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FOOD WASTE A HOT TOPIC AROUND THE COUNTRY PAGE 20
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
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BON APPÉTIT MANAGEMENT COMPANY |
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,
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Shaking Our Salt Habit
AND YOUR WELL-BEING AT www.cafebonappetit.com 13-4296
VOL 3
INDEX
Andrews University 57 Art Institute of Chicago 10-11, 53 AT&T Park 24 Banfield 21 Best Buy 7, 54, 74 Carleton College 45, 52, 71, 80 Case Western Reserve University 9, 81 Cleveland Museum of Art 79 Colorado College 30 Concordia University 81 Eckerd College 17, 40-41 Emmanuel College 15 Fort Worden 39 Genentech – South San Francisco 28 George Fox University 56, 67 Google 60-61 Hampshire College 34-35, 80 Institute of American Indian Arts 68 Javelina Cantina 31 Lewis & Clark College 77 Marylhurst University 30 Medtronic 74 Mills College 70 Minnesota History Center 37, 58 Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth 72-73 Musical Instrument Museum 6 Nordstrom 16 Notre Dame de Namur University 70 Oberlin College 29, 63 Payless 29 Reed College 5 Regis University 74 Roger Williams University 7, 55, 67, 79 Ronler Acres 4, 19
BRAVO WAS PRINTED ON PAPER MADE FROM
Saint Louis Art Museum 42-43, 44 Santa Clara University 5, 32-33, 59, 70 SAP 82 Seattle Cancer Care Alliance 78 Seattle University 6, 36, 79 St. John’s College 27 Target 74 Trine University 13, 36, 51 University of La Verne 26 University of Pennsylvania 18, 76 University of Portland 51 University of Redlands 52, 63, 69 University of San Francisco 70 University of the Pacific 12, 55 VMware 22-23 Washington University in St. Louis 37, 38, 50, 68 Wesleyan University 8 Wheaton College 21, 31 Whittier Law School 68 Willamette University 20, 75
100%
RECYCLED FIBER INCLUDING
THIS SAVED...
48 fully grown trees 22,561 gallons water 21 million BTUs energy 1,510 pounds solid waste 4,160 pounds greenhouse gases
57%
POST- CONSUMER WASTE .
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from fedele
It’s About Great Food — and More Whatever we offer, no matter how fantastic, it becomes run-of-themill if we don’t change up the experience.
I
don’t often find myself at a loss for words. However, when I recently asked a guest at one of our corporate cafés what she thought about the food program, her response left me dumbstruck.
Let me paint the scene. It’s a beautiful California spring day, and we’re sitting in a courtyard surrounded by no less than five cafés. Within easy walking distance, she has the choice of a traditional café with all the stations you’d expect (pizza, salad bar, deli bar, grill, Asian noodle bowls, sushi, etc.), a vegan café and juice bar, a sandwich shop, a taqueria, and a café that features all-local ingredients. There’s also a from-scratch bakery and fully stocked break rooms. Her tray holds fragrant chicken tikka masala and a beautiful green salad. So, what was this guest’s shocking commentary? “The food quality is great, but there isn’t much variety,” she complained. Not much variety?! I took a deep breath and thanked her for feedback. This comment has stayed with me. I’ve come to realize that whatever we offer, no matter how fantastic, it becomes run-of-the-mill if we don’t change up the experience. Our guests give us the privilege of dining with us 5, 10, even up to 20 times per week. Those meals will all run together into a blur unless the experiences are varied. Another conversation with guests at a college reinforced this idea for me. They talked about how much they loved Sushi Wednesday and missed it since we’d remodeled their café. They giggled as they recounted memories of waiting in long lines to get spicy tuna and California rolls. I explained that we’d seen how popular sushi was, so we’d put in a permanent sushi station. In response, a surprising truth came out. Yes, they like sushi, but what they were really lining up for was community. Wednesdays had been a special night when even upperclassmen dined in the café — “everyone” was there. You could see and be seen. It was the social hub of the campus. They weren’t there for sushi; they were after a special experience! We’ve got to think of ourselves as more than food service providers. We’re experience designers. Those experiences have peaks and valleys. Pop-ups, limited-time offers, special hours, new stations: all of these provide pacing variety and wake up our guests. Diners should be involved, energized, and engaged. Our cafés should invite discovery. We need to create special and unique experiences! Along with great food, of course.
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“People say, ‘How can you feed 10 billion people in the year 2050 with regional food sheds or local food?’ Yes, we need small farmers, and we need the large farms. We need to change their practices. We waste a hell of a lot of food in the fields. If we fix that problem and we learn to eat more seasonally and we learn to eat less protein, we’ll be able to feed the world.” FEDELE BAUCCIO BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK
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highlights | 2013
VOL 3
IN THIS ISSUE
8 04
Bits and Bites
28
Nibbles about a happy rescue pig, lunchtime poetry, a kitchen hero, and more
14
An Operator’s View Why longtime employees at our new clients are key partners in our success
36
20
40
46
DEREK WHITNEY
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From the Fellows Hitting the road for an epic biofueled journey S.K. PIPER
From the Fellows 66
Congrats to the Class of 2013! Hats off to the students we serve and our graduating student employees
Talking About Food Shaking our salt habit
76
Thank You, Bon Appétit
MAISIE GANZLER
82 50
Events...In Brief Our teams host distinguished leaders, celebrate Star Wars and steampunk themes, and more
Reflections Bon Appétit and University of La Verne’s mutual commitment to sustainability DR. DEVORAH LIEBERMAN
Reflections Taking our work home with us
NICOLE TOCCO
CLAIRE CUMMINGS
26
We’re Honored
Eckerd College gets juiced about farm-fresh oranges
From the Fellows Food waste: a hot topic for a hot planet
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Bon Appétit staffers recognized by the communities that they serve
From the Dishroom Watch and learn, says Emmanuel Chef/Manager Peter Fernandes
GE3 Stars Stellar accounts at which our standards shine bright
MICHAEL BAUCCIO
15
66
49
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The Back Page SAP Executive Chef Melissa Miller is a Hero for the Hens
Behind the Communications Curtain PR it forward: Why sometimes even missed opportunities pay off BONNIE AZAB POWELL
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bits & bites RS5’s Scraps Feed Local Rescue Farm
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f course Bravo readers know just how important food recovery and reduction of food waste is to Bon Appétit’s core values. So imagine how tickled Executive Chef/General Manager Ron Stewart, of RS5 in Hillsboro, OR, was to form a partnership with a farm that will feed its animals as well as its fields. Dorinda “Dori” Callaway and her daughter run M&L Hockman Ranch, an animal sanctuary and produce farm in Colton, OR. The haven came into being rather accidentally. In December of 2011, Dori received a call from the service manager at her local Toyota dealership alerting her that there was an issue on a nearby farm: domesticated geese that could no longer fly were in danger from nearby predators. She left work immediately, rescued the geese, and M&L Hockman Ranch was born. Since then, the ranch has become home to multiple horses, ducks, goats, and Hammy and Stella the pigs. These appreciative animals live out their years safely as family rather than livestock, while sales from the organic produce farm and handmade crafts support operations. Since meeting Ron, Dori’s been picking up scraps every Thursday from the RS5 Hillsboro campus. What doesn’t feed the pigs, horses, and chickens directly gets turned into organic compost that feeds the produce. “I was so happy to meet Dori and to cultivate a friendship that sustains this mutually beneficial relationship,” says Ron. “It is really rewarding to know that our food scraps are going to good use and being put back in the system by someone in the community is so much a part of why Bon Appétit opens its doors every day.” Submitted by Joey Bloom, Marketing Coordinator
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Hamilton P. Pig, a.k.a. Hammy, a 1,200-pound rescue pig, is happy to do his part in battling food waste
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Underdog Vegetables Shine at SCU’s Food for Your Well-Being Class
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f asked, few people might say turnips were on their Top 10 list, but mash them like potatoes with butter and milk, and what guest would turn them down? And many shy away from other lesser-known vegetables for fear of the unknown or lack of cooking knowledge, but chefs — especially lovers of local and seasonal — live for showing off many underserved vegetables and highlighting their best qualities. At an early summer Food for Your Well-Being event at Santa Clara University’s Adobe Lodge, Chef/Manager Tiana Driggins focused on this very subject via a cooking class for faculty, staff, and friends about cooking with a selection of more unusual vegetables, including fennel, parsnips, and Romanesco. She started the evening off with a fun guessing game to test the knowledge of the audience and the vegetables they recognized by sight. It was a great way for participants to learn about the variety of vegetable options available in the stores that people often pass up. Tiana and Sous Chef Ray Volis then prepared delicious dishes such as rhubarb, goat cheese, and toasted hazelnut salad; roasted spaghetti squash with melted leeks; and quinoa-stuffed acorn squash. With each preparation, she expanded the traditional thoughts on vegetables and provided great flavors to complement each one. Wine was served, and the guests chatted with Tiana as she broke down techniques and shared her secret to the perfect broiled cauliflower and the caramelizing process. Guests left the evening with a new repertoire of recipes and vegetables that otherwise would have remained perplexing or overlooked. Submitted by Melissa Reynen, Marketing Manager
Ode to Turkey Sandwich Day at Reed
S
tudents at Reed College in Portland, OR, look forward to Thursdays as much as Fridays, thanks to the longstanding tradition of Turkey Sandwich Day. Every Thursday at lunch, Bon Appétit at Reed serves houseroasted, carved-to-order turkey on a house-made hoagie, with caramelized onions, fresh vegetables, and a choice of aioli or spread and “fancy” cheese. The lines begin to form before the café even opens, and an average day turns out 230 unique sandwiches.
Guests began the evening with a vegetable identification challenge from Chef/Manager Tiana Driggins
Certainly the staff knows the tradition is appreciated, but nothing says thank you quite like a handwritten poem, “An Ode to Turkey Sandwich Day,” left by one particularly grateful student. Submitted by Lindsey Leisinger, Assistant Operations Manager
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bits & bites Safety Protocols Prove Invaluable at Seattle University
E
veryone knows how important safety is in theory — typical associations include knife cuts or slip-and-falls — but Bon Appétit at Seattle University in Seattle recently learned how important it is to be prepared, with a life-and-death situation.
Cashier Crystal Drew was working in a satellite kitchen on campus alongside Nadia, a longtime colleague, when Nadia suddenly collapsed to the ground. Crystal acted swiftly: She alerted her supervisor to call the university’s public safety office, then she immediately began applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR, which she had learned years before in a Bon Appétit–sponsored class. Within three minutes, the public safety officers arrived, relieved Crystal, and continued CPR. Three minutes after that, paramedics arrived. Thanks to Crystal’s quick and decisive action and the timely response of all involved, Nadia is recovering with hopes to return to work in the fall. “The actions of our staff, public safety, and the paramedics really did save Nadia’s life,” says Resident District Manager Buzz Hofford. “I could not be more proud of everyone involved.” Submitted by Buzz Hofford, Resident District Manager
Cashier Crystal Drew
Two fun guys: Chris Lenza, executive chef at Café Allegro at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, takes delivery of some locally grown blue oyster mushrooms, cultivated and delivered by farmer Adrian Gohn. Submitted by Lauren Potter, Floor Supervisor
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Rainbow warrior: Tatyana Kaliusetski, salad bar attendant at Best Buy in Minneapolis, encourages guests to "eat a rainbow" to get their antioxidants as part of Food for Your WellBeing. Submitted by Susan David, Assistant General Manager
Student Shares Malaysian Cooking with RWU Chefs
W
ith all the lavish events Bon Appétit teams help create, sometimes it’s a refreshing break to have a nonevent: a friendly tasting to explore new flavors.
A student of Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, Manveer Singh, has a close relationship with Bon Appétit as one of the members of RWU’s advisory Food Committee. At a committee meeting, Manveer brought up that he wanted to share some of his traditional Malaysian/Asian dishes with the RWU team, so the team invited him to join them in the kitchen. Manveer put together a simple and delicious menu, Bon Appétit purchased the ingredients, and with Sous Chef Don Fitting, Manveer cooked up a tasting of his traditional fare for staff. The feast included Malaysian “ABC” soup with tomato, potato, and carrot; stir-fried bok choy with oyster sauce; stir-fried eggplant in chili sauce; and Malaysian coconut prawns with cognac (this was the favorite!). Although the dishes were simple in nature, the flavors were lovely and the fellowship extremely satisfying.
Sous Chef Don Fitting with student Manveer Singh
Submitted by Stephanie Keith, Controller/Marketing Manager
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Wesleyan Students Visit Ronnybrook Farm: The Old-Fashioned Dairy of the Future? Submitted by Nicole Tocco, Senior Fellow
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onnybrook Farm Dairy, a member of Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork program, invites all of its customers to visit the picturesque farm in the heart of the Hudson Valley. Bon Appétit chefs at Wesleyan University in Middleton, CT — who buy milk, yogurt, and frozen yogurt from Ronnybrook — and I decided to take them up on that offer. A group of Wesleyan students studying environmental science made the journey to Ancramdale, NY, with us.
It’s no surprise the farm welcomes visitors. Ronnybrook is a quintessential example of what you imagine when buying from a small, local, and owner-operated farm. Unlike the vast majority of large dairies (even those bearing the coveted USDA Organic certification), Ronnybrook grows the cows’ feed themselves, onsite. By doing so,they can control the factors they care most about,like not using pesticides or genetically modified seeds. They minimize waste and costs by using manure as fertilizer whenever possible and rotating crops to promote healthy soil. Their herd of cows, which the Osofsky family has taken care of for almost 70 years, has access to pasture and outdoor exercise every day of the year. Ronnybrook’s website reads:“Hopelessly out of date, and proud of it.” While in some ways the farm does feel like a throwback to a different time, it is simultaneously cutting edge in its ability to buffer itself from a volatile market by growing its own feed and controlling the processing and packaging of its milk, butter, and yogurt products. In 2010, the farm added a solar thermal system that heats water for the onsite processing, saving the farm an estimated 2,000 gallons of oil annually. While mega-size dairies that make up the majority of the industry are as dependent as ever on fossil fuels, Ronnybrook is decreasing its already small reliance. Last but not least, by processing everything onsite and delivering only in the Northeast, most Ronnybrook Farm Dairy products move from cow to consumer in less than 24 hours. The students and I were very impressed. Wesleyan University student Ariela Knight meets the newest member of the herd
Fresher, less processed food grown with pride without destroying the very natural resources we depend on was definitely our past. The question is: can it also be our future?
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The herd of cows, which has been with the Osofsky family for almost 70 years, has access to pasture and outdoor exercise every day of the year
Rick Osofsky, a Wesleyan University alum, owns and manages Ronnybrook Farm Dairy with his daughter, Kate, who is also a graduate of Wesleyan
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Charter School Gets Lessons in Healthy Cooking at Case Western Reserve Submitted by Beth Kretschmar, Marketing Manager
A
s a food service company, one of the joys of working directly with college students is helping to instill a healthy eating mindset in young people who are living independently for the first time. But reaching kids at even younger ages can be helpful in preventing bad habits from really taking hold.
A Stepstone Academy student excited to eat his healthy lunch
A thank-you note from Stepstone Academy students proudly displayed outside the office at Case Western’s Leutner Commons
Not long ago, Jim O’Brien, resident district manager at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, learned that kindergarten and first grade students at nearby Stepstone Academy were in“academic emergency.” Wanting to help, he identified an opportunity to do so with the healthy eating portion of the curriculum. Case Western hosted a special lunch visit in which Stepstone students, staff members, and parent volunteers could learn about the basics of healthy cooking and eating while also getting to know a higher-learning institution in their own neighborhood. Jim, as well as Sous Chefs Victor Lane and Robbie Washington and Resident Dietitian Dayna Einheit, presented on fast and simple yet healthy meal preparations. Stepstone Academy is one of the first charter schools in the United States to integrate an aspirational, no-excuses culture with learning supports such as behavioral health, parenting/family skill building, and workforce preparation, so a field trip to CWRU was a perfect addition to the curriculum. Bon Appétit was thrilled to contribute the part of culinary knowledge, skills, and habits, in addition to a hot and healthy lunch.
Stepstone Academy students eagerly wait to try the great-tasting, healthy food
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Art Institute Hosts Bash for Chicago Charter School Submitted by Jennifer McDonald, Marketing Coordinator
T
he Art Institute of Chicago hosts hundreds of high-profile events throughout the year, but one of the hottest tickets this spring was the inaugural Chef ’s Playground benefit for the Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC).
Terzo Piano Executive Chef Tony Mantuano (also chef-partner at Spiaggia) and Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio helped host the event, which raised funds for this Chicago charter school focusing on environmental stewardship, community collaboration, and other less-traditional concepts in addition to “whole-child education.” AGC is the first net-positiveenergy school campus; its onsite garden helps provide nutritionally balanced meals and serves as a classroom where students learn how to grow their own food. At this food lover’s cornucopia, nearly 500 guests stationhopped and enjoyed across-the-burner access to some of the country’s top chefs. Among those serving school-themed bites: Spiaggia Executive Chef Sarah Grueneberg, Bill Kim of BellyQ, Giuseppe Tentori of Boka Restaurant Group, Jose Garces of Mercat a la Planxa, Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Mexican Made Easy host Marcela Valladolid, Sandwich King host Jeff Mauro, and many more. The event raised more than $200,000 for the school, not including the $1 million gift from a local Chicago couple. It’s safe to say that school lunch never tasted so good!
Clam flatbread with house-cured bacon, caper berries, and Calabrian chilies Short rib and risotto croquette with tomato and thyme butter
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Cathy Mantuano, Terzo Piano’s wine expert, and Terzo Piano Executive Chef Tony Mantuano with CEO Fedele Bauccio
Art Institute of Chicago Executive Chef Jason Gorman behind the artisan cheese display
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Fast Food Nation Author Savors Slow Food at University of the Pacific Submitted by Sia Mohsenzadegan, Resident District Manager
O
ne of the best parts about breaking bread together as a community is the chance to sit down and enjoy not just the exchange of tastes, but ideas. America’s fast food habits, which mostly involve people eating alone on the run, don’t allow that to happen.
