, of course. The team effort paid off. (After the award was announced, one of the judges swore that the wonderful food had not been the deciding factor.) “Bon Appétit has brought the concepts of sustainability to the food service industry and is truly a leader when
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Disney and Bon Appétit staff pose at the Buena Vista Commissary Café with the award (L to R): Disney West Coast Operations Manager Jason Martinez, West Coast Operations Director Doug Wroten, Support Services Senior Manager Daria Kimball, Bon Appétit District Manager Brett Martin and Regional Manager Lori Flashner, Vice President of Sourcing and Procurement Charles Nardoni, Vice President of Global Facility Services Glen Connally, and Senior Sourcing Specialist Ryan Bradford
Disney Names Bon Appétit 2015 Supplier of the Year
A it comes to local purchasing, animal welfare, and minimizing environmental impact,” wrote the judges in their decision to bestow the Acterra Award for Sustainability on Bon Appétit in the large organization category. “This Palo Alto–based company was the first in the food service industry to support local agriculture companywide, fight for farmworkers’ rights, serve seafood that meets Seafood Watch sustainability guidelines, reduce antibiotic use in farm animals, serve rBGH-free milk, switch to cage-free eggs (shell and liquid), serve humanely raised ground beef, and purchase fishaggregating devices (FAD)-free tuna. Their Low Carbon Lifestyle program focuses on prioritizing plant-based proteins, preventing and reducing food waste, reducing transportation, and decreasing deforestation. Bon Appétit is committed to using fewer products from cows and other ruminant animals, which emit methane, eliminating air-freighted and packaged products, and minimizing food waste. These and other efforts minimize the company’s carbon footprint, while educating their customers how their own food choices can impact climate change.” “We’re very honored — we know that our competition for this award was stiff,” Fedele said, adding that “while it’s wonderful to have our work acknowledged by Acterra, we still have so much to do to fix our broken food system. I hope others will be inspired to join us on this journey.” Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications
ny recognition from Bon Appétit’s clients is always appreciated, but perhaps none more so than to be singled out from all of a client company’s vendors around the world. The Bon Appétit teams that operate seven cafés in and around Los Angeles for Disney were thus particularly proud to be presented with Disney’s 2015 Supplier of the Year award.
Regional Manager Lori Flashner and District Manager Brett Martin were asked to join the clients in a conference room for what they thought was a routine meeting. There, much to their surprise, they were given the news of this distinctive honor! Disney Vice President of Global Facility Services Glen Connally, West Coast Operations Director Doug Wroten, Support Services Senior Manager Daria Kimball, Support Services Manager Jason Martinez, Vice President of Sourcing and Procurement Charles Nardoni, and Senior Sourcing Specialist Ryan Bradford all expressed their appreciation of the Disney-Bon Appétit partnership — invoking the word “family” several times — and Bon Appétit’s commitment to excellence and followthrough. Glen also revealed that in his 20-plus years at Disney, his department has been involved with this award only a few times. The pool of nominees spans globally across all Disney lines of business, making it a very high achievement to be chosen. Glen made sure to tell Lori and Brett that Disney appreciates everyone who has contributed to the accounts’ success in the last four years, specifically singling out Brett, Resident District Manager Jason Landau, and Senior Executive Chef Peter Alfaro. “We were so honored — quite frankly we were blown away by this honor,” said Lori. “This is truly a result of team effort, not just within our team, but through the development of a strong relationship with our partners at Disney that has led to our mutual success over the past four years.” Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications
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General Manager Jim Lachance and Director of Catering Karen Landry
A wedding inside the picturesque barn
Hampshire’s Red Barn Earns Accolades as a Wedding Destination
but lovely, filled with luminous chandeliers and pendant lights that welcome friends and family in for a warm evening of celebration.
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Since 2013, catering at the Red Barn has been provided by Executive Chef Lydia Kumpa and Catering Director Karen Landry. In addition to the 70 weddings that have taken place at the Red Barn this past summer, Lydia and Karen’s team provide meals for the entire campus and multiple external events, sourced largely from local farmers in the Pioneer Valley such as Queen’s Greens, Red Fire Farm, and Mapleline Farm.
t’s not so easy to find a romantic wedding venue that also specializes in fresh, local food. Hitting that sweet spot helps explain why the Red Barn, run by Bon Appétit Management Company and Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, has won several high-profile awards in the last few years, garnering one of The Knot’s “Best of Weddings” awards for 2016 already, as well the winner of the Best Farm to Table Group Catering award by Unique Venues. In 2015, it won both the Couples’ Choice Award and an Editors’ Pick award by The Wedding Wire. In addition to the delicious food, the setting is quite spectacular. The rustic, elegant Pioneer Valley venue was built in 1820 and was converted to a functional space by the college in the 1970s. The Red Barn can accommodate up to 120 guests, making it the largest venue on campus and the perfect size for an intimate wedding or family gathering. The spring and summer months provide a lush green backdrop for photos, and abundant grassy fields offer a welcoming environment for guests to mingle during social hour. In the fall months, the foliage along the Mount Holyoke range provides a classic New England backdrop for outdoor ceremonies. Winter in the Red Barn is rustic 28 | BRAVO
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The guest feedback on the Red Barn is over the top: “I have NEVER had better food at a wedding.... Their catering company is worth every gosh-darn cent we paid, and then some! I’ve been to weddings at a few of the topnotch venues in the area, and they just can’t compare to the Red Barn!” wrote one client, while another gushed, “Not only were we 100 percent satisfied, but our guests were as well. We received so many comments about how beautiful the venue was, how amazing the food was, and the staff acted with the utmost professionalism. I wish we could go back and experience this night again.” Submitted by Karen Landry, Director of Catering
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Colorado College Chef ’s Delicious Ramen Bowls People Over
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ight chefs. Three mystery ingredients. One night of eating, judging, and slurping many bowls of ramen. What could be more fun than the Ramen Throwdown South at the Uncorked Kitchen in Centennial, CO?
The ingredients for Cook Beth Parsons’ winning bowl of ramen
One of those competitors was Cook Beth Parsons of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. Beth created a bowl featuring a Tonkotsu-style broth made of duck, pork, and chicken, as the delivery system for braised duck thigh, umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums), enoki mushrooms, salt-packed shiso leaves, Triton radish microgreens, house-pickled shishito peppers, watermelon radishes, and a soft-poached soysesame–marinated quail egg. She spent more than two weeks preparing for the noodle-off, as the broth had to be cooked in several stages over a number of days. She pickled, salted, and brined all her own ingredients and held several test runs. Sous Chef Jackie Lovecchio assisted Beth the day of the competition. Beth’s hard work paid off — she won the People’s Choice Golden Ramen Bowl. Submitted by Maura Warren, Catering Manager
Bon Appétit Receives Outstanding Partner Award from the Portland Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
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t’s a wonderful bonus when “giving back” turns into “getting recognized.” Every year, Portland, OR, residents take part in the Light the Night Walk, an evening fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society geared toward finding a cure for blood cancer — and local Bon Appétit teams bake like mad in order to give them quick energy during the walk. Together, Bon Appétiters from Reed College, George Fox University, Willamette University, Lewis & Clark College, and the University of Portland donated 3,000 cookies to walk participants. This year, the society also held its awards reception at a Bon Appétit café, Theory at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, where Executive Chef Ryan Morgan and his team provided a custom buffet that included grilled chicken breast with romesco; mixed green salad with caramelized squash, chèvre, and sherry vinaigrette; white bean and winter vegetable ragoût; creamy polenta; and assorted dessert bars for the walk’s top fundraisers and partners. Jeffry Reaume, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s revenue director, has been to many such receptions for the organization. “This was by far the best awards party I’ve attended. I received nothing but positive feedback!” he said. During the ceremony, the society honored Bon Appétit Management Company with its 2015 Outstanding Partner Award for the many years of support and in-kind donations Bon Appétit provided. District Managers Marc Marelich and Joanne Diehl accepted on behalf of the Portland-area teams. It was an honor to support such a worthy cause. Submitted by Joanne Diehl, District Manager
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ach year, University of Redlands in Redlands, CA, for its Making a World of Difference Awards of Distinction, honors individuals throughout the Inland Empire who have shown a commitment to the public good through volunteerism, community involvement, or outstanding achievement in their field. This year, the awards committee selected and announced “dynamic duo” Jeff and Susan Martinez of University of Redlands for the Community Engagement - Greater Good Award for being “consummate team players with incredibly giving hearts.” Operations Manager Susan Martinez has been with Bon Appétit for nearly 20 years, and her husband, Jeff Martinez, is the athletics director for University of Redlands. They were lauded for years of dedication in professional service to the University of Redlands and for involvement in many local ventures, including the Rotary Club, Associates of the Redlands Bowl, Valley Preparatory School, and the NCAA Dlll Management Council, and as co-chairs of “Host Town Redlands” for the 2015 Special Olympics Games. Happily for those who attended the gala, it was catered by Bon Appétit! Executive Chef Marc Powers and his team deserved an award for most outstanding menu, since the presentation was as fabulous as the food. Among the highlights were grilled beef tenderloin with chimichurri rub, cabernet sauvignon demiglace, yucca fritas, fried plantains, and petite carrots; tahini fritters with saffron rice, garlic-sesame-balti vegetables, and masala sauce; and saffron and pistachio cake with pistachio brittle and sweet mango sauce.
Dynamic duo Jeff Martinez, athletic director for University of Redlands, and Susan Martinez, operations manager for Bon Appétit
All proceeds from the awards gala went to the Town and Gown Scholarship Endowment. Submitted by Kim Blum, Director of Operations
SOUPER DUPER TABLE: The Food Depot Souper Bowl is a longtime annual fundraiser for feeding the needy and homeless in Santa Fe, NM, and two Bon Appétit teams — the Santa Fe University of Art & Design (SFUAD) and the Institute of American Indian Arts — have been participating for almost as long as it’s been going, taking home the top trophy many times. More than two dozen restaurants have joined in. This year, for the second year in a row, SFUAD won first place for table display (pictured, with Executive Chef Paul Gentile). The teams love doing this fun event for a great cause. Submitted by Melody Lambelet, General Manager
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The Bon Appétit team at Genentech’s South San Francisco campus with the 2015 Outstanding Facilities Supplier of the Year Award
Once Again, Genentech Team Is Outstanding
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very year Bon Appétit accounts evaluate themselves and their programs to see what can be even stronger and better — not for any recognition but for a commitment to excellence. A little recognition is a nice bonus though, and that’s exactly what Bon Appétit at Genentech - South San Francisco got for the third year in a row! Genentech’s parent company, Roche, annually evaluates the different suppliers and vendors of services throughout all of Genentech’s various campuses in the United States, and it recognizes the suppliers who provide the most outstanding service and partnership throughout the year. In the past, Bon Appétit won this award in 2013 for sustainability and in 2014 for collaboration. For 2015, Roche selected Bon Appétit for the Outstanding Facilities Supplier of the Year Award for diversity, and it was awarded at Roche's Supplier Recognition Event.
The diversity award highlights the team’s efforts to not only meet but exceed its goals in supplier diversity. They beat the spending target by an additional 5 percent! Additionally, in 2015, the team was also able to secure a HUBZone vendor, which traditionally has been an area of interest to Genentech. Historically Underutilized Business Zones is a government program that helps small businesses in urban and rural communities, and the Bon Appétit team worked to secure a HUBZone bakery supplier for the Oceanside campus, which further demonstrated its commitment to including a diverse set of vendors. “We are proud to accept the award on behalf of our whole team throughout all the campuses we manage. From Oceanside to San Francisco, from Vacaville and all the way to Hillsboro in Oregon, it has been a team effort, and each and every member of that team has done a terrific job in 2015,” said District Manager Steve Ganner, who with Director of Operations Yoel Cohen accepted the award at the Recognition Event. Given that an awards dinner wouldn’t be complete without delicious food, the South San Francisco team handled all of the catering details for the event, which included more than 200 attendees. Roche/Genentech referred to the catering as “nothing short of perfection,” which means quite the challenge for the year ahead! But everyone is up for it. Submitted by Katherine Lachman, Marketing Manager
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Penn Kicks Off Halal Dining Options Submitted by Beth Bayrd, Marketing Manager
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true collaboration between Bon Appétit, the Muslim Student Association, the Dining Advisory Board, and the University of Pennsylvania has brought a halal food option to King’s Court English House in Philadelphia. The program’s development began last fall, when Zuhaib Badami, a member of both the Muslim Student Association and the Dining Advisory Board, presented a proposal to Bon Appétit’s Resident District Manager Stephen Scardina and Penn Dining’s Pamela Lampitt about offering halal options for the Muslim population on campus. It was determined that a pilot program would be made available at one of the college houses at Penn, King’s Court English House. Chef/Manager and Regional Forager Patterson Watkins was charged with the task of working with the Muslim Student Association to address food procurement, scope of service, student participation, staff training, menu offerings, and a solid and feasible timeline.
Muslim Student Association President Adel Qalieh and Associate Chaplain Stephen Kocher
Following a tip from the Muslim Student Association, Patterson first visited Honest Chops in New York City to speak with their halal butcher and to learn more about their sustainable practices and ethically raised meats. During the research process, Patterson also identified Halal Pastures, which is in the application process now to be a Farm to Fork partner, as a main supplier of beef, lamb, turkey, and goat.
Students from the Muslim Student Association assisted Patterson in designing the training for the staff and participated in it as well. They covered preparation, storage, thawing procedures, and proper handling, as well as all other aspects of making a meal halal, including specially designated servingware, which was purchased for the program. At the kick-off event to introduce the new program, the celebratory feast included a carved chicken shawarma station with za’atar-seasoned whole chickens, tabbouleh, fattoush, tahini, and
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Muslim Student Association members with Chef/ Manager Patterson Watkins, Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist Dan Connolly, Provost Vincent Price, Resident District Manager Stephen Scardina, Dining Advisory Board Member Zuhaib Badami, and Muslim Student Association President Adel Qalieh
hummus; mini beef or lamb samosas with tamarind, cilantro, mango, and mint chutneys; shish tawook (traditional marinated chicken kebabs) and harissa beef kebabs; vegan falafel; feta, house-made labneh, and halloumi; and a spread of fresh fruit, yogurt drinks, flavored waters, spiced teas, and coffee. More than 150 people attended, including several school administrators. Zuhaib opened the event with a beautiful speech, thanking the entire Penn community for the effort and commenting on how thankful he and his peers were for the special collaboration that would allow so many to build community around food. Since the official launch, a halal meat option is available by request at all lunch and dinner services, and one meal per week offers a spread of traditional halal foods such as lamb kofta, chicken biryani, and manakeesh, a Middle Eastern street-food flatbread topped with cheese and minced meats.
Mini lamb samosas
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Arguello Helps Host Star-Studded James Beard Event Submitted by Laura Braley, Specialty Venue PR Manager
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ive press conferences are rare these days — well, for non-politicians — but certain high-profile awards can still pull in a media crowd eager to get the news firsthand. The James Beard Foundation awards program has that kind of pull.
James Beard Foundation President Susan Ungaro making opening remarks
Representatives from the Foundation along with San Francisco's Presidio Trust, Golden Gate Restaurant Association, and Bon Appétit recently worked together to host a press event at which the 2016 James Beard nominees would be announced. The event was held in beautiful and historic Moraga Hall at the Officers’ Club, which is adjacent to Arguello — like its more well-known sister the Commissary, is a restaurant that Bon Appétit operates in partnership with two-time James Beard award–winning chef Traci Des Jardins and the Presidio Trust. The few dozen members of the media plus previous James Beard award winners and nominees, as well as VIPs from around San Francisco (including Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio, winner of an inaugural James Beard Leadership Award in 2011), were greeted by an impressive spread of pastries created by Bakery 350 Executive Pastry Chef Ian Farrell. Once the announcements concluded, servers directed guests into the restaurant while offering them glasses of rosé.
James Beard award winner Traci Des Jardins and Presidio Foods Culinary Director Robbie Lewis
Yukon Gold potato and house-made chorizo sope
Traci and Bon Appétit’s Presidio Foods Culinary Director, Robbie Lewis, planned a menu designed to showcase not only what the Bon Appétit Presidio Foods catering team was capable of, but also what makes Arguello special. Three dishes were offered, each representing a different region of Mexico. The first was an Oaxacan sope, which included black beans and Oaxacanstyle chorizo, that was bold and full of flavor. A Mexico City–inspired ceviche verde used olives as a secret ingredient to add a brined taste and make the herb flavor really pop. The Yucatan bean fritter was light and vegetable-based, true to Yuccastyle cooking. Bar Manager Enrique Sanchez also mixed up a storm of cocktails and margaritas, which were all a huge hit.
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Providence cattle
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Megan Petrus, Providence Cattle employee; Evan Bollier, sustainability director at Eckerd; Jared Moelaart ’17 and Charlie Sandor ’17, students at Eckerd; Andrew Poliquin, executive chef; and Joe Franz, owner of Providence Cattle
Eckerd Students Meet a Pasture-Raised Beef Farmer Beating the Odds in Florida Submitted by Nicole Tocco Cardwell, Manager of Strategic Initiatives
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hen I die, I want to come back as one of my cows,” said Joe Franz, owner and operator of Providence Cattle in Tampa, FL. Joe, a new Farm to Fork vendor, spoke to a visiting group from Eckerd College that included Executive Chef Andrew Poliquin, Sustainability Director Evan Bollier, and a few students. After growing up milking cows in Pennsylvania, Joe said that as a teenager he wanted to get as far away from that world as possible. He launched a successful career in the hotel business, which eventually brought him to Florida. But 35 years later, he noticed something: When he visited the dairy farm back home in Pennsylvania, he didn’t want to leave. So he started volunteering for a friend who owned a farm in Florida. In lieu of payment for his help, Joe’s friend gave him every bull calf born that summer, and Providence Cattle was born. “If you’re going to do something, do it right,” Joe told the group as he shared his decision to raise cows solely on grass and the challenges of doing so. For one, the sandy soils of Florida don’t naturally produce great pasture. But Joe and his team have developed a mix of grasses — including high-protein grasses such as canola and Sudan sorghum — that will thrive there. Still, like most pasture-based operations, it takes Providence’s cows about twice as long to reach harvest weight as it takes cows in a grain-based operation (24 months versus 12). And because they live twice as long, Joe must spend twice as much time keeping them healthy without resorting
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to antibiotics, which is a challenge in itself. (Like all the ground beef served in Bon Appétit cafés, Providence Cattle beef comes from cows that were never given antibiotics.) And if his animals do get sick and require antibiotics, he must find somewhere else to sell them. People like Joe are especially important at a time when small farms are disappearing and farm acreage is rapidly being developed. In Florida, almost 1.5 million acres of farmland were converted for housing and other non-agricultural purposes from 1982 to 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By buying Joe’s beef, Bon Appétit is helping him and other stewards of the land thrive.
Eckerd student Charlie Sandor '17 having a little fun during the Farm to Fork visit
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DC-Area Campus Cafés Swap Chefs for a Day Submitted by Michelle Mooney, General Manager
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t’s easy to get used to doing things your way. And sometimes, the best way to get out of a rut is to walk in someone else’s shoes. That’s why, this spring, the Bon Appétit management at Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC, initiated a“chef swap.”The idea was to send the area’s executive chefs out for a day to see how other Bon Appétit chefs work.
St. Mary’s Executive Chef Carmen Allen
To begin, St. John’s College’s executive chef, Michael Cleary, visited Goucher College in Towson, MD. Michael worked the global station at Stimson dining hall there and made a buckwheat crepe with house-cured local ham, leeks, and Gruyère cheese. Georgetown Law Center’s executive chef, Brock Ormond, visited St. Mary’s College in southern Maryland where he made johnnycakes in the main dining hall. The students loved them — not least because they were vegan and made without gluten-containing ingredients! Then Goucher Executive Chef Bob Lavoie went to St. John’s College in Annapolis. At the action station in the main café, Bob made a blue corn cake with house-smoked duck breast, cilantro cream, and spicy citrus slaw. The final swap placed St. Mary’s Executive Chef Carmen Allen in Georgetown Law Center’s Market Café for St. Patrick’s Day, where Carmen created a Reuben on the grill station. The braised corned beef brisket, shredded cabbage slaw, and mustard-balsamic dressing on sourdough was a hit. All the chefs went back to their kitchens with new energy for their work and an appreciation for the wide range of Bon Appétit campus cafés.
St. John’s College’s Executive Chef Michael Cleary
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from michael | michael bauccio
Taking a “What if...” Look At Our Business
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e have recently had the good fortune to bring several new clients into the Bon Appétit family, including Royal Caribbean Cruises (see page 22) in Miami, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) in Terra Haute, IN, and Furman University in Greenville, SC, opening this summer. We are hoping for more good news on several other pieces of business. Though we celebrate such victories as validation that we continue to attract new clients, we would do well to experience the occasional setback in the same way. Each is a milestone on a long journey and should be energizing us to continue to push forward, cast a critical eye at all we do, and to tirelessly endeavor to keep our product and presentation fresh and engaging. For Bon Appétit, continuous improvement and innovation is the norm, but it springs from our basic foundations of responsive service; fantastic, from-scratch food; and responsible sourcing practices. Shoulder to shoulder at the table with our clients, we help our customers create great places to work and learn, with healthy and productive employees and students. At a minimum, this fundamental commitment and the improvement and innovation that stems from it would be a great client retention strategy, but it's much more than that. This is the promise that we make to each of our customers and our employees; this is the essence of who we are.
Assurance that our programs are in place is a cornerstone of continuously putting our best foot forward. Great Expectations helps deliver our clients the foundational Bon Appétit experience. Innovative programs and concepts help keep our presentations fresh and interesting. Mobile food concepts created to provide our customers delicious food on the go, educating our guests on new food trends, showcasing corporate and campus initiatives, wellness programs, supporting local artisans and farmers’ markets, bringing new ideas with celebrity chef visits and cooking classes, are all innovations that flow from our basic foundations. We have developed a branded catering program that sets us apart from our competition and elevates our clients’ reputation as well.
What we promise today, we must deliver tomorrow and each day thereafter.