So it was a wonderful treat to have Eric Schlosser, the journalist who wrote the game-changing book Fast Food Nation — the 2001 book that exposed the unsustainable food safety, labor, and animal welfare issues of the fast food industry — visit University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, for a talk, several farm tours, and a convivial meal. Schlosser has long been an advocate for farmworker rights, and served as an unofficial adviser on Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation’s 2011 farm labor conference, TEDxFruitvale.
The collard slaw featured produce from the Ted and Chris Robb Garden on campus
by purchasing the farms’ product and sponsoring of the annual fundraising Seeds and Spirits event. At the end of the busy day, Executive Chef Doug Stevens and his team were delighted to provide dinner for 50 in the Regent’s Room. Doug gave a food demonstration on the deck, showing how easily one could make the Robb Garden collard slaw at home. Guests included the Sustainability Committee, assorted faculty, President Pam Eibeck, Stockton Harvest founder Eric Fripo, and students who maintain the Robb Garden. District Manager Sia Mohsenzadegan and Doug were able to speak with Schlosser about Bon Appétit’s mission and vision, as well as its support of both the Robb Garden and the Puentes community projects. The lively meal enabled guests to mingle and share ideas, as well as directly consume fruits of their own collaborative labors.
Executive Chef Doug Stevens, Eric Schlosser, Resident District Manager Sia Mohsenzadegan, and Associate Professor of International Studies Analiese Richard
Schlosser was the keynote speaker for the Sustainability Month celebration at University of the Pacific, and his talk on sustainable and healthy eating was free and open to the public. During his daylong visit, Schlosser toured the state-of-the-art, organic Ted and Chris Robb Garden right on campus, which is funded by Regent Walter Robb of Whole Foods and maintained by students and staff. He also visited Boggs Tract Community Farm and Stockton Harvest, which are projects of Pacific’s community partner, Puentes. Puentes empowers low-income communities with sustainable technologies for food growing and other selfsufficient, cooperative models. Bon Appétit supports the nonprofit 12 | BRAVO
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Menu Robb Garden Collard Slaw Market-Fresh Salad Bar (from Robb Garden) Mohr-Fry Ranches Black-Eyed Pea Fritters Kale | sautéed in orange juice with shallots, garlic, and raisins Boggs Tract Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Strata Vegan Vegetable Frittata Build-Your-Own Fresh Berry Shortcake
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Trine Holds Championship Face-Off, Iron Chef Style Submitted by Craig Stangland, Catering and Marketing Manager
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t was a heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat “season finale.” Whitney Commons Café at Trine University in Angola, IN, was transformed into“Kitchen Stadium” for a final installment of Trine’s version of Iron Chef. The nearly yearlong production had pitted teams of three to five students in a head-to-head battle while racing the clock. At the beginning, eight teams and more than 35 students traded in their pencils for knives and the chance to win the ultimate grand prize, an Apple iPad Mini.
General Manager Joseph Gentile with champions Team Hot Pepper, Neil Miller ,15, Will Brooks ,16, and Nick Cassidy ,16, holding prizes
All teams started off equally, with an introduction to their culinary guide from the Bon Appétit staff, instruction on safety and sanitation, and a quick tour. The rounds and eliminations all involved secret ingredients (from wood-ear mushrooms to leeks); the preparation of two dishes, one starter and one entrée, within an hour and a half; and student-peer judges. Judging criteria included the use of the secret ingredient, the quality and taste of each dish, overall display, cohesion of the two dishes into a meal, creativity, use of available ingredients, and safety/sanitation. The final competition, a championship face-off, pitted Hot Pepper against Team Awesome; both had beaten out six other teams. When the bell sounded and the judges had cast their scores: Team Hot Pepper emerged as Iron Chef - Trine University! Student Nick Cassidy won the Apple iPad Mini (in a random drawing with his fellow team members), while Neil Miller and Will Brooks were treated to gift certificates to the Depot, the retail location on campus, and Trine University glasses. The runners-up, Team Awesome, received Trine water bottles and gift certificates to the Depot as well.
Photo credit: Joey Bloom
Having an ongoing competition was a great way to encourage student engagement. Already, future participants are urging the producers to open registration for season two for the fall!
Participants prepare their dishes during the 1.5-hour competition
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an operator’s view | michael bauccio
our key partners
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e opened a ton of new business this summer. In fact, we opened more universities than we ever have in such a short period before in our history. A lot of credit goes to our seasoned chefs and managers who“parachute in” to bring the Bon Appétit dream to life. Equally important though are the staff members who already work onsite at our new clients and who choose to join Bon Appétit. When we are awarded a new account, our goal is to offer a job to every linelevel employee who wants one. Doing so is just smart business.
Our commitment to customizing food programs for every client takes time. Whatever the existing staff can share with us speeds up our learning curve.
Our relationship with these new team members is about forging a partnership. We teach skills such as how to use a French knife and how to make stock from scratch — and they teach us about the community we’ve just become a part of. We rely on them to reveal the preferences and pet peeves of our new customers and to help us understand the culture of the school or corporation. Our commitment to customizing food programs for every client takes time. Whatever the existing staff can share with us speeds up our learning curve.
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We teach each other. Working in a Bon Appétit kitchen can be complicated. We expect our staff to make roux, pizza dough, and salsa all from scratch. We help people master the cooking of authentic Indian, Mexican, and Mediterranean flavors as well as regional American comfort foods.That’s hard work. For those who are excited to take on the challenge, there are unlimited possibilities. Countless people have started out as shift supervisors and been promoted to general manager, and we have quite a few dishwashers who moved to salad prep, up to grill, supervisor, and then executive chef.(See facing page for a profile of former dishwasher Peter Fernandes.) In fact, Bon Appétit’s continued growth depends on our team being ready to take on bigger jobs every day. So, for those of you reading Bravo for the first time, welcome. We’re thrilled that you joined us. We couldn’t do it without you.
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from the dishroom
Watch and Learn, Says Peter Fernandes Submitted by Bonnie Azab Powell, Director of Communications
Editor’s note: Recently, Bon Appétit Management Company CEO Fedele Bauccio asked Bravo to introduce a new feature. Called “From the Dishroom,” it will spotlight one of our employees who started at the entry level then worked his or her way up to a managerial or chef position. Send your suggestions to bravo@bamco.com.
E
mmanuel College Chef/Manager Peter Fernandes is a second-generation Bon Appétiter, but that didn’t get him any special treatment.
After immigrating to the United States from Cape Verde, his father started working at Emmanuel two decades ago, as a part-time utility person. (Even though he’s supposedly retired, he still puts in three days a week at Emmanuel.) Peter, meanwhile, came to work in the Emmanuel dishroom in 2003, when he was in high school. There was no parental pressure to get a job, he says.“Although my dad’s always worked two jobs, he was more focused on me getting a good education.” But Peter wanted to save money for college, and that’s why he showed up to scrub plates for two years. While putting himself through school at Bridgewater State University, studying criminal justice, he continued to work full time for Bon Appétit. He also started watching his Emmanuel colleagues closely and soon moved up to serving on the line. “I always wanted to learn new stuff,” he says.“I got interested in cooking when I was on the line, and the steamed vegetables would always run out, so I learned to cook that and then rice.” That was just the beginning. After graduation, he couldn’t find a position in criminal justice, so he stayed on.“Bon Appétit was supposed to be temporary, but it turned out to be a career,” he chuckles, without regret. Emmanuel Chef/Manager Peter Fernandes
Over the years, according to now–District Manager Kelly McDonald, he gradually learned all the positions in the kitchen, always jumping in wherever there was a need. When a full-time position opened several years ago for a late-night
supervisor two nights and kitchen manager the other nights, “Peter was the obvious choice,” Kelly says.“He excelled and was always going the extra mile.” When she needed a new sous chef and then a chef/manager, Kelly had no reservations. Many Emmanuel team members started in the
Peter is in touch closely dishroom. From left to right: Edson Cardosa, cook; Ulysses da Silva, morning pizza cook; with the students, walking pasta Valdano Cardoso, prep; and Peter Fernandes, the floor, and has imple- chef/manager mented many theme nights to keep things feeling fresh. Kelly adds that perhaps because he himself learned so much on the job, Peter is a top-notch trainer. Grateful for the chance Kelly took in promoting him, Peter has pulled a lot of people up behind him. He says, “90% of my line staff and cooks started as dishwashers and cleaners, cashiers, front-of-the-house staff.” The morning pizza cook, Ulysses da Silva, was a cleaner whose father was the dishroom supervisor: Peter and Valdano Cardoso (another dishroom veteran turned all-around superstar player) trained him to make pizzas on weekends, and he worked his way up to the premier shift. Pasta Cook Edson Cardosa started as a cleaner/dishwasher, doing floors. He’s learned to make all the classic pasta sauces and is a favorite with the students. “I tell everyone that even though they might be starting in the dishroom, they can still learn something. Just stand next to someone and ask them to show you what they’re doing, or if they don’t have time to show you, ask if you can watch,” explains Peter. And his advice to other managers looking to help people rise through the ranks? “Be patient. You can’t yell at someone when they’re learning. And you know, they may have to mess up a few times to get perfect at something.” That is the essence of Bon Appétit culture. As CEO Fedele Bauccio and COO Michael Bauccio have always said, it’s OK to make mistakes, as long as you’re learning.
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Nordstrom Cooks for a Cure Submitted by Kris McLean, General Manager
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on Appétit Management Company has its own issue areas on which it focuses companywide, but individual teams also proudly support the causes close to the hearts of their clients. At Nordstrom in Seattle, employees were gearing up for the 31st annual Nordstrom Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes, a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation ( JDRF). Nordstrom is a major sponsor of the JDRF, which itself is the largest charitable supporter of type 1 diabetes research.“Beat the Bridge” refers to Seattle’s University Bridge, which participants must try to cross before it is raised. Beat the Bridge is part of the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes program, which raised more than $85 million last year. The Bon Appétit team devoted one of its regular cooking classes for employees to raise funds for the cause. Called Food for the Working Class, it focused on healthy, quick, and homemade recipes that participants could easily execute at home. Executive Chef Christopher Patterson and Sous Chefs James Edmunds and J. Pinkos (who goes by her last name) collaborated on an agenda that would appeal to working folks who also wish to prepare healthy food with ease.
Pinkos showed the Seattle residents — big fans of salmon — how to debone and skin a salmon efficiently and quickly. Christopher demonstrated the popular Fashionable Greens salad with pear balsamic vinaigrette. Although this dish looks and tastes like it involves complicated preparation, Christopher could make the whole thing in five minutes. Next, James shared his flavor-packed, five-minute marinara sauce from his secret “vault.” Not only did Bon Appétit’s involvement help raise funds, but the camaraderie of guests and staff really made the day.
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Nordstrom employee Edward Mabanglo practicing filleting salmon
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Hydroponic Café Garden Takes Root at Eckerd College Submitted by Nicole Tocco, Senior Fellow
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t’s not very often that you get to sit among the plants used to create the meal you’re eating. At Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, the Bon Appétit team is taking advantage of the year-round sun to provide students exactly that experience with a café garden. Over the last year, Executive Chef Valerie McHugh has spearheaded the college’s installation of a hydroponic system that provides vegetables and fresh herbs to the kitchen, just steps away from the café!
Executive Chef Valerie McHugh shows off a beet grown in her team’s kitchen garden
Hydroharvest, one of Bon Appétit’s 1,000-plus Farm to Fork vendors, sold the hydroponic systems to the team and helped install them onsite. Maintaining the garden requires two regular tasks: making sure the water tank is full and keeping up with the plant trimming when needed. Valerie’s team fills the water tank three times a week, and it is set on a timer to water the garden three times each day. Hydroponic farming, a small but quickly growing segment of agriculture, provides significant efficiency in terms of use of space, water, and nutrients. The café garden was built in two parts. The first phase focused on creating a kitchen garden, full of plants that could provide ingredients used frequently by chefs during day-today production. “We just walk outside at any point throughout the day to pick fresh herbs or vegetables for cooking and garnishes,” Valerie explains. The garden is chock-full of plant varieties, ranging from staple herbs such as cilantro, basil, and thyme to nourishing vegetables such as beets, collard greens, sweet potatoes, and radishes. So far, the kitchen garden works best for ingredients used in small quantities, such as Scotch bonnets, a type of hot pepper, and plants that grow quickly, such as basil. After witnessing the Eckerd community’s enthusiastic response to the kitchen garden, the team embarked on phase two: a section specifically intended to grow strawberries for students to pick as they walk to class or their dorms after a meal at the café. Now the only problem is that there aren’t enough strawberries to meet the demand from students, staff, and faculty strolling by.
A second system was installed specifically to grow strawberries for Eckerd students, staff, and faculty to pick as they pass by
Everyone’s looking forward to repeating the growing phases and experimenting with new plantings. 2 0 1 3 Vo l u m e 3
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Penn’s Partnership with Local Community Kitchen Continues Strong Submitted by Brian Aranda, Marketing Assistant
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on Appétit teams love playing a role in the communities in which we work, but supporting cookingrelated enterprises isn’t one we get to fill that often. That’s why the Bon Appétiters at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia enjoy their partnership with the Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises (CCE) so much. CCE is one of the nation’s most comprehensive commercial kitchen centers, designed to be an engine for creating foodrelated jobs and businesses. Bon Appétit staff consulted in the design and development of the center’s kitchen and commissary space, which provides workspaces and resources to emerging food entrepreneurs in the area. It’s giving a leg up to lower-income people who would not otherwise have these resources, and they’re in turn creating more jobs within their communities.
The CCE includes state-of-the-art, shared-use commercial kitchens and food storage space that can be rented at affordable hourly rates. The Penn team buys some of the budding entrepreneurs’ goods for campus cafés, giving these small business owners a much-appreciated opportunity to break into what can be a tough market. For example, one of the CCE’s newest culinary entrepreneurs, Sheeba Khan, came to the United States 12 years ago with her husband and three daughters — and a love of cooking. Some personal events later, she realized that life was too short not to pursue her passion, and she began working with the CCE. Sheeba’s Indian fusion dishes, such as chicken seekh kebab roti rolls with cilantro and mint raita, will be featured in Penn retail dining locations in the fall semester. For its residential dining program, Bon Appétit worked with the CCE in identifying and training interested culinarians in bakery operations to help execute cookie and other snack recipes developed by Director of Specialty Culinary Programs Jim Dodge. Since the beginning of this partnership, the culinary center has provided cookies, cakes, jams, jellies, and nutritional drinks that are featured in Bon Appétit’s campus retail and residential locations. The Penn team continues to work with the CCE to develop strong new food brands that will excite the student population as well as provide a strong community support mechanism for local food entrepreneurs.
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Vitaly Paley Stands In at RA1 Submitted by Joey Bloom, Marketing Coordinator
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s creative and talented as Bon Appétit chefs are, sometimes it’s nice to hand the reins over to a special guest — especially when it’s a star like James Beard award and Iron Chef winner Vitaly Paley. Executive Chef Scott Clagett of RA1 in Hillsboro, OR, likes to bring guests in a few times a year to help showcase the delicious Farm to Fork offerings.
Executive Chef Scott Clagett with Iron Chef winner Vitaly Paley
Russian-born and French-trained Paley, who fell in love with the Northwest thanks to an alluring carton of Oregon morel mushrooms that was delivered to his restaurant in France, has been instrumental in putting “Northwest cuisine” on the foodie map. For this special lunch, he served wine-barrelplanked Oregon black cod with olive oil–poached fingerling potatoes, romesco and green radish pesto, and shaved asparagus salad. The cod is a Paley signature dish, and the radish pesto helped him beat out Jose Garces in an Iron Chef radish edition. The potatoes were from Cal Farms, radishes from Gales Meadow, arugula from Plants Beautiful Farms, and asparagus from Imperial Gardens. Even the finishing salt and EVOO were sourced from Jacobsen Salt Co. and Oregon Olive Mill, respectively, to round out a truly masterful Farm to Fork dish. The beautiful locally caught Oregon black cod was rubbed with sea salt, brown sugar, and orange zest to quick-cure the fish before charring it on the pinot noir barrel planks. The cod took on the smoky flavor of the pinot noir barrels for an amazing effect on the nose and palate. Featured on the Martha Stewart Show and written up in such publications as GQ, O magazine, and the New York Times, the busy, award-winning Paley runs three popular Portland establishments: Paley’s Place, Imperial, and the Portland PennyDiner.As people were finishing their lunches,onegentleman was over-heard saying, “I’ve traveled all over the world and eaten at amazing restaurants, and that was seriously one of the best dishes I’ve ever had!”
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from the fellows | claire cummings, west coast fellow
bon appetit foundation
Expo Cook Chris Howell separates prep waste for Reed’s Trim Trax 2.0 program
food waste: a hot topic for a hot planet
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ately, the issue of food waste has been enjoying some time in the limelight. Eliminating it can help address many of the world’s largest problems, such as climate change and world hunger, and new organizations are popping up every day to launch food recovery programs, divert food waste from landfills, harness energy from waste vegetable oil, and educate consumers on the importance of saving food. Our company and its employees are on the forefront of this new wave of activism, and many have come up with innovative ways to lead the fight against waste.
Willamette University Tracks Its Trim
All of these programs can be implemented at any of our cafés, so what are you waiting for? Join the fight to end food waste, and you will feel good about what you are doing for the environment, your community, and your pocketbook!