We could go on endlessly, but the important points are these. What we promise today, we must deliver tomorrow and each day thereafter. This is the foundation upon which the innovative concepts rest. So I’m asking our managers and chefs to spend a day walking through their cafés taking a critical look at their operations. Where are the pressure points in service, and what can you do to fix them? Then, take another “what if …” look and imagine how you might use some of our innovations to reinvigorate your guests’ experience. If you need inspiration or support, we’ve got people here at headquarters ready to help. Finally, I want to thank each of you and encourage you to take a moment and thank your team or coworkers for their hard work and support. Without you, none of this is possible. 36 | BRAVO
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Redlands Celebrates Reading Submitted by Malisia Wilkins, Marketing Supervisor
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on Appétit teams can design delicious catering menus for high-profile events practically in their sleep. What really gets their creativity flowing is a request to come up with a fun theme menu.
With the 17th Annual Charlotte Huck Children's Literature Festival at the University of Redlands in Redlands, CA, Executive Chef Marc Powers had to do some reading to rise to the challenge. This interactive conference offers educators the opportunity to gather and share their passion for children's books and to meet and spend time with authors and illustrators. Caldecott Honor Medalist Denise Fleming attended the festival along with Vice President and Dean of Student Life Char Burgess, who happens to be Huck’s niece and namesake. Marc had some fun creating sweet and savory treats that brought to edible life a few of the featured books. The fruit and cheese board included toasted house-baked wheat bread (just like what the Little Red Hen baked, all by herself ) and the Parmesan puff pastry twists from Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Birthday candles were used as sticks for cake pops in honor of A Birthday Cake Is No Ordinary Cake, while chocolate s’mores with house-made marshmallows invoked Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems. The final book, Bee-Bim Bop!, was accompanied with, what else, but bibimbap, a Korean beef and rice dish.
Vice President and Dean of Student Life Char Burgess Birthday cake pops
Chocolate-marshmallow s’mores
Beef bibimbap
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What’s the Recipe for 1,000 Days Without Accidents?
SAFEIN/SAFEOUT
Submitted by Stephen Samuelson, Director of Integrated Safety
SA F E T Y I S I N YO U R H A N D S
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,000 days. Two and a half years. 24,000 hours. That’s how long (or more) an astounding 36 Bon Appétit Management Company cafés have gone without accidents. Many are closing in on 2,000 days, and one has passed 2,000 days without a single serious mishap. Numbers like these don’t happen by accident. In fact, this milestone is a huge accomplishment. Both new and established cafés, in a range of sizes, made the list at right. But they all have one thing in common: Strong leadership. The managers in charge are all focused on safety from first thing in the morning until the workday is done.
more impressive achievement. Daniel claims he’s not an “office manager.” He too prefers to lead by example, working alongside his team. They see his approach, and they want to meet his high standards — for him, and for themselves. Safety at the café level is about much more than audits, checklists, and 10@10s. Good managers need to stay vigilant each and every day in order to keep people safe. Here are three things all of our teams can do to start preventing accidents today:
Guido Lambelet,the general manager at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM, describes his approach as,“Lead by example, listen, guide with passion, and never compromise.” And the results speak for themselves.The 12 employees who work with Guido have gone 1,350 days accident free!
• Connect with each employee every morning, and set the tone for a safe, focused day. • Recognize employees who put safety first at every opportunity. The more you recognize safe behavior, the more you reinforce that behavior. • Thank your team from the heart at the end of every day.
Adrian Burciaga, general manager of Café Modern at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas, says: “Safety is our first priority,”and he really means it. His 29 employees have spent more than 2,550 days avoiding accidents.
Congratulations to our safety stars for sending their employees home for a thousand days (or more) in the same shape they came to work, so that they can enjoy their time off work and their families!
Daniel Roberts,the general manager at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Café in Seattle, has 50-plus employees, making his bigger team’s run of more than 1,080 days safe at work an even
Genentech - Oceanside staff
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SAFETY CHAMPIONS Bravo to the Bon Appétit teams behind the following cafés! adidas, Portland, OR Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle Carlson Companies, Minnetonka, MN Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle Daimler, Portland, OR Friendsview, Newberg, OR Genentech - South San Francisco, Building 25/26 Café Genentech - South San Francisco, Building 56 Café Genentech - Oceanside, CA Google - Mountain View, Halftime Café Google - Mountain View, MiXiT Café Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM Lucasfilm - Skywalker Ranch, Nicasio, CA The Market Café at Ohio Savings Bank, Cleveland Marylhurst College, Marylhurst, OR Medtronic - Memphis, TN Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, TX Mt. Angel Abbey, St. Benedict, OR Oracle - Colorado Springs, CO Oracle - Denver, CO Oracle - Morrisville, NC Oracle - Reston, VA Oracle - Rocklin, MD Payless, Topeka, KS Russell Investments, Seattle Saint Martin de Porres High School, Cleveland SAP, Café 8, Palo Alto, CA SAS, Building C, Cary, NC SAS, Building R, Cary, NC Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle Stanford Bistro @ 3160, Palo Alto, CA TaylorMade, Carlsbad, CA Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, CA Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA Whittier Law School, Whittier, CA
The Oracle - Denver team
The Bon Appétit crew at Russell Investments
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OPENING
Palettes Café Brings Colorful Pop to Adobe Submitted by Janine Beydoun, Regional Marketing Manager
Marinated wild mushroom salad with parsley and house-preserved Meyer lemons; grilled fennel salad with satsuma; and millet salad with pomegranate seeds, house-made ricotta salata, and pomegranate dressing Photo credit: Daniel McElmury
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gainst the stark white interior, fresh produce on display truly stands out in the space named Palettes. Just as the café name was chosen in honor of Adobe’s software toolbox, the design highlights the culinary team’s palette of rainbow-colored ingredients. The newest installment of Adobe - San Jose’s café updates, Palettes takes the café experience beyond classic stations. In this market-style design, guests pick up two to three smaller dishes at the various stations to compose their meal, rather than choosing one traditional entrée. The stations are surfing the wave of the latest trends, with a probiotics bar, bone broth at the soup station, tapas-style hot and cold pre-plated entrées, a Mediterranean rotisserie, and grilled-to-order proteins for
the“farmstand” salad bar. Executive Chef Brian West is serving up eclectic, delicious global dishes such as Mongolian lamb with peanuts, beef shawarma with house-made pita, and roasted mushroom tamales. A cashless café, Palettes encourages guests to use badge pay, smartphone/app pay, and credit cards for their purchases, with a self-checkout kiosk for after-hours purchases of housepressed juices, protein smoothies, and snacks. That’s just one more way the café adds convenience and a modern, in-style feeling. The grand opening event highlighted Adobe’s focus on wellness, which combines the choices available in the café with the
Palettes has a playful design for seating areas Photo credit: Daniel McElmury
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House-made gnocchi with pancetta, pumpkin purée, toasted pumpkin seeds, shaved pecorino cheese, and roasted pumpkin Photo credit: Daniel McElmury
fitness center one level below. The Bon Appétit team set up blender bikes in the wellness center to promote the new housemade smoothie and juice program, and offered house-made granola bars at this station for guests to sample. Guests got to use pedal power to blend smoothies and earned a ticket for a drawing. Guests wanting to earn tickets without breaking a sweat could also play a“guess the season” game, matching different fruits and vegetables to their harvest season, and another guessing game in which they identified items that get recycled and composted. Prizes included a chef ’s table dinner with Brian and Adobe Executive Chef Mirit Cohen; an Olympia Provisions gift bag; a Salute Santé grapeseed oil gift basket; and five Palettes lunch tickets.
A guest with one of Adobe’s signature small plates
Outdoor seating up high on the sixth floor Photo credit: Jean Fernandez
There was truly something for everyone on opening day — just as there is daily in the café. The team after the exciting opening day
Photo credit: Jean Fernandez
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Echoing Stories During Farmworker Awareness Week
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Submitted by Nicole Tocco Cardwell, Manager of Strategic Initiatives
í, se puede. Yes, we can. These words were the rallying cry of the farmworker movement in the ’70s, but for Manager of Strategic Initiatives Nicole Tocco Cardwell, they invoke a story she heard from a young farmworker advocate about the time he met Dolores Huerta, a leader in that civil rights movement and cofounder of the United Farm Workers. Dolores told him about a time when she and others were marching for farmworker rights. The crowd was discouraged, losing energy, and about to give up. Cesar Chavez slowly walked over to her, leaned over, and very quietly whispered into her ear, “Sí, se puede.” And with those sincere and softly stated words, she found herself renewed. Decades later, she whispered those same words to this young advocate: Sí, se puede. Yes, we can. At Bon Appétit, the Fellows and others on the communications team talk a lot about the importance storytelling plays in social change. When it comes to social justice and the food system, there are few issues that need more publicizing than farmworkers’ rights. Over the years, Bon Appétiters have shared stories by walking the talk and sharing insights from visits to Immokalee, FL, organizing a TEDx event to bring together experts focused on finding new solutions, and being an annual sponsor of National Farmworker Awareness Week, since 2011. This year, Bon Appétit expanded its longtime partnership with Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) by having the Fellows work with SAF fellowship alumni to raise awareness on college campuses about conditions that farmworkers face in the United States, and provide a platform for them to share their powerful stories. SAF’s Sowing Seeds for Change Fellows are college students or recent college graduates who spend six months working to improve farmworkers’ access to healthcare and advocate for improved living and working conditions. Most have a personal connection to the issues before the fellowship, but all certainly have one by the time they’re finished. For this year’s National Farmworker Awareness Week, Bon Appétit featured “Faces of Farmworkers” displays in hundreds of our cafés across the country and via social media, highlighting portraits and actual quotations gathered by
SAF students who spent time in the fields interviewing U.S. farmworkers, alongside statistics that add context to the quotes. For many of us, the issues that farmworkers face on a daily basis, like enduring sexual abuse in order to hold on to a job, being exposed regularly to toxic chemicals, and despite working long hours, not having enough money to pay their bills or feed their families, may feel very far away and difficult to identify with. Bon Appétit teams hope that by putting faces to these facts, we can spread awareness to our own employees as well as tens of thousands of our guests. To create change, we need stories, and when we hear them, we need to echo and share them as best we can. Sí, se puede. Continued... 2 0 1 6 Vo l u m e 1
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The star of East of Salinas, third grader Jose Ansaldo, in a photo from the film
St. Edward’s Hosts Farmworker Students for Special Screening
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o Bon Appétit location promotes Farmworker Awareness Week with as much zeal as St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX, thanks in part to the presence of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) on campus. Administered by the Department of Education, CAMP assists freshmen from migrant farmworker families in making a smooth transition to college — more than 2,700 students since 1972. Midwest Fellow Amanda Wareham flew in for the Cesar Chavez celebration hosted by CAMP, where students swung at a piñata to the foot-stomping rhythms of a full mariachi band. Sous Chef Ruben Teran’s agua fresca and horchata were also a huge hit and seemed to need refilling as soon as they were brought outside. The Bon Appétit team also partnered with CAMP to organize a screening of East of Salinas, a documentary that premiered on PBS about third grader Jose Ansaldo, the son of migrant farmworkers in Salinas Valley, CA, just an hour’s drive from Silicon Valley. There were about 30 students, faculty, and staff in attendance, and Executive Chef Tanner Harris prepared some fantastic snacks for the attendees, along with more of Ruben’s agua fresca. A discussion followed the film, with three current CAMP students: Gerardo Silguero ’16, Isabel Martinez ’19, and Edith Valle ’16. Isabel is a first-year student at St. Edward’s, and Gerardo and Edith are both seniors and Student Action with Farmworkers alums who worked with Legal Aid of North Carolina during their internship. The film is so powerful and personal, and although each of the panelists had a diverse experience, they all agreed that it painted an accurate picture about what it was like to be a child of migrant farmworkers. Both Gerardo and Isabel had to work in the fields as children, Isabel at age 9. Because of the number of times they had to move, their living conditions, and the fact that they needed to work in the fields, they said they had to work much harder in school than other students to get where they are today. Someone asked, “If you could take someone by the hand and show them one experience that could help them to understand what life is like for farmworkers, what would it be?” Gerardo answered that they would have someone take his father’s rough, work-worn, and sometimes bleeding hands. He grew up knowing his father’s rough hands, and comparing this to a child whose father’s hands were soft, he felt that this visceral sensory experience exemplified the fundamental differences between his experience as a migrant farmworker and those of an average American student. His story and others really drove home the goals of Farmworker Awareness Week. Submitted by Amanda Wareham, Midwest Fellow
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University of Portland Screens East of Salinas
Whittier Celebrates Cesar Chavez Day
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t the University of Portland in Portland, OR, the Bon Appétit team and West Coast Fellow Autumn Rauchwerk reached out to the College Ecology Club, the Moreau Center, and Multicultural Affairs through Student Activities to host a presentation and screening of East of Salinas. Autumn kicked off the evening with her presentation on farmworker rights to provide background on the issues and Bon Appétit’s work, and then the 25 or so students watched the film and had a lively discussion. A number of the students were actually from Salinas, CA. One talked about how he had always seen farmworkers in the fields but never knew anything about their lives, and another said that she remembered growing up a lot of her friends and classmates were in migrant families and the challenge of having her friends disappear for half of the year. The UP team provided a feast of vegetable crudités, hummus and cheese spreads, cheese and crackers, and cookies for everyone to nosh on while they talked about their favorite parts of the film and how vital it was to have teachers like Oscar Ramos, the teacher who encouraged and mentored the film’s young protagonist.
uring Farmworker Awareness Week, many Whittier College students stopped to read the posters on the information table. The weeklong event ended with a special dinner for Cesar Chavez Day, arranged by the religious studies department and held at the Memorial Chapel on campus.
Following a delicious meal of artichoke and spinach manicotti in cream sauce, spinach salad, and chicken Jerusalem, guest speaker Mario T. Garcia shared stories from his book, The Gospel of Cesar Chavez: My Faith in Action. He touched on many of the labor leader’s reflections on his faith, such as non-violence, selfsacrifice, pilgrimage, human dignity, poverty, and social justice. Submitted by Lucille Alcaraz, Assistant General Manager
Submitted by Autumn Rauchwerk, West Coast Fellow
PICTURE PERFECT TABLE: The Farmworker Awareness Week display at Samsung Research America in Mountain View, CA. Submitted by Cory Van Kempen, General Manager
Carleton College Shares the Farmers’ Perspectives
S NEW FACES: Guests at new Bon Appétit client Petco (see page 89) in San Diego, CA, got their first taste of the company’s values during Farmworker Awareness Week. Submitted by Molly Glover, General Manager
hortly after Farmworkers Awareness Week, the Bon Appétit team at Carleton College invited 20-plus students to meet with representatives from Minnesota’s Hmong American Farming Association, Springwind Farm, Seeds Farm, Open Hands Farm, Hidden Stream Farm, Mainstreet Projects, and the Carleton campus farm to share stories about the farming life and how these families strive to pay their workers living wages. “You never really know what to expect at these events, I was very glad that we came,” wrote Eric Klein of Hidden Stream in a thank you afterward to General Manager Katie McKenna. “It is really great that Carleton has such an engaging group of students who ask very good questions and inspire good conversation.” Written by Jerrilyn Goldberg ’18 Carleton students enjoy a special meal with their local farmers
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Johns Hopkins Hosts — and Places at — Homegrown Compass: Top Chefs Challenge Submitted by Jeff Vigilante, Marketing Manager
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veryone knows Bon Appétiters love competition, and it turns out so do their counterparts at other Compass sectors.
This spring, more than 60 representatives from various sectors of Compass Group North America (Bon Appétit’s parent company) came together at Johns Hopkins University’s Fresh Food Café in Baltimore for the Leadership Legacy Network (LNN)’s Chesapeake Chapter’s first meeting of the year. The evening’s topic was on learning and development within Compass, and Karen Jirik, director of learning and development for Compass, delivered an inspiring keynote. Chefs from within Compass Group also stepped up to compete in a competition called Homegrown Compass: Top Chefs Challenge. Culinary teams from four Compass sectors — Restaurant Associates, FLIK, FLIK Lifestyles, and Bon Appétit — faced off to create a menu for soup/appetizer, main entrée, vegetarian entrée, or side salad. The challenge started with a kitchen tour and Q&A session, and the chefs started cooking at 11:45 a.m. sharp. They were given just under five hours to prepare their dishes before the horn blew. They had to include the ingredients from the mystery basket: venison, capon (a larger, fattier male chicken), and whole local Maryland rockfish. The chefs were also given other restrictions; the salad required leafy greens, for instance, while the vegetables served with the entrée couldn’t be greens, and all the proteins had to include bones. Guests were served a four-compartment plate that allowed them to taste all the dishes prepared for each course and vote for their favorite dishes right from their tables. Between courses, the tasters cleansed their palates with sorbet created by the chefs at Johns Hopkins. When the winners were announced, Bon Appétit at Johns Hopkins Executive Sous Chef David Friendlich and Sous 46 | BRAVO
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Johns Hopkins Director of Culinary Everett Francis (top row, far left), Executive Sous Chef David Friendlich (top row, second from right), and Sous Chef John Miles (bottom row, far left) with chefs from Restaurant Associates, FLIK, and FLIK Lifestyles
Executive Sous Chef David Friendlich reaching for red Belgian endive
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Executive Sous Chef Anthony Cools Lartique dicing bell peppers
David and Sous Chef John Miles
Chef John Miles took home the award for best salad for their mixed greens with capon confit, roasted corn, grilled pineapple relish, and spiked apple cider vinaigrette. It followed poached rockfish with a watermelon-cucumber salsa and was accompanied by the entrée of venison with tri-colored potatoes and wild mushrooms served over jasmine rice. The overall winner was the FLIK Lifestyles team, but it’s safe to say that with all the fun that was had, everyone went home that day feeling like it had been a win-win event. “We at LNN can’t thank you enough for assisting us in putting on one of the best and most successful events the Chesapeake Chapter has ever hosted!” wrote Kristynna Smith, FLIK Hospitality Group’s food service director, to the Hopkins team.
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Northern California Launches the Leadership Legacy Network Submitted by Patricia Dozier, Senior Director of Employee Engagement & Recognition
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icking off the first planning meeting of Compass Group’s Leadership Legacy Network (LLN) for the Northern California area, a mix of managers representing several sectors, including Bon Appétit, Eurest, Eurest Services, Morrison’s, TouchPoint, Foodbuy, Levy, and Canteen met at Oracle in Redwood Shores. The LLN is an important pillar of Compass Group’s diversity and inclusion strategy, focused on providing tools and resources to help Compass managers take charge of their careers in order to drive a culture of leadership, growth, and inclusion through visibility and representation of both men and women across all sectors. At the meeting, Compass Director of Diversity & Inclusion Yvonne Davis spoke, and attendees volunteered for one of four committees — finance, communications, membership, and programming. Each committee then held a discussion focused on planning for the first LLN event. The Bon Appétit at Oracle team provided such healthy treats to the group as beluga lentil “hummus” with vadouvan spice, roasted garlic, and olive oil; roasted beet, yogurt, harissa, and walnut dip; assorted crudités; whole wheat flatbread; and superfood crispy treats. Joining LLNs in the Carolinas, New England, Metro East, Chesapeake, Southern California, Atlanta, and the Greater Midwest, the LLN NorCal Network will focus on engaging and developing managers by providing career resources that will be shared during scheduled network meetings. The focus will be on three specific topic areas: leadership, mentoring, and career planning. Interested in learning more about LLN? Contact LeadershipFirst@compass-usa.com. Carrie Der Garabedian, Morrison director of food & nutrition services; Vicki Field, office manager; Celeste Price, Eurest district manager; Andrae Elizondo, Morrison executive chef; Joe DeBono, executive chef at the Presidio; Amelia Shuja, general manager at 350 Rhode Island; Jon Torres, general manager at Pacific Union College; Nicole Pellerin, human resources manager at the Presidio; Gregory Thibodeau, Foodbuy controller; Allyson Shelden, general manager at Informatica; Katie Collins, senior human resources director; Dayna Roth, Eurest human resources manager; Yvonne Davis, Compass director of diversity & inclusion; Melody Presumido, Silicon Valley human resources manager; Markus Hartmann, regional manager; Patricia Dozier, senior director of engagement & employee recognition; Stephen Simmons, executive chef at Lucasfilm; and Cara Brechler, marketing director at Oracle.
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Bone Broth Bar Takes First Place in Portland’s Create the Next Craze Contest Submitted by Joanne Diehl, District Manager
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hen the Bon Appétit leadership team in Portland, OR, was brainstorming how to give their region’s Bon Appétiters more freedom to be creative and experiment, they realized that Portland’s food-truck scene could provide great inspiration. And the Create the Next Craze program was born. They called for ideas for a food concept that would place the company ahead of the curve. “Think portability, flexibility, profitability, and mobility,” read the original call for entries. “Is it a truck or a trike, a cart or a camper? Submit your ideas for a chance to have your concept built!”
Reed College Kitchen Supervisor James McMullen’s lomi salmon, fried chicken, wontons, and food truck logo
Everyone who entered an idea was eligible to win one of three $50 gift cards. Then the creators behind the top three concepts chosen received $250 gift cards and were asked to develop their concepts for a panel of judges, complete with presentations that included financial projections, marketing plans, menus, and a tasting. Sixteen employees entered and were winnowed to three by the discerning judges, Regional Manager Brian Wilbur, Bon Appétit Design Director Mari Jo Pelzner, and Regional Marketing Director Tonya Flashey.
District Manager Joanne Diehl samples some bone broth
The runners-up were Supervisor Trevor Johnson of the University of Portland, who proposed a cart serving traditional Salvadoran pupusas and Mexican hot chocolate, and Reed College A.M. Kitchen Supervisor James McMullen, who proposed Yen Yen’s Ton Truck, a wonton truck with Hawaiian flair.
They were beaten out by a “souper-duper” cutting-edge concept from Paul Lieggi, executive chef and general manager of the Mount Angel Abbey: the Bone Broth Bar. Paul received a $1,000 gift card, and Bon Appétit will be rolling out his idea!
University of Portland Supervisor Trevor Johnson’s traditional Salvadoran pupusas
The judges agreed that all three concepts were delicious, creative, and presented with a tremendous amount of energy and passion. 2 0 1 6 Vo l u m e 1
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Emory Dives into Healthy and Indian Culinary Trainings Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications
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he Bon Appétit team at Emory University in Atlanta has hardly had time to catch their collective breath since opening in summer 2015, but the quiet campus over spring break looked like the perfect opportunity to learn some new techniques from Bon Appétit’s culinary and nutrition team. In back-to-back healthy cooking and Indian cooking trainings, Director of Nutrition and Wellness Terri Brownlee, Director of Specialty Culinary Programs Jim Dodge, and Culinary Consultant Raghavan Iyer led about 13 chefs and cooks plus assorted marketing and nutrition staff in engaging hands-on learning. A renowned cookbook author, Raghavan has led more than 25 Indian cooking classes (as well as another 50 or so vegan and healthy cooking ones) for Bon Appétit in the past decade. On the first day, Terri reminded the Emory team that there are lots of ways to add flavor to a dish without resorting to sugar, salt, or fat. Then Raghavan split them up into small groups to execute a menu for lunch that used lots of fresh herbs, citrus, and cooking techniques (like roasting to bring out vegetables’ Raghavan Iyer and Director of natural sweetness, and adding Nutrition and Wellness Terri small amounts of salt at the end). Brownlee Raghavan circulated throughout, tasting the dishes in progress and offering advice and encouragement. Everyone was amazed at how little salt they actually needed to get the flavor they desired. By the second or third dish, some teams were even bragging that they hadn’t used their salt allotment at all —“We’ll sell ours to the highest bidder!” joked Sous Chef Diana Wu. Lunch that day was truly nutritious and delicious, featuring a colorful beet and mint slaw, baked green bean fries, sweet potato and kale macaroni and cheese, and much more. Jazzed by the fun they’d had the day before, everyone was excited for the Indian training. Raghavan first took them through the 50 | BRAVO
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different cuisines of India, explaining their geographic and colonial influences, and then gently set several common non-Indian misconceptions to rest — first that “curry” comes from India (the closest word means sauce and there’s no such dish there, only multiple dishes and multiple unique spice blends) and second that we shouldn’t call foods “spicy” but instead “hot,” when we’re referring specifically to heat from chilis. Moving to the kitchen, he showed them how to make a simple garam masala spice mix and how different amounts of toasting the spices as well as whether you sautéed or fried them produced dramatically different flavors — and then he turned them loose to make several dishes. He encouraged them to experiment and not to worry if they felt like they were messing up — “learning to fix your mistakes is key in food service!” he reminded them. He also talked a lot about“authenticity,” and how Indian cuisine is many hundreds of years old, influenced by many cultures. Not until the 16th century did the Spanish conquistadores introduce potatoes, tomatoes, and chilis, which are now staples. “At every opening of an Indian café that I attend for Bon Appétit, someone will come up to me and say it isn’t authentic,” he said. “I usually respond, ‘You mean it doesn’t taste like your mother’s cooking.’ But that woman over there, who just told me with tears in her eyes that it ‘tasted like home,’ is she wrong? There are as many authentic versions as there are kitchens in India.” Lunch was a spectacular vegetarian feast of chili-spiked potatoes in phyllo cups (like deconstructed samosas), ven pongal (rice-lentil porridge with curry leaves and ginger), lime-flavored rice noodles, moong aur bund gobhi koftay ki curry (fried lentil and cabbage dumplings with tomato-cream sauce), and the slow-building heat of matar kachoris (flaky breads stuffed with ginger and chili-spiked green peas). In talking about what they’d learned, the chefs and cooks all expressed surprise at how the different stages of cooking spices had layered on new complexities of flavor — and talked about how they’d instinctively found themselves using the healthy cooking techniques from the previous day. The satisfaction surveys returned for the two trainings were universally rave reviews, with most people wishing they could attend them more often! All said they were excited to bring the new knowledge and techniques back to work with them.
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The Emory group made a healthy feast on day one
Calvin shows off an Indian lentil dish he made
Sous Chefs Calvin Witherspoon and Jeffery Conitor working on a salad under Raghavan Iyer’s eye
Executive Sous Chef Aswana Benjamin and Registered Dietitian Jessica Perry make healthy pizza
Raghavan tries a baked green bean fry
A few of the Indian dishes prepared for day two
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Emory Celebrates India Week Submitted by Valencia Jackson, Marketing Manager
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he Emory Bon Appétit team got a chance to show off their newfound knowledge of Indian cuisine at the second annual India Week, created by Indian Cultural Exchange (ICE) students working with other campus cultural organizations.
Resident District Manager Nadeem Siddiqui met with the students on several occasions to get a feel for the message they would like to deliver about Indian food and culture. The week began with a Halle dinner hosted in the Cox Hall ballroom catered by Bon Appétit. The next day ICE, Emory Dining, and Bhojanic (a campus eatery) teamed up with the volunteers at the university’s weekly farmers’ market to share Indian culture and food with the community. The campus weekly gathering occasion called Wonderful Wednesday started off with a culinary treat for students strolling by Asbury Circle, then continued with an elaborate chef ’s table and samosa-cooking class hosted by the Bon
Appétit team in Dobbs Market. Director of Operations Kimberly Triplett, Executive Chef Heath Miles, and Sous Chef Diana Yu collaborated to create a menu that encompassed key Indian essentials. About 20 students joined Senior Vice President and Dean for Campus Life at Emory Dr. Ajay Nair and his family. Chicken curry, saag paneer, chole, naan, rice pulao, mint chutney, and chai were all part of the authentic family-style dinner. The vast range of colors combined with the sweet and savory spices showed true culinary inspiration. As if all this weren’t enough, Dobbs Market featured a daily Indian dish made from recipes by culinary educator Raghavan Iyer. “Everyone we worked with at Bon Appétit was so nice and helpful; they exceeded our expectations, and everything came out delicious,” said Social Chair of Emory Indian Cultural Exchange Julie Wiesel in a thank-you.
Students having fun at the Wonderful Wednesday gathering
Indian Cultural Exchange students with Dr. Ajay Nair and his family
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OPENING
Turning Disabilities into Possibilities at Electronic Arts
Yahoo Expands to Playa Vista
Submitted by Amber Redlick, Catering Manager
Submitted by Jessica Reeve, District Manager
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he Bon Appétit team at Electronic Arts in Redwood City, CA, has grown recently by welcoming a group of employees who have had an untraditional journey to employment. By partnering with Gatepath, a nonprofit organization that provides inclusive programs for people with special needs at all stages and ages, the team has hired eight new part-time people to help wash dishes, keep the work space clean, and track inventory. This allows Gatepath’s participants to spend the rest of their day developing skills through the organization’s Community Access program, where they learn life skills such as managing money, and navigating public transportation. In return, their smiles and friendly attitudes are brightening up the Electronic Arts kitchen. “The crew from Gatepath is a pleasure to work with,” said Executive Chef Jon Hall.“They listen to instructions carefully and do a great job.” “We are incredibly grateful to Bon Appétit and Electronic Arts for hiring individuals with developmental disabilities,” said Gatepath CEO Bryan Neider. He adds that he hopes all employers will follow Bon Appetit’s example and “open their minds to the benefits of a diverse workplace, where people of all abilities are given an opportunity to show their skills and shine.”
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ahoo and Bon Appétit have been partners for 15 years now, with three cafés, a coffee bar, and a juice bar at the Sunnyvale, CA headquarters; another café north in San Francisco; and one in Hillsboro, OR. And now that the tech giant has expanded south, to Playa Vista in Southern California — of course Bon Appétit came along. The brand new, state-of-the-art facility was custom built with mixed-use seating and lots of tech features as well as several large screens used for weekly “FYI meetings” where Yahoos gather together. The daily build-your-own bagel and lox station has been a big hit, as is the DIY poke bowl on Wednesdays. The sustainable fish market has been very well received, as have its several special events featuring whole fish: “The whole fish presentation was amazing and tasted even better than it looked!” wrote one guest. Everyone loves the Mediterranean mezze bar featuring marinated olives, house-made hummus, tapenades, and more.
At a recent sustainable fish market event, Spencer Plaut, Yahoo’s senior manager of culinary experience, served seafood pop-up style
When the café first opened, the guest average was about 300, but as Yahoo began transitioning more people into the new space, it’s increased to 500 meals per day at the Playa Café, plus five micro kitchens. “The Bon Appétit team is doing a great job, and the Yahoos are blown away by the fresh food options,” praised Spencer Plaut, Yahoo’s senior manager of culinary experience.
General Manager Chris Bifano (in navy blue) and Executive Chef Jon Hall (in brown) with Gatepath employees
Spencer’s pescador al veracruz (local wild sea bass with Veracruz sauce)
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Bean There, Won That Bon Appétiters love going head to head in chili cook-offs!
Willamette University Chili Champions Battle It Out
Operations Manager Andre Uribe explaining to the tasters the process of judging and picking the winner
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he chilly Oregon weather was the perfect backdrop for a high-powered chili cook-off at Willamette University in Salem, OR. Under a gray sky, gusts of wind rattled the front doors of Goudy Commons, Willamette’s flagship café. Inside, the scene was set for an epic culinary showdown among three competitors.
Polishing off a sample
Chef/Manager Julie Garaicotchea, hailing from Kaneko Commons, had worked with her team the afternoon prior. The result was an irresistible combination of heat, beans, rib meat, and hominy. It had fire on the tongue and a subtle, sweet-and-chewy feel in the mouth. Thanks to the hominy, it was an idiosyncratic bowl — unique, different, and potentially game changing. Cook Jason Browe, a member of the Goudy Commons culinary team, brought forward a steaming pot of his signature “No Bull” chili. It was dark and earthy, a brooding blend of pork belly, black beans, guajillo peppers, and tomato. Early polling of tasters indicated it seemed traditional yet different. Executive Chef Joshua Green, after a middle-of-the-pack performance in last year’s event, came roaring out of the kitchen with his takeno-prisoners “Beans of Steel” spin on the focal dish. Crafted from a secret blend of Zenner’s Sausage Company chorizo, white beans, cilantro, and poblano, guajillo, and jalapeño peppers, his final product was a dazzler. The crowd came early and tasted with all the serious intent one would expect from hungry highbrow college students. There were debates, slurps abounded, and brows furrowed over how to pick a winner among winners. Though it proved a close contest, Joshua walked away the victor for 2016. The competitors remained focused on promising paths to victory in 2017. When asked how he might take the crown back next year, Jason answered, “I’ll sabotage his chili with cayenne pepper if I have to.” Sarcasm aside, one thing is clear: culinary sparks will be flying in the next round. Submitted by Chris Linn, General Manager
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A steaming pot of chili and jar of beans used for voting Photos: Frank Miller, Willamette University
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A chili tasting in the café
University of Northwestern Chili Teams Go for Sweet, Hot, and Good
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he annual chili cook-off at University of Northwestern - St. Paul in Roseville, MN, doubles as a fundraiser for the university’s Benevolence Fund, which supports students who experience unexpected emergencies that they cannot financially handle. Three teams composed of faculty and staff and two teams of students submitted their favorite chili recipes to Catering Director Carol Cummings. Executive Chef John Hansen and Sous Chef Chad Plotnik gathered and prepped enough ingredients to yield three to four gallons per recipe, and once the teams were ready to start cooking, Lead Cook and PM Supervisor Linda Landeverde took over. With a watchful eye and safety as top priority, she assisted the teams in preparing the chili. Linda admitted that as much as she wanted to help fine-tune the taste of each recipe, she held back in the name of fairness. “Some were thick, and some were thin; one was sweet, and one was HOT. But they were all good!" she claimed. Students, faculty, and staff made charitable donations to the Benevolence Fund for a chance to taste all the entries and cast their votes for their favorites. All the recipes were uniquely delicious, including white chicken and white turkey varieties as well as vegetarian, mixed bean, and traditional beef and bean. The winning team this year produced the mixed bean entry dubbed “The Chili Games.” The participation garnered by the event raised more than $1,400! “The catering team, chefs, and the food contribution all contributed to a highly effective event,” wrote Sue Johnson from the School of Education. “We couldn’t do it without you!”
Grill Chef Tim Harris, official chili master
Capital Café Chefs Spice It Up with a Chili Cook-Off
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hen the temperatures drop, a bowl of chili can be just the thing to warm up — and a competition can really turn up the heat! At the Capital Café in Norfolk, VA, General Manager Matthew May, Executive Chef Ar Nemes, Assistant Chef Clarence Marner, Grill Chef Tim Harris, and Pizza Chef Annette Wise all stepped up to compete at the café’s first annual chili cook-off. Participating guests took part in a blind tasting and voted for their favorite chili based on their preferences for flavor, texture, and the ingredients listed for each entry. The winning chef, Tim Harris, had an unusual pair of ingredients up his sleeve. He included spicy brown mustard and white vinegar in a recipe that has been in his family for generations. Following his win, the café served Tim’s chili and posted his recipe for customers to follow at home. It was so popular that it’ll be making repeat appearances on the menu. Submitted by Matthew May, General Manager
Submitted by Elliott Meier, General Manager
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Westminster Server Nickey Harvell, former Westminster Cook Brett Parker, Edwards Lifesciences Chef/Manager Joe Davis, Westminster Server Sarah Stucki, Westminster Catering Director Ryan Leonard, Adobe - Lehi Executive Chef Ted Mathesius, and Westminster Executive Sous Chef Wayne Mankinen
Carleton Student Chili Contest Wins Chili All Week Westminster Chefs Challenge Edwards, Adobe, and Savage in Battle of the Beans
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he day after residents of Utah set state records for presidential caucus participation, the chefs of Bon Appétit’s Utah region got together at Westminster College to get out the vote for an equally serious topic: chili. The first event of the newly crowned “Chef Challenge” featured Executive Sous Chef Wayne Mankinen and Catering Director Ryan Leonard (Westminster College), Chef/Manager Joe Davis (Edwards Lifesciences), Executive Chef Ted Mathesius (Adobe - Lehi), Chef/Manager Roy Williams (Savage), and former Westminster Cook Brett Parker representing local craft-beer makers Uinta Brewing. The unusually cold and snowy day was a perfect setting to eat some chili, and almost 250 Westminster students, faculty, and staff stepped up to taste and vote for best of the best.
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hen students teamed up to fight for the chili win at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, they were after not only bragging rights, but also serving rights! The cold Minnesota days would be warmed up by the winners’ chili all week long in the dining halls, so voting had to be executed with careful thought. Fortunately, the chilis were, too. Coming up with a winner among the three teams was tough. All three chilis were creative and unique, ranging from a chocolate chili to one served over spaghetti. The contestants had a blast working with Bon Appétit chefs to create their masterpieces. The tasters’ choice winner came from team Netflix and Chili, which presented a nontraditional chili that wasn’t spicy or very tomato based — and was even served over spaghetti with oyster crackers as a topping! But it had an interesting blend of flavors that most people probably hadn’t had before: among the surprise ingredients were cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and lemon. Written by Mika Chmielewski, Carleton Student
After the dust cleared, the decisive winner of the event was Ryan and his somewhat unique interpretation of white chicken chili. Coming in second was Joe for his classic frito pie; third place went to Wayne for his excellent Westminster College Catering spicy buffalo chili. In the midst of the Director Ryan joking and bragging, it was agreed that Leonard holding there would be future competitions, the Utah Chefs’ Challenge trophy and the Utah Chefs’ Challenge was born. Everyone is looking forward to the next event in June and the chance to get their name on the trophy! Submitted by Doug Powell, General Manager
2016 Carleton Chili Contest teams: Netflix and Chili, Red Hot Chili (Peppers), and Vegan Chana Masala–Inspired Chili
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Cornell College Examines Food Waste in Real Time Submitted by Joan Homrich, General Manager
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everal Bon Appétit university accounts have weighed their food waste to show students how to take (and waste) less, and the team at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, IA, was excited to join the movement. A joint effort with the Environmental Club and Enactus, the event was not just a powerful way to show students how much they’re wasting but a call to action for changing wasteful ways. The three-day event involved having students scrape their plates at lunch and dinner so that students Gabe Filppo and Anh Pham could weigh and tally the results. The numbers showing how much food went to waste were displayed for four days. Additionally, students had the opportunity to look at solutions to food waste problems from the scraping and weighing event.
Students Anh Pham and Gabe Filppo overseeing the scrape-the-plate table
Gabe and Anh also work with the Food Recovery Network, and they’re well aware of the ongoing challenge of how far Cornell College is from the local food bank. The distance to the food bank was preventing the regular pickup of food donations before they would spoil, and there’s now a dedicated freezer for food recovery to solve this issue. Awareness and solutions continue to grow at Cornell.
Hand-painted posters sharing food waste results and tips
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Trine Showcases Its Talent for the Extravagant Submitted by Emily Alley, Catering Supervisor
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t Trine University in Angola, IN, it had been a dream of Catering Supervisor Emily Alley for quite some time to showcase Executive Chef Todd Downs’ talents in an elegant affair like a gourmet wine dinner. Emily’s dream became reality when her team partnered with the local golf club, Glendarin Hills, and wine connoisseur Jeff Armstrong to organize Trine’s first wine-pairing dinner. Local community members, friends of the Bon Appétit staff, and members of the golf club who pre-purchased tickets were treated to four delectable courses paired with six distinctive wines. Todd shared details of the dishes with the 42 guests. The evening produced such rave reviews that it has inspired plans of turning this pop-up event into a continuing series.
Menu HORS D’OEUVRES
Spring Pea Crostini Chorizo-Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Dates Vegetable Crudités | with ginger and sesame aioli Smoked Salmon Tartare | with Belgian endive PAIRED WITH TOSO BRUT “BUBBLES” FROM ARGENTINA, PIONETO PINOT NOIR FROM CHILE, AND AIA VECCHIA VERMENTINO FROM ITALY SALAD
Roasted Local Candy-Striped Beet and Goat Cheese | with local Bibb lettuce and blood orange dressing PAIRED WITH CHATEAU LA GRAVIERE WHITE BORDEAUX ENTRÉE
Bordeaux-Braised Boneless Beef Short Rib | with soft Asiago cheese polenta, herb-roasted Campari tomato, broccolini, and red onion jam PAIRED WITH B DE LOUDENNE RED BORDEAUX FROM FRANCE DESSERT
White Chocolate Symphony | almond lace cookie with white chocolate–passion fruit mousse, fresh berries, and exotic fruits The “White Chocolate Symphony”
Executive Chef Todd Downs describing a dish
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PAIRED WITH RAMOS PINTO 10 YEAR TAWNY PORT FROM PORTUGAL
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Confidence Building Through Crepes at Trine For a recent Food for Your Well-Being activity, Sous Chef Jeremy Blakely, the nutrition ambassador at Trine University, proposed a sweet and savory crepe making demo to show how these thin French pancakes can be an affordable, versatile, and easy way to eat healthily, as long as people get over their fear of making mistakes. The Bon Appétit team invited a health science class to participate in the demo. Techniques to ensure that the crepes didn’t end up on the indulgent side included limiting the amount of fat by using cooking spray instead of butter or oil — using just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan — and stuffing the crepes with a variety of fruits and vegetables. To make a savory crepe, students had the choice of fire-roasted red peppers, balsamic-marinated grilled portabello mushrooms, wilted spinach, and low-fat whipped ricotta. Ingredients for sweet crepes included fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and low-fat yogurt lightly sweetened with honey and cinnamon. After a couple of students seemed discouraged over breaking or burning their crepes, Jeremy had them try again, and the final products came out better, building their confidence. “Most of us need prodding to step outside our comfort zones. One of my students came and told me thank you for setting up the whole demonstration. He said it made him so happy he is in this class!” wrote Professor Susan Anspaugh in a note thanking the Bon Appétit team for inviting her class to participate. Submitted by Emily Alley, Catering Supervisor
Trine SHOWs How to Give Great Service So you’re fantastic at your job, but do you SHOW it? Smile. Helpful. Outgoing. Wow. That’s what General Manager Joseph Gentile at Trine University in Angola, IN, is looking for in his staff with a new program called SHOW. Although judging by the comment cards, the Bon Appétit team regularly wows staff and students at Trine, Joseph was still looking for ways to improve guest satisfaction and interaction. He encourages his staff to act as if they are stepping on stage when they enter the front of the house. Literally! Signs and banners hang above all the doors that lead to the front of house. A “stage door” sign reminds staff that they are on stage in front of the guests as soon as they step out front. “SHOW” signs depict each of the words of the acronym in a filmstrip, a constant reminder to the team to make guest satisfaction their main goal. The program has already seen tangible success. Student survey results showed that they’d noticed an increase in staff member friendliness and interaction since the program’s start. And that means the SHOW must go on!
Cook James Perrey preparing food with a smile in view of the students
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New Hillsdale Coffee Partnership Shares Deep Historic Roots Submitted by David Apthorpe, General Manager
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t’s wonderful when Bon Appétit teams make a connection with a local grower or artisan, and even better when they also have a deep link to that campus’s community — in at least one case, one that dates to the Civil War.
Owner Phillip Jewell of Blue Hat Coffee speaks to Hillsdale College student reporter Josh Paladino in the roasting barn
A few months ago, Phillip Jewell, the owner and head roaster of Blue Hat Coffee Gallery, approached General Manager David Apthorpe about using his coffee for the café at nearby Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI. David went to go check it out, meeting with Phillip in Blue Hat’s roasting barn as he was finishing a 20-pound batch of South American beans. The coffee from the retail counter was bold and full flavored, with the kind of depth and nuance that one would expect from a truly artisanal product. As David toured the mid-1800s farmhouse turned café (a popular weekend spot for Hillsdale students to get away and study), he learned the origin of Blue Hat’s name: it’s a reference to the Union Army Cavalry, whose soldiers rode horses that were bred on the property in its previous life as a horse farm. Branch County, MI, was a major horse-breeding center and provided more than 3,000 to the Union Army. Hillsdale College also has a rich history surrounding the Civil War. According to the college’s website, a higher percentage of Hillsdale students enlisted during the Civil War than from any other Western college. This connection, along with tasting the coffee and seeing the operation, sealed the deal for David. He ran the idea past the student food committee, and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Then there was a coffee giveaway for final exams, during which the current house coffee was offered alongside a Guatemalan Huehuetenango and a Kenyan AA from Blue Hat. Via an informal poll, the Guatemalan was the clear favorite followed by the Kenyan. David’s team made the switch over the winter break. The college newspaper, The Collegian, even ran a glowing story about the change and produced a video featuring interviews with students and Phillip Jewell. David and his team are proud to serve this superior local product that reflects the spirit and history of Hillsdale College. 60 | BRAVO
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OPENING
Franklin Templeton Investments Café Opens to Rave Reviews Submitted by Jeremiah Han, General Manager
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hen Franklin Templeton Investments began looking for a new food service partner, scratch cooking, responsible sourcing policies, and a focus on health and wellness were high on the shopping list of this asset management group. So naturally they ended up choosing Bon Appétit Management Company!