So the two of them set out to create Trim Trax 2.0, a simple, free recording system designed specifically for Bon Appétit kitchens to provide a more personalized waste tracking and reduction experience. In the new system, chefs can track waste by station and meal period, enabling them to address the root causes of waste. After two weeks of running the program, Bon Appétit at Willamette University cut its waste in half, down from 2,000 quarts to 1,000 quarts per week — a weekly savings of $3,000! The program has expanded to numerous accounts around the country. If you are interested in starting the program at your café, check out the Trim Trax 2.0 guide on the extranet’s Marketing > Implementation Guides tab, or contact me for assistance at claire.cummings@bamco.com.
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Last year at Willamette University in Portland, OR, Regional Operations Manager Marc Marelich and Genentech Hillsboro General Manager Jeff Rott decided to try running the Compass Trim Trax program, an initiative to minimize the environmental and operational cost of food waste in restaurants. Shortly after launching the program, Jeff and Marc realized the data they were collecting only told them the cumulative amount of waste produced in the café, not where it was coming from or why it was happening.
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Paul Kresek of St. Vincent de Paul sits inside the charity’s mobile kitchen, which turns donated food into hot meals
Wheaton College: Together in Traylessness So often when we set out to improve sustainability in our cafés, we find ourselves walking a tightrope that demands balancing the expectations of the companywide mission and the satisfaction of our guests. In our attempt to do the right thing, we sometimes disrupt routines and run the risk of upsetting customers who are inconvenienced by our programs. The team at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, however, found a way to turn going trayless into a positive experience for their guests. The staff at Wheaton invited students to pledge to stop using trays and snapped a picture of each of them with their last tray meal. By the end of the year, the photo wall was filled with students who had pledged, and traylessness had become a point of pride rather than frustration.
Banfield Pet Hospital Rescues Food (Not Just Animals) Food is meant to be eaten, plain and simple, so there is no reason why perfectly good leftovers should ever end up in the trash or even the compost. As Dani Turk at Food Lifeline once said, “Though it may seem like nothing, one piece of lasagna is still a dinner for a person in need.” No café has embraced this mentality more than Banfield in Portland, OR. The small team, led by General Manager Lacey Marsolek, has worked with the charities Feeding America and St. Vincent de Paul to launch a regular food recovery program. (“Food recovery” refers to the donation of wholesome food that is safe to eat but can no longer be served in a café.) Despite being one of the tinier cafés in the region, Lacey and her team still donate a couple containers of food twice a week, proving that the small size of their café cannot contain the greatness of their hearts.
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Bon Appétit at VMware Now a Certified Green Business Submitted by Tina Hand, Assistant General Manager
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t’s not easy being green, as a certain frog once sang, and it’s even less easy getting your practices certified green. But that’s exactly the feat that Bon Appétit at VMware in Palo Alto, CA, accomplished in February, when it became a Bay Area Certified Green Business.
The Bay Area Green Business Program, a founding member of the California Green Business Program, distinguishes small businesses that protect, preserve, and sustain the environment, and the benchmarks are pretty strict. The five pillars — general practices, resource/water conservation, solid waste reduction and recycling, energy conservation, and pollution prevention — each have several criteria to meet, so reaching the milestone of certification isn’t easy, though its rewards are well worth the effort. Of the required criteria,several items are standard and predictable, such as regular servicing of plumbing and ventilation systems, reducing electricity use by replacing fixtures and certain types of lighting, replacing chemicals and other toxic ingredients in supplies, and recycling as much as possible in addition to using recycled products. Challenges arise with some of the more stringent and difficult requirements. Implementing seven pollution-prevention measures (such as ensuring only rain enters the storm drain), reducing chemical use in eight ways, reducing waste in seven ways, and reusing materials three ways all require both research and creative thinking. But because of the values Bon Appétit Management Company already practices, the Bon Appétit team at VMware was already implementing many program requirements, and the “green team” was thrilled to figure out solutions for the rest. Executive Chef John Dirks, Café Manager Amy Lawrence, General Manager Joseph Alfieri, and Executive Chef Matt Dark all worked hard to ensure compliance and implement necessary changes. Now they and the entire Bon Appétit team at VMware share the privilege and honor of being Certified Green in the model state of California!
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Turtles Café Chef John Dirks and Turtles Café Manager Amy Lawrence hold up the Green Business certification
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It Is Easy to Be Green Remarkably, 93% of VMware’s kitchen waste is diverted from landfill, thanks to a stringent composting program. Here are some highlights of other mindful things done on campus: • No portion control (PC) items — things like packets for mayonnaise and mustard — are used, ever, even for catering. • No chip bags. Cook Ramon Sandoval with buckets of material destined for composting
• No plastic water bottles;only recyclable canned beverages. • All candy at the registers is purchased in bulk and bagged onsite. • Aerators are installed on all kitchen faucets (lowering flow). • Everything that can be composted gets composted onsite. • All packaging is compostable.
Register snacks are purchased in bulk and bagged onsite
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The Giants Garden: From Center Field to the Home Plate Submitted by Bonnie Azab Powell, Director of Communications
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hen President Obama recently honored the San Francisco Giants at the White House for their 2012 World Series championship, he also mentioned something in passing that set off a firestorm of media attention back in San Francisco: the team's plan to construct an edible garden at AT&T Park in partnership with the park’s longtime food service provider, Bon Appétit Management Company.
Both the San Francisco Giants and Bon Appétit are well known for their close ties to their communities. The Giants offer a variety of unique and progressive programs dedicated to addressing some of the most pressing needs of Northern California children and their families, including health, violence prevention, youth fitness and recreation, and education and literacy. “We really wanted to be able to do something that is not just very San Francisco, but a part of today’s world,” Larry Baer, Giants president and CEO, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “The commitment we’re making is to create this garden and use that real estate in a way that’s productive. We think it’s the perfect solution.” The garden is slated to open by the start of the spring baseball season. Go Giants!
The Giants Garden will be a gently sloping 3,000-square-foot organic garden behind the center-field wall, in a space between the left- and right-field bleachers. It will be the first such facility at any professional sports venue in the United States. The garden will combine a variety of growing methods, from hydroponic troughs to concrete planters, and interweave both covered and open-air seating, cooking, and demonstration areas. Dining tables will feature edible flowers and herbs growing right down the middle, while green trellises and“living walls” will provide wind breaks and privacy for private events. The Giants Garden will not only be a prime event space that supplies fresh-picked greens, vegetables, and fruit for Bon Appétit’s menus, but the two organizations will also utilize it as a culinary classroom on non-game days. A rotating cast of Bon Appétit chefs and registered dietitians will offer handson nutrition, gardening, and cooking lessons for the Junior Giants players and other Bay Area children.
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SF Giants’ Larry Baer Delivers Bauccio Lecture in Entrepreneurship Submitted by Bonnie Azab Powell, Director of Communications
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he Giants Garden is just the latest byproduct of the close relationship between San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer and Bon Appétit Management Company CEO Fedele Bauccio. They met in the late 1990s, when Baer was trying to build AT&T Park in downtown San Francisco. Fedele took a leap of faith and signed a long-term concession contract, long before a single baseball fan passed through the gates. “Fedele has been a friend and a true partner,” Baer told a packed auditorium in early summer at the University of Portland at the start of the annual Bauccio Lecture in Entrepreneurship.“It’s an honor to be giving this lecture, but I can’t think of anyone who more exemplifies entrepreneurship than Fedele.”
Giants CEO Larry Baer giving his talk
Fedele endowed his alma mater’s Center for Entrepreneurship with the Bauccio Lecture Series in Entrepreneurship in 2001 as a forum for visionary leaders to share their experiences and stories. “How these entrepreneurs became successful and made their dreams happen is as educational as theory learned in the classroom,” Fedele said at the series’ beginning. Over the years, guests have included Starbucks President of Global Development Arthur Rubinfeld, polar explorer Robert Swan, and former Walmart executive Jack Shewmaker. Baer gave a fascinating account of the many ups and downs of his tenure with the Giants, touching on the struggle to keep the team in San Francisco, the challenges of raising millions and getting approval to build a brand-new ballpark that would attract more visitors, and the connection the Giants feel to the Bay Area community. “When you wear the words San Francisco across your chests, you’re not just another business,” he said.“Kids look up to you, people feel connected to you in unique ways. That’s why we’re so dedicated to enriching our community through innovation on and off the field.”
University of Portland Director of Entrepreneurship Peter Rachor, Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio, Giants CEO Larry Baer, and University of Portland President Rev. E. William Beauchamp
Or, as in the case of the new Giants Garden, innovation just behind center field!
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reflections
Sharing a Mutual Commitment
Editor’s note: Bon Appétit started service at the University of La Verne in La Verne, CA, in summer 2011, just as Dr. Devorah Lieberman became its president. At that time, she communicated to Bon Appétit Senior Vice President Cary Wheeland how important sustainability was to her vision for the university. Here, two years after taking the helm, President Lieberman shares her impressions of the partnership between these two committed organizations.
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he University of La Verne is continually growing and adapting to meet the needs of the 21st-century student. Not only are we a community leader in infrastructure sustainability, but our partnership with Bon Appétit has helped the university to realize our vision of a sustainable future starting with the food we eat.
At the core of our mission, we strive to promote the value of civic engagement and a sense of social responsibility in our students, largely focusing on the well-being of our planet. Students, faculty and staff are constantly working to develop new ways to save energy and be as environmentally conscious as possible. Bon Appétit plays an integral role in helping us create and maintain a sustainable way of life on our campus. Throughout its history, Bon Appétit has centered on preparing quality food using the freshest ingredients, sourcing locallygrown produce, providing eco-friendly disposable service ware and recycling as much as possible. Every day, our students,
University President Dr. Devorah Lieberman
faculty, and staff are able to witness the work of a company that puts its philosophy into practice, whether in the dining hall or at one of the many catered events across campus. It is a pivotal and exciting moment in this 122-year-old institution. Now, more than ever, environmental issues and the concept of sustainability are on the forefront of the minds of national and global leaders. As leaders in education, it is our responsibility to do everything we can to ensure that the University of La Verne is doing its part to put our words into actions and truly realize our mission of civic engagement and sustainability. Our partnership with Bon Appétit has been one of innovative collaboration. By recognizing the power of taking small steps toward a greener tomorrow, such as using biodegradable food containers and reducing the amount of energy used, Bon Appétit is positively influencing a new generation of world leaders. On a personal note, having the opportunity as a president to collaborate and work closely with the Bon Appétit leadership and administrators, such as Senior Vice President Cary Wheeland, allows the two organizations to support our common values and goals. I consider the university fortunate to have this partnership. We look forward to a long partnership with a company that shares La Verne’s commitment to a healthy planet.
University of La Verne campus
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First Bon Appétit/St. John’s Scholarship Recipient Graduates with Honors Submitted by Theodore Canto, General Manager
Erica Simms graduated summa cum laude from Bennett College
Erica Simms and her mother, Patricia Wilkerson, McDowell coffee shop supervisor at St. John’s
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on Appétit Management Company is proud to partner with its education clients to tackle many mutually important issues of sustainability, such as food waste and climate change. Now, with the graduation of the first recipient of a joint scholarship at St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD, it has added greater access to higher education to the list. St. John’s Treasurer Dr. Bronte Jones and Bon Appétit, as represented by District Manager John Engstrom, established an annual college/food service scholarship that would be awarded to the qualifying child of a 20-year-plus dining services employee. The scholarship’s guidelines include a “family” principle, while a sustainability focus includes the health of the planet, the employees, neighborhoods and communities, and guests. This spring, Dr. Jones and John proudly witnessed the successful culmination of the effort when Erica Simms, the first-ever recipient in 2009, took the stage wearing colorful regalia and an ever-present smile to accept her diploma from Bennett College in Greensboro, NC. Erica is not only the $20,000 scholarship’s first recipient; she is the first in her family to graduate from a four-year college. Erica grew up on the St. John’s campus; her family has more than 150 combined years of service at St. John’s. Her mother, Patricia Wilkerson, accounts for more than 30 of those years and currently manages the McDowell Coffee shop on campus. The intention of the scholarship couldn’t be more fully realized; Bon Appétit congratulates Pat for her steadfast dedication and Erica for her commitment. Additionally, Erica graduated summa cum laude!
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GE3’s Newest Stars
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on Appétit’s Great Expectations 3 certification sets the bar for consistent standards of excellence across all cafés. GE3, as it’s called, gets awarded to accounts that meet our stringent 38-page standards for food standards and initiatives, sanitation, safety, marketing, merchandising, signage, customer service, and other station-specific criteria. Once certified, however, accounts cannot rest on their GE3 laurels — the reviewers repeatedly return unannounced to ensure that the “great” truly remains Great. The Regional Operations Support team, comprised of Carrie Buckley, Paula Nielsen, Marc Marelich, Ellen McGhee, and Kimberly Triplett, along with Jim Dodge, director of specialty culinary programs and occasional supporting GE3 auditor, congratulates Genentech’s Building 42, Oberlin College, and Payless on their GE3 certifications, as well as the four other accounts that achieved recertification this period. They all demonstrated the extraordinary teamwork and tireless efforts necessary to meet or exceed the more than 300 standards.
Genentech, Building 42, South San Francisco, CA
Building 42 is the first Genentech café to receive certification, and Paula and Jim were thrilled to check off some of their favorite things from the list. First, they were delighted to see all menus and fresh produce displays in place at the beginning of the day. The displays themselves were exceptional, with multiple levels and great variety. The menus were well planned and in balance with textures and colors, with good descriptions, correct fonts, and the proper number of COR icons. In addition to finding well-managed and maintained café stations throughout breakfast and lunch, Paula and Jim also found scrumptious food; soups were nutritious and delicious, while the composed salads in the salad bar were mouth-wateringly creative (and offered 11 types of oils and vinegars!). Impressive, too, was the sense of calmness and camaraderie among the staff members, who were focused and organized yet displayed humor and teamwork in the 10@10 meetings. This café serves a large volume of guests per day, while the kitchen also prepares the majority of hot catered food. Upon this surprise visit day, the staff produced more than 60 hot catering meals while maintaining quality and service in the café. The staff did an amazing job while having a great attitude, clearly representing the Bon Appétit brand with service and smiles.
The Genentech - Building 42 team
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The Oberlin team
The Oberlin team celebrating their GE3 certification with cake
Payless, Topeka, KS
Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
Great things come to those who wait — and the team at Oberlin College has been patiently waiting for the arrival of the cafés’ new compliant smallwares for their GE3 certification. When Kimberly and Ellen arrived for their surprise visit, they were drawn in by all the wonderful aromas and abundance of really good food. They found bustling cafés with happy students, who revel in all the vegetarian and vegan options — but who also enjoyed the amazing Farm to Fork meatloaf on the lunch menu that day. Additional standouts included the vegan butternut squash wrap from the eXpress grab-and-go station and the tangy house-made kimchee. Food stations offered good customer experiences all over, especially in high-volume areas like the all-you-care-to- eat café. Management seemed engaged and teamwork was evident throughout the campus; cooks were engrossed with management putting together the special pizza on the day of the visit. Customer service was carried out with a smile, always, and Kimberly and Ellen left with huge smiles on their own faces as a result.
Arriving at Payless unannounced, Kimberly and Ellen surveyed a few meal periods — and they were thoroughly wowed by what they found. The grill cook was very busy yet managed to be great with customers; fresh made-to-order breakfast sandwiches are very popular here! Customers had a wide variety to choose from throughout the meals, such as a terrific breakfast express program, bountiful vegetarian options, and a nice assortment of breads and dessert options. The fantastic deli program featured roasted vegetables for a healthy option, and the salad station was flawless. All stations moved customers through very quickly and kept the flow. It was also just about the cleanest kitchen Kimberly and Ellen have seen! Employees really were involved and excited; it was nice to see the staff have genuine ownership. Their enthusiasm is evident in the strong customer service through breakfast and lunch. Payless is a powerful example of Bon Appétit’s standards, and Kimberly and Ellen urge other accounts in the region to visit and see its greatness in action.
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Re(Certified) Great!
Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO
Paula and Marc surprised General Manager Beth Gentry and her Colorado College team with a visit to their three cafés, espresso bar, and retail outlet. They found a cornucopia of impressive food products, displays, decor, flavors, and more. For instance, at The Preserve, they found an outstanding café/gourmet market featuring a wonderful deli display, tasty pizzas, and abundant eXpress offerings, along with adorable mason-jar salads and a variety of local and seasonal impulse items. At Rastal/Benji’s, they were impressed with the great attention to detail and decor, while at busy Colorado Coffee, they were delighted with the large variety of pastry and eXpress breakfast sandwiches. They discovered a great breakfast selection with house-made, flavored, Greek-style yogurt; house-made pastries; and more than seven flavors of cream cheese. The house-made biscuits were “to die for,” while the quinoa porridge, authentic taqueria, and grill items were simply delicious. The merchandising, with all products facing forward, a well-stocked selection, and clear labeling, was topnotch — a model for other accounts. The cherry on top? Paula and Marc were actually stopped by a customer, who told them he had worked at 15 different colleges across the country and that Colorado College had the best food, hands down.
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Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR
For a relatively small account, Marylhurst has some great big things to be proud of! Paula and Marc found a lot to be excited about, beginning and ending with all the warm smiles and attentive customer service. The decor was crisp and clean, complemented by spot-on signage with proper COR icons and matching identifiers. In addition to the incredible variety of made-to-order pizzas, some favorite food offerings included the rhubarb-lavender vinaigrette on the salad bar, the local egg salad sandwich on artisan breads, house-made desserts (such as the salted caramel and chocolate trifle and peanut butter bar), and the beverage cooler that was free of products sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. The entire team was passionate and dedicated; it was clear every staff member strives to deliver above-and-beyond standards daily.