Executive Chef Gerard Darian and Sous Chef Kristen Strula led the opening culinary team for the new Park Place Café at Franklin Templeton’s headquarters in San Mateo, CA. They’re concentrating hard on healthy, delicious proper portion sizes, including offering a daily In Balance option. “The rave reviews on the freshness and high quality of the food offerings that we receive daily from guests cannot say enough about the dedication of the staff and management that Bon Appétit has brought to the Park Place Café,” said Russell Coe, manager for vendor relations and document management at Franklin Templeton. More than 400 guests dine at Park Place every day, and they’ve been welcoming and gracious, as well as overwhelmingly positive about the food and service. So far, the global and brick-oven stations have been the stars. “It’s always rewarding when people appreciate the food, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know all the employees on campus. It’s also been fun learning what the employees like to eat and notice as certain dishes gain a following,” said Kristen. Gerard added that as much as he loves to cook and see happy guests, he will continue to seek improvements even amid rave reviews. The Franklin Templeton Investments opening team, back row: General Manager Jeremiah Han, Oven Cook Nathaniel Miles, Utility David Corley, Line Cook Marco Gonzales, Executive Chef Gerard Darian, and Catering Supervisor Britney Bemis. Front row: Cashier Corina Rath, Grill Cook Leo Villalba, Salad Prep Julia Jasin, and Sous Chef Kristen Sturla
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Award-Worthy Oscar Celebrations The Oscars brighten up what can be a gray time of year and provide a fun way for guests and Bon Appétit teams to celebrate their favorite pop culture icons and/or their in-café superstars. And the PayPal Team Award Goes to...
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he Bon Appétit team at PayPal in San Jose, CA, rolled out the red carpet for their guests. Café Chef Kris Wisdom designed a series of dishes based on the 2016 Oscar nominees, including: • The “Big Short” Wall Street smoked salmon hash, with roasted fingerling potatoes,, sour cream, capers, dill, and red onions, topped with two poached Glaum Egg Ranch cage-free eggs. Starring Cook Mario Rubio and directed by Sous Chef Jose Limon • The “Brooklyn” corned beef and pastrami sandwich: house-braised thick-cut corned beef, pastrami, grain mustard, and coleslaw on sliced rye served with housemade pickles and potato chips. Starring Cook Mario Rubio and directed by Sous Chef Jose Limon • The “Mad Max” Down Under fish and chips: alebattered cod fillets served with lemon, tartar sauce, and french fries. Starring Cooks Mario Rubio and Samuel Gutierrez and directed by Sous Chef Jose Limon
The all-star Bon Appétit at PayPal cast
• Hugh Glass's bison picadillo tacos inspired by “The Revenant” (no bison's liver included): lean ground bison mixed with potatoes, jalapeños, and onions on corn tortilla shells topped with shredded lettuce, roasted tomato salsa, cilantro, onions, and cilantro crema. Starring Cook Francisco Avalos and directed by Catering Chef Jose Alvarez As the guests entered Café 10, they were presented with a ballot and asked to cast their vote for the dish they liked best. After enjoying their meals, guests were invited to “walk the red carpet” (a real one!) to cast their ballots, sip sparkling wine, and take a selfie at the special photo station with the chef who had prepared their meal. First place went to Hugh Glass's bison picadillo tacos. The winning cooks received movie-ticket family packs and bragging rights for the year! But the biggest award of the day was enjoyed by the entire Bon Appétit team, who enjoyed engaging guests in a new and exciting way. Submitted by Toni Ansuini, General Manager
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Cook Francisco Avalos, Café Chef Kris Wisdom, Executive Chef Kristela Mendoza, Cook Jorge Rivera, and Sous Chef Jose Limon
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Competing to Win at Crossroads Café
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he Bon Appétit team at Crossroads Café in Carmel, IN, spent Oscars week showing off their stars: the café staff. Team members designed dishes for guests to vote on in the categories of Best Picture (best dish) and Best Visual Effects (best-looking station setup). The first-place Best Picture award went to Supervisor Cook Nicole George for her wasabi-crusted salmon with coconut cream glaze, Parmesan risotto, broccolini, and Parmesan baguette dish, while Cook Dustin White took second place (and Best Visual Effects) for his special Italian meat lovers’ deepdish pizza, and Cook Demetrius Cowherd took third for his pressed Cuban special with pulled pork, ham, spicy brown mustard, and house-made pickles on ciabatta bread served with plantain chips. They all gave acceptance speeches and have their trophies displayed proudly on their stations.
From left to right: Cook Demetrius Cowherd, Supervisor Cook Nicole George, and Cook Dustin White
Submitted by Carey Durand, General Manager Supervisor Cook Nicole George, winner of Best Picture
Executive Chef Adam Mali helping to plate “Bridge of Spies” fish tacos
The #FoodOscars winners at Twitter
Twitter Chefs Compete in the #FoodOscars
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he Twitter team doesn’t just celebrate Oscar Week; they celebrate #FoodOscars Week! This year, the guests at the tech company’s San Francisco headquarters were invited to vote on inventive dishes with tongue-in-cheek references to movie titles in their names in the following categories: Best Special Effects, Best Overall Menu Design, and Best Supporting Dish. The excitement in all five Twitter cafés was palpable as General Manager Kevin McConvey (and head Tweeter, as @BonAppeTweet) could be seen working with the staff to roll out real red carpets, taste the dishes, and rile up the voters for the main event. Guests queued up for dishes such as “Straight Outta the Oven” lasagna Bolognese. An homage to the hip-hop biopic Straight Outta Compton, the lasagna was topped with black truffle pecorino, sous vide egg yolk, Castelvetrano olive, and petite greens. When it was time to tally the votes (gathered via tweets), the staff mingled in hushed excitement, and Regional Manager Markus Hartmann emceed the awards in true jovial Oscars fashion. As each winner was announced, the staff applauded, shouted, and even danced in their honor. It was clear that each and every chef team enjoyed bonding with their coworkers and celebrating their peers’ creativity. And not only that, but the volume of the votes being cast under #FoodOscars briefly set that hashtag trending in San Francisco...which the Twitter client tweeted about! The 2016 #FoodOscars winners:
Special Effects: The Grind team (Cooks Aquanetta Kakos, Jose Beltran, and Maria Alvarez) for the “Inside Out” blue velvet cake with mango mousse Best Overall Menu Design: The Melt team (Cooks Noom Faksuwan and Santiago Ramirez) for the “Thaitanic” open-faced sandwich with shrimp, scallop, and salmon Best Supporting Dish: The Birdfeeder team (Kitchen Supervisor Henry Hernandez and Cooks Santos Hernandez and Juan Angulo) for the “Spotlight” scallop and lobster risotto Best Dish: The Sqwok team (Cooks Minerva Preciado, Brandon Chang, and Erika Salazar) for the “Under the Sea” scallops with chicharrones and beets Submitted by Janine Beydoun, Regional Marketing Manager 2 0 1 6 Vo l u m e 1
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Denison University’s Mindful Mondays Add a Layer to Meatless Submitted by Lia Crosby, Sustainability Supervisor
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enison University in Granville, OH, is full of students who are passionate about the sources and impacts of the food we eat. Last year, a group of Denison students formed an organization called VEG (for Vegetarian Education Group). Members range from interested omnivores to passionate vegans, all united over caring about the food system. Denison Sustainability Fellows and VEG collaborated to find ways of encouraging students to eat more mindfully on campus, which began with a consultation with Bon Appétit Sustainability Manager S.K. Piper, aka Piper. They decided to start with a meatless day that focused on awareness, and Mindful Monday was born — with the idea that hosting it on Mondays sets a precedent of mindfulness about sustainability and personal agency that could last the whole week. The day would not only be meatless, but also be specifically focused on local, plant-based foods from responsible sources. Sustainability, ethics, and health were the focus of the literature provided in accordance with the day. It took a fair amount of planning, student outreach, and research, but the dream was realized! Bon Appétit has been serving delicious, plant-based meals in alternating dining halls every Monday, with proteins such as tempeh, tofu, and seitan, as well as vegan hot dogs and black-bean burgers. Some student favorites from recent Mindful Mondays have been the breakfast smoothie bar, portabello mushrooms with melted vegan cheddar, a falafel bar, and local cereals.
Educating the student body has been a big focus for making Mindful Mondays a success. To help students understand what a great impact they’re having, VEG hung hundreds of posters around campus and left informational literature at the dining halls. The literature addresses animal agriculture’s devastating impacts on water usage and pollution, deforestation, and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as social impacts such as workers’ rights and the unnecessary suffering of animals. Social media and in-person events tie it all together as well. Mindful Monday has already lived up to its name, inspiring conversations and challenging students to step out of their comfort zones and take real steps toward the sustainable ideals often promoted at a liberal arts college. As the litera64 | BRAVO
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ture reminds students, every individual makes a difference, because our aggregate choices have the power to shape and change industries.
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Santa Clara Students Spar Over Spuds Submitted by Stacy Stafford-Scott, Regional and Account Marketing Manager
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he heat in the kitchen at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA, was cranked up to an unprecedented level as two teams of students, paired with an in-house chef, competed for the title of “Iron Chef Santa Clara.” Each team had one hour to create three dishes using the special ingredients: Okinawan purple sweet potatoes and Red Garnet yams. Featured items included Okinawan and Red Garnet tempura fries with sweet Thai dipping sauce; bacon-wrapped chicken breasts stuffed with both sweet potatoes and served with sweet potato chips; and Okinawan sweet potato turnovers served with yam whipped cream and grated chocolate. A group of students signed up to be the judges of the contest, evaluating each team on taste, timing, temperature, and creative use of the mystery ingredients. The team of Erica Tom, Gabby Lee, Jamie Arce, Erin Gates, and Sous Chef Ray Volis won with house-roasted turkey breast with cranberry sauce, spring mix, and sweet potato cream cheese wrapped in lavash; sweet potato–crusted salmon topped with mango-pineapple salsa, served over truffle-roasted asparagus and mashed Okinawan sweet potatoes; and a sweet-potato-and-puffpastry rose filled with apricot jam, raspberry coulis, and kiwi and mango sauce. For their creativity and teamwork, each student winner received a special iPod shuffle engraved with “SCU Iron Chef.”
The champions, Erica Tom, Gabby Lee, Jamie Arce, Erin Gates, and Sous Chef Ray Volis pose following their victory
Executive Sous Chef Joshua Grimes’ team placing final touches on their bacon-wrapped chicken breasts stuffed with Okinawan potatoes and sweet potatoes
A gorgeous sweet potato floret
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Celebrating African American History Month For African American History Month in February, at Bon Appétit cafés around the country, guests could read about the achievements of African American culinary luminaries — ranging from grande dame of Southern cooking Edna Lewis to Carla Hall, cohost of The Chew and former Top Chef contestant — and taste some of their signature dishes. Many Bon Appétit teams also reached out to a campus diversity organization to help personalize their celebration, bringing in music and more to complete the experience. La Verne Partners with Black Student Union for Immersive Experience
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he University of La Verne in La Verne, CA, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles, has a student population as racially diverse as that city. Before deciding how to celebrate African American History Month in the café, the Bon Appétit team reached out to the university’s Black Student Union and invited them to meet and collaborate on the menu as well as the guest experience. They decided to fully immerse Davenport Café in African American influences and celebrate a different chef every day for a week. Club members provided African textiles to use for the display table, which sported fresh produce and the poster with that day’s featured chef’s background and culinary philosophy. All stations, from classics to ovens to stocks and even the dessert station, featured themed menu options. Among the guest favorites were Lolis Eric Elie’s Herbsaint’s shrimp and sausage Louisiana brown rice risotto with fried okra, West African curried chicken soup with flaky buttermilk biscuits snd gravy, beignets, and banana fritters. The café was filled with African-influenced music geared to each menu. On Tuesday, for example, when showcasing the recipes of Carla Hall, who was born and raised in Tennessee, the kitchen team prepared her recipe of barbecue chicken with buttermilk biscuits and The Chew spanakopita (from her culinary show), and played another Tennessee-born artist, Aretha Franklin, as the soundtrack. Feedback ranged from satisfied to impressed and inspired. Student Cheyenne Page said, “I just love what you guys are doing in Davenport for African American History Month,” adding that the representation made her proud. Another commented that the risotto was one of the best dishes she’d tasted in her four years at La Verne! “I truly enjoyed preparing African-influenced meals, flavors, and concepts for our guests that they may normally not have the opportunity to experience,” said Executive Chef Justin Alarcon. Submitted by Rebecca Farraj, Catering Supervisor
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FRITTERING THE MONTH AWAY: The Bon Appétit team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore celebrated African American History Month at the Fresh Food Café with a diverse bounty of dishes for a week, including Lolis Eric Elie’s yaka mein, Edna Lewis’s braised celery, Dr. Jessica B. Harris’s South African sweet potato fritters (pictured), and G. Garlins’s espressorubbed pork ribs with red-eye barbecue sauce. Submitted by Jeff Vigilante, Marketing Manager
Target Draws from Family Recipes for Monthlong Celebration
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afé Target in Minneapolis partnered with Target’s African American Business Council for a month filled with great cultural favorites and entertainment. One particular day, guests enjoyed a Somali lentil and potato sambusa with fresh carrots and steamed rice while being entertained by a live jazz and blues band at Target Plaza. The sambusa was a huge hit, as Minneapolis has a very large Somali community. Other weeks featured favorites drawn from both the official Bon Appétit African American History Month promotion chefs and the local team’s family recipes, such as Jamaican jerk chicken served with Caribbean yellow rice and black beans, spiced corn soup, and banana cake; Cajun crawfish etouffée with steamed white rice and stewed okra and tomato, gumbo, and pralines; and Haitian smoked sausage spaghetti with fresh spring mix, pumpkin soup, fried plantains, and cashew ginger brittle.
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Hip Hop, Collards, and Injera Mingle in Mills’ Melting Pot
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t Mills College in Oakland, CA, this year’s Black History Month kicked off with the theme “Our Voices Matter: Centering Blackness.” Partnering with the Ethnic Studies Department, the Bon Appétit team offered a delicious taste of authentic dishes drawn from the African diaspora: at the classics station, traditional barbecued pork ribs with macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and house-made cheddar biscuits with honey butter tempted Southern food lovers, while at the global station, guests could experience a mixture of Ethiopian and Caribbean dishes with Jamaican chicken curry, red lentil stew, Jamaican cabbage salad, gomen wat (Ethiopian-style greens), mojo tostones (deepfried plantain chips with garlic sauce), and house-made injera (a spongy bread made from teff). Many guests chose to eat the Ethiopian food in the customary way, using the injera to scoop the food and eat with their hands. For entertainment, the Ethnic Studies Department booked Oakland’s own Hip Hop for Change, a nonprofit organization that uses grassroots activism to educate people about the socioeconomic injustices and advocates solutions through hip hop culture. Undergraduate student Larrolyn Parms Ford raved, “The food was amazing — truly authentic! I appreciate the time and dedication that was put into the food. It tasted just like my grandmother making dinner.” Submitted by Arianna Contreras, Catering Manager
Student worker Odalys Perez waiting to serve the students house-made injera at the Ethiopian station
Submitted by Kathy Vik, Operations Manager
Kitchen Supervisor Elbert Richard preparing Southern-style collard greens
The popular Somali lentil and potato sambusa with fresh carrots and steamed rice
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Wash U Goes Looking for the Perfect Local Protein Submitted by Edward Farrow, Executive Chef
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he Bon Appétit team at Washington University in St. Louis prides itself on its many strong Farm to Fork relationships. When longtime Bon Appétit Executive Chef Edward Farrow joined the Wash U team, he was assigned to assist the regional forager in search of local pork sources that could not only meet Bon Appétit’s commitment to be raised without gestation crates, but also supply the entire large Wash U campus. It’s a subject he is extremely passionate about; he enjoys the process of the research, visiting farms, getting to know them, building the relationship, and collaborating to overcome any challenges. His travels took him all over Missouri and Illinois, meeting fabulous folks who are as passionate about what they do (raising hogs the right way) as Bon Appétiters are about the Dream. Since then, three of the five farms he visited have already been vetted and enrolled as Farm to Fork vendors — Circle B Ranch, Todd Geisert Farms, and Rensing’s Hog Farm.
played for the St. Louis Rams. He got into the beef business because he wanted to consume what he calls cleaner beef, free of antibiotics, hormones, and “who knows what” — a quality source of beef for his children. The business has grown into a passion for him. Shire Gate is about 50 miles southwest of the Wash U campus. The place is owner-operated to the core: Will runs the ranch with only his father and one ranch hand. Will has also started raising chickens to help fertilize the pastures sustainably, and he’s received Animal Welfare Approved certification. The volume of product needed to serve the Wash U campus means it can be especially difficult to find ranchers who are raising meat the right way and who can also offer a consistent supply. Edward and the Wash U team are grateful to have so many fantastic new local partners and look forward to cultivating these relationships for years to come. Live Springs Farm
Edward was particularly struck by Circle B Ranch, which is on the outer edge of the Farm to Fork 150-mile radius. John and Marina Backes live on the farm, and they love their hogs. Their philosophy is, “If we treat them with respect, respect their families, the hogs will respect us and our family.” The hogs are at their back door, which leads to a serene pasture and forest. The hogs come and go at will and are very social with each other and the Backes. Now that the Backes are Farm to Fork partners, the Wash U team is working to fit as much of Circle B Ranch’s pork into the program as is feasible. Pasture-raising hogs is not an inexpensive endeavor, but the Backes are trying to meet Bon Appétit’s needs. Sausages are the main purchase at this time, with other cuts reserved for specials. At Ibby’s Bistro, a sit-down restaurant on the Wash U campus, Chef de Cuisine Jon Lowe uses Circle B’s shanks for an amazing pork osso buco.
The white cattle of Shire Gate Farms
The relationships with local hog ranchers like the Backes have also led to other important connections with ranchers in the nearby community, including Will Witherspoon at Shire Gate Farms, who raises grass-fed beef and has also just been approved as a Farm to Fork partner. Will didn’t grow up farming — he’s a former professional football player who Photo: Shire Gate Farms
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OPENING
CHS Joins Bon Appétit Family Submitted by Paul Adams, District Manager
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on Appétit is proud to serve food from more than 1,200 small farms and ranches via the Farm to Fork network, as well as from all the midsize and large ones that also supply us. And now we’re closing the loop by feeding the owners of some of the latter, directly!
The Midwest Bon Appétit team recently opened a café in Inver Grove Heights, MN, global headquarters of CHS, Inc. Formerly known as Cenex Harvest States, CHS is a Fortune 100 company and a leading global agribusiness owned by farmers, ranchers, and cooperatives across the United States. It employs more than 10,000 people in 24 countries; the CHS portfolio also includes solutions for energy, insurance, and financial and risk management services. More than 1,100 employees work at this location. As part of the opening, the Bon Appétiters held a contest to name the new café. The prize was a gift basket with a Bon Appétit cheese board and knife set, Bon Appétit olive oil, and a $150 gift card for Williams-Sonoma (a fellow Bon Appétit client). Out of the many entries submitted, the one coined by Tracy Teuber was immediately recognized as encapsulating both companies’ brands and their partnership: the Home Plate Café. Not only does the name recall Bon Appétit’s cook-from-scratch and buy-local principles, it also invokes CHS’s sponsorship of the local minor league baseball team, the St. Paul Saints; that connection partly influenced the design for the logo of the café. The café is conveniently located on the main floor of the building, but it’s tucked in the corner. To bring some light and energy to the area, the opening team changed the deep green walls and black doors to white, and also put in new lighting and pared down the displays and bulky overhead signage. Guests are loving the new Field of Greens station, a spin-off of the salad bar featuring a daily composed-salad special, and the Wellness station, which offers lighter options and balanced plates such as quinoa-stuffed peppers with tomato, spinach, and carrot served with roasted red-pepper purée.
Chef/Manager Dustin Cromett, contest winner Tracy Teuber with her prize, CHS Office Services Manager Sue Larsen, and District Manager Paul Adams
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events in brief Thomas Aquinas Serves Exceptional Dinner for Extraordinary Year
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n event such as the yearlong jubilee declared by Pope Francis is considered extraordinary, so the team at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, CA, put together a feast to celebrate. Bon Appétiters from the nearby Thacher School and Villanova Preparatory School came to help feed the Aquinas community, which was hosting His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke, patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The team prepared and served a formal dinner of mixed baby greens with Granny Smith apples, cranberries, and feta with raspberry vinaigrette; a whole roasted strip loin with roasted creamer potatoes and mixed vegetables; and a rich chocolate cake. Submitted by Lucinda Anderson, General Manager
Reed College Debuts Spring Catering Menu
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he catering staff at Reed College in Portland, OR, gets excited about each new season, as it’s a chance to work with fresh ideas from newly in-season ingredients. Quarterly, the catering team hosts a catering expo to show off what the faculty and staff can order right on campus. Everyone raved about all of the items, from the vegan saffron arancini with arugula pesto to the more homey Build-Your-Own S’mores bar. This event is a great way for the team to show off what they can do culinarily and creatively outside of daily meal service. Submitted by Lindsey Leisinger, Catering Director
Individual crudité cups with house-made ranch
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POKE-ING AROUND: Bon Appétit’s newest retail location at Biola University in La Mirada, CA, Blackstone Café, introduced a feast for the eyes and stomach, the Poke Bowl, created by visiting Executive Chef Peter Alfaro, complemented by a colorful garnish and sauce station. Submitted by Daniel Cruz, Retail Assistant
SAS Makes International Connections Through Food
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any of Bon Appétit’s corporate clients have employees who hail from all over the world. In addition to being an appreciative audience for globally inspired menus, they can be a terrific resource for cooking outside the usual comfort zone and building bridges with guests. At SAS in Cary, NC, SAS employees have formed a group called International Connections to celebrate culture in the business setting. Last year, the Bon Appétit team at the Atrium Café teamed up with the group to host the monthly Around the World in 8 Plates lunch-and-learn series. This year, the Bon Appétiters kicked it up a notch to include all five cafés on campus and feature a different country each day of the week during the last week of April, starting with Germany and finishing with the Philippines. “I was excited to participate,” said longtime SAS employee Kyoko Keener, who is originally from Japan. Kyoko met several times with Sous Chef Bryan Little and Global Cook Brandon Rosenel to discuss menu ideas, flavor profile and plate presentation. The result was deconstructed gyoza with slow-cooked pork and cabbage (or a vegetable option) with wonton crisps, steamed rice, and a soy-vinegar sauce, and matcha green tea cupcakes with green tea buttercream frosting and green tea ice cream.