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Javelina Cantina, Scottsdale, AZ
The small but mighty team at Javelina Cantina passed its GE3 recertification with flying colors. Paula and Marc’s visit began with noticing the fantastic teamwork and coordination of efforts to be most accommodating toward guests, as well as a wonderful 10@10 meeting that covered ingredients and plate presentation. Paula and Marc were additionally pleased with many food-related details: At the beginning of the day, all menus and fresh produce displays were in place. The eXpress and beverage coolers were well stocked and visually appealing. Local farmers were properly highlighted at the salad bar. The healthy and creative options and over-the-top delicious preparations were most irresistable. Aguas frescas — orange/rosemary and blueberry — were visually appealing and tasted refreshing.The main entrée,Argentinian barbecue, was superb: grilled flank steak with house-made chimichurri sauce, roasted fingerling potatoes, and caramelized cipollini onions. The black bean, tomato, and quinoa soup was especially gratifying, and both of the offered soups were Made Without Gluten and properly labeled. The frozen yogurt was
exceptional, and the watermelon sorbet was refreshing while the salted caramel pretzel could be considered addictive. Food freshness and flavor levels were as high as the standards for organization, cleanliness, safety, and service. Javelina Cantina was truly an excellent model of GE3 recertification.
Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
“We’ve heard the rumor of how fantastic the Bon Appétit program is at Wheaton College, and we’re here to tell you, it’s true!” exclaimed Kimberly and Ellen after their two-day surprise visit to Wheaton. In the Commons Café, they found top-notch operations, leadership, and customer service, as well as an outstanding culinary program, including Farm to Fork purchasing and food quality. The entire staff was knowledgeable on all aspects of the daily menu, food preparation, local sourcing, and dietary restrictions. The innovative At Your Service station gives students customized service for dietary needs. Also, Wheaton’s Circle of Responsibility program should be a model for others to follow. The Coffee Bar and The Stupe offered up a great coffee and retail/board program, with excellent options for the salad bar and grill, as well as a nice ice cream and milkshake program. The management teams here embraced all operational standards and were equally enthusiastic about Bon Appétit standards. In an effort to eliminate the use of trays, Wheaton has run a remarkable marketing program with student involvement (see page 21). Wheaton also displays its employee service awards — this team is a justly proud bunch! 2 0 1 3 Vo l u m e 3
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Santa Clara U’s Onsite Bakery Brings International Chef to Truly Local Effort Submitted by Melissa Reynen, Marketing Manager
Pastry Chef Didier Laborde
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ucky students at Santa Clara University have been enjoying the irresistible smell of fresh-baked breads — not to mention the taste of flaky croissants, healthy muffins, decadent Danishes, and succulent scones.
SCU’s Nobili Bakery, a commissary-style bakery at the Santa Clara, CA, university, first“rolled out” last fall, after two years in the making, and continues to add new offerings and partnerships. General Manager Bob Lubecky championed the idea, with tremendous support from Jane Barrantes of SCU’s Auxiliary Services department. Their shared enthusiasm and teamwork enabled the bakery to get started with state-of-theart mixers and a high-capacity oven. Executive Chef Michael Brinkmann assisted with planning and assessing how the oncampus bakery would best serve the campus and its catering requirements. Shortly after the opening, Pastry Chef Didier Laborde joined the team and helped launch the next phase: daily desserts for cafés, such as cake slices, miniature pies, and a few upscale and fun treats such as chocolate-dipped cheesecake lollipops, plus plated desserts for special-event catering.
One of Pastry Chef Didier Laborde’s wedding cakes
Born in France, Pastry Chef Didier Laborde began his apprenticeship at the Bordeaux Culinary Academy and moved to the United States in 1984. He worked for a number of prestigious corporations as a private pastry chef before moving into the hospitality industry in Reno, NV. Didier was indeed lured by both the California climate —“helpful for producing good breads” — and the ability to make nearly 90 percent of goods from scratch with local ingredients.
Didier helped realize an even broader dream of Bob’s, which was to make the most of a new Farm to Fork supplier, Taste California of Union City. Taste California supplies 2,000 pounds of locally harvested and milled flour per week, which adds to phase three of the bakery rollout: an incredible bread program featuring 15 kinds of breads daily. SCU now has all its catering and concessions bakery items produced on campus,
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down to the dinner rolls and hamburger buns. A team of eight runs the bakery and produces more than 10,000 pieces per week! Although a lot has been accomplished already in such a short time, the SCU baking team’s long-term goals include partnering with local Bon Appétit accounts to assist in providing true Farm to Fork baked products for special events such as the Eat Local Challenge or even daily needs. The bakery is also considering expanding the selection of retail products and prepackaged bakery items. Didier has already produced well-received special Mother’s Day truffles and other special baked treats that have lured new customers and increased revenue. The Adobe Lodge at SCU has benefited from Didier’s many talents; he enjoys creating wedding cakes and delivered SCU’s first one to a very happy wedding couple this spring. And inspired by Adobe Lodge Executive Chef/Manager Tiana Driggins, Didier hopes to begin offering baking classes. (The Lodge features quarterly popular cooking classes for faculty, staff, and guests.) The SCU community was invited to enjoy Nobili Bakery as part of the spring showcase of Mission Catering, the Adobe Lodge’s catering arm. The afternoon drew an overwhelmingly supportive crowd that indulged in a large variety of samples from the everyday bakery menu, as well as a selection of preboxed mini pastries and full-size cakes. Sales were brisk, and sample tasting was even brisker! The event brought twice as many guests as expected, as word spread through texts and social media. Don’t worry, SCU: Even though the samples disappeared quickly, the Nobili Bakery is here to stay!
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Bakery Provides Rising Opportunities Pastry Chef Didier Laborde’s passion for local sourcing extends to his talent search, as well. Didier taught the art of making breads to a graduate marketing student (Matt Vuturo) and fulfilled the baking desires of one of the longtime Mission Catering staff (Norma Telles), who also held a passion for cakes. In fact, the Nobili Bakery team comprises mostly transitioning cooks who saw an opportunity to realize their own dreams or renew their skills from past job positions, and volunteered to move over. Pastry Supervisor Shiloh Cicero joined Nobili Bakery from a neighboring Bon Appétit campus. Shiloh can be counted on to create beautiful baked goods that are often featured on a “secret menu” that many of Mission Catering clients are excited to discover by word of mouth and take advantage of — a menu that includes cute holiday pastries and delicious mini whoopie pies. Julia Huaman, a cook with SCU since 2001, is so inspired by her new position in the bakery that she is taking additional classes in her own time. Leo Cain, who’s been at SCU for 13 years, is glad to move back to baking full time, something that he had done at a previous job. Luis Acosta and Christina Ayola de Naranjo complete the team, adding their skills and passion too. Making croissants with locally sourced flour and ingredients
“It’s like my birthday to go to work here!” exclaimed Julia.
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Hampshire Opening Forges Strong Bonds — And Strange Bedfellows Submitted by Allison Amato, Retail Marketing Manager
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ampshire College in Amherst, MA, is known for its radical departure from traditional college studies and requirements, offering independent study instead of core requirements and trading portfolio work and written evaluations for grades. It has even established the country’s first scholarship fund for undocumented immigrants.
tried to scare the possum out the door using bottles of club soda, but he took his sweet time and didn’t leave until 45 minutes later.
Bon Appétit Management Company was chosen to help Hampshire make what it calls its Healthy Food Transition, which involves changing how food on campus is produced, prepared, served, and consumed. A pioneer in integrating agriculture into a liberal arts program, the Hampshire College Farm Center began in the 1970s as a learning laboratory created by professors. The incoming Bon Appétit team plans to build menus around products harvested on the farm. The 800-acre campus offers ample room for growth beyond the current 15 acres of vegetables that support a thriving Community Supported Agriculture program.
District Manager Kelly McDonald was outside on the phone with Regional Vice President Elaine Smart when a llama appeared out of nowhere and startled her.
Consistent with its freewheeling ways, Hampshire announced its decision to bring in Bon Appétit for dining services on May 3 and handed keys over on May 24. The previous food service team vacated on May 30, and on June 1, the brand new Bon Appétit team catered a 110-person wedding at the school’s picturesque Red Barn! On June 2, they set up a barbecue for the 750 participants of Katelynn’s Ride, a local charity event funding cancer research. On June 7, the school hosted Alumni Weekend, for which the team catered more than a dozen events in three days. Whew! When faced with such an aggressive timeline, the Hampshire College transition team stayed motivated by positive feedback and encouragement from students, catering guests, and the client, as well as by the opportunities they had to bond as a team. Many team members stayed in the college’s residence halls, which made for some enjoyable social time after long days getting the facility ready. As Robin Fortado, dining room manager at Boston’s Emmanuel College, put it,“Having a chance to be together without the distractions of cell phones, laptops, or TVs on is so special. This has been a wonderful experience.” A few highlights from the Hampshire opening’s menu of memories: At 4:30 a.m. on the day of Katelynn’s Ride, Executive Chef Lydia Kumpa arrived at work to find a possum in the kitchen. Lydia 34 | BRAVO
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In the midst of a heat wave, Lesley University Assistant Manager Orlando Rodriguez reached to turn on his fan, only to find a frog in his hand instead of a knob.
Retail Marketing Manager Allison Amato, on her first night at Hampshire, entered the laundry room and saw three students sitting on dryers and practicing musical instruments. When they asked her if she was with Bon Appétit and she said yes, they exclaimed how thrilled they were at Bon Appétit’s arrival, claimed to have read the entire sales proposal, went on to list their various food allergies and restrictions, and vowed to dine in the café more frequently next year. Whether chance encounters with the critters of Western Massachusetts, positive interactions with guests and clients, or intentional efforts to share stories and values with each other, these are the moments that bond and motivate the team and remind everyone why they’re with Bon Appétit.
Hampshire College campus
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Hampshire Farm Manager Nancy Hanson with Bon AppĂŠtit CEO Fedele Bauccio
Cook Jerry Hewat carving turkey from the Hampshire College Farm
A sustainable salad bar featuring produce from the campus farm
The Hampshire College opening team
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We’re Honored
Although individuals can take personal satisfaction in a job well done or pride in one’s service, it sure feels nice to be recognized by others. And recently several Bon Appétit staffers were proud to be honored with awards by the communities that they serve.
Trine Students Recognize Cashier for Excellence in Service Submitted by Craig Stangland, Catering and Marketing Manager
Every student and guest who walks through the doors of the Trine University café in Angola, IN, for lunch sees a familiar face and patented smile in Cashier Georgia Inman. Georgia has been a part of the team for six years, and in that time, she has become a campus icon. She greets each student, faculty, or staff member by name, asking how their day was, while also being sincere and keeping the line moving. The students have come to know Georgia just as well as she knows them, and one group decided to honor Georgia in a special way. The Sigma Alpha Pi chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success nominated Georgia and selected her as the recipient of the Excellence in Service to Students award. Georgia was very touched to receive the award, and she proudly displays the certificate behind the cashier stand all the while serving her guests with that famous smile.
Student Brittany Winn (right), National Society of Leadership and Success member, presents Georgia Inman, cashier, with the Excellence in Service to Students award
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“All-Star” Cashier at Seattle U Wins Integrity Award Submitted by Buzz Hofford, Resident District Manager
This year’s Student Recognition Awards at Seattle University in Seattle singled out Bon Appétit Cashier Linda Robinson, who received the honor of the Blessed Peter Faber Integrity Award. All of the student and staff honorees are nominated by members of the SU community,and final decisions are made by a selection committee.The Peter Faber award honors members of the SU community who demonstrate honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility in their day-to-day interactions with SU students. At the award ceremony, Linda received a standing ovation. “Linda is an all-star, without a doubt,” comments Resident District Manager Buzz Hofford. “She is always smiling and friendly. She’s someone our customers look forward to seeing every day. Over the years, there has never been anyone who consistently receives as much praise as Linda does.” Cashier Linda Robinson received the Blessed Peter Faber Integrity Award
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Wash U Students Honor Bon Appétit Staff Submitted by April Powell, Director of Marketing and Communications
The end of the school year marks the end of service for some student officers, as the baton gets passed to the next year’s officers and school administration regroups for summer. At Washington University in St. Louis, this calls for a celebratory event. This year’s held a small twist, a surprise award for a Bon Appétit manager! After an address by Associate Vice Chancellor for Students Jill Carnaghi, a brief statement by Chancellor Mark Wrighton, and a farewell speech from Student Union President Julian Nicks, came the swearing in of new officers for Student Union’s new term. Next: cue one surprised Bon Appétit manager,who had no idea that the quiet leadership he exhibits to make events like that one happen was the exact reason why he was invited to attend that day. The Student Union chose David Murphy, general manager for Bon Appétit’s operations on the Washington University campus, as Administrator of the Year. The formalities concluded with a feast. In Holmes Lounge guests mingled and enjoyed appetizers and marveled at the cake baked by Pastry Chef Starr Murphy and her talented bakery team. “We have a great team, and this is very much all of our award. So proud of the work we do!” said David.
While his response was typically humble, Wash U students seemed to agree David isn’t alone. Each day, Bon Appétiters interact with hundreds of students and often form lasting relationships with many of them that continue well beyond their time at Washington University. This is evident at the annual alumni weekends, where cashiers like Lorraine Brown take a trip down memory lane with a student who was here 10 years ago and is astonished at how much of the building has changed, while the staff hasn’t. This kind of service is invaluable, and the students know it, so it was no surprise that five of the 15+ “Unsung Heroes,” recognized for their commitment to service to the Washington University community, were part of the Bon Appétit family. Cashier Mary Nichols (Danforth University Center - The Servery), Cook Keith Harris (Danforth University Center - The Servery), Supervisor Connie Johnson (Stanley’s), Cashier Balauren Jones (South 40), and Resident District Manager Nadeem Siddiqui were aware that they were nominated for an award, but they knew nothing else. Imagine their surprise when they were ushered to a private reception at the home of Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton! The chancellor’s wife, Risa Zwerling Wrighton, hosted the lovely affair, where attendees met fellow nominees from throughout the university, read tributes from the nominating students, and enjoyed delicious bites and sips from the Bon Appétit catering team. It was a wonderful night for these outstanding individuals, and all of Bon Appétit appreciated their colleagues’ recognition.
Minnesota History Catering Team Honored at Own Steampunk Event Submitted by Sarah Johnson, Catering Event Coordinator
The STAR Awards for the Minnesota Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES) was quite the exciting event for the Bon Appétit catering team at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, MN. Christie Altendorf, catering manager, and Sarah Johnson, catering event coordinator, had volunteered their time for months to create the steampunkthemed decor for the event. (See the Events section, page 58.) So you can imagine how pleased Christie, Sarah, and the rest of the team were when their efforts were recognized with two nominations — Best On-Premise Catered Event and Best Specialty Item — and they won for best event! Being recognized in both of these categories with other top Minnesota Event Professionals was an honor and a wonderful cap to all the hard work and commitment the team put in.
Catering Event Coordinator Sarah Johnson and Catering Manager Christie Altendorf with their award for Best On-Premise Catered Event
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Compass Community Council Shares Ideas, Honors Staff at Wash U Submitted by April Powell, Director of Marketing and Communications
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vent planning and execution are areas where Bon Appétit accounts really get to shine — and they always rise to the challenges of location and scale. The Compass Community Council held at Washington University in St. Louis was no exception. After several weeks of preparation, Bon Appétit hosted the gathering on the South 40 campus. The event drew more than 400 attendees from throughout the Compass Group sectors, including Morrison, Eurest, Levy Restaurant Group, and many more.
Bon Appétit at Wash U Catering Director Rosemary Pastore and Executive Chef Patrick Thrower created a farmhouse-themed breakfast and lunch for attendees featuring Missouri grass-fed beef-cheek tacos and local beet salad. The team pulled out all the Resident District Manager Nadeem Siddiqui and Cook Josephine McMiller stops to ensure that they at Compass Community Council presented the council attendees with the absolute best. Patrick, Executive Sous Chef David Rushing, and Chef de Cuisine Wil Fernandez-Cruz created outstanding menu items with extraordinary flavors and presentations to match, which included Rain Crow Ranch beef tongue pastrami, smoked trout deviled eggs, and a refreshing tomato “wine.” The chefs also prepared several sweet treats such as a root beer float made with root beer mousse and cashew caramel tarts that one guest described as“the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.” The Bon Appétit crew continued to impress guests outside of the Studio40 space at the tandoor where Lead Cooks Zach Khan and Sona Kukal presented the flavors of India and Pakistan with items such as gosht Peshawar (spicy mutton chops), shahi paneer (house-made cheese in tomato cream), and aloo masala naan (spicy potato-stuffed bread). Executive Sous Chef Mike Healy’s “living water” gardens transformed the Bear’s Den servery into a beautiful, fresh farmers’ garden for the evening. And how’s this for recycling 38 | BRAVO
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Executive Sous Chef David Rushing, Chef de Cuisine Wil Fernandez-Cruz, Campus Executive Chef John Griffiths, and Executive Chef Patrick Thrower prepare for the Compass Community Council in Studio40
and waste reduction? The leftover decor produce was sold at an impromptu farmers’ market for staff. In addition to the delicious food and beautiful presentation, Compass Community Council attendees got the information they came for. Compass Group CFO Adrian Meredith kicked things off with an overview of Compass Group’s financial health, followed by a presentation from Rick Post, CEO of Contract Foodservices, of the tremendous talent throughout the Compass community. Chief Diversity Officer Vince Berkeley recognized the commitment and service of Compass Group employees, which, coincidentally keeping it local, included Wash U’s very own Cook Josephine McMiller, who is affectionately known by staff and students as Ms. Jo. Ms. Jo was recognized for more than 39 years of service to the Bon Appétit and Washington University communities. Guests and staffers were all pleased with the elegant event and corporate reporting, and Bon Appétit at Wash U was thrilled to see one of their own recognized at such a prestigious event.
Mini root-beer floats
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Fort Worden Hosts Popular Spring Wellness Fair Submitted by Rochelle Prather, General Manager
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he unique location of Fort Worden, a national park in Port Townsend, WA, affords an overall sense of healthfulness, thanks to the clean air and pastoral views. Once a year, the Bon Appétit crew partners with the Jefferson County Wellness and Safety Fair to host an event that actively promotes wellness, attracting hundreds of local guests. The seminars and activities are designed for families and people of all ages.
This year’s fair had a focus on youth wellness and offered a “stealth nutrition” cooking demo by a local chef and former Bon Appétit associate, Aaron Stark. Aaron showed how to fortify popular dishes with greens and vegetables without alerting picky eaters. Al Cairns, from Jefferson County’s solid waste management, hosted a class on vermicomposting; 50 participants received a free vermicomposting kit, thanks to a grant and community donations.
This year, Executive Chef Mark Manley prepared maplemustard-glazed pork loin and vegetarian butternut squash and bean chili with a choice of vegetables and grains. The cafés also hosted a grain tasting throughout the day, with amaranth, teff, quinoa, barley, rye, wheat, triticale, oats, buckwheat, and millet.
Everyone went home well-fortified with new facts and tastes, and the planning team is once again looking forward to next year.
Staff heard comments from parents about how their children wouldn’t eat whole grains. Yet surprisingly, the kids needed little enticing. The team prepared all grains by simply simmering them in lightly salted water so that guests could taste their true flavor. Teff was the favorite of the younger set — probably thanks to its natural sweetness and cream-ofwheat-like texture.
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from the fellows | nicole tocco, senior fellow
bon appetit foundation
eckerd college gets juiced about farm-fresh oranges
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he Bon Appétit team at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, wanted students to experience the amazing oranges coming from nearby farms. The best way to do that, they decided, was to install a fresh juicing station into the main café — and to offer a field trip to the orchard. This spring, I joined Eckerd students to follow the journey those oranges take from the farm to their cup. We started at Mixon Fruit Farms in Bradenton, FL, less than 20 miles from campus. The Mixon family has been in the orange-growing business for more than 75 years. And in Florida, that mostly means the orange juice business, as that’s for what the vast majority of oranges in Florida are used. The typically wet Florida climate is responsible for that trend, which makes for heavier, juicier oranges than other orange producing areas, such as California.
Eckerd students Samantha Haskell and Cat Pappas tour Mixon Fruit Farms
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Farm co-owner Janet Mixon showed us around the orchard, so we could
see exactly where the oranges for the juicing station are grown. The Mixon family purchased 20 acres of land in the 1920s to start the fruit farm, which has since expanded to more than 300 acres. They grow mostly oranges for juicing and grapefruits, but as we toured the farm we also saw apple trees and tasted kumquats. The students enjoyed learning how to roll the kumquats between their hands to break up the bitterness, and then pop the whole thing into their mouths — peel and all. We also heard about dozens of other experimental crops that might be expanded in the future. Bon Appétit chefs at Eckerd College buy whole oranges from Mixon Fruit Farms to supply the juicing station. The oranges are thrown in the top of the machine, which squeezes them — putting fresh juice into a container for drinking, and separating out what’s left of the orange. Students then take the leftover pulp (along with the rest of food waste from the cafés), and compost it into soil for the glowing and creatively named student garden: the EC Sol Food Grow-Op. Students tending this garden had a clear idea of what farming and Farm to Fork dining is really like, but it was a great experience to visit an entire large family orchard and see how it’s done on a bigger scale. The orange juice tastes that much sweeter!
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An Eckerd student fills his cup with fresh orange juice
Eckerd composter extraordinaire Celine Currier turns the compost pile destined for the student-managed garden
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Saint Louis Art Museum Wows Media with Artful Food Submitted by Laura Braley, Specialty Venues Public Relations Manager
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hen dining at Panorama, which opened this summer in the Saint Louis Art Museum’s new Sir David Chipperfield–designed East Building, one can’t help but notice the intentional lack of decor. The 2,500-square-foot restaurant is ultramodern and features sweeping views of Forest Park through floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Art Hill. The design is essentially a blank canvas, on which Executive Chef Edward Farrow creates unique and evolving menus that showcase the art of cooking, using fresh and locally sourced ingredients as his medium.
Star Farms attended as well, so media could talk with the farmer who grew the lettuce in their salad and the rancher who raised the grass-fed beef they were savoring. Guests left impressed and satisfied, and the many thank-yous — and the resulting media coverage — showed that the St. Louis food media is quite pleased to have a new member of the fine-dining scene.
Pavé of quinoa and avocado
A recent transplant to St. Louis, Edward was executive chef for Bon Appetit at the Musical Instrument Museum’s Café Allegro in Phoenix, which received the Arizona Republic’s award in 2012 for Best Museum Restaurant. Edward is a true champion for local and “Panorama, a new restaurant sustainable food and was in the Saint Louis Art named a Local Hero by Museum’s recently opened Edible Phoenix in both 2012 and 2013 for the strong East Building, isn’t simply partnerships he forged with a museum amenity or an Arizona farmers, ranchers, excuse to rest tired feet. fish farmers, and winemakers and other artisan Its minimalist look and producers. He has taken restrained color palette echoes that same passion and the sensibilities of the new commitment with him to building, but the food on the St. Louis.
plates reflects some of the best the Midwest has to offer.” —Pat Eby, Feast magazine
Shortly after the grand opening, the team at Panorama invited a dozen culinary-focused media — including Alive magazine, Feast magazine, Sauce, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Food Talk STL, the Ladue News, Where St. Louis, and Saint Louis Bride magazine — to attend an intimate lunch, during which they sampled a significant portion of the current menu. Nearly 20 different dishes found on the lunch and dinner menus were brought out to taste, enjoy, and photograph. And to illustrate the true extent of Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork program, Peter Whisnant of Rain Crow Ranch and Clair Rudolf of Double
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Peter Whisnant, Rain Crow Ranch; Edward Farrow, executive chef of Panorama; and Clair Rudolph, Double Star Farms
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Media Lunch Menu Pavé of Quinoa and Avocado | with piquillo pepper, Oaxaca cheese, and tumbleweed of greens Wedge Salad | with blue cheese dressing, bacon, tomato, and toasted almonds Roasted Trout Filet Sandwich | with Companion olive bread, shaved fennel, and farro salad with fresh and summer tomato Herb Grilled Wild Salmon in Mushroom-Thyme Brodo | with roasted petite vegetables Local Grass-Fed Beef Skirt Steak | with horseradishpotato puree, juices, and fresh herbs Corn Flour–Crusted Chicken Livers | with red wine–braised hearty greens, watermelon, sweet onion agrodolce, and saba Mushroom-Crusted Alaskan Halibut | with carrotcumin coulis, roasted petite vegetables, and summer herb risotto Roasted Local Heritage Pork | with summer herbs, stone-ground Missouri grits, salt-roasted baby beets, and bacon-agave gastrique Berry-Roasted Local Game Hen | with 60-day corn succotash, black-eyed peas, and zinfandel-blackberry jus Chilled Soup | with rhubarb-moscato elixir, Made Without Gluten citrus cake, and fruit salsa Cordillera Chocolate–Summer Cherry Pot de Crème | with citrus confit, citrus crisps, and chocolate mint
Wedge salad with blue cheese dressing, bacon, tomato, corn, and toasted Marcona almonds
Attendees enjoy a variety of salads prepared by Executive Chef Edward Farrow
“This well-appointed dining venue is located in the new East Wing of the museum and features the culinary stylings of chef Edward Farrow.… Farrow brings the same sensibility to his menu at Panorama, which has a strong focus on local and seasonal ingredients. But what really shines about Farrow’s menu for this diner is its wide-ranging appeal.” —Brandi Wills, Alive magazine
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Saint Louis Art Museum Already Catering at Full Speed Submitted by Candice Sheppard, Pastry Chef, and Edward Farrow, Executive Chef
The much-anticipated grand opening of the Saint Louis Art Museum’s new Sir David Chipperfield–designed East Building was the social event of the summer in St. Louis. The Bon Appétit team, led by Executive Chef Edward Farrow and General Manager David Murphy, took a break from their preparations to ready the Panorama restaurant for its own grand opening a week later to provide a dinner that the Museum’s top patrons would never forget. After enjoying sophisticated hors d’ouevres such as marinated anchovy with piquillo pepper and cucumber in the Sculpture Hall, Grigg Gallery, and Taylor Hall, guests sat down for a four-course meal in the new East Building. The great room was dramatically lit with purple and yellow, and the long tables were filled with a forest of roses. The feast began with a Vidalia onion panna cotta with leeks, continued through a tian of cucumber, goat cheese, and dill and a pavé of herbroasted lamb loin, and finished with a refreshingly sweet and savory lemon meringue tart with Sicilian pistachios, Taggiasca olives, and basil. From the many comments overheard, the Museum’s benefactors left feeling most appreciated. Then, just a few weeks later, the team helped host SLAM Exposed, a new summer party benefiting the Museum and intended to appeal to younger, nighttime revelers. With cocktails and light offerings from the kitchen, more than 300 guests mingled and danced among the art in a see-and-be-seen after-hours event benefiting the Museum. Caesar martini salad served at SLAM Exposed
Shots of chilled carrot-cumin and sour cream and potato and leek soup
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Life 101: Cooking (and Beyond) for Carleton Seniors Submitted by Jennifer Pope, Board Manager
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ollege students are often so focused on academics — and turning in their last papers and taking final exams — that they often fail to make sure they have all the necessary real-life skills in their toolbox when they graduate. That’s why Residential Life staff at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, has begun hosting an annual, campuswide program called Life 101: The Skills You Don’t Learn in Class for seniors. Professionals from around the Carleton community present on topics such as money management, apartment hunting, and transitioning from college to about 100 seniors. This year, Bon Appétit Registered Dietitian Jenny Pope shared information on healthy cooking, cooking for one, eating a balanced diet, and food safety tips. The event was set up in the style of an organizational fair. The informal structure enabled Jenny to have great interaction with the students and provide personalized tips for their situation. Jenny specifically wanted to impart information that they could use after college when they will not have a dining hall to rely on for their food source. She provided handouts from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on topics such as 20 Ways to Enjoy More Fruits and Vegetables, and she provided recipes including black bean hummus, classic hummus, edamame burger, and black bean burger — for a focus on healthy, simple, and flavorful. It worked; there were no leftover handouts.
Carleton Cooking Club Tackles Samosas Submitted by Jennifer Pope, Board Manager
For the past few semesters, Carleton students in Northfield, MN, have had the opportunity to take Cooking 101 during midterm break. The classes are open to all Carleton students, and each one focuses on a particular cuisine. Sous Chef Kathrine Jones, who led the most recent installment, chose the Indian appetizer samosa as her topic. After the students got a brief tutorial, they broke into groups and made samosas — chicken, vegetarian, and sweet walnut — from the recipes Kathrine provided. A lot goes into preparation: making dough, chopping fresh fillings, combining spices, and deep-frying the wrapped creations. Sous Chef Gibson Price, who also helped out with instruction, emphasized how important teamwork is in the kitchen. After each group assembled their designated samosa recipe and accompanying sauces and sides, participants shared their creations with each other. Both students and staff look forward to this event each semester; it adds an extra level to the camaraderie that the students already feel from their daily interactions with Bon Appétit staff at the café stations. Agnes Tse ’16 and Nayely Martinez ’16 holding the sweet samosas they made before taking them to the fryer
Jenny Pope, board manager and registered dietitian, with a Carleton College student who stopped by to pick up healthy eating tips
Vegetarian samosas stuffed with potato and peas
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talking about food | maisie ganzler
shaking our salt habit
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ome people have a sweet tooth. Others have a craving for salt. I’m a salt person. If I’ve got chips in the house, I can hear them calling my name at night:“Maisie, get off the couch and come eat me. Eat all of me. You’re eventually going to eat the whole bag, so what’s wrong with doing it all at once?” Salt. We need it to live — indeed, most chefs would say we can’t live without it. In cooking, salt intensifies flavors. It turns up the volume on meatiness and brings out the essence of vegetables — a perfect, ripe heirloom tomato without salt is delicious, but one with a pinch is sublime. (At least I think so, anyway.) It is also a useful tool: it helps draw out moisture, making chicken skin crisper and eggplant firmer. Salt is one of the oldest methods of food preservation, by inhibiting the growth of bacteria. Cured meats such as bacon, ham, and salami last longer safely because of salt. And it likewise forms the basis for fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles. Our bodies need some sodium to function properly. It helps maintain the right balance of fluids, transmit nerve impulses, and influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles. However, medical experts say too much of it is killing Americans. Usually, the kidneys balance the amount of sodium stored in your body, but if the sodium levels get too high, it starts to build up in
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your blood. Salt attracts and holds water, which increases your blood volume — and that makes your heart work harder and ups the pressure in your arteries. That’s why high sodium levels are associated with high blood pressure, stroke, congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, and chronic kidney disease. The average American gets about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day — way more than they should, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day — or 1,500 mg if you’re age 51 or older, if you’re African-American, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. What do those amounts mean, exactly? Well, a single teaspoon of table salt equals 2,325 mg. The biggest perpetrator isn’t the salt shaker on the family dinner table. As a country, we love our convenience foods: fast-food hamburgers, packaged snacks, canned soups, microwaveable meals, and restaurant dinners. And all of those tend to be very high in sodium — remember how salt makes things taste better and helps preserve food? Bingo. At Bon Appétit Management Company, we’ve always asked our chefs to be careful with the salt. We make our stocks in house, from scratch, and it’s our policy not to salt them. Canned stocks, by contrast, are much higher in sodium, and they don’t taste nearly as good.
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This year, as part of National Food Day on October 24, we’ve teamed up with Food Day’s creators, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, to shake up our chefs’ salt habits even more. A nonprofit, CSPI has made reducing salt consumption one of its major goals. Cutting sodium intake by half would save an estimated 150,000 lives per year, it estimates, which in turn would reduce medical care and other costs by roughly $1.5 trillion over 20 years. That’s big. If we can help, we want to. So Terri Brownlee, Bon Appétit’s national nutrition manager, and I have asked all of our culinary teams to lower their salt levels in two ways: in what they buy and how they cook. We’ve developed a pledge they can sign to purchase lower-sodium deli turkey and ham, canned tuna, and soy sauce — one tablespoon of regular soy sauce has about 1,000 mg of sodium! — and no-salt-added tomato products.We’re looking at where food gets salted in the preparation process and asking our chefs to, for example, stop salting the water when preparing potatoes, pasta, and dried beans; to marinate foods or salt final dishes (not both); and make a point of reducing the added salt when a dish already has one or more salty ingredients, such as olives or bacon. We’re also doing some education inside the kitchen about how people experience salt levels differently. It’s pretty important to understand that personal tastes for salt vary widely, according to factors such as ethnic background, geography (people from hotter climates tend to salt their food more, as a longtime food-safety precaution), smoking, and education. What’s salty to you might not be salty to me. You can always add salt, but you can’t take it away. (Yes, I do know the potato trick.) I’m confident that our chefs and culinary teams can cut back on salt — yet keep the flavor for which we’re famous.
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Bon Appétit Feeds Digerati a Farm to Fork Feast for GROW Awards Submitted by Bonnie Azab Powell, Director of Communications
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on Appétit Management Company doesn’t generally cater outside the campuses where we have kitchens. But when CEO Fedele Bauccio was invited to give the keynote address at a very special awards ceremony held by the Association for Corporate Growth – Silicon Valley chapter (ACG-SV) at San Jose’s Computer Science History Museum, we couldn’t possibly let the 300 Silicon Valley CEOs and executives who were attending (many of them Bon Appétit clients) dine on anyone else’s food. District Manager Markus Hartmann and Regional Operations Support Team Member Paula Nielsen took charge of the event, leading a SWAT team comprising Oracle Executive Chef Robbie Lewis, Oracle Executive Pastry Chef Ian Farrell, many other Silicon Valley cooks and supervisors, and an army of temporary servers. As if staging and feeding a three-course dinner in a museum with the tiniest of catering kitchens wasn’t challenging enough, Robbie and Ian were also cajoled into participating in a special 3D video shoot at Oracle that would be shown at the event to showcase some special new technology. ACG-SV is one of Silicon Valley’s top business organizations, and the purpose of its 9th Annual GROW Awards was to recognize the “Fastest Growing Company” and the “Emerging Growth Company.” In a moment of serendipity, the winner of the Fastest Growing Company award turned out to be LinkedIn, which had just announced it was selecting Bon Appétit as its new food service provider.
The event went swimmingly. The 3D video, with its oranges whizzing at the audience, got many laughs as well as oohs and aahs. Barbara Holzapfel, a managing partner at Bon Appétit client SAP, introduced Fedele with generous compliments about the quality of SAP’s food and Bon Appétit’s industryleading efforts. Fedele’s speech about how Silicon Valley has led the way in corporate food service, and how its importance has evolved and grown over the decades, received a standing ovation. 48 | BRAVO
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Most importantly, the menu was spectacular by any measure — even more so for having been prepared offsite — and very well received. “The food this year was absolutely tremendous — fresh, wonderfully flavored and certainly far better than any catered event I have attended in the recent past,” wrote attendee Cathryn S. Gawne to ACG-SV CEO Sally Pera after the event. “From the salad with the thinly sliced radishes to the array of desserts (and what’s better than an array of desserts?), every course created a dilemma — talk to one’s great tablemates, or dig into the wonderful food? My tablemates and I overachieved — we managed to do both.”