Global Cook Brandon Rosenel with his deconstructed Japanese creation
Matcha cupcakes
Pranav Patel, leader of the SAS International Connections group, said that a number of members made the effort to visit at least three of the five cafés during the week and had very positive feedback on the food and the experience. Next year, the Bon Appétit team plans to incorporate different countries and feature one a week to give more time for more members to get to all the cafés. Submitted by Katheldra Pinder, General Manager
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events in brief Hitachi Data Systems Explores Presidents’ Favorite Foods
Board Manager Jenny Pope and Carleton student Mika Chmielewski running the tea-tasting activity
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side from a lucky few, most everyone else has to work on Presidents’ Day, so why not make it fun? The team at Hitachi Data Systems in Santa Clara, CA, enjoyed researching and presenting the favorite foods of presidents, and guests enjoyed eating like White House royalty. Featured faves included macaroni with Gruyère cheese (Thomas Jefferson), chicken in champagne sauce (John F. Kennedy), creamy grits with goat cheese (Jimmy Carter), cotija cheese enchiladas (Bill Clinton), and chipotle chicken tinga tacos (Barack Obama). Submitted by Shelita Acosta, Executive Chef
Lewis & Clark College Celebrates State’s Birthday with Love regonians like their history. When the state turned 157 on Valentine’s Day, celebrations were held all over. At Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, named for the explorers who entered the Oregon territory a halfcentury before statehood, the Bon Appétit team collaborated with the Campus Activities Board (CAB) to throw a locally focused celebration at Fields Dining Room. Sous Chef Derek Sandlin Webb created a menu featuring herbmarinated and roasted Draper Valley chicken, locally made Ota tofu, Bob’s Red Mill polenta, and an abundance of local produce. The bakery staff made a cake and sweetheart cookies to play dual holiday duty. CAB provided Oregon-centric coloring pages and free cake for the students. Those who took time from studies to color may have learned a new thing or two about the state.
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Submitted by Bonnie Von Zange, Dining Room Manager
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Health Remains Focus Throughout Winter at Carleton
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taying healthy through the wintry season can be a challenge, so the Bon Appétit team at Carleton made a concerted effort to promote the Food for Your Well-Being activities at the Northfield, MN, campus. At the school’s Annual Winter Health Fair, which featured 15 different booths and had topics ranging from the effects of drinking to campus safety and the importance of physical activity, the Bon Appétit table offered information about eating during stressful times. Board Manager and Registered Dietitian Jenny Pope and student employee Mika Chmielewski also ran a customized tea-tasting station. They shared the benefits of drinking a relaxing cup of tea and ways to customize it, with fresh herbs and citrus zest, for example. Carleton students enjoyed the different ingredients that were available to add into their standard cup of tea. The next month, the Carleton College East Dining Hall team held a successful Food for Your Well-Being vinaigrette demo with great engagement from the students. Lead Pantry Cook Shanna Lindelein helped students with their oil, vinegar, and seasoning choices to make the perfect vinaigrette. Jenny was there to discuss and offer handouts on embracing healthy fats, such as the many oils that can be used for vinaigrettes. Submitted by Jennifer Pope, Board Manager
Lead Pantry Cook Shanna Lindelein making made-toorder vinaigrettes for the students’ salads
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Johns Hopkins Sees Red, Serves Hearty Meals
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he Bon Appétit team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore is full of heart — heart health, that is, with two recent events. When the university participated in the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, the dining team jumped on board and made guests see red everywhere. Designed to educate students on the importance of women’s health and especially take steps toward lowering risks of heart disease and stroke in women, the national campaign day simply asks that people wear red. The Bon Appétit employees wore solid red shirts or sweaters and stepped up and included red food at every venue on campus as well. Pastry Chef Rufus Trader created several red cakes, cookies, and tarts, and specials were on display at the grill station featuring red bread by Stone Mill Bakery. Other offerings across campus were identified by the Go Red product identifiers. The enthusiasm was heartening, to say the least, and undoubtedly awareness was raised about these important conditions.
A basket of local fruit for the Arts for Hearts raffle
And a few weeks later, Hopkins Dining also participated in “Arts for Hearts,” an Arts and Sciences benefit supporting the American Heart Association that was created by Tiffany Eatz ’17. For the second year, Tiffany reached out to Resident District Manager Vincent McPhail and the team sprang into action, procuring 14 gift baskets and food donations from local vendors, offering catering logistics support and setup, and promoting the event through social media and in-café marketing efforts. For the event itself, the team brought together Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company, York Street Market, Taharka Brothers Ice Cream, the JHU Birdfeeder Dub Box, and a 6-foot grill station for an outdoor feast as 15 different acts entertained on stage during the six-hour event. The menu included grilled chicken with a creamy Cajun coleslaw on a Kaiser roll with barbecue sauce; a vegetable sandwich with sautéed peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tofu topped with soy sauce and sriracha; fresh buttered corn on the cob; and Taharka Brothers coffee chip, salty caramel, and chocolate ice cream. The donated gift baskets were raffled off every 15 minutes. The team really put their heart into supporting this event, and it showed in the great food and many donations. Assorted sweet treats for Arts for Hearts
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events in brief Twitter Slam-Dunks March Madness with Pretzels
All 16 types of pretzels set out for Twitter employees to taste
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ood ideas can come from anywhere. When the Urban Daddy website posted a March Madness “pretzel bracket,” the Bon Appétit team at Twitter in San Francisco immediately recognized it as a good idea for an interactive and delicious employee activity. So General Manager Kevin McConvey contacted Urban Daddy (via a tweet, naturally) and they responded quickly to say they would be very excited to see their bracket come to life. With the site’s permission, the team blew up and printed images of the bracket and made copies so Twitter guests could fill them out and enter a contest to win seats to see the Golden State Warriors play and a gift certificate from Urban Daddy. Then later that morning, the team placed bowls of each pretzel out for the employees to taste and launched a series of Twitter polls matching each type of pretzel against another as dictated by the bracket. The votes began piling in. The polls closed at 3 p.m., and Kevin announced the “Elite Eight” pretzels that would move on to the next round. Then the team repeated the process on Tuesday and narrowed it down to four pretzels, and so on. By Thursday the sourdough pretzel was facing off against the everpopular soft pretzel — with pretzel-making videos being shared on Twitter, of course. But voting wasn’t even close. The soft pretzel took 76 percent of the votes that day, becoming the clear winner. Then, on Friday, the Bon Appétiters created a pop-up station featuring both sweet and savory soft pretzels with multiple mustards and a sweet dipping sauce. Pretzel knots and rings
More than 300 entries came in. Twitter employee Irene Uong predicted nearly every winner in the bracket, missing just one. She sent a thank-you tweet from the Warriors game. All in all, it was a fantastic way to engage guests, break the daily monotony, and have some fun. Submitted by Kevin McConvey, General Manager
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Executive Chef Nick Fields holding up the bread
Levi Strauss Leads with Heroic Sandwiches
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uring Levi Strauss’s leadership meetings held at the company’s headquarters in San Francisco, the Bon Appétit café felt like the Little Engine That Could! The small but mighty team hosted two happy hours for the 500 attendees as well as the many amped-up catering requests that week. Singer Michael Franti was the entertainment for an evening. One of the hits of the week was the Leadership Reception where Executive Chef Nick Fields, Sous Chef Samm Sanchez, and their crew produced a dozen 6-foot-long sandwiches — not as easy as it looked, the team confessed.
The complete 6-foot-long sandwiches
Submitted by Dina Rao, General Manager
Target Team Feeds Hungry Kids for a Whole Year
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he Bon Appétit team at Target’s North Campus in Brooklyn Park, MN, feeds many people, but rarely children. But in just one day, 16 Bon Appétiters gathered to pack a whopping 26,136 meals for the nonprofit group Feed My Starving Children — enough meals to feed 71 children one meal per day for an entire year! The idea came out of discussions at 10@10s about ideas for volunteer opportunities. Sous Chef Deziree Klema, who had volunteered with the group with her family, proposed Feed My Starving Children, and a vote sealed the deal. The Bon Appétit formed an assembly line to measure and weigh and pack dry rice, nutrients, soy protein, and dehydrated vegetables that are specifically formulated for malnourished children. It was a fun bonding experience for a very good cause. Submitted by Salvatore Rosa, General Manager
The Bon Appétit volunteers packing meals
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Celebrating the Super Bowl Bon Appétit teams leaped at the chance to score points with sports fans by hosting on-site “tailgate” parties for the big game.
A stadium composed of a guacamole and sour cream field with tortilla chips and crudités in the surrounding stands, constructed by Executive Chef Adam Mali
Super Bowl 50 #Gamechanger at Twitter
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he Twitterverse was ablaze with chatter about Super Bowl 50 — with 16.9 million tweets about the game — and at Twitter in San Francisco, the host city for the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl events, the activity was just as hot. The super-social Twitter team hosted a weeklong roster of events — which were known as #SB50 at this hashtag-obsessed social media company — with the NFL Super Bowl committee.
Multiple sports and movie celebrities attended the week’s events, including Bill Pullman, Liam Hemsworth, and Olivia Munn from the cast of Independence Day. Olivia even did a DJ set at one of the parties! Other celeb sightings included actor Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool); San Francisco chef luminary Michael Mina, who did a Super Bowl snack demo for the Twitter team that was broadcast live on Periscope; and Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate, who whipped up a pizza in house for a Pizza Hut commercial. Fox Sports broadcast three of its social media shows live from Twitter throughout the whole week, and the NFL hosted multiple “second screen” events (behind-the-scenes mini shows) on-site with celebrity guests throughout Super Bowl weekend. While the Bon Appétit team was busy all week with multiple catering events for #SB50, Executive Chef Adam 76 | BRAVO
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Mali scored a touchdown by constructing a miniature stadium out of wood that housed an epic football field of guacamole, decorated with a starting lineup of tomatoes and olives as players. The “stands” were filled with chips and crudités — probably the only Super Bowl scenario where occupants of the stands are encouraged to dive onto the field! The nearby parking lot was filled with “cars” made of eclairs in the team colors of the Panthers and Broncos. “The food was delicious, the presentation was beautiful, and your staff was on it. People are still talking to me about the guacamole stadium!! #gamechanger,” wrote Erin McMahon from Twitter Event Marketing in an email to General Manager Kevin McConvey, the voice of @BonAppeTweet, the Bon Appétit team’s Twitter handle. “As always, you went above and beyond to make sure our group was taken care of during the #TwitterTailgate and throughout all the weekend war room activities. Overall, very successful week, and we owe a lot of that to you and your team…. I cannot wait to partner on future events.” #Touchdown! Submitted by Kevin McConvey, General Manager
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Hometown Team Prevails at Colorado College
Snack Stadium Strikes Again at Lafayette College
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he excitement was at a fever pitch at the seventh annual Super Bowl Party held at Benjamin's — affectionately known as “Benji's” — at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. Students came out in droves to root for their hometown Broncos, and the Bon Appétit team transformed Benji’s into a sports bar with tables draped in Bronco Orange and Carolina Blue. Sous Chef Jackie Lovecchio created a tailgater’s dream menu that included traditional buffalo wings and a tater-tot bar with house-made queso and a vegetarian Hatch green chili. Everyone left full and happy as the Broncos celebrated their victory on the 50th anniversary of the big game! Submitted by Derek Hanson, Director of Operations
he catering team at Lafayette scored again! The “snack stadium” has become very popular among the students at Lafayette and is demanded at any sports-themed party the campus hosts. From the 150th Lehigh-Lafayette Rivalry game to this year’s Super Bowl party, the stadium — constructed of ecoware cups and cardboard boxes, packing tape, and wrapping paper that holds an array of snacks — stands out as the indisputable centerpiece of every game. This year’s Super Bowl party was hosted by Lafayette Activities Forum in the student center with approximately 50 students in attendance. This particular stadium combination was made up of house-made local Lehigh Valley gold potato chips, soft pretzel nuggets, and tri-color chips with house-made guacamole, fresh pico de gallo, and French onion dip. Other fan favorites were mini burger sliders with applewood-smoked bacon and aged cheddar cheese, house-made black bean burger sliders with red cabbage slaw, traditional hot wings, and football cookies from the Bon Appétit campus bake shop. Submitted by Sarah Fried, General Manager
A Lafayette student smiles with her beloved snack stadium
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Penn Cooks Compete for ‘Lord of the Wings’ Title Submitted by Beth Bayrd, Marketing Manager
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hat happens when four cooks all claim to have the best wing recipe? You hold a cooking competition to let the students and fellow chefs decide — and then feature the winning recipe as the Super Bowl special!
Cooks Nicole Smith, Wayne Bunn, Sharon Brown, and Fatou Wilson were first coached a little by Campus Executive Chef Chris Smith, Chef/Manager Patterson Watkins, and Executive Chef Jerome Seeney. On the big day itself, each prepared and presented totally different wing recipes. Nicole made Nikki’s Island Wings which included pineapple, cherries, coconut, crushed red pepper, and maple syrup. Bunn’s Blazin’ BBQ wings included Wayne’s own sauce of ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, honey, liquid smoke, and garlic. Sharon went a more traditional route with her Liberty Wings that featured Texas Pete hot sauce, garlic, Old Bay seasoning, butter, seasoning salt, and onion powder. Fatou stuck with her area of strength and presented Jerk Wings, a spicy, flavorful combination of garlic, onion, scallion, habanero peppers, thyme, orange juice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Students voted for their favorite — and the competition had a dramatic finish, as first and second were a tie, as were third and fourth. As the judges — Director of Operations Lisa Orssaud-Sullivan and Houston Market General Manager Patricia Ng — were deliberating over how to break the tie, with no wings left to taste, a student approached the group and asked if it was too late to vote. He had been sitting in a corner studying and holding onto his and a friend’s vote. With these last two stragglers, the tie was broken, and Fatou’s jerk wing was declared the winner. The next day, Lisa announced the winner during the morning 10@10 meeting and presented each participant with a Certificate of Excellence as well as some Penn gear. Sharon received a starter knife set as the “Chef ’s Award” winner, and Fatou got a fantastic set of Sony headphones that was generously donated by the University of Pennsylvania. There were cheers and smiles all around and cries for another contest to be held. Overall, it was a ton of fun and a wonderful morale booster.
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The fearless contenders
Houston Market Cooks Sharon Brown, Fatou Wilson, and Nicole Smith, with Wayne Bunn in the back
Cook Sharon Brown’s Liberty Wings flavored with Texas Pete hot sauce, garlic, Old Bay seasoning, butter, seasoning salt, and onion powder
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TaylorMade Aces Golf-and-Vodka Special Event Submitted by Molly Glover, General Manager
Bacon-wrapped scallops with Ketel Citroen–celery root purée
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aylorMade in Carlsbad, CA, is a name synonymous with golf, so when it partnered with Ketel One, a name synonymous with vodka, for a luxury fitting event, it chose Bon Appétit — known for great food — to handle the catering.
For the second year in a row, TaylorMade, Ketel One, and the team at Bon Appétit gave some of Ketel One’s top customers a special allin-one afternoon. Fifty attendees had the opportunity to visit TaylorMade for a day that included being individually fitted for their own TaylorMade driver, drinking specially crafted Ketel One cocktails, and sampling food from Chef/Manager Martin Sanchez-Medina’s vodka-inspired menu. Each dish included one vodka-infused component, some of the most notable being veal and pork meatballs with tomato alla Ketel sauce, bacon-wrapped scallops with Ketel Citroen–celery root purée and seasonal garnishes, and cranberry chicken salad sliders with Ketel Oranje aioli. The seven-person team at TaylorMade worked tirelessly in the days leading up to the event to ensure that every single component of every dish was near perfect. The 70-degree day at TaylorMade’s marquis on-site driving range was already picturesque, and the gorgeous food and cocktails contributed to making a memorable event the client promises to replicate again in the near future.
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NorCal Team Feeds #PowerTrippin’ Women at Williams-Sonoma Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications
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on Appétit teams have fed U.S. presidents, the Dalai Lama, and plenty of other dignitaries and celebrities. So when the Williams-Sonoma client asked General Manager Andrew Cvitanich and Executive Chef Ross Browne if they could handle a three-course dinner for actress Drew Barrymore, supermodel Tyra Banks, actress Tracee Ellis Ross, and 200 other female CEOs, VIPs, and high-profile media on very short notice, they didn’t blink. They just said yes — and put out a call for help from the Northern California team. The dinner was part of a 36-hour, women-only experience dubbed #PowerTrip and put together by Marie Claire magazine, JetBlue, and Drew Barrymore’s new winemaking venture, Barrymore Wines by Carmel Road. Half of the women were flown from New York City to San Francisco, where they joined others — including Bon Appétit Chief Strategy and Brand Officer Maisie Ganzler — for intimate panel discussions on business by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow,Tyra Banks, and Marie Claire Editorin-Chief Anne Fulenwider. The dinner destination of the Williams-Sonoma Café — and its incredible views of the Bay and Alcatraz — was kept secret and teased as one of San Francisco’s most exclusive venues. It was raining that late afternoon, but as the bus pulled up and the women began coming in, the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and a double rainbow was visible over the bay. The café could not have looked lovelier with the long tables, flowers, and that stunning backdrop, and it was immortalized in quite a few Instagrams. Five local female celebrity chefs had been asked to create the #Boss dinner menu that the Bon Appétiters would execute out of a catering tent set up in the parking lot. (The café’s kitchen was far too small for the job.) Bon Appétit’s Presidio Foods Culinary Director Robbie Lewis, who knows all the chefs personally, volunteered to coordinate the dishes so they’d work together taste-wise and be doable given the available equipment and time frame. As 80 | BRAVO
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everyone started on their first course, Maisie introduced the guest chefs with a few highlights of their honors — Michelin stars and James Beard awards — plus a few personal anecdotes. Then it was time for Drew Barrymore to talk about why she was inspired to start making wine. District Manager Killian Higgins enlisted James Hall, director of operations for Bon Appétit at AT&T Park, to oversee the 35 hired staff charged with serving the familystyle dinner. Joining Ross and Robbie on the final dishfinishing sprint were Genentech Executive Chef Jenem Martin, Presidio Catering Executive Chef Joseph DeBono, Skywalker Ranch Executive Chef Stephen Simmons, Yahoo - San Francisco Executive Chef Bryce Yee, AT&T Park Catering Director Brian Carriveau, and AT&T Gotham Club Chef Regina Medoro, and Sous Chef Loren Larsen. Judging by the empty platters returning to the kitchen, the menu was well received! Williams-Sonoma CEO Laura Alber said the event was a huge success and Bon Appétit’s support was much appreciated. Actress Drew Barrymore and Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief Anne Fulenwider in the Williams-Sonoma test kitchen
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Menu STARTERS
Spring Greens | with rapini pesto and burrata MELISSA PERELLO, CHEF AND OWNER OF FRANCES
Soba Noodles | with yogurt broth DOMINIQUE CRENN, CHEF AND OWNER OF ATELIER CRENN AND FOUNDER OF PETIT CRENN ENTRÉES
Mary’s Heritage Chicken Breast | with morel mushroom Madeira sauce, asparagus, and chervil vinaigrette NANCY OAKES, EXECUTIVE CHEF AND OWNER OF BOULEVARD
Roasted Yams | with pearl onions and fine herbs
The café at Williams-Sonoma transformed into a beautiful, intimate dining space
TANYA HOLLAND, CHEF AND OWNER OF BROWN SUGAR KITCHEN AND B-SIDE BBQ DESSERT
Ginger, Chocolate, Cornmeal, Cacao Nib Shortbread, and Denise’s Cookies EMILY LUCHETTI, PASTRY CHEF AT FARALLON
Bon Appétit Chief Strategy and Brand Officer Maisie Ganzler’s place setting
FOREGROUND, LEFT TO RIGHT:
Skywalker Ranch Executive Chef Stephen Simmons, Presidio Foods Culinary Director Robbie Lewis, and 350 Kitchen Executive Chef Bob Clark putting the finishing touches on dishes in the servery
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Redlands Students Learn Stem-to-Root Cooking Submitted by Autumn Rauchwerk, West Coast Fellow
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ood waste is a hot topic on campuses (and elsewhere) these days, and Bon Appétit’s scratch-cooking techniques have long been a great way to fight it. The company’s Stem to Root cooking program, developed by chef Kimberly Triplett (now director of operations at Emory University) when she was with Regional Operations Support a half-dozen years ago, takes those techniques a step further to rescue and creatively feature parts of produce that would otherwise go to waste, including stalks, peels, rinds, and roots. At the University of Redlands, in Redlands, CA, Executive Chef Marc Powers shared those techniques with about 35 students and two faculty members on a recent balmy evening. West Coast Fellow Autumn Rauchwerk joined in to sharpen her cooking skills and help screen In Defense of Food afterward (see page 88). Marc showed the group how to make a beautiful stir-fry using local produce, blood orange zest, and the greens of radishes, fennel, and beets. For some extra texture and crunch, he sprinkled the dish with popped amaranth. (It tastes like popcorn!) He also made beet-apple juice and showed the students how to store peels and other produce scraps to make homemade stock, how to zest with a peeler and a knife when a zester isn’t available, and why sharp knives are important. He also explained how roasting rather than boiling is the best way to develop the sugars (flavors) in vegetables like carrots and radishes. What Marc really got across was how much of an art cooking is — with a lot of room for creativity — rather than a strict science.
Executive Chef Marc Powers demonstrating stem-to-root cooking to a crowd
Executive Chef Marc Powers finishing a stir-fry
After the demonstration, participants shared a catered buffet of stem-toroot dishes prepared by Marc and his team. The students said it was the best meal they’d had in a long time! The menu included sweet potatoes stuffed with char-grilled basil stems and leaves, wild rocket pesto from the campus farm, SURF, and roast tomatoes; char-grilled cilantro with gazpacho and quinoa cakes; SURF turnip root fries; crispy potato skins with sea salt and parsley stems; glazed SURF beets with sautéed beet greens and fennel fronds; and so much more. Wrapping the meal with a screening of In Defense of Food, the documentary based on Michael Pollan’s book of the same name, helped emphasize the importance of how cooking and eating can help maximize health, and plants being the principal ingredients of all meals is the first step. At the end of the evening, participants took home recipe booklets so they could put what they had learned to the test. Ten guests even purchased a Bon Appétit tote bag filled to the brim with Farm to Fork produce to try out the techniques at home. 82 | BRAVO
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Redlands students who were very excited to eat their stem-to-root meals
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SAS Gets Creative with Oatmeal
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f breakfast is the most important meal of the day, shouldn’t it be healthy? For Bon Appétit’s monthly Food for Your Well-Being program, the SAS team in Cary, NC, highlighted all kinds of ways to eat the almighty oat.
Oatmeal on its own has many amazing benefits, including fiber, calcium, and potassium. So the team at SAS made steel-cut oats for the Food for Your Well-Being event and then added an impressive array of everything you’ve ever thought to add to oatmeal (plus a few things you probably haven’t!). To help guide guests through the daunting number of choices, they came up with some fun, wholesome, and of course, synergistic combinations such as “carrot cake” with shredded carrot, walnut, golden raisin, and brown sugar, and “meal of steel” with blueberries, sweet potato, flaxseed, and turmeric. An easy sell (that sold out!) to the early arrivers at the marketplace, the team received requests later in the afternoon to feature the oatmeal bar as a daily breakfast option. Overall, it was another successful pop-up event that was designed to inspire and leave a lasting impression.
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Daimler’s Oatmeal for Well-Being Wednesday Gets Oohs and Aahs uests at Daimler Trucks in Portland, OR, were abuzz with the energy of nutritious food thanks to a grab-and-go oatmeal preparation available in the café. Equally excited was Barista Kelly Bair, who is interested in a career as a nutritionist: Kelly served a house-made oatmeal bar made with dates, almonds, peanut butter, cranberries, chocolate chips, and honey to the appreciative Daimler employees. She received some great feedback and was able to extol the virtues of this versatile grain to the guests while answering any nutritional questions that they had.
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Submitted by Mark Harris, General Manager
Submitted by David Sutton, Executive Sous Chef
Barista Kelly Bair serving oatmeal bars
Steel-cut oats with an amazing array of choices for toppings
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Learning About Economic Disparity Through a Meal at Whittier Submitted by Autumn Rauchwerk, West Coast Fellow
ow many families open empty refrigerators then go to bed hungry — and how can food policy address this? On a winter evening, the Food Recovery Network chapter at Whittier College in Whittier, CA, worked with Bon Appétit to put together a hunger banquet that confronted these questions and more over shared meals.
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Of course, a discussion ensued about inequality in the United States, privilege, and generosity, and bridging social, economic, and geographic gaps. West Coast Fellow Autumn Rauchwerk ended the evening with a presentation discussing the role food waste plays in food insecurity and climate change and Bon Appétit’s initiatives that address these issues.
Each of the 30 student and faculty participants began the evening drawing their “class” assignment from a jar: lower, middle, or upper. They began their meal at their designated class area. The lower class had rice and water and sat on the floor, the middle class had spaghetti and sauce and lemonade and sat at an informal table, and the upper class was served from a buffet with salad, bread, steamed vegetables, chicken, bottled water and soda, and enjoyed their meal at a table with linens and soft chairs. The social experiment was about seeing how students would react to arbitrary class assignments and glaring economic disparity among their peers. As the dinner progressed, students in the upper and then middle class started sharing their food with the lower class members, while many people in the upper and middle class joined the lower class on the floor. In the end, everyone had plenty to eat, and it was hard to see who had started out in which class.
The evening’s primary takeaway was that the country does not have a problem of food scarcity, but rather one of distribution. America produces twice as many calories as we need, yet 50 million Americans are still considered food insecure. Food recovery programs, including student-run chapters of the Food Recovery Network, are working to change this, and this event helped students quantify the problem through a direct experience.
Sustainability Club President Andy Bertelsen sharing what he learned during the Hunger Banquet Photo credit: Food Recovery Network at Whittier College
West Coast Fellow Autumn Rauchwerk (sixth from left side) with members of the Food Recovery Network at Whittier College: Erika Parra, Maxwell Hoversten, Cindy Banh, Maria De Jesus Rodriguez, Alma Corado, Andy Bertelsen, Noelle Leczel, Amanda Lane, and Melissa King 84 | BRAVO
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Whittier College Goes After Gluten What do pizza, pancakes, and sandwiches all have in common? They’re college student staples. Their other commonality, however, is the ingredient gluten, and this has become a growing concern for Whittier College students in Whittier, CA. General Manager James Dial learned more about this by attending a student food committee meeting and hearing out student concerns and suggestions. Students expressed that it’s hard to avoid gluten in their diet, and they rely on the support of Bon Appétit cafés such as Whittier’s, especially against the backdrop of college residence halls full of mainstream gluten consumers. James explained to the students the basis for the made without gluten-containing ingredients COR icon ( G) and what important information it represents regarding gluten labeling. After the meeting, James realized his team could and should increase their efforts to serve this population, so they added more G items to the café menus. Executive Chef Miguel Cuenca set up a self-serve station for students with gluten intolerances, with specific signage warning other guests about cross-contamination. And Catering Director Stephanie Mareina got right to work setting up a pantry station. The students now have glutenfree cereals, breads, tortillas, condiments, and a self-serve G dessert baked in-house daily at their station. On opening day of the spring semester alone, students were already noticing and commenting on the changes, particularly about how the team listened to the concerns of students. The Bon Appétit team at Whittier was glad to have had the chance to do so. They place student health and concerns at the top of their priority list, and their ongoing educational training of chefs on keeping gluten out (and taste in) will continue. Submitted by Lucille Alcaraz, Assistant General Manager
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Roger Williams’ Food Committee Meeting Goes All Hands Submitted by Stephanie Keith, Controller/Marketing Manager
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s a company, Bon Appétit prides itself on not taking a cookie-cutter approach, but in customizing each campus’s food program to the particular needs and desires of the student population. That customization is ongoing and driven by student feedback. At Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, student resident advisors from each residence hall have traditionally spoken for the population in meetings held in a small private dining room of the main residential café. This quarter, working together with the client, the Bon Appétit team brought in more “stakeholders” — students who are highly engaged with dining — for more interaction, and the discussion was even livelier than usual.
Students gathered for the Food Committee meeting
Eighteen students, a mix of old and new, gathered in the café kitchen, where Executive Chef Jon Cambra led them through a dorm-friendly local roast chicken and local root vegetable cooking demo. Two international students also prepared dishes of basmati rice and lentils. When the meal was ready, everyone gathered in the café for a family-style dinner. First up, a group of freshmen architecture majors were invited to speak on their endeavor to begin an edible landscaping and geodome project on campus; they unveiled a full presentation of their vision, developed in partnership with Student Gardener Emma Tirrell, who manages the on-campus garden. Afterward, Dining Hall Manager Josh Hennessy guided a discussion on the U.S. food system, touching on such issues as over-consumption, waste, production chains, and environmental degradation. Students were able to contribute their thoughts and feelings, which led to an involved discussion of Bon Appétit initiatives such as Farm to Fork and so much more — the campus’s Food Recovery Network chapter, RWU Dining’s composting program, and the school’s annual waste reduction campaign, for example.
Jon, Josh, and their team were pleased with the new and more engaged format. In a survey sent out to participants to gauge what was learned and what would be suggested for next time, students said they were able to voice their ideas, opinions, and concerns, and while they enjoyed the cooking demo, they would love to be involved in the prep next time. RWU Farmers’ Market Takes Refuge Indoors The outdoor Farmers’ Market Fridays are a beloved tradition on the Roger Williams campus in summer and fall, but New England winters can become a little drab. The RWU team brightened up the Lower Commons retail café with a beautiful farmers’ market table. Parsnips, onions, rutabagas, potatoes, apple chips, popcorn on the cob, jams, bacon, eggs, and lots of dairy products provided plenty of cheerful color. The absence of summer vegetables doesn’t mean a dearth of local food, and this table proved it! The pop-up was a success and will continue through early spring. Submitted by Stephanie Keith, Controller/ Marketing Manager 86 | BRAVO
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OPENING
Stadium TechCenter Café Opens in Santa Clara Submitted by Janine Beydoun, Regional Marketing Manager
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ore and more, real estate developers are realizing that a great restaurant can entice top-tier corporate tenants to their office buildings. And Bon Appétit is becoming their go-to partner, with STEM Kitchen & Garden in San Francisco a showcase of a successful amenity in action that has also become a neighborhood dinner destination. The latest corporate-public hybrid is in a quiet development in the heart of Silicon Valley at the multi-story, glass-enclosed Stadium TechCenter 1 in Santa Clara. The new café that Bon Appétit opened at this “227,500-square-foot statement piece incorporating cutting-edge architectural details,” as the developers put it, will serve incoming tenants as well as employees at surrounding companies such as Dell and Hortonworks. In the kind of fast turnaround that Bon Appétit excels at, the team led by General Manager Pam Costa-Miller and Executive Chef Bobby Laggan helped create a stunning and enticing venue. At fun stations such as flatbreads, kitchen table, and sauté, they have focused on great international flavors with dishes such as bibimbap, Creole cod, and Thai curries. The guests who ventured in on opening day loved the fresh and delicious food, noting how unique and diverse the offerings are. Watch for more of these hybrid corporate-public ventures!
Regional Operations Support Paula Nielsen, Mobile Mercantile Manager Andrea Junca, and SAP General Manager Kellie Piper
The opening team for the Stadium TechCenter Café
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Bon Appétit Partners with In Defense of Food Film Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications
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at food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
Sound familiar? We hope so! It’s the seven-word manifesto by journalist and food-movement guru Michael Pollan from his best-selling book In Defense of Food, recently turned into a movie. It also happens to encapsulate Bon Appétit’s wellness philosophy, which is partly why the company made a donation to support an educational campaign around the film and hosted screenings of it at a couple dozen education and corporate accounts around the country, including the University of Redlands, Whittier College, DePauw University, LinkedIn, Emory, Google, and Denison University. At the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, West Coast Fellow Autumn Rauchwerk and the Bon Appétit team worked with Sustaining Pacific to hold a screening in the Janet Leigh theater on campus. Dining prepared beautiful black bean empanadas and mushroom bruschetta with brie for people beforehand. After the film, they raffled off some of Frog Hollow Farm’s famous fruit spreads. The film sparked conversation and questions about genetically modified foods, how much of what Americans eat is actually corn, and the idea of restrictive diets. Meanwhile at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA, the Bon Appétit team gave out a prize package comprising a copy of Pollan’s Food Rules, a Barnes & Noble gift card, and a reusable Starbucks cup for the person who answered an icebreaker trivia question. After the film, students had plenty of their own questions, including: Which is healthier, frozen, canned, or fresh vegetables? Another student commented that the film had made her finally decide to become a vegetarian. Autumn also hosted a particularly special screening at Lesley University, where Manager of Strategic Initiatives Nicole Tocco Cardwell has been collaborating with Dr. Susan Rauchwerk, an education professor in Lesley’s graduate school, for years during her visits to Lesley. Susan just so happens to be Autumn’s aunt! Together with the Bon Appétit team, they hosted a screening of In Defense of Food with the Environmental Club. Students, faculty members, alumni, and community members munched on delicious kale chips, 88 | BRAVO
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hummus and pita, and seasoned popcorn. The food was a huge hit and so was the film. “I thought I knew everything about food and how to eat, but I loved that this film taught me more and was also accessible to people who didn’t have a lot of background knowledge of healthy eating,” said Susan.
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OPENING
Petco Welcomes “Bone Appétit” Submitted by Molly Glover, General Manager
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s the pet retail industry has grown to $60 billion-plus, Petco has emerged as one of the marquis names in not only pet supply, but also a market innovator in pet care and more. As Petco continued to grow, so did its need for additional headquarter space in San Diego, CA, resulting in the construction of a 300,000-square-foot LEED certified building, built to house approximately 800 people including a state-of-the-art café and coffee bar. And yes, Petco employees can bring their pets to work any day they want. It’s probably safe to say this was the first Bon Appétit location where the opening day menu included not only fromscratch human food — but house-made dog biscuits as well! (They were pumpkin flavored.) Regional Marketing Director Kari Menslage even came up with a fun “Bone Appétit” marketing campaign to go with it. The building was a massive remodel of an existing structure and included a newly constructed café. To start, the café is serving approximately 300 guests a day for breakfast and lunch, with room to grow. In addition to what many consider a chef ’s dream kitchen, the Petco Café includes a “global station” with both a tandoor and wok element. Alternating weekly between usage of the two pieces of equipment — which use the same gas line — has enabled the Bon Appétit team to touch all corners of the globe
with the menu. A sweeping salad bar is a close second to the global station as the guest favorite. And the pizza oven quickly became both a popular destination and a catering staple, as the staff love the fast yet authentic pizzas and flatbreads. On the opposite end of the building lies the Petco Coffee Bar, which serves approximately 140 guests a day. The coffee bar was such a hit that shortly after opening, it received an upgrade to even better accommodate guests – a larger refrigerated display case to house more beverage and express items and a second espresso machine to help the baristas keep up with demand. The first official survey showed very positive guest feedback. Petco previously had four separate buildings, with no internal access to dining. In the months since opening, a growing number of people are now taking the time to eat away from their desks with their colleagues, contributing to the sense of community Petco aimed to create with the entire building. The Bon Appétit team has thrown monthly themed barbecues out on the patio: The first barbecue had just over 90 participants but 145 at the fourth, with plans to continue throughout the summer. By July, they expect 200 guests to be enjoying the Southern California weather and a house barbecue lunch.
The Petco opening team
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Hello spring! Bon Appétiters love celebrating the fun occasions of the first few months of the year with our guests. Read on for Valentine’s Day, Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, and more holiday events.
Grill Cook Laura Moua decorating carrot cake
Pacific Café Guests Clamor for Carrot Cake Kits
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arrot cake is the perfect Easter treat — sweet but semi-healthy, with a hint toward bunny! In preparation for Easter, the Bon Appétit team at the Pacific Café in Irvine, CA, offered carrot cake kits so guests could assemble their own at home. The kit included an unfrosted 9-inch round carrot cake baked by Grill Cook Laura Moua, cream cheese frosting in a disposable piping bag, as well as candy carrots. In case that wasn’t easy enough, a recipe card gave the URL for a YouTube video showing how to frost the cake. On the Thursday before Easter, they set up several cake decorating demos during lunch and even offered to decorate the cakes for those who didn’t want to take on the task. They sold 16 cakes and gathered great feedback from guests about what a fun idea it was and how delicious they were. It was such a hit that the team is already planning a similar promotion for Independ-ence Day in July. Submitted by Nicole Bell, General Manager
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Happy Valentine’s Day House-made banana creamsicle marshmallows dipped in chocolate and topped with toffee nibs
Pastry Cooks Sheena Sullano and Carla Escobar hard at work decorating strawberries Boxes of assorted house-made truffles
Bakery 350 Romances the Sweet
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omance is on the mind for most around Valentine’s Day, but all pastry chefs can think about are their labors of love. It’s a busy week for Bon Appétit’s commissary bakery in San Francisco, Bakery 350, which provided Bay Area cafés with four handcrafted sweet gift options this year: a gourmet selection of assorted marshmallows, the famous box of long-stemmed chocolate-dipped strawberries, a box of assorted macarons, and the Amour truffle box of nine A Bakery 350 Valentine’s Day truffles crafted from local and Fair Trade TCHO chocopop-up at LinkedIn late. This extremely popular option includes hazelnut honey, blood orange–cinnamon, salted caramel, passionfruit ginger, Baileys coffee, raspberry–cacao nib, peanut rocher, and green tea–mint. The team was incredibly busy producing thousands of sweets for deliveries from San Jose all the way up to Napa, but everyone commented happily that they love what they do.
Submitted by Ian Farrell, Executive Pastry Chef
Mills College Goes All Out with Cards and Candy
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t Mills College in Oakland, CA, the Bon Appétit team showed their love for students with chocolate, balloons, thematic music videos on the big screen, and a make-yourown-card station. Administrative Assistant Zoe Binsch decorated the stations with hot-pink streamers and bows, sprinkled tables with candy, and set up a Valentine card station with plenty of crafty ingredients. Students had a great time making each other Valentine cards. Cashier Zhu Bao Deng even received one of her own from a grateful student. Submitted by Zoe Binsch, Administrative Assistant 92 | BRAVO
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Johns Hopkins Freshmen Feast on Brunch he Johns Hopkins University Dining team celebrated Valentine’s Day with a freshman class tradition: Sterling Brunch. Nearly 1,600 students attended the Fresh Food Café event, which featured jazz music performed by students from the University of Maryland, Valentine’s decor, and giveaway bags, but the main draw was the food. The extensive menu included five kinds of salad (including a whole grain and a bean offering); a smoked salmon station and a peel-and-eat Old Bay shrimp bar; a fruit and yogurt bar with cheese, crackers, morning pastries, and toppings; a station of assorted savory egg preparations, biscuits and gravy, sausages and bacon, and two kinds of pancakes; a pasta bar of three kinds of pasta preparations; leg of lamb on the carvery; and at the scratch station, broiled tilapia, lemon-thyme potato wedges, balsamic-roasted Brussels sprouts, and roasted broccolini. Dark chocolate and white chocolate fountains, pineapple trees, six kinds of aguas frescas, and a hot chocolate bar with assorted toppings for a visual feast served as both decor and dessert. Those with room left could enjoy desserts by Pastry Chef Rufus Trader, such as flourless chocolate cake with cinnamon ganache; white chocolate and cherry cheesecake; and raspberry and cream bar cookies.
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Dessert table filled with treats made by Pastry Chef Rufus Trader
Chocolate trifle with dark chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, fresh whipped cream, and strawberries, topped with white chocolate shavings
Submitted by Jeff Vigilante, Marketing Manager
To the kitchen:
You are all incredible, and I wish there was a way to express to you how much we appreciate the thankless work you put in, just to make our lives a little bit better, one delicious bite at a time. Students Thank Staff with Sweet Handmade Valentine
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t Lafayette College in Easton, PA, Valentine’s Day has become a creative tradition, where the dining staff sets up tables of craft supplies and lets the students wax poetic to each other (or whomever) on handmade cards employing glitter, stickers, feathers, and much more. This year, students made Valentines for not only their loved ones but also their second family — the dining staff! One for Cook Christine Walker, “the crepe lady,” thanked her for her amazing crepes. Wendy Skinner was thanked as a “favorite cashier,” and one student made a Valentine for the entire staff, thanking them all for all they do every day, shown here.
To the people who wake up before sunrise to leave after sunset; to the folks who work 12-hour days every day of the week; to the line cooks & chefs, the dishwashers & managers; the devoted & passionate; to the people who work to serve others each day of their lives; to the sandwich pressers & soup stirrers, the grill cooks & vegetable peelers, the roasters & fryers, the salad tossers & drink fillers, the table washers & card swipers, the pizza bakers & pasta makers; to the people without whom our lives could not function, who bring us a piece of home through your meals, and give us something every day at Lafayette to look forward to, THANK YOU. You are all incredible, and I wish there was a way to express to you how much we appreciate the thankless work you put in, just to make our lives a little bit better, one delicious bite at a time. There’s no one who works harder than you all do, who could do the jobs you do, or could make us feel as welcomed and at home here at Lafayette than you all. I cannot begin to imagine what life here would be like without each and every one of you. We love you all more than words can describe. Thank you.
Submitted by Sarah Fried, General Manager
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University of Portland’s Pilot House Offers Special Brunch
Chef ’s Table Valentine’s Brunch
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A&J Orchard Northwest Waldorf Salad | with cherry gastrique and chantilly cream
ortland, OR, is known for inventive cuisine given a special Pacific Northwest flair, and the new Pilot House student gastropub at the University of Portland is no exception. For Valentine’s Day the team put together a Chef’s Table brunch.