Oracle Executive Pastry Chef Ian Farrell puts the finishing touches on hundreds of desserts
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A colorful radish and arugula salad
ACG-SV GROW Awards Menu Passed Hors d’Oeuvres
Mini Grilled Cheese on House-Made Brioche | with Fiscalini cheddar and tomato jam Cinnamon-braised Heritage Pork Belly Lettuce Wrap | with Moroccan-spiced slaw Caprese Salad | with cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, and basil pesto Delta Asparagus, Chioggia Beet, and Goat Cheese Turnovers Bay Shrimp Ceviche | with avocado, lime, and cilantro on crisp tortillas
Tender grass-fed short ribs
First Course
Fennel and Flambeau Radish Salad | with Knoll Farm fava beans, wild arugula, and ricotta dura Main Course
Slow-braised Marin Sun Farms Beef Short Ribs | with olive oil-crushed Zuckerman’s Farm fingerling potatoes and haricot verts with glazed pearl onions and horseradish Desserts
Dragon Berry Rhubarb Flan | with sable breton, yogurt, and slow-roasted ALBA Organics strawberries Cordillera Dark Chocolate Mille Feuille | with praline crunch and passion fruit crémeux Pine Nut and Rosemary Macaron Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio delivers the Grow Awards’ keynote, about the role food plays in corporate culture ACG Silicon Valley CEO Sally Pera with Oracle Executive Chef Robbie Lewis
Fedele (center) with SAP Managing Partner Barbara Holzapfel and a young entrepreneur
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events... in brief
Washington University Hosts Bill and Chelsea Clinton
Since 2007, the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) has been touching down at college campuses to bring together students, youth organizations, and celebrities to discuss and develop innovative solutions to pressing global challenges. This year, the Bon Appétit team at Washington University in St. Louis had the opportunity to host CGI U.
Not your average boxed lunch: Clinton Global Initiative University attendees enjoyed báhn mì sandwiches prepared by the Bon Appétit team
Guests from around the world attended plenary sessions with former president Bill Clinton, worked together on a service project with his daughter, Chelsea Clinton, and competed to win grants for their projects, which focus on such global issues as poverty, human rights, education. The Bon Appétit team fed them all. If numbers are any indication, it was one jam-packed weekend for the chefs and servers. Over three days, 1,200 guests came through, consuming 3,500 boxed lunches and 60 gallons of coffee (just for the Saturday morning sessions). The team successfully diverted 4,100 pounds of waste from landfill by making all items fully compostable. Then there were the uncounted thousands of steps the staff put on their pedometers! Catering Director Rosemary Pastore and the catering team were proud to later receive a letter from Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton and President Clinton himself, thanking Bon Appétit Catering for an outstanding experience. It was an epic effort, but they’d be thrilled to do it again! Submitted by April Powell, Director of Marketing and Communications
The first of thousands of báhn mì sandwiches
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Trine University Celebrates International Night Highlighting Global Cuisine
Teaching and learning about food across different cultures is a favorite for Bon Appétit — in addition to throwing a great party — and the 45th Annual International Night at Trine University achieved both with smashing success. See the World in Colors, as it was called, hosted more than 400 participants from Trine and the Angola, IN, community, who sampled various cultures through food, entertainment, demonstrations, and fashion. The team at Bon Appétit transformed the café into a global eatery featuring fare from more than 10 countries. Exotic offerings many people tasted for the first time included locro de Argentina (corn chowder-like stew), Saudi Arabian lamb kabsa (a spiced rice dish), and gulab jamun (a cheese-based fried dessert sweetened with flavored syrups). Judging from the comments, the favorites included Korean short ribs, meatballs and marinara (made by General Manager Joseph Gentile), and Indian pork vindaloo with basmati rice. Trine students from Taiwan created authentic bubble tea from scratch, with the help of Sous Chef Steven King. Thirsty guests in the Rick L. and Vicki L. James University Center Mall eagerly downed the tea, complete with bubble tea straws. The capstone of the evening was traditional performances by students, faculty, and staff, along with a featured performance by Tsukasa Taiko, a Japanese drumming group from Chicago. Guests also mingled through stations featuring a caricature artist, Chinese and Arabic calligraphy, Japanese origami, Reiki therapy, and henna temporary tattooing.
Tsukasa Taiko, a Japanese drumming group from Chicago, performs a traditional Japanese drum act
U of Portland Welcomes the Dalai Lama
Bon Appétit may talk about environmental stewardship, but wouldn’t you rather hear it from the Dalai Lama? Participants at a multi-venue Environmental Summit — including the University of Portland in Portland, OR — got to do just that. The summit included teachings from and conversations with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and leaders of the Pacific Northwest environmental, scientific, policy, and faith communities. Bon Appétit was honored to prepare a locally sourced, vegetarian lunch for His Holiness, who called for greater personal responsibility along with ethical policy making, and his distinguished guests. Meal highlights included a freckled romaine salad with French breakfast radishes, hakurei turnips, and shaved fennel with artichoke vinaigrette; hand-made, pan-seared ravioli filled with parsnip and chévre served in maitake mushroom jus; grilled asparagus and choi; and strawberries with meringue crisps and Swedish cream — from such distinguished local providers as Creative Growers, Sauvie Island Organics, Happy Harvest, River’s Edge, and Grand Central Bakery. Guests were as delighted with the offerings as the staff was humbled to serve the Dalai Lama. Submitted by Tamee Flanagan, Operations Manager
Plans are already taking shape for next year’s International Night. Bon Appétit is proud to partner with the university and student organizations to continue this honored tradition. Submitted by Craig Stangland, Catering and Marketing Manager
Rev. E. William Beauchamp, university president, and the Dalai Lama
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The U of Redlands team proudly wear their new Bulldog hats
Redlands’ Employees Support Student Athletes
Bon Appétit team members may wear many hats in their culinary roles, but for Student Athlete Appreciation Day at the University of Redlands in Redlands, CA, they wore just one: a special maroon Bulldog “R” hat.
Carleton Celebrates Spring from Sea to Galaxy
As exciting as daily dining is at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, it’s always a little more fun when special occasions call for theme decorating, dress-up, or a little extracurricular learning. Carleton students had a blast celebrating May the 4th Be With You for May 4. The sous chefs enjoyed their research for Star Wars–themed specials too. Every station in Burton and East dining halls had unique dishes and included the history behind the dish and where it was featured in the Star Wars movies. On another occasion, students got to enjoy a sustainable seafood dinner at Burton dining hall, put together by Bon Appétit and Carleton College with Sea to Table. Sea to Table is a Brooklyn-based organization that connects small, sustainable fishing operations to buyers who need to know how and where their food is produced, such as Bon Appétit chefs. Fishermen need better markets and better access to them, so Sea to Table develops the relationships and infrastructure necessary to deliver wild seafood directly from the docks. On the menu was Basque-style Acadian redfish with roasted Yukon potatoes and onions and lemon-scented green beans. Alongside the serving station, a laptop computer streamed a video provided by Sea to Table that featured the Maine docks and fishermen where the Acadian redfish came from, and students could take a handout about the Acadian redfish and the fishing vessel. Students got to learn a lot about sustainable seafood and specifically Sea to Table’s small fishery relationships, while enjoying a tasty meal. Submitted by Jennifer Pope, Board Manager
Star Wars cake to celebrate May the 4th Be With You
To help Bulldog Athletics say thank you to the employees of Bon Appétit, University of Redlands Director of Athletics and PE Jeff Martinez provided the special hats to the entire kitchen staff, saying Bulldog Athletics wanted to acknowledge the continuous efforts of the staff on behalf of the student-athletes. “It takes all of us, and more, to make this work and provide the best student-athlete experience possible!” Martinez said. The Redlands team in turn was proud to wear the hats in solidarity with student athletes, especially during NCAA Division III week. Submitted by Susan Martinez, Operations Manager
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Sous Chef Gibson Price as Chef Jedi
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Art Institute of Chicago Makes Brunch an Affair to Remember
When summer arrives, the Art Institute definitely becomes one of Chicago’s “It” places to be. The unique event spaces, distinctive views, and seasonal cuisine draw local residents, celebrities, and dignitaries as well as visiting tourists from around the world. With all of the attractions (hence, distractions) going on during the week, the Terzo Piano team decided to offer a relaxing yet creative version on the public’s favorite Sunday meal — brunch — in collaboration with Time Out Chicago magazine. The menu featured tasty twists on classic brunch items, such as a shrimp cake with poached egg, béarnaise, and arugula, and a tortilla Española with romesco and green onion–parsley salad. The new menu also features delightful libations perfect for Sunday mornings, such as the special Bloody Mary with Valentine vodka, Calabrian chile, Gordal olives, Aleppo pepper, sopressata, and Big Ed’s cheese garnishes (yes, this is all in the drink, although guests can also custom-garnish their own). With brunch established and in full swing, it was time to do something special for the moms. Approximately 200 guests attended each of two Mother’s Day brunches put on by Bon Appétit at the Art Institute, one at Terzo Piano with a modern take on brunch classics and one in the Stock Exchange Trading Room with a Spanish twist to celebrate the last day of the special exhibition Picasso and Chicago. The latter featured Executive Chef Jason Gorman’s menu including patatas bravas with saffron aioli; date biscuits with chorizo gravy; torrijas (Spanish French toast) with roasted bananas, Marcona almonds, and Pedro Ximinez caramel syrup; and gambas al ajillo with Laughing Bird shrimp, piquillo peppers, and Calasparra rice. Both brunches offered something special for mothers. In the Trading Room, each mom was treated to a complimentary mimosa, while up in Terzo Piano, moms took home their own basil plant from Nichols Farm. Next up, the milder weather brought the return to a favorite tradition at the Art Institute: al fresco dining. Complementing the museum’s summer exhibition Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity, McKinlock Court Restaurant in the serene McKinlock Courtyard offered French-inspired cuisine including truffle and chicken-liver mousse with Cumberland gelée and French bread; a roasted beet tart with lavender goat cheese and chrysanthemum vinaigrette; sea scallops with cauliflower “steak,” curry butter sauce, and pistachios; and an elegant take on grilled cheese with local
artisan cheese and apricot-chile marmalade. Meanwhile, Piano Terra in the museum’s North Garden featured unique salad and sandwich options, such as Nichols Farms asparagus salad with dandelion greens, watermelon radishes, oyster mushrooms, and Meyer lemon vinaigrette, alongside the elegant “PLT” with La Quercia prosciutto, baby Lollo Rosa lettuce, orange–sun-dried tomato pesto, and green olive spread on beer bread. Submitted by Jennifer McDonald, Marketing Coordinator
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Best Buy Employees Walk for Charity
It’s always a bonding experience for staff to get into the community and volunteer or raise funds for local charities and nonprofit organizations, as was the case recently with Best Buy in Richfield, MN. Cook Eric Guggemos led a team of staff members that raised more than $2,400 to support the American Heart Association, through a walk held at Target Field. Then Pastry Chef Amy Williams and Cook Jerilyn Zilka led a number of employees in their “Rack Pack,” walking with friends and family members, to raise more than $2,600 in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and breast cancer research.
Cook Eric Guggemos with his wife, Stephanie, and children, Anna and Reese, at the American Heart Association walk at Target Field
These types of staff initiatives make General Manager Paul Adams proud. “One of the things I really appreciate about my team is their willingness to look beyond themselves as individuals and commit to helping others,” Paul says. “At work, it’s displayed on a daily basis. My team gets their work done and then looks to help their fellow employees, all with a focus on ensuring a great guest experience. That commitment to helping others doesn’t stop when they’re off the clock.” Submitted by Paul Adams, General Manager
Bon Appétit staff with their family members who walked the 5K to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation and breast cancer research
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Spring Weekend Tailgate Debuts at Roger Williams University
Alcohol and the college experience — every administrator’s and parent’s nightmare. For its first annual Spring Weekend Tailgate party, Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, tried something new: serving it in a wellcontrolled environment to those over 21 rather than banning it across the board. Bon Appétit shared hosting duties with other RWU departments and enjoyed providing simple tailgate-style food, such as soft pretzels, all-beef hot dogs, and potato chips, to complement the wine and beer bar. Students were required to make advance reservations for the event, which hosted about 600 — only 21 and over — and followed the more inclusive daytime Spring Weekend Block Party. Reservations included one drink ticket, and attendees had to pay for additional drinks. Though not limited, drinks would be cut off to anyone showing intoxication or bad behavior. The occasion was a true community venture, bringing together dining, housing, and public safety departments in cooperation with Bristol police. Everyone was extremely pleased that students were well behaved and had a fantastic time. Cheers to next year! Submitted by Stephanie Keith, Controller/ Marketing Manager
Students Appreciated with Free Lunch at Pacific
Bon Appétit at University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, decided to do something fun for Student Appreciation Day that would really please students where it so often counts: their pocketbooks. The management team served up its popular mac ’n’ cheese and barbecue pork sliders from the well-loved E.A.T. mobile food truck to more than 480 students at no charge. The students were surprised, grateful, and extremely complimentary of the food. The appreciation goes both ways! Submitted by Sia Mohsenzadegan, Resident District Manager
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George Fox Celebrates Cesar Chavez with Food and Fun
Why should Cesar Chavez only get one day of appreciation? George Fox University in Newberg, OR, decided to devote an entire fun-filled week involving music, food, and culture in his honor. The renowned California labor leader was instrumental in advancing the cause of farmworkers. The week kicked off with a mariachi band playing live music in the dining room during lunch on Monday. The fun was so irresistible that two full-time staff members, Pantry Cook Lilia Morales and Breakfast Cook Sandra Guzman, belted out a number along with the band. Tacos al pastor, albondigas (Mexican meatballs), posole, and arroz con pollo were just a few of the menu items served throughout the week. The Latino Heritage Club conducted a Mexican food cooking class in the cafÊ one evening, where participants learned how to make tortillas. Food, cooking, and music are wonderful gateways to discussing larger issues such as immigration, farmworkers’ rights, and Latinos in higher education. Submitted by Lisa Miles, Board Manager
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Pantry Cook Lilia Morales and Breakfast Cook Sandra Guzman accompanied the mariachi band
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Andrews Award Banquet Shows Off Its Best Local Offerings
Bon Appétit at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI, had its hands full with a Human Resources Service Awards Banquet — and the team pulled it off with ease. With a guest list of nearly 500 and elaborate farm-stand-themed staging to match, it is no wonder that the results received numerous accolades both during and following the big night. Four large, temporary wooden structures were constructed for just this event. They were used to house the buffetstyle food service lines with batch-prep stations at the back of each stall. Guests arriving on either side of a large, glass-enclosed lobby were greeted with attendants serving a variety of house-made aguas frescas, in such delectable flavor combinations as watermelon-mint, cantaloupe-basil, and vanilla-peach. Executive Chef Linda Brinegar and Catering Manager Mona Sarcona created the crowd-pleasing menu and chose decor that showcased the vast selection of local produce the southwest Michigan area has to offer. The beautifully designed display — featuring large baskets of produce, an antique apple crate fruit tower, and a cascade of various fruits, vegetables, and greens — wowed the guests as much as the delicious menu did. Submitted by Jonathan Daniels, General Manager Refreshing house-made agua fresca
Fresh produce provided pops of color throughout the event
Photo credits: Amy Crowley and John Lungu
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Minnesota History Center Cranks Out Steampunk Event
Double bacon club Panna cotta
As a food service company, it’s one thing to plan and execute corporate and campus menus, but it’s another to administer and execute large-scale, themed events — fortunately Bon Appétit is enthusiastic about and skilled with such things! This year, Bon Appétit at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, MN, pulled off quite a stellar production for the STAR Awards for the Minnesota Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES) with an exciting steampunk theme. Once everyone figured out what steampunk was — picture 19th-century Victorian costumes and machines given a sci-fi twist — there was no stopping the creativity that only true catering visionaries can bring.
Sous Chef Haley Mortenson, Catering Manager Christie Altendorf, and Executive Chef Erik Vik
More than 300 event industry professionals arrived at the Heroic Productions warehouse, unaware of the spectacular display waiting inside. Four different bays, typically used to store lighting and production equipment, had been transformed to represent different steampunk genres. Envision a science fiction version of the 1904 World’s Fair, and you have hit just the tip of the decor iceberg! Everything from snake charmers and contortionists to steam-powered wheelchairs played a part in the enthralling production that kept guests (pleasantly) shocked and awed as the night progressed.
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Christie Altendorf, catering manager, and Sarah Johnson, catering event coordinator, volunteered their time on the decor committee with other ISES members from the beginning to end of the planning process, searching for months to curate the perfect type and amount of vintage, rustic, and modern pieces to create the ultimate steampunk ambience. Executive Chef Erik Vik created a customized World’s Fair–inspired menu to please guests’ palates. Many local farms were featured on the double bacon club sandwich with Ferndale Farms turkey, Hidden Stream ham, arugula, Blaser’s Smoke’n Bacon Cheddar, and Pastures a Plenty bacon aioli served on petite potato rolls, and guests enjoyed both vegetarian and beef hand pies, as well as World’s Fair Dr. Pepper popcorn and panna cotta. Bon Appétit’s food station earned rave review from guests throughout the evening and even earned a repeat performance request for a future industry event! Submitted by Sarah Johnson, Catering Event Coordinator
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SCU Holds Cooking Competition for Health Ed Submitted by Melissa Reynen, Marketing Manager
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he popularity of chef competition reality TV shows provides an easy model for campus health education programs looking to grab an audience. What food-loving student wouldn’t want to compete — for the learning and the prize? One such recent Iron Chef–style competition took place at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA, as part of Health and Science Horizons, a series of events designed to enrich student, faculty, and community understanding of modern health-care topics sponsored by the Department of Arts and Sciences.
Richard Scott said,“I wanted to see what our students could do outside the classroom.” The spirit and skill of the friendly competition between students inspired the spectators and judges. But ultimately, Eric’s Cook-aholics team — Katherine Bercovitz, Amanda Dewey, Serena Lerkantitham, Brett Yurash, and Josegio Zaragoza — took home the winning prizes, iPod Shuffles. These events are a great way for students to break out and reveal their creative talents while learning from professional chefs.