Submitted by Tamee Flanagan, Operations Manager
Local Harvest Winter Hash | with a shirred egg Grilled Skirt Steak | with paprika toast points and coffee cream Chocolate-Dipped French Toast | with blueberry buttercream Classic Eggs Benedict Wine-Poached Pumpkin | with house-made pepita granola and pumpkin-cider purée Sweet Cherry Tart Fresh-Squeezed orange juice, Sparkling Cider, and Coffee
Guests delighting in brunch
Emmanuel College Makes It a Day of Chocolate
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t Emmanuel College in Boston, an all-chocolate bar offered a sweet feast of everything chocolate to anchor the romantically themed menu and decor of hearts and flowers. Chocolate-covered strawberries were made pink by Matteson Holtman, student worker, and Baker Debra Johnson was busy preparing and serving chocolate mousse cups; giant chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting; and chocolate fondue with marshmallows, pretzel rods, and diced fruit. Submitted by Catherine Corbo, Dining Room Manager
I AM SO “FONDUE” OF YOU: Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA, skipped the candy hearts but kept the sentiment with a fondue pop-up, reflecting the pop-up culture the team loves to create for the students. Sous Chef Allison Vanderberg (pictured) and Byte Café hosted “Fondue of You,” a pink chocolate fondue with shortbread cookies, strawberries, bananas, pretzels, marshmallows, and crispy rice cereal treats for dipping. The students enjoyed the hands-on dessert and said it made Valentine’s Day a little sweeter. Submitted by Heather Carbone, Marketing Manager
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Chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate cupcakes, and chocolate mousse
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Target Celebrates Big-Hearted Valentine’s
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he day was big on hearts at Target Campus West in Minneapolis. Throughout the entire week leading up to Valentine’s Day, the team sold heart-shaped sugar cookies, chocolate brownie hearts, chocolate-dipped strawberries, Valentine cakes, and DIY cookie kits. The latter consisted of 12 precooked heart-shaped cookies with colored frostings and sprinkles for decorating, as well as cookie bags so that the decorators could choose a target for their affection and deliver accordingly. All were a big (hearted) hit! Chocolate brownie hearts
Submitted by John Mensen, General Manager
GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE BATTER: Who doesn’t love a hand-decorated Valentine’s cookie — especially made by Laura Courtney, baker at Café Target? Team members loved picking one up as a treat for fellow Target team members or that special sweetheart. Submitted by Kathy Vik, Operations Manager
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Genentech Pops Up Sweet Treats All Week
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any Bon Appétit scratch-made desserts are works of art, so why not serve them on one? Genentech - South San Francisco debuted a pop-up cart made of reclaimed wood the week before Valentine’s Day, which visited multiple café locations to help spread the love in the form of sweet treats. (Genentech customers at locations in Vacaville, Oceanside, and Hillsboro, OR, also enjoyed similar treats from pop-up tables House-made red velvet in their respective cafés.) Bakery “whoopee cookies” 350’s macarons, marshmallows, chocolate truffles, and chocolatecovered strawberries dotted the cart, but there was also a special surprise: bags of red velvet “whoopee cookies” made in-house at Genentech by Cook Tina Strahlem. Part of the Café B35 staff, Tina baked the red velvet cookies fresh each day and then sandwiched them together with cream cheese frosting. The finished sandwich cookies were nick- Cook Tina Strahlem poses at named “whoopee cookies” as a the pop-up cart with her cookies cheeky addition to the Valentine’s Day theme and swiftly sold out every day along with the variety of other delicious treats featured on the pop-up cart. Submitted by Katherine Lachman, Marketing Manager
Case Western Makes Date Night Fancy
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hether single or paired, students at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, could enter Leutner Hall for a five-course meal, in exchange for two swipes. The plated dinner is a popular tradition that sold out early again this year and offered live music alongside such course choices as braised beef short ribs with port demi-glace and house-made black truffle gnocchi with vanilla cognac cream and fried capers. It was a nice solo treat or a romantic evening.
SPREADING THE LOVE: At Hitachi Data Systems in Santa Clara, CA, Lead Catering Attendant Michelle Martinez and Catering Attendant Marlen Frutos made cake pops, while beautiful treats such as gourmet house-made marshmallows, truffles, and macarons were provided by Bakery 350. Submitted by Shelita Acosta, Executive Chef
Submitted by Beth Kretschmar, Marketing Manager
Two CWRU students enjoying the special date night event
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Happy Year of the Monkey! Hot Pot Dinner Brings Sense of Home to College of Idaho Interfaith Club
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oving away from home for the first time to attend college can make many students feel homesick. For international students, choosing to attend a college halfway around the world can make the prospect of homesickness even more daunting. The Bon Appétit team at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, ID, collaborated with the campus’s Interfaith Club to create the first-ever Chinese New Year hot pot dinner at the college — not only to celebrate the holiday, but also to serve up a sense of community. The Interfaith Club is for College of Idaho students from all faith traditions — including those with no religious affiliation — who want to learn more about faith and religion, make new friends, and contribute to create a more compassionate and understanding world community. “Students come to college wanting to learn about other people, countries, and cultures,” said Anne Spencer, Interfaith Club Coordinator. “There is no better way to do that than to share a meal together. The communal cooking, where people work together to cook and share their food as we did with the Chinese hot pot dinner, created a fun and social mood that allowed students to really enjoy each other’s company.”
Interfaith Club Coordinator Anne Spencer (in red vest) participating in the first-ever Lunar New Year hot pot dinner with students at the College of Idaho
The dinner consisted of traditional hot pot broth and vegetarian broth, baby bok choy, daikon, napa cabbage, mushrooms, pork dumplings, thinly sliced beef, tofu, and noodles. Soy sauce with sesame oil and ginger-scallion sauce accompanied the dinner. Each table was set with the ingredients, burners, and hot pots so the guests could create their own hot pot just the way they like it. “As an international student who is far away from family, Bon Appétit let me feel warm and like I was at home,” said student Peijue Sun. “They did a good job preparing a traditional Chinese dinner for Lunar New Year, and I am surprised Bon Appétit made the real Chinese hot pot. I appreciate their work and enjoyed the food. Thank you so much for making the event happen, and thank you so much for supporting me.” “For me this event was a great experience,” wrote Rima Chahin, president of the Interfaith Club in an email to the team. “The way that you presented the food was just amazing and perfect. I really enjoyed every single thing we had; it was all fresh and tasty. I felt like it was a real Chinese New Year dinner in China — the hot pot idea was a great one. Bon Appétit helped to share Chinese culture on campus and create a new tradition for the college through this dinner, everyone was happy experiencing this event through you.”
TONS OF TARTS: To celebrate the Year of the Monkey, Executive Pastry Chef Ian Farrell and the Bakery 350 team in San Francisco baked not hundreds but thousands of Chinese-style egg tarts, which were enjoyed at several Bon Appétit corporate accounts in the Bay Area. To keep things interesting, the team amplified the tarts’ traditional flavors with tangy passion fruit foam and chocolate crunchies. Submitted by Ian Farrell, Executive Pastry Chef
The Bon Appétit team is looking forward to continuing the Lunar New Year hot pot dinner tradition at the College of Idaho. Submitted by Crystal Rideau, General Manager
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LinkedIn Chefs Share Meaning of Lunar New Year
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elebrating Lunar New Year isn’t just for guests — Bon Appétit teams are made up of talented chefs and cooks from all over the world, including China, Korea, and Vietnam. Such a holiday is a great chance for those who didn’t grow up celebrating it to gain a better understanding of its significance from those who did. That’s why Steven Catalano, chef de cuisine at LinkedIn in Sunnyvale, CA, asked two of his colleagues to talk about what the Lunar New Year means to them. “Vietnamese New Year is traditionally the celebration of spring. It‘s a time of year where all families come together to cherish our ancestors and each other and celebrate. It is also a time to forget the old and embrace the new,” said Martin Nguyen, café chef at Café Elevate.
Andy Wai, sous chef at Café Brick and Mortar, explained, “Chinese New Year is the most important festival for traditional Chinese people. We believe that if we start the year well, then the rest of the year will run smoothly.” He added that the celebration starts at the winter solstice, about a month before the New Year. “On Sous Chef Andy Wai holding up a duck the day of the New Year, families gather together for dinner, just like they do for western Thanksgiving. There are four main steps to celebrating the New Year: 1) Clean up the house and throw away all unwanted stuff, so the year starts new. 2) Decorate the house with festive flowers and lucky phrases and decor. 3) Shop for New Year goodies, which include ingredients for the ‘family gathering dinner’ the night before New Year, and the ‘start of New Year dinner’ on the second day of the New Year. We also shop for the candies and goodies to share with relatives when visiting each other. The biggest, and busiest, step is the actual cooking of New Year goodies and meals. The dishes all have names which rhyme with good luck phrases.” Thanks in no small part to Martin and Andy’s help, LinkedIn was able to offer an epic array of traditional Lunar New Year dishes.
PLEAT AND REPEAT: The Bon Appétit team at Franklin Templeton in San Mateo, CA, welcomed in the Year of the Monkey with Sous Chef Kristen Sturla’s handcrafted dim sum (pictured), which included ginger pork potstickers, lemongrass chicken shu-mai, and tofu shiitake mushroom spring rolls. Kristen and the team were busy for a week prior to the celebration, meticulously hand-folding each dumpling, potsticker, and roll for the Franklin employees to enjoy. The menu also featured sweet Lunar New Year treats such as egg tarts, sesame balls, and moon cakes. Submitted by Jeremiah Han, General Manager
YUM, YUM, DIM SUM: Guests at the Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) café in Chesterfield, MO, were thrilled to line up for housemade dim sum and other panAsian delicacies to celebrate the New Year. Highlights pictured (clockwise from top left) include squid salad, soba noodles, edamame, and seaweed salad. Kimchi pancakes with chives, pork and seafood dumplings, and crispy Vietnamese-style pork egg rolls with Thai basil, mint, and nuoc cham dipping sauce were also served. Submitted by Thomas Dixon, General Manager
Submitted by Steven Catalano, Chef de Cuisine
Walnut prawns with white sesame
Stewed salmon with bitter melon
Roast duck with sun-dried shiitake, scallops, shrimp, oysters, poached chicken, sea moss, and sliced abalone
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A Seattle U student with a chicken rice bowl and lucky red envelope
Golden brown almond cookies
Sweet filled sesame balls
Sweet Celebration at Seattle University
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eattle University students loved the menu of Mongolian beef, Gardein Mongolian chicken, and kung pao chicken rice bowls at the Lunar New Year celebration at Cherry Street Market. But it was the Hong Kong egg tarts, sesame balls, and almond cookies that stole the show — dessert sales that day more than tripled! The Bon Appétit team decorated the Cherry Street Market with red lanterns and bamboo plants, and students helped themselves to free tangerines and fortune cookies, and selected red envelopes that contained candy, tea, or for the extra-lucky ones, a coupon for a free dessert or pizza.
Submitted by Shannon Null, Director of Operations, and Kylie Criswell, Marketing Intern
LUNAR NEW YEAR GRATITUDE: At Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles, cashiers greeted every guest on the Lunar New Year with the traditional red envelope. The Bon Appétit team handed out more than 500 envelopes with prizes ranging from recipe cards to lunch vouchers and chocolates. Executive Chef Gerardo Palma (pictured) created a menu that included stir-fried beef with asparagus and wild mushrooms, garlic-sesame Chinese broccoli, vegetable lo mein, and house-made vegetable egg rolls and potstickers. The menu was a big hit with the school’s faculty, staff, and students. Some of the Mount Saint Mary’s students were so grateful that they even got together to send the Bon Appétiters a special thank-you card! Submitted by Jotanna Proescholdt, General Manager
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SPICY STIR-FRY STIRS GEORGE FOX: For Lunar New Year at George Fox University in Newberg, OR, the Bon Appétit team cooked up spicy Mongolian pork and hoisin chicken stir-fry. Students also read about the culinary traditions of various regions of China and cracked open fortune cookies foretelling the year ahead. Submitted by Brett Harvey, Board Manager
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Mardi Gras A Fete to Remember at Seattle University
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at Tuesday is an annual tradition at Seattle University in Seattle. This year, the Street Corner Café became the French Corner Café. Cook Ruth Garcia mixed up house-made mocktails such as the Bourbon Street Hurricane and Café Du Monde iced coffee. Students flocked to lunch to get a taste of gumbo, black-eyed-pea cakes, dirty rice, hush puppies, and other New Orleans–inspired dishes.
Festive Mardi Gras cookies
Submitted by Shannon Null, Director of Operations
Feasting Like Kings at Emmanuel College Cook Ruth Garcia serving mocktails and Café Du Monde iced coffee
Cashier Linda Robinson enjoying the Mardi Gras celebration
A Taste of Home at Café Target
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afé Target in Minneapolis did Mardi Gras right this year. Executive Chef Shaun Holtgreve — a transplant from New Orleans — made one of his favorite dishes: crawfish étouffée with steamed rice, stewed okra and tomatoes, and cornbread. It was a hit! Even the staff got into the N’awlins groove, with masks and beads.
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oston has seen a warmer-than-average winter this year, and Mardi Gras kicked off a festive February at Emmanuel College. Executive Chef Carl Marchione and his team served up whole roasted Cajun chickens, dirty rice with beef and sausage, okra casserole, spicy polenta cakes with jalapeños, and catfish bites with spicy chipotle mayonnaise. But the real excitement was the Fat Tuesday dessert bar, which offered decorate-your-own mask cookies and mini king cakes. Student worker Tim Barber wore a mask all night as he manned the dessert bar, helping to keep the party going. It was the kind of night Bon Appétiters will remember! Submitted by Catherine Corbo, Dining Room Manager
Submitted by Kathy Vik, Operations Manager
A Boil Worth Waiting for at Citrix
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xecutive Chef Toby Pace and Cook Ben Kinol at Citrix in Raleigh, NC, took a down-home approach to Mardi Gras this year by throwing a Cajun shrimp boil. The line was out the door for this flavorful classic dish that involves boiling shrimp, Andouille sausage, potatoes, and corn on the cob together in a flavorful Cajun broth and then serving it with garlic bread. Nearly a third of the day’s lunch diners opted for a portion! Administrative Assistant Renee Orsatti made sure every guest left wearing a strand of colorful beads.
Something for Everyone at Hitachi
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he Bon Appétit team at Hitachi Data Systems in Santa Clara, CA, had fun donning masks to offer quite the Mardi Gras feast. Diners could indulge in chicken Milanese with Creole sauce, house-made boudin sausage, crawfish étouffée, red beans and rice with ham hocks, or seafood and chicken filé gumbos. Needless to say, no one went away hungry! Submitted by Shelita Acosta, Executive Chef
Submitted by Bill Allen, Catering Director
Cook Ben Kinol showing off a Cajun shrimp boil bowl
Bon Appétiters at Hitachi sporting glittery masks and hats
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Alliance Healthcare
Citrix Plans Plethora of Pop-Ups
Submitted by Tate Barfuss, Chef/Manager
Submitted by Bill Allen, Director of Catering
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ore and more healthcare professionals are realizing the strength of the link between good, made-from-scratch food and good health. For health-oriented companies, Bon Appétit makes a natural dining services partner.
Alliance Healthcare in South Jordan, UT, simplifies and personalizes care for chronically ill patients. Its services include a social network that connects patients to others who share their illness as well as to doctors and other health professionals, plus personalized support services and a pharmacy network. Alli’s Café is on the smaller side, averaging about 250 guests for lunch, but that doesn’t mean a limited selection. For the opening, the Bon Appétit team added a thermal immersion circulator, cryovac machine, and smoker; an exterior kitchen is under discussion. The new taqueria station and Taco Bar Tuesdays are a hit, as are the wasabi-crusted salmon and sweet and sour pork entrées.
xecutive Chef Toby Pace created quite a bit of excitement among the guests at Dillon’s Café at Citrix in Raleigh, NC, by hosting a quartet of weekly pop-ups that increased café traffic and sales. Undeterred by the pop-up station’s chefs being out sick and Toby’s own process of moving homes, Toby pulled off a ramen bowl, a pu pu platter, a Cajun shrimp boil, and then“build a bowl.” The pop-ups were pleasingly popular! Three to five guests out of 10 opted for the special, and each week saw the traffic grow. Sales of the ramen bowl were almost double from the previous nonpop-up Friday,while the pu pu platter of sweet and spicy spare ribs and chicken wings with charred scallion sauce and chopped peanuts, pot stickers, duck fried rice, and sautéed broccolini with Asian chili continued the traffic-doubling tradition. The Cajun shrimp boil was a successful nod to Mardi Gras, and the bowl option allowed guests to pick their favorite rice, beans, vegetables, sauces, and toppings. And who doesn’t love choice? Toby outdid himself, and the guests were excited about the rotating choices. And Toby is already busy hatching some new ideas.
The Alliance Health opening team
Ramen with house-made broth of kombu, chicken stock, and smoked pork, topped with pork, chicken, hard-boiled egg, scallions, soy-braised local collard greens, and toasted seaweed
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SAP’s Café 1 Gets a Refresh Submitted by Janine Beydoun, Regional Marketing Manager
The Café 1 team
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t SAP’s Café 1 in Palo Alto, CA, it was out with the old and in with a brand-new look. The team compiled customer requests and feedback and spent three months on a remodel that addressed and improved flow, design, and more. The face-lift incorporates a redesign of the floor plan to optimize customer flow and experience. Big photos of fresh beautiful ingredients and new graphic wallpaper brighten up the space and make everything pop visually. The café now includes two new stations, flatbreads and a taqueria. Guests are saying they love the clean, fresh, and exciting space.
The beautiful new interior
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letter from the fellows | amanda wareham, midwest fellow
bon appetit foundation
barn free Lawrence student Lisa Kent with Red Barn farmer Don Zuleger
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s a kid, I loved spending time in the barn. Always an introvert, I loved to listen to the horses exhaling warm air into cold, the soft padding of barn cats’ paws on the wooden steps, falling snow, the drip of a leak in the ceiling. The raucous moments with my cousins and friends are just as sharply marked in my memory. Despite my allergies to cats, I always found myself trying to make the barn kittens part of the family at home in the winter — though I never felt much like staying indoors myself. Everything seemed somehow profound in feet of lake-effect snow. Wonder consistently overcame the cold, sight and sound amplified by the chill and lack of winter foliage.
purpose. One student commented that she had no idea cows could be so friendly or curious. Red Barn Family Farms was started by our tour guide Terry Homan and his wife, Paula, with the idea of supporting families who farm as a way of life, families just like my own. Terry is a veterinarian, and once he graduated from vet school, he realized that he wanted to do more to support small farmers and healthy animals. The Homans wanted to offer consumers the freshest, cleanest, and best-tasting milk possible. Let me tell you, it was just that!
True to the Red Barn mission, the cows at each farm were healthy, beautiful animals. The families who cared for them clearly cared about them.
I shared a few snippets of this wonder with a group of mostly first-year students from Lawrence University on a 40-plusdegree day outside Appleton, WI. We were visiting two of the six members of Red Barn Family Farms, the Zuleger and Marcks family farms. Stepping into the Zulegers’ barn, I felt immediately at home, recalling the nuances of farm life that drove me to get involved in the good food movement. The earthy, musky smell of the cows, the kittens huddled in the hay, and the looks on the students’ faces all reinforced my 102 | BRAVO
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The Red Barn Rules — the standards that Terry has created to ensure that Red Barn supports small family farms — limit each farm to 70 or fewer cows. There were about 30 cows at both of the farms that we toured. Despite their tiny size, Red Barn supplies milk and cheese not just to Lawrence University but also Beloit College, and some of their milk goes to Sugar River Dairy, a Beloit College vendor. (I toured their tiny facility while visiting Beloit, getting to see that relationship full circle.) Red Barn never uses rBGH to promote milk production, and
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Terry compared its effects to drinking a Monster Energy drink: you might get a little more work done, but it’s not a sustainable choice over the long term! This philosophy aligns with Bon Appétit’s — the company switched to rBGH-free milk in 2002 — as well as my own.
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piece of hardware like a screw getting into a cow’s rumen and then reticulum and possibly elsewhere. But the Marcks family didn’t stop treating Passion until they figured out what was wrong and she healed. That’s caring for an animal. Terry told our group that Lawrence was one of the first places to buy Red Barn’s milk and that their success was not in small part due to Bon Appétit’s support. Hearing stories like this one and others through my travels as a Bon Appétit Fellow gives me hope that small farms can make a comeback in America. It’s going to take a lot of work to decentralize power in the food system, but this farm kid still has hope.
Farmer Terry Homan explaining the “Red Barn Rules” for raising healthy, happy cows
True to the Red Barn mission, the cows at each farm were healthy, beautiful animals. The families who cared for them clearly cared about them. At the Marcks family’s farm, we met a cow named Passion, who was lively and gregarious, enthusiastically greeting each student. A while back, she contracted hardware disease. This painful ailment can be hard to diagnose because it is caused by a 2 0 1 6 Vo l u m e 1
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Two Bon Appétit Cafés Get (Re)Certified Great Submitted by Ellen McGhee and Jeff Leahy, Regional Operations Support
Bon Appétit’s Great Expectations 3 certification sets the bar for consistent standards of excellence across all cafés. GE3, as they’re called, are the company’s stringent 38-page standards for food, sanitation, safety, marketing, merchandising, signage, customer service, and other station-specific criteria. Once certified, however, accounts cannot rest on their GE3 laurels — the reviewers will return unannounced to recertify them and ensure that the “great” truly remains Great. St. Edward’s University, Austin, TX The review team arrived at St. Edward’s University’s South Congress Market to find a vibrant look and feel. The front-of-house team was friendly and cheerfully interacting with students and staff for breakfast, which was well executed and quick. The breakfast cold bar was a perfect example of GE3 standards and exceeded expectations with an abundant variety of fresh fruit. The cold offerings and salad bar continued to impress into the lunch hour with a wide variety of choices, including multiple vegetarian proteins. The hot foods were fresh, full of variety, and the lines moved quickly with ease and smiles. The full vegetarian station and the availability of treats made without gluten-containing ingredients were both impressive. The St. Edward’s Hunt Hall team At Hunt Hall, the made-to-order deli had lots of options and an excellent presentation. The grill and entrée stations were very comprehensive for such an efficient footprint. The Huddle Café was featuring an Asian-inspired menu with an abundance of authentic flavors to choose from, presented with a fresh and creative flair. The street taco choices on the menu looked delicious. A visit to the back kitchen found an immaculate and orderly facility where labeling, dating, and rotations were shining examples of great care and execution.
Café signage across campus was consistent and used the relevant COR icons correctly. Each location had entrance tables with good-looking décor and marketing materials. General Manager Michael Smith, Executive Chef Tanner Harris, and Director of Operations Elvin Lubrin deserve kudos for a Farm to Fork score of 30 percent and for an impressive safety culture, including a robust participation and award program.
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Medtronic Adds an Extra Personal Touch Submitted by Elizabeth Bergquist, Assistant General Manager
A The Genentech B33 team
Genentech B33 Café, South San Francisco, CA The GE3 assessors arrived at Genentech during breakfast to a friendly welcome. The abundant breakfast offerings at the grill featured an impressive variety of nontraditional breakfast sausages. A colorful presentation of many freshly cut fruits and a comprehensive selection of mouthwatering baked goods made the cold bar pop. At lunch, a beautiful salad bar flowed into a great deli program with Locally Crafted breads, while the efficient taqueria offered a comprehensive selection of ingredients. The entrées at the grill and rotisserie had plenty of whole grains and vegetables, and at the global stations, several selections featuring healthy cooking techniques. It was clear that the culinary team had a strong passion for creating great food and delivering outstanding customer service even during the busiest of times.
lthough friendly interaction and engagement is always a part of service at Medtronic in Minneapolis, the team there has implemented a whole new level of personal service.