The secret ingredient: The night began with the reveal — spring onions. Teams would be scored on factors such as originality, taste, temperature, timing, texture, and, of course, healthfulness. The teams: Sous Chefs Josh Grimes and Eric Boarini Sous Chef Eric Boarini explaining the encouraged their five-student art of cutting tuna to students Brett Yurash and Josegio Zaragoza teams — Wild Card and Cook-aholics, respectively — to design recipes that best highlighted the ingredient.
Student Serena Lerkantitham is all smiles while cooking
The dishes: Spring onion tuna tartare in a fried wonton skin, a sweet onion BLT with fried spring onion rings, and a Texas-style French toast with spring onion marmalade and spring onion whipped cream. The judges: The judges all came with different perspectives. SCU alum and Bay Area restaurant magnate John Conway said, “When I went to school, it was peanut butter and jelly, so this is really cool to see.” Other judges included faculty and professors of the university and DeNardo lectureship sponsor Dan DeNardo. Mr. DeNardo worked with a seafood company in 2004 as a consultant in creating a variety of healthy, easy-to-use tuna products. He likened his job as a judge to the time when his team was testing the new tuna recipes. When asked about judging, Mathematics Professor
Grilled flatbread with sweet onion, sweet salami, and Jack and cheddar cheese, prepared by team Wild Card
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behind the communications curtain | bonnie azab powell
Fishing expedition: A special dinner for a reporter featured a whole, locally caught roasted striped bass with chile, fennel, and grapefruit as well as party favors of honey from campus bees
PR it forward
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his column is about the big fish that get away — and why I don’t regret a minute of the time and resources we put into trying to land them. (Which is not to say I invest our operators’ time and resources lightly.)
Way back in August 2011, one of the most exciting emails I could have ever imagined fell out of the sky and into my inbox.“I’m writing a story for the New York Times Magazine’s upcoming food issue, about food lessons from the best corporate cafeterias in America,” wrote freelance reporter Cliff Kuang.“I was hoping to arrange a short interview in the next day or so to discuss what such cafeterias can teach the rest of America about improving institutional food.”
In early October, the Times Magazine’s special food issue came out. And there was no feature on Best Corporate Food in it. No mention of Bon Appétit Management Company whatsoever. “What happened?” I politely emailed Cliff. He said the editors killed the story, and he wasn’t sure why. He was disappointed, but he said he hoped to place the story elsewhere, such as at Fast Company, if that was OK. Well, yes, that was OK. I was bummed too, obviously, but Fast Company would cheer me up. And at least I wouldn’t have wasted Fedele’s and our three chefs’ time. Except no story materialized as the months went on.
I may have screamed — or at least squeaked loudly. Normally, we have to fight our way into top-tier publications like the New York Times. They don’t reach out to us, telling us that we’re the best. In the two weeks that followed, CEO Fedele Bauccio spent an hour on the phone with Cliff, as did eBay Executive Chef Bob Clark and Oracle Executive Chef Robbie Lewis as well as Executive Pastry Chef Ian Farrell.
This isn’t the only time this has happened. It’s kind of par for the course in the media relations side of public relations. You win some; you lose some. I used to be a reporter, so I know that things come up: maybe the editor who assigned the story leaves, and the new one goes “meh”; or much bigger news breaks; or you have a death in the family, have to take some time off, and never end up turning in a particular piece — whatever.
The reporter said that he was pleased with what he’d learned, and the story was completed. And then we waited, happily and patiently.
What I didn’t realize until I was on the PR side was that the time we put in is never actually wasted. You’re now firmly in the reporter’s mental Rolodex. When Cliff hears about some-
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one’s assignment that has anything to do with corporate food, he is going to mention eBay and Oracle. When magazines put together their regular “Best of X” lists —which despite public perception are not terribly scientific — we might now be the one of the names that jumps to the editors’ minds. When we host a reporter from one of the most esteemed business publications in the country at a Farm to Fork dinner in Chicago, fly Fedele out to have lunch with her later, put her on the phone with VP of Strategy Maisie Ganzler for an hour, and then watch a whole year go by without her ever mentioning us in print…well sure, that’s still disappointing. But I retain faith that she’s going to surprise us, and one day, we’ll open that newspaper and find a profile about how we’re driving change in the meat industry. Likewise with the senior business writer who I pitched six months ago about how Bon Appétit Management Company has always been a friendly place for female chefs and managers (in contrast to the rest of the restaurant business). Bon Appétit Regional Director Helene Kennan and her team at Google put together a completely mind-blowing private dinner at Google’s Hangout Café for the reporter, who flew across the country just for it. The dishes included house-made yuba (tofu skin); a gluten-free, vegan quinoa-kale dish; a whole roasted fish; and honey from bees that live on the Google campus. About 10 Bon Appétit female chefs, Maisie, the reporter, and a photographer drank wine, swapped stories, and laughed till it hurt for three hours.
Those are the two biggest opportunities that may have gotten away. Hold on, you say — don’t I mean three? Nope. In early April, the Internet alert I have on our company name delivered a surprise: a Fast Company Design story headlined “What Google’s Cafeterias Can Teach Us About School Lunches” — by Cliff Kuang. More than a year after I’d given up chasing him, Cliff had published an article about how Bon Appétit has been changing the landscape of corporate food for years. An excerpt: “‘Food service used to be purely about workplace productivity,’ says Fedele Bauccio, the founder of Bon Appétit Management, a company that quietly staffs many of Silicon Valley’s swankiest corporate cafeterias, including eBay, Oracle, and Yahoo!, and over 200 universities. ‘Now, it’s about creating a sense of community.’” He quoted Executive Chef Bob Clark, too. The story has been Tweeted or Facebooked almost a thousand times. The moral of this story is one that is generally applicable to all aspects of work (and life): be nice, try hard to be helpful, and do your best — not because it will result in an immediate reward, but because you just never know what ripple effects you’re putting in motion.
And now, we wait. Perhaps not all of us so patiently. (Sorry, Helene and Chef de Cuisine Hillary Bergh!) The Bon Appétit All-Star Women's Roundtable held at Google's Hangout Café included (clockwise from bottom left): TIBCO Chef/Manager Kimi Walker, a certain reporter, Google Chef de Cuisine (and honeybee keeper) Hillary Burgh, Google Chef de Cuisine Carrie Burse, SAP Executive Chef Melissa Miller, Vice President of Strategy Maisie Ganzler, Google Regional Director Helene Kennan, and Google Pastry Chef Pauline Lam
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reflections
Taking Our Work Home with Us Submitted by Derek Whitney, General Manager
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hen I leave my post as general manager at Oracle in Broomfield, CO, I sometimes bring a few things home with me: habits. As I’m getting ready to make dinner, I clean and sanitize my work area. My wife makes fun of me. “Are you expecting a visit from the health department?” she asks with a smirk.
The joke can get old, but every day, I see examples of how my career influences how I behave in my personal life. Have you ever knocked before going through a door in public or exclaimed“Corner!” as you’re going around a blind spot at the grocery store? We can’t help it! It is a habit that is hard to turn off sometimes. It’s become so natural to me that I probably don’t even realize all the times I do it. I have two little girls, ages 5 and 7. A couple of weeks ago, I was making dinner in the kitchen as they were playing and watching me. I accidentally dropped my knife and jumped a step back to avoid it. “Daddy! What are you doing?” Without missing a beat, I launched into an explanation of what happened and why I reacted that way. I told them never to try to catch a falling knife: “Just let it fall, and we’ll clean it off.” A couple of minutes into my safety lecture, I realized I was basically training my kids as if we were in a 10@10 meeting! I had to laugh. Some of us are new to food service, and some of us have been doing it for ages. We’ve adopted lots of habits, some for safety’s sake, some to be quicker, and some just because that’s the way we do it. I think we can agree that being on the inside of the counter has given us all a very different perspective on food and food service. As for me, you can take the boy out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the kitchen out of the boy.
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General Manager Derek Whitney with his daughters Maya and Maddie
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Oberlin Dishes Out Healthy Meals at Community Shelter
Changing Seasons, Changing Meal Plans at Redlands Submitted by Susan Martinez, Operations Manager
By Boris Papadiuk, Marketing Assistant
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here’s nothing like serving others, especially those in great need, to make one feel grateful for both one’s own circumstances and for the simple, human connection of direct service. The Bon Appétit team at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH, participates in Compass’s Be-A-star program and has always enjoyed the community involvement option. Several managers live near Joseph’s Emergency Shelter in Lorain, OH, and as a result, enlisted the team to donate household essentials and to help with serving the evening meal on two consecutive Fridays. The shelter, formerly St. Joseph Catholic Church, has been offering hot meals and shelter to 50 to 60 men and women each night from November to April. The team said they were touched by the appreciative response of the guests. They also happily reported signs of improving circumstances for the guests, even over the period of one week. “The first week there were six women at dinner,” said Student Employment Coordinator Candy Tollett. “The next week there were only three. We learned that three of the women had gained admittance to federal shelters.” The visits to St. Joseph’s highlighted the power of community, as well as the tremendous reward of giving back to those in need. Bon Appétit and Oberlin College will remain committed to acting as forces for good, not just on campus, but in the greater Oberlin and Lorain County communities. Supervisor Christopher Ellis, Student Employment Coordinator Candy Tollett, and Catering Assistant Debra Harris, flanked on both sides by weekly shelter volunteers
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t Bon Appétit, we like not only fresh produce but fresh cafés, too. At University of Redlands in Redlands, CA, it was time to remodel both cafés and student spending plans — tastefully, of course. With the renovations of the Irvine Commons, the Plaza Café, and the Plaza Market came the overhaul of student meal plans. The old All-You-Care-to-Eat plan yielded to declining credit balances (DCBs) to better complement the à la carte menu. But in Bon Appétit fashion, students were given plenty of clever options for spending their debit dollars this past year. Thanksgiving was the first holiday to offer DCB options. With pumpkinpieoneveryone’s menu, the wonderful bakers of Bon Appétit set to work making pumpkin, pecan, and apple pies to sell in the Plaza Market Cashier Gabriela Coreas and Plaza Café Supervisor Carlotta Benson newly remodeled Plaza selling flower arrangements in the Market. Keeping them Plaza Market stocked was an impossible task, with more than 100 pies a day flying off shelves just before Thanksgiving break. Winter holidays brought entirely new stock — house-made cookies and popcorn in tins, s’mores packages, mugs with hot chocolate fixings, pies, and more — all beautifully packaged. The gifts disappeared in fast motion due to their popularity and ease of DCB payment. Mother’s Day brought roses and lilies in gorgeous arrangements. Theresa Garvin Flores, University Club supervisor, helped harmonize the different blossoms into slender vases, pleasing all those who passed through the market with their fragrance and pleasing every student’s pocketbook with a good price and easy payment. And finally, to let students spend their last DCB dollars, the cafés set up sidewalk sales of beverages and packaged goods at the end of the year. 2 0 1 3 Vo l u m e 3
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from the fellows | s.k. piper, midwest fellow
bon appetit foundation Touring Green City Growers, the country’s largest inner-city hydroponic operation, with students
on the road
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s the Midwest Fellow for Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation, I get to work with folks at BAMCO-operated colleges in the region stretching from my home in Minneapolis, all the way south to Austin, TX, west to Denver, and east to Cleveland. Because much of my travel this semester happened to be consecutive (I was following along with the American Meat screening tour, which Bon Appétit cosponsored, for much of its Colorado and Ohio legs), I decided I’d set out on my own tour and hit all four corners of my region. I dubbed it Piper’s Epic Spring Semester Road Trip. Epic it most certainly was. Over the 3.5 months, I traveled 12,937 miles, visited 15 states (driving through 22), and visited 11 Bon Appétit accounts (two newly acquired). I got to guest lecture in classrooms, host presentations and events, participate as a panelist or moderator in multiple panel discussions, take chefs and students on farm visits, and talk about sustainability and social justice in the food system with people across the country. Thanks to my travel companion, my beautiful vegetable oil–powered car Charlene, the trip was much easier on the environment than hitting all of my destinations on separate trips or by plane would have been. I managed to travel all those miles on only 45 gallons of diesel and 233 gallons of waste vegetable oil (WVO) I picked up from BAMCO cafés 64 | BRAVO
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and filtered using pickle buckets. For those of you attempting the mental math, that’s an average of 46.5 miles per gallon — not bad for waste fryer grease. Picking up fryer grease from cafés along the way added a whole new dimension to my trip that I hadn’t anticipated. Getting to hang out on the loading dock, picking up and sometimes filtering oil, led to many interesting conversations with BAMCO employees I may not have had the chance to meet otherwise. Packing for that long of a trip was daunting. I knew that the temperature would be in the 80s by the time I reached Texas and my other southern destinations, but it was difficult to fathom the need for summer clothes when it was 10 degrees outside in Minnesota! As with past extended road trips, it helped me to view my car not just as a vehicle for transportation, but as my home for a few months. This meant that, in addition to decorating by taping pictures to the ceiling, I packed milk crates full of clothes as if they were drawers, turning my back seat into a makeshift dresser. I left the entire trunk space dedicated to vegetable oil, and with some clever rearranging, at one point I was actually able to fit 50 gallons’ worth of filtered WVO (10 gallons in my tank and 8 plastic jugs full). Another aspect of my trip that added to the adventure was that I sprung for a hotel for only two nights of the entire trip,
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Piper loads up her car, Charlene, for the long road trip ahead
Piper’s approximate trip route
both on extra long driving days when I stopped when I couldn’t drive any further. I was able to stay with friends and/or family and couch-surf for the rest. The most interesting place I stayed had to be the tent attached to the roof of General Manager Amy Herren’s SUV, parked in her driveway across the street from Cornell College’s campus. Piper’s Epic Spring Semester Road Trip was a huge success, and it was a perfect way to close out what has been an absolutely amazing two years as the Midwest Fellow. Thank you to everyone I encountered on my trip and throughout my fellowship for your kindness, hospitality, and shared passion for our causes. I look forward to staying in the wonderful Bon Appétit family as the sustainability manager at Denison University in Granville, OH.
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Congratulations to the Class of 2013!
College students, in their four (or more) years on dining services plans, pass through Bon Appétit cafés many hundreds of times. A bond really takes hold with our team members who serve them. As bittersweet as it can be to say good-bye as they move along to life’s next phase, we can at least celebrate and throw a party!
Read on for some commencement activities across the country...
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...at Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI
...at George Fox University, Newberg, OR
RWU’s annual commencement luncheon has become a popular tradition on campus. This year, reservations filled up prior to the cut-off date. The main residential café hosted 500-plus guests for an all-out multicultural buffet featuring something for everyone.
Bon Appétit at George Fox University has been blessed with a special group of student managers the past few years, and six of them — Taylor Gray, Christina Rubesh, Amanda Wyatt, Andrew Launder, Cody Rousseau, and Aleaha Gregor — graduated in May. In spite of diverse majors (music, biblical studies, physical therapy, biology, and Christian ministries), the six developed a strong bond of friendship and had movie nights as well as a fondue party during their final semester.
The served buffet lines featured prime rib, grilled chicken with wild mushroom demi-glace, ancho-crusted swordfish with spicy guacamole, among other entrées, along with several sides and bountiful salad and dessert bars. An adorable, lowrise children’s buffet included crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, baked macaroni and cheese, crudités, and fresh fruit. Guests, staff, and managers were all in agreement that this year’s luncheon was the most organized, enjoyable, and delicious yet!
Even when they were not working, they loved to spend time in the dining room (known on campus as The Bon) just to spend time together! Their work ethic was second to none, and they did an excellent job of training new student employees to Bon Appétit’s exacting GE3 standards while setting an example of how work can be productive yet enjoyable. They will be missed and are wished the very best as they venture off into the world!
Submitted by Stephanie Keith, Controller/Marketing Manager Submitted by Lisa Miles, Board Manager
Newly graduated former student managers Aleaha Gregor, Christina Rubesh, Taylor Gray, Andrew Launder, and Amanda Wyatt
Commencement luncheon service staff Tabitha Illum, Ashley Faria, and Sandra Fox
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...at Whittier Law School, Costa Mesa, CA
College is hard, but it’s safe to say that law school and other professional programs make the undergraduate years look like a cake walk in comparison. At the commencement ceremony for Whittier Law School, 222 graduates got to release a collective sigh of relief after three years of intense studies. The weather was beautiful, the parents and guests beamed with pride, and appetizers and hors d’oeuvres meticulously placed on trays and tables greeted them. The guests also enjoyed 35 gallons of fresh-squeezed lemonade. Pulling off 5,400 delicious appetizer portions could not have been accomplished without supersizing the team. Help came from Bon Appétiters at Whittier College as well as Pacific Café in Irvine. Thanks to the special colleagues and teamwork that pulled together a memorable occasion for the law school grads! Submitted by Vincent Hawkins, Café Manager
...at Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM
For the Bon Appétit team at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Commencement Day started with pastries, juice, and coffee for the morning pre-commencement. Lunch for more than 500 guests followed commencement in the café and offered a variety of culturally inspired fare, such as adobe-oven bread; vegan red chili with organic chicos from Taos Pueblo and Fox Farm organic bolita beans; blackberry-marinated bison kebabs with bison glaze; vegetable kebabs with chile-spiced vegetable glaze; and earlyharvest wild rice with fennel, mushrooms, and fresh oregano, as well as salads, chicken, and desserts. To serve this traditional fare, the catering staff wanted to look the part. A friend of Guido and Melody Lambelet, general managers at the IAIA and Sante Fe University of Art and Design, respectively, made traditional Navajo outfits for catering staff to wear and loaned them jewelry as well that belonged to her father and grandfather, who were both Navajo medicine men. (Toni Olver also picks up food donations from IAIA and SFUAD and delivers them to a women’s shelter in Sante Fe.) It was a great honor to dress up in Toni’s designs, as well as to serve this year’s graduates. Submitted by Guido Lambelet, General Manager
Front row, left to right: Server Garson Salas, Dishwasher Alexandra Armenta, Dishwasher Filomena Morales, Dishwasher Guillermina Caraveo, Server Irene Salas, Cook Angela Lucero, IAIA General Manager Guido Lambelet, and SFUAD General Manager Melody Lambelet. Back row: Server Valente Mendoza, Cook Carl Sutter, Cook Leah Koomoa Gulfan, Server Travis Marien, Server Pabol Mendoza, Server Francisco Mendoza, and Catering Staff Server Sabra Bull 68 | BRAVO
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Catering Supervisor Veronica Ponce assists Café Manager Vince Hawkins in putting all 5,400 pieces of food in their proper place
...at Washington University, St. Louis
There is nothing quite like commencement at Washington University. The campus sees more than 16,000 graduates, alumni, faculty/staff, and their supporters on Commencement Day. After all of the diplomas have been conferred and speeches made, that means 16,000 ecstatic, hungry people! Enter Bon Appétit, whose preparations for the enormous celebration begin months in advance. This year, Catering Director Rosemary Pastore and Executive Chef Patrick McElroy spent many months working with Washington University to ensure that the ability to provide fresh, local food that’s full of flavor — even at this scale — is retained. Patrick’s menu included a variety of tasty items that showed guests what Bon Appétit is all about and gave graduating students one final farewell taste from their past four years on campus. Rosemary and Patrick’s team served up 8,000 black-beanand-chipotle-pepper and white-bean-and-artichoke tarts; 16,000 chile-lime chicken skewers; 1,250 pounds of couscous salad with cucumbers, sun-dried tomatoes, and cilantro-citrus dressing; 8,000 vegetarian wraps with smoked paprika hummus, roasted harissa cauliflower, and shredded napa cabbage; and 8,000 turkey wraps. Guests were pleased with the memorable experience. And now, back to planning for Commencement 2014! Submitted by April Powell, Director of Marketing and Communications
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Redlands Helps Out at City’s First Sustainability Festival Submitted by Susan Martinez, Operations Manager
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on Appétit Management Company has been trying to be a role model for “food service for a sustainable future” for years, so Bon Appétit at the University of Redlands in Redlands, CA, was excited to participate in the city’s first Sustainability Festival. The festival was sponsored by Redlands Sustainability Network, a community organization whose purpose is to motivate, educate, and inspire public support of sustainable community ideals and practices, including energy and water use, access to outdoor recreation, local farming and food production, and efficient transportation. Their goal is to make the city of Redlands a model for sustainability, so the Bon Appétit team was elated to participate among the vendors and exhibitors lining the sidewalks of the university on a beautiful spring day. Vendors, including local food producers, sold their wares and passed out flyers from brightly decorated tables.
West Coast Fellow Claire Cummings hands out oranges from Farm to Fork vendor Jacinto Farms at Redlands’ first Sustainability Festival
Claire Cummings, West Coast Fellow, spent the day at the Bon Appétit table and talked about the value and reasoning behind the company’s sustainability initiatives. Claire and other staffers handed out Seafood Watch Guides, Food for Your Well-Being brochures, and delicious local oranges from Jacinto Farms. Jacinto has been growing citrus in and around Redlands for more than 90 years. It has expanded its offerings to include avocados, other fruits, and a variety of vegetables from its more than 100 acres of production. What a proud day to be a part of Bon Appétit, with positive feedback coming from both students and community members. One community member was even overheard saying,“You guys are the best of the best!”
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Northern California Heats Up with Rotating Chef Wars Submitted by Melissa Reynen, Marketing Manager
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orthern California Bon Appétiters are so competitive, they like to kick the standard chef contest up a couple of notches, with an entire touring season! Each of the four competitors — Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, University of San Francisco, and Mills College in Oakland — hosted a round. Each executive chef developed a different menu for each different location. Notre Dame de Namur even changed the meal focus for its event, asking each chef to create a breakfast menu for their dinnertime event and bringing out everyone’s creativity. Santa Clara University ended the four-campus tour with a blast of flavor. Each chef brought their best recipes for small plates that they thought would appeal to students. Lots of shrimp was involved, coincidentally!
Notre Dame de Namur Executive Chef Craig Gatewood and General Manager Susan Mamlok served Moroccan-style shrimp with charmoula sauce over grilled polenta. University of San Francisco Executive Chef Marco Alvarado prepared a unique, savory Creole shrimp crepe and a decadent fivecheese crepe for vegetarians. Executive Chef Jaime Dominguez of Mills College cooked jerk-spiced chicken for his Caribbean flatbread wrap. Santa Clara Executive Chef Michael Brinkmann and Sous Chef Eric Boarini served the students a beautiful plate of crispy sweet chili–orange prawns over vegetable curls and house-made wontons.
USF Executive Sous Chef Joe DeBono puts the finishing touch on a savory Creole-spiced crepe
The students placed their voting token in a glass bowl for their favorite team at the end of the meal. For the fourth year in a row, Santa Clara University enjoyed a home-team advantage for the win! The friendly competition may have inspired students to vote with school spirit, but those who were questioned enthusiastically claimed to have voted with their taste buds. This event was a great opportunity for showcasing the talents of chefs that feed thousands of taste-savvy students every day.
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Santa Clara serves up the ultimate winner: sweet chili–orange prawns on house-made wonton crisps
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Carleton Students Nourish the Younger Generation , By Vayu Maini Rekdal 15
Sous Chef Gibson Price and Vayu Maini Rekdal ,15 (left of Gibson) with members of the Firebellies and Young Northfield Chefs
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n rural Minnesota, the next generation of sustainable chefs is in the making. For the past three terms, Firebellies — the Northfield, MN-based Carleton College Culinary Club — has organized an afterschool cooking program at the local middle school. Started during winter term, the Young Northfield Chefs program aims to inspire and empower teenage boys through the universal language of food, providing them with life skills inside and outside the kitchen. Each week, the course focuses on a different aspect of cooking, with interactive, hands-on activities designed to give the students a more comprehensive understanding of cooking and nutrition.
As the students’ skills, enthusiasm, and knowledge increased, the natural next step was to introduce the participants to professional chefs. Not surprisingly, the Bon Appétit team at Carleton, with its deep commitment to community building through food, was greatly enthusiastic about collaborating.
Price. The class included a fair amount of dough throwing (the approved kind) but also more serious topics, including tours of the full-scale industrial kitchen, a visit to the bakers (who offered delicious granola bars), and fruitful conversations about college life. According to the middle school staff, the returning students are still bragging about their pizza-tossing skills and their encounter with “real chefs.” Their custom-designed aprons and certificates are symbols of pride and confidence, both inside and outside the kitchen. The Firebellies members, in turn, were proud to have given these students not only tangible items they treasure but something new to teach their families — as well as to have created yet another successful collaboration with Bon Appétit, one that will inspire a new generation of sustainable chefs.
A field trip to Carleton was soon organized. Bon Appétit General Manager Katie McKenna opened the doors to the Carleton East dining hall, where the students embarked on a from-scratch pizza adventure taught by Sous Chef Gibson
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Monthly Wine Dinner Graces Fort Worth’s Café Modern Submitted by Adrian Burciaga, General Manager
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he clean and contemporary surroundings of Café Modern at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, TX, have inspired many. The most recent fan is General Manager Adrian Burciaga, who thought the Modern’s patrons would appreciate the pairing of delicious food, wine, and stylish interiors. A highly successful monthly wine dinner was born. For its inaugural offering, Executive Chef Dena Peterson and Sous Chef Alan Huang blended seasonal, local ingredients to create a globally inspired five-course dinner, paired with the perfect California wines. Guests enjoyed artfully crafted cuisine against the backdrop of the museum’s iconic architecture and serene reflecting pond.
The event was so popular that the team chose to offer it monthly and rotate regions and themes. Although the elegant evenings are Adrian’s brainchild, they are also truly a team effort. Adrian works with Dena and Alan, as well as Director of Catering Roxanne McLarry and Catering Manager Sarah Krueger, to select the most ideal wine pairings for the meal, which the chefs plan in tandem with what’s seasonally available. Late spring’s event featured Italian wines, along with Italian-inspired cuisine (see menu) The first event of summer involved local brewery Rahr and Sons Local Brewing Co., also of Fort Worth, where guests were treated to an eclectic Asian- and American-inspired menu and a guest speaker from the brewery. Each event averages 80 guests. The team has been thrilled to see the overwhelmingly positive comment cards that attendees have left behind.
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Italian Wine Dinner | Café Modern Lemon Arancini, King Crab, Fennel and Arugula Salad WINE PAIRING: Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina del Sannio Roasted Figs | with house-made ricotta, Prosciutto di Parma, and white balsamic foam WINE PAIRING: Bertani Due Uve, Delle Venezia 2011 Duck Confit | with gnocchi, sous vide egg, and ramp pesto WINE PAIRING: Feudi Rubrato, Irpinia Aglianico 2011 Roasted Lamb Chop | with herbed cannellini beans WINE PAIRING: Brunello di Montalcino, Col d’Orcia 2007
Frangipani | with fresh berries WINE PAIRING: Fontanafredda “Moncucco” moscato d’Asti DOCG
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Crispy soft shell blue crab over Jonah crab succotash and Tabasco-molasses gastrique
The restaurant overlooks a reflecting pool
Ancho-coffee rubbed steak with chilled avocado puree and peach pico de gallo
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Regis Goes Hyperlocal with Onsite Food Gardens Submitted by Rebecca Repp, Director of Catering and Brand Programs
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arm to Fork took on a whole new meaning — and a much shorter distance — this spring and summer at Regis University in Denver, as gardens planted and tended by Bon Appétit staff members yielded bounties for the kitchen. One plot is in the Regis Community Garden on campus, but there’s now a secondary plot in the backyard of General Manager Letina Matheny, just a few blocks away. Letina, Kitchen Supervisor Clay Slipke, Grab and Go Supervisor Brittany Standage, and Executive Chef Tim Ramirez took breaks from their time in the kitchen to tend to the gardens. The yields from both gardens were used in catering and café meals and offered quite the variety: crisp carrots, baby carrots, potatoes, sweet corn, celery, onions, shallots, garlic, sage, thyme, tomatillos, radishes, Roma tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, poblano peppers, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, beets, broccoli, eggplant, romaine lettuce, and snow peas. These dedicated team members added green thumbs to their Bon Appétit uniforms, and guests were rewarded with the epitome of local and seasonal.
Best Buy, Target, and Medtronic Volunteer for Hunger Relief Submitted by Paul Adams, General Manager
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he well-worn proverb “it takes a village” is about community, about serving beyond one’s household. With that in mind, Bon Appétit team members at the Minneapolis-area trio of Target, Medtronic, and Best Buy chose to spend a volunteer day pitching in at the extended “village” at Second Harvest Heartland.
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Grab and Go Supervisor Brittany Standage and Kitchen Supervisor Clay Slipke at the garden
Garden harvest
The Upper Midwest’s largest hunger relief organization, Second Harvest distributed more than 76 million pounds of food in 2012 alone. It is not just a food bank for non-perishables: it also runs outreach programs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), offers food rescue and redistribution of fresh food, and works to implement sustainable systems that not only feed neighbors, but also help them to get back on their feet and into a position to help others — a key to ending the cycle of poverty. The value Bon Appétit places on these types of programs is why, for the second year in a row, approximately 50 Bon Appétiters volunteered to sort and package some of the food that moves through Second Harvest’s warehouse. It was a satisfying volunteer day for all — and certainly Bon Appétit will return.
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Take a Break Sessions at Willamette Highlight Sustainability and Service Submitted by Claire Cummings, West Coast Fellow
W
illamette University in Salem, OR, likes to offer a well-rounded education and opportunities for students to do something unique. So every spring semester, it offers a studentled alternative spring break that enables traveling to another community and working hands-on. The program engages students, faculty, and staff in community service and experiential learning at places around the country working on social issues. These Take a Break (TaB) educational and service-based trips help deepen the understanding of
General Manager Scott Morris and Operations Manager Danny Vasquez lead TaB students on a tour through the kitchen to demonstrate Bon Appétit’s sustainability initiatives in action
sustainable practices and innovative programs. This year in an effort to bring the topic of sustainable food closer to home, the TaB team invited Bon Appétit representatives to share about our waste reduction and Farm to Fork initiatives.
program designed to measure, track, and reduce food waste. They were shocked to learn that a good portion of the waste generated in the dining hall comes from students and that on Trayless Tuesdays, consumer waste is reduced by about 50 percent. The tour wrapped up with a group discussion about how the students can work with Bon Appétit to raise awareness on campus about wastefulness in the café. In addition to the kitchen tour, students visited Food Works, an urban Farm to Fork vendor run and managed by young Portland adults interested in developing leadership skills, building community, and growing wholesome food. Students learned about our Farm to Fork program and were surprised to hear we spend at least 20 percent of our food dollars on small, owner-operated farms within 150 miles of the dining hall. Tasting the produce and meeting the farmers really drove home Bon Appétit’s commitment to a sustainable food system. In a post-trip thank-you note, a student called this a powerful experience and added that the highlight was watching the chefs in the kitchen. Overall, the students were impressed with the Bon Appétit team at Willamette and walked away with a deeper appreciation for their dedication to reducing waste and supporting local farmers. They didn’t have to travel far at all for the value of this TaB session.
West Coast Fellow Claire Cummings worked with Willamette’s General Manager Scott Morris and Operations Manager Danny Vasquez to give students a pre-trip tour of the Goudy Café and kitchen. The students got to see chefs and cooks in action, preparing all the meals from scratch. They also got to hear about Trim Trax, a back-of-house 2 0 1 3 Vo l u m e 3
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THANK YOU, BON APPÉTIT …at University of Pennsylvania The following note was addressed to Dr. Amy Gutmann, president of University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Gutmann was kind enough to share it with the Bon Appétit team there. It made their week — and ours at headquarters! Dear President Gutmann, For the past three years I have spent 8–10 days in June on your campus as part of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking. My Stonier experience was terrific. The purpose of this email is to compliment you on a campus that is beautiful, warm, and welcoming, and specifically, two people who were particularly warm and welcoming. In your recent commencement speech, you said, “Good citizenship encompasses every facet of life. It is an expansive engagement with others, and it reflects fundamentally on who we are as people.” While on your campus, each day, I’d wait in line at the Houston Market salad bar for my custom-made, delicious salad. More importantly, I’d wait and watch the “good citizens” of your salad bar line display their “expansive engagement with others.” The two in the attached picture were both there each of my three years, and each year I’d look forward to seeing them. They are both warm, engaging, efficient, and helpful. They not only make a salad that tastes really good, they create an experience that feels really good. As impressed as I’ve been with your Wharton professors, these two have provided an equally impressive memory of your school. In our bank we know that many of our customers will never meet the president or sit down with our CFO or senior vice president. Our brand and our reputation as a bank depend on our tellers and others on our “front line.” The Bon Appétit team in cooperation with your Penn dining team (especially [Penn Assistant Director of Operations] Holly Marrone) are to be complimented for an outstanding week and experience. You and your staff are to be complimented for understanding that impressions are formed one interaction at a time. Even one smile at a time, often by those unsung heroes on the front line that show up each day ready to serve. Thank you for opening up your campus to our Stonier program, thank you for your leadership, and thank you for paying attention to the importance of every detail — and every smile. As you recently pointed out, your university’s founder said, “Let good offices [meaning good deeds] go round, for mankind are all of a family.” I appreciate your team making me feel like “part of your family.” Kindest Regards, George Satterlee 76 | BRAVO
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Cook Julian Lawrence, Missouri Bank Executive Vice President George Satterlee, and Cook Fatou Wilson
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Dan Sprauer, operations manager; Carrie Simmons, Fields dining room manager; Emmanuel Habimana, Dallaire scholarship recipient; Joann Geddes, co-director of academic English studies; and Mac Lary, general manager
…at Lewis & Clark Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, offers a scholarship to honor the work and vision of humanitarian Roméo Dallaire, the former commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission to Rwanda. Preference is given to survivors of the Rwandan genocide who demonstrate a dedication to promoting human rights in sub-Saharan Africa. The Dallaire Award resulted from the efforts of a Lewis & Clark College student who was moved to pursue the end of genocide and to support human rights globally. In that spirit, the awardees study and live with other students from throughout the United States and abroad, experiencing the history, beliefs, and habits of diverse cultures while also sharing their own. Joann Geddes, co-director of academic English studies, submitted the following glowing thank you to Office Assistant Scott Brotherton for the contributions made by Bon Appétit: Murakose! Merci Beaucoup! Thank You! Because of the extraordinary generosity of Bon Appétit, as well as of Lewis & Clark faculty, staff, students, alumni, neighbors, and friends, the seventh Dallaire scholar has begun his studies at Lewis & Clark College. Not only will Emmanuel Habimana benefit from a Bon Appétit meal plan, but he will also soon begin his part-time employment as a food server. Like his predecessors, Emmanuel will earn funds to help support himself while in the U.S. Perhaps more importantly, he will also have the opportunity to interact in a supportive workplace and to use the language skills he is acquiring, while learning about U.S. culture and cuisine. I have been affiliated with Lewis & Clark College for more than 30 years. Never have I observed or participated in an initiative that has gained such widespread support from so many members of our community. As partners, we have all come together to make possible a dream that could not otherwise have been achieved by our scholars. Our sincerest appreciation goes to the Bon Appétit Management and to each of the employees who has individually welcomed our Rwandan students. Your contributions have indeed changed lives.
From Kelvine Muhire, 2011–2012 scholar: The food scholarship was an opportunity that provided many firsts in my life. These include a) eating