With the new Meet Our Team promotion, each week guests get to know a Bon Appétit staff member more personally through a posted bio with a picture and an entire station and soup featuring their favorite recipes. The inaugural Meet Our Team featured longtime employee Cook Quentin Banks. Guests could learn about his upcoming wedding and other facts he chose to share about himself. This new promotion has been a great way to engage both staff and guests and create more meaningful connections with the faces people see each day behind the line and the registers. Cook Quentin Banks
Cut-glove usage was a perfect example for all accounts to follow: Whenever a knife was in use, a cut glove was on the person’s hand. The cleanliness and organization of the entire operation was commendable. Log books in all areas offered full detail and long history. All of this showed evidence of strong leadership in the café by Director of Operations Raul Cervantes and Executive Chef Mark Rodriguez.
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NorCal Regional Meeting Looks to the Future Submitted by Janine Beydoun, Regional Marketing Manager
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right and early on a Saturday morning, a few hundred general managers, chefs, and catering leads mainlined coffee and munched on Bakery 350 pastries and Public House savory fritattas before moving upstairs to AT&T Park for the Northern California Regional Meeting. The future was the theme of this year’s gathering, and the lineup of speakers and events was designed to inspire Bon Appétiters to look ahead. The meeting got rolling with two simultaneous panels, one on innovation and one on people. Moderated by District Managers Bob Hart and Arbee Del Rosario, the innovation panelists were Jennifer Johanson, CEO of EDG (an international interior design firm that has done many designs in partnership with Bon Appétit); James Beard award-winning chef Traci Des Jardins (with whom Bon Appétit partners at Public House, The Commissary, and Arguello); Dale Ray, district manager at LinkedIn; and Lulu Cook, a Bon Appétit registered dietitian based in the Bay Area. The lively discussion touched on what millennials expect from food venues, trends in plant-based diets, and more. The people session kicked off with Micah Solomon, a customer-service expert and best-selling author, who shared advice for serving millennials, who can be demanding and knowledgeable guests. He was followed by Katie Collins, senior human resources director, and Rondalyn Spurlock, a Compass Group learning and development consultant, who talked about how to manage and grow your staff in our everevolving landscape of team members. After a break, the participants could attend the other panel. For lunch, the merchandising team erected a pop-up food court using the new pop-up in a box kits and beautiful long tables with Seasonal Table catering ware, showcasing a range of innovative possibilities for catering and cafés alike. Guests enjoyed small plates to the fun beat of a live band made up of talented kids raising money for college. After lunch, CEO Fedele Bauccio and Chief Strategy and Brand Officer Maisie Ganzler shared some predictions about trends at Bon Appétit as well as larger, global retail trends and how the food service industry could get ahead of them, such as translating the idea of “fast fashion” into hot-ingredient-driven menuing. Then it was time for recognition of the region’s outstanding team members. Regional Vice President Rob Kvitek presented awards to the following Bon Appétiters:
IMPACT PLAYER:
Bob Clark, Executive Chef, 350 Kitchen Daniel Salk, General Manager, Stanford Graduate School of Business LIVING THE DREAM: Melissa Miller, Executive Chef, SAP APPRECIATION AWARD: Paula Nielsen, Regional Operations Support MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD: Albert Hall, General Manager, Genentech - Vacaville ACCOUNT OF THE YEAR: SAP BIG PICTURE:
For the closing reception, the attendees headed back down to Public House, where they enjoyed nibbles from various Bon Appétit Farm to Fork and Locally Crafted vendors as well as sweet treats from Bakery 350. Everyone left full of good food, company — and inspiration.
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At the post-meeting reception, Seth Nitschke, founder and “head cowboy” of Open Space Meats, served the Bon Appétiters his grass-fed beef sliders
L to R: District Managers Arbee Del Rosario and Bob Hart moderated a panel on innovation with celebrity chef Traci Des Jardins, LinkedIn District Manager Dale Ray, Bon Appétit Registered Dietitian Lulu Cook, and EDG CEO Jennifer Johanson
The Regional Operations Support dream team: Andrea Junca, Vanessa Van Staden, and Paula Nielsen
Salad of green lentils, Imperfectly Delicious baby kale, and roasted baby carrots with cumin–Meyer lemon dressing
Janice Peredo, general manager at Stanford Bistro @ 3160; Michele Brice, catering manager at SAP; and Jenelda Stadler, café manager at SAP
Lebanese eggplant fatteh with tahini and Thai rice bowl with lemongrass turkey served at one of the pop-ups in a box
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Thank You, Bon Appétit ...for a GREAT PARTY, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, OR
...for a GREAT FARM TO FORK PARTNERSHIP, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
Andrew Ehrmann and Betsy Allister of Spring Wind Farm, a diversified vegetable farm in the Northfield, MN, area, sent this wonderful note to the Bon Appétit team at Carleton College: Thank you so much for working with our farm again this year! We really appreciate your consistency and your willingness to work with whatever veggies are in season. Your support means a lot to our farm business, and it’s been a pleasure working with you all! Andrew and Betsy
Director of Catering Marissa Dyess received this letter of kudos for a party the OMSI team catered for Deschutes Brewery & Public House: Everything was great, and the whole Deschutes gang had an amazing time! I’m so glad that the food was tasty, beautiful, and plentiful. Hopefully we will host the sales team every year; if so, we will definitely be throwing our parties at OMSI! Matt Blodgett Manager, Deschutes ...for TERRIFIC AMBASSADORSHIP, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
Bookkeeper Candy Tollett’s kindness inadvertently convinced a student to attend Oberlin! (Candy has also been nominated by her peers for Be-A-Star and recently accepted a promotion.) The following letter came from the Office of Admissions: Hi Candy, I was just reading an essay from a student who is applying to attend Oberlin next fall. Here's what they wrote about why they wanted to come to school here:
Farmers Andrew Ehrmann and Betsy Allister and their daughter, Faye
Oberlin is the first college I visited and the only college I can truly see myself calling home for the next four years. I first discovered the college thanks to a last-minute decision to pull off the highway while passing through Ohio with my family. Since we hadn’t planned to stop, we didn’t have a formal tour, but what I experienced at Oberlin that day left a stronger impression on me than any planned college visit I’ve attended to date. After meandering through the beautiful campus, we ended up by Stevenson Dining Hall, where a dining services worker named Candy offered to tour us around the dining hall when she saw our disappointment at the locked doors. She was kind, informative, and just as fascinating and quirky as Oberlin itself! After talking to Candy, I knew that Oberlin’s welcoming community was the place for me. Thanks so much for all you do! Hope you have a great weekend! Liz Hui Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Campus Visit Coordinator
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...for HELPING TO FEED THE COMMUNITY, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
Resident District Manager Jim O’Brien and Marketing Manager Beth Kretschmar received the following thank-you from the campus’s Food Recovery Network chapter lead for helping to alleviate hunger in their local community: I wanted to reach out and say thank you for all your help this past year.... Food Recovery Network is celebrating the end of our 2015 cycle and looking forward to another year of growth, service, and connecting with our community. We’re so happy to have you in our network and be able to bring food to our neighbors. It’s been a pleasure working with you, and I hope to see you around campus!
If you are looking for good food, good company, and a good atmosphere you cannot go wrong with the food service here at Trine.
...for GREAT ATMOSPHERE, STAFF, AND FOOD, Trine University, Angola, IN
Catering and Marketing Supervisor Emily Alley received this glowing comment card at Whitney Commons Café: An important factor in any industry is the quality of the workers. Here at Trine, the members of the food service staff are uncommon in their friendliness and approachability. It has been said that the company makes the meal; well, so does the atmosphere. If you are looking for good food, good company, and a good atmosphere you cannot go wrong with the food service here at Trine. Keep doing what you’re doing, and know you are noticed and greatly appreciated.
...for DANCING FUEL, Seattle University, Seattle
The Seattle University Dance Marathon raised more than $110,000 this year for Children’s Hospital — the first dance marathon in the West to break $100,000! The Bon Appétit team kept the dancers fueled and hydrated with bagels and other snacks and drinks and allowed the students to use the kitchen facilities to put together additional sustenance. The following note of thanks came from the organizers: Thank you for your contribution to the Seattle University Dance Marathon! The food you provided helped feed our 250 dancers during their 16 hours of dancing! We are so excited to say we passed our goal of $99,000 and raised $110,000 for Seattle Children’s Hospital. Thanks again for supporting our event!
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Thank You, Bon Appétit
...for TOP-NOTCH CONFERENCE SERVICE, Target, Minneapolis
Each year, Target hosts a training program that develops both undergraduate and graduate students through an organization known as MLT (Management Leadership for Tomorrow). This program partners with corporations all over the country and is hosted at the Target headquarters once or twice a year. The group shared their appreciation through an email to Target’s liaison, Jesse Mitchell: Hi Jesse, I wanted to shoot you a quick note recognizing [Catering Supervisor] Michelle [Clark] and [Operations Manager] Kathy [Vik]. As I’m sure you are aware, we had a large conference of 300-plus people here at HQ.... I had a long conversation with the director of the group we hosted, and we discussed at length how FANTASTIC Michelle and Kathy are. He later went on to say that the staff and service is truly world class.... This is a critical relationship to our talent organization, and Michelle and Kathy continue to deliver at a high level.
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“Thank you” seems so inadequate for the commitment and quality you have brought to our kids and families. ...for the SMILE-INDUCING FOOD DONATIONS AND CATERING, Reed College, Portland, OR
Once a month, the Bon Appétit teams at Reed College, University of Portland, and Lewis & Clark in the Portland area get together to donate a catered buffet dinner to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. The meal serves patients undergoing treatment and their families, many of whom must stay at the hospital for weeks. Doernbecher's coordinator, Susan Sherwood, sent this note of thanks: I can’t tell you how many faces start smiling when I tell them today is a Bon Appétit dinner day. I’m not exaggerating. Families and staff just love it! I’m so grateful you find it meaningful for all of you as well. “Thank you” seems so inadequate for the commitment and quality you have brought to our kids and families. Much happiness to you all!
I echo his same sentiments, and every time I encountered Michelle or Kathy, they had smiles on their faces and were happy to help in any way that they could.
Also at Reed, Catering Director Lindsey Leisinger was happy to read the following note from a staff member in the College Relations department:
I wanted to send a huge thank you to Kathy and team for everything they do for us!
Our lunch was a smashing success; everyone was raving about the curry dish. Please tell the chef to take a bow. He nailed it! The beef was so tender, and many said how much they liked the rice. The papaya salad...we went back for seconds (and thirds — smile). Your staff is such a class act. The buffet and table setting gave way to ooohhhs and ahhhhs. Always a pleasure to work with you and your staff.
Corey Twitty Senior Campus Recruiter
...for GENERAL KINDNESS, University of Redlands, Redlands, CA
The Redlands team received a lovely hand-written card with this note from a grateful student: To the employees in the Commons and Plaza: I just wanted to give my thanks to you all for the service that you provide. I am very grateful for the access to a hot meal at nearly every time of the day. This is not an opportunity that I have always had, but now I do, thanks to your general kindness. I wish you all a wonderful break and hope it is filled with cheers, rest, and loved ones. 110 | BRAVO
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...for INSPIRING ELEGANCE, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY
Executive Chef Derek Roy received this pat on the back for recent catered events at Hamilton College: I want to add my thanks for your time and the performance of your chefs and waitstaff. I spent years as a U.S. diplomat and long ago recognized the impact of good food well presented and served. I saw it again as we went through Levitt Leadership Institute. People enjoyed every meal, and the more elegant the presentation, the more elegant participants’ behavior! Thank you for contributing to our effort to encourage teamwork and leadership practice. With appreciation, Pru Bushnell
I spent years as a U.S. diplomat and long ago recognized the impact of good food well presented and served.
...for OVER-THE-TOP SUPPORT, Oracle, Santa Clara, CA
Bon Appétit Director of Business Development Bill Chow received a glowing letter from Jim Zuiderhoek, president of the International Facility Management Association’s Silicon Valley Chapter, thanking Bon Appétit for its support over the years. One particular highlight was the section about an IFMA chapter meeting for 150 people that the Oracle team catered and hosted at its Santa Clara, CA, campus: …To put the icing on the cake, so to speak, the food and beverages you and the Oracle staff provided us at our March 23 chapter meeting was just unbelievable! In fact, our 55-second meeting survey came back with by far the most positive feedback we have ever had at a chapter meeting regarding food and beverages!
...for GREAT CATERED EVENTS, Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI
Bon Appétit catering staff don’t just provide the perfect food for events, they can also help guests navigate those events with aplomb. Roger Williams University Catering Director Joe Carney worked with the university’s Career Center on a Dining Etiquette party. In addition to providing the meal, Joe offered tips on making eye contact, how to give a proper handshake, and which host gifts to bring to a dinner party (e.g., potted plants versus cut flowers). He was pleased to receive the following note from Career Advisor Amelia Scott: Thank you so much for hosting our Dining Etiquette event! This was my first event with the Career Center, and your happy and calm demeanor helped me stay centered throughout the event (even when I called you on the morning of the event asking for more food)! And Associate Professor of Architecture Bob Dermody took the time to send these thanks to Joe for service for a conference: Thank you for all your help with the catering for the Building Technology Educators’ Society conference last week. You and your staff did a great job, especially on Saturday evening for the closing dinner. I received many compliments on the food and the service. Our guests had a great time.
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Thank You, Bon Appétit ...for REPEATED MEMORABLE FOOD AND SERVICE, Regis University, Denver
...for TASTY ACCOMMODATIONS FOR ALLERGIES, University of Portland, Portland, OR
This note of thanks came in for Catering Director Adrianne Barnhart following a networking dinner for the CreightonRegis Program at Regis University’s Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions:
A grateful student with food allergies sent this note to General Manager Kirk Mustain and Sous Chef James “Cubby” Hafford:
I just wanted to thank you both for your service and excellent meal.... Adrianne, your service was so professional, and everything looked beautiful and tasted great! I heard many compliments about how enjoyable the food was and just now, another faculty member stopped by and complimented Bon Appétit for the meal variety and tastiness. I couldn’t agree more. As an aside, many of our OTD [doctorate in occupational therapy] students, once they found out that Bon Appétit was catering, recalled that Bon Appétit had provided all the food for the Welcome Week in August for orientation. They remarked how great the food was! I think that’s quite a compliment to the power of food and the impression it made for our students in starting this new program, to feel cared for and special, over six months ago! Thank you both for your service and in helping make our inaugural event a success!
I just wanted to take an extra second to thank the both of you for the awesome allergy accommodations. Every time people ask me about UP, it is one of the things I mention because it is so “UP like,” and I think it is a terrific reflection of how accommodating and caring the people at UP really are. And at Bon App for that matter! Last week we had some eggplant that was AWESOME. Also I am a huge spaghetti squash fan if you can get your hands on it. The eggs have been great, too; thank you for that. Gotta love protein first thing in the morning! The breakfast burritos were also great. Kirk, I don’t recall when touring much mention of how awesome you are at accommodations. Is this because you try and keep it on the down low? I think it would be a huge selling point, and I would be more than happy to be a salesperson on that point should you/UP want to advertise it more.
Suzanne Holm Occupational Therapy Coordinator
...for EXCELLENCE AND PROFESSIONAL CATERING, Emory University, Atlanta
The following note of thanks came through the online feedback form, praising Director of Catering Terrell McKenzie and his team: I would like to give a very positive review to the Bon Appétit catering team at Emory University. Last week, we requested breakfast and lunch with only a couple of days’ notice. We work in the hospital for a very busy cardiac surgery program. We had a group of 25 important guests coming in from across the country. The catering team helped us tremendously! The gentleman [Terrell] who set up the breakfast and lunch was a complete professional. He even came early on request for 6:30 a.m.! He made the most out of the small space we had to set up food. He made it look amazing! Everyone was impressed. He was very gracious and extremely helpful. He needed little from us, which was comforting since we were very busy meeting with the physicians. 112 | BRAVO
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[Catering Sales Assistant] Melinda [Brunson] was also very helpful in placing our order. She was very responsive, which is exactly what we needed since we didn’t have a lot of time. And not least of all, the food was excellent, especially the sandwiches and salads for lunch. I give this team an A+, and I will recommend others in the hospital to use them. The Emory Bon Appétit team did such a wonderful job, it took the stress off the meeting planning, and we could focus on the surgical planning. Thank you, Emory Bon Appétit team: well done!! Lauren Wheeler Assc. Director of Research Emory University Hospital Structural Heart & Valve Center
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A ROAR OF THANKS: Resident District Manager Sia Mohsenzadegan received this note of thanks from Matt Sperisen, special assistant to the Tigers head coach at University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA.
…for FULFILLING WORK at University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA
Dan Urban, director of operations, said the following email — titled “I am very thankful” — from Line Server Leticia Urena was “the best email I have ever received from an employee.” I wanted to take a minute and thank you for the opportunity you have given me. This job is not something I just get up for and see how it goes. I cherish this job to the fullest. Yes, this job brings me money, but it is more than that. It helps me feel better about myself — confident even. Bon Appétit has given me the possibility to nourish my child.... I take pride in everything I do in my work environment. I feel so good about myself when I hear you express how good of a job I am doing. I would not be able to tell you this in person because I would most likely get teary eyed. I apologize if this is too much. I just felt the need to express myself a little. Thank you.
...and for a FANTASTIC NEW STUDENT PROGRAMS DINNER
Resident District Manager Sia Mohsenzadegan received the following note of thanks for a student dinner at the college president’s residence:
This job is not something I just get up for and see how it goes. I cherish this job to the fullest.
Wow...[Catering Chef] Aaron [Stoeger]’s lasagna was DELICIOSO! Perfect amount for 40 guests, including vegetarians, and cut perfectly as well! [On-call staffer] Cindy [Rodriguez] was awesome also...her first time as the lead and you would never know it. She was very efficient with setup and ending and was done under the allotted time. Touché, Bon Appétit — another job well done! Many, many thanks!! Lynnie Lechich Manager, Presidential Events and Protocol
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The Back Page
No stranger to the Bon Appétit kitchen, Maeve makes a special appearance at the café and finds her picture featured in the baby food class handout
Baby Food 101 Draws a Hip Young Crowd at Adobe - Lehi Submitted by Terry Davies, Catering Manager
A
n enthusiastic group of young taste testers accompanied their parents to a recent Baby Food 101 cooking class held at the Adobe Café in Lehi, UT. Executive Chef Ted Mathesius led the class, which was developed and piloted at the company’s San Francisco café by Executive Chef Daniel Williams. It was such a success there that the Utah team decided to try it; they frequently offer cooking classes but had never focused on palates quite so young before.
Executive Chef Ted Mathesius’s daughter, Maeve, modeling the Adobe-inspired bibs given out to class participants
Arranged by the Adobe Awesomeness Committee, the evening class was attended by 40 Adobe employees, along with a range of spouses, babies, and several expectant mothers. The menu ranged from simple purées such as applesauce, pumpkin dip, and quinoa cereal to more complex foods such as oatmeal–cottage cheese pancakes and sweet and sour chicken. Participants took home their own jars of applesauce and Adobe-inspired baby bibs that read, “Creatives play with their food.”
A baby taste tester takes a bite
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INDEX
Adobe 40-41, 114 Albion College 7 Alliance Healthcare 100 Arguello 33 AT&T Park 10-11, 106-107 Bakery 350 92, 96 Biola University 71 Capital Café 55 Carleton College 6, 45, 56, 72, 108 Case Western Reserve University 23, 95, 109 CHS 69 Citrix 99, 100 College of Idaho 96 Colorado College 29, 77 Concordia University 7 Cornell College 57 Crossroad Café 63 Daimler 83 Denison University 64 Disney 27 Eckerd College 34 Electronic Arts 53 Emmanuel College 94, 99 Emory University 18-19, 50-51, 52, 112 Franklin Templeton 61, 97 Garden at AT&T Park, The 14 Genentech 31, 95, 105 George Fox University 98 Georgetown Law Center 35 Hamilton College 7, 111 Hampshire College 28 Hillsdale College 60 Hitachi Data Systems 72, 95, 99 Johns Hopkins University 46-47, 67, 73, 93 Lafayette College 77, 93 Lawrence University 102-103 Lesley University 88 Levi Strauss 75 Lewis & Clark College 72 LinkedIn 97 Lucasfilm 10-11 Medtronic 105
Mills College 67, 92 Mount Saint Mary’s University 98 Oberlin College 11-12, 108 Oracle 111 Oregon Museum of Science and Industry 29, 108 Otterbein University 5 Pacific Café 15, 91 PayPal 24-25, 62 Petco 45, 89 Re-insurance Group of America 97 Reed College 70, 110 Regis University 112 Roger Williams University 86, 111 Royal Caribbean Cruises 22 Samsung 45 Santa Clara University 65, 88 Santa Fe University of Art and Design 30 SAP 101 SAS 17, 71, 83 Savannah College of Art and Design 16, 94 Seattle University 98, 99, 109 St. Edward’s University 44, 104 Stadium TechCenter 87 Target 4, 6, 67, 75, 95, 99, 110 TaylorMade 79 Thomas Aquinas College 70 Trine University 58-59, 109 Twitter 4, 63, 74, 76 University of La Verne 66 University of Northwestern – St. Paul 55 University of Pennsylvania 32, 78 University of Portland 45, 94, 112 University of Redlands 30, 37, 82, 110 University of the Pacific 88, 113 VMware 26-27 Washington University in St. Louis 68 Westminster College 56 Whittier College 45, 84-85 Willamette University 20, 54 Williams-Sonoma 80-81 Yahoo 53
BRAVO WAS PRINTED ON PAPER MADE FROM
100%
RECYCLED FIBER INCLUDING
THIS SAVED...
81 fully grown trees 37,770 gallons water 36 million BTUs energy 2545 pounds solid waste 6976 pounds greenhouse gases
57%
POSTCONSUMER WASTE .
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2016
SPRING
OUR ROADMAP TO IMPROVING ANIMAL WELFARE PAGE 8
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: BRAVO IS THE ALMOST QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF
BON APPÉTIT MANAGEMENT COMPANY |
Winning the Acterra Award for Sustainability
A Member of the Compass Group
100 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 400 Palo Alto, California 94301 650-798-8000 www.bamco.com
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LEARN HOW FOOD CHOICES AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY,
The True Cost of American Food Conference
Celebrating Farmworker Awareness Week PAGE 42
AND YOUR WELL-BEING AT www.cafebonappetit.com
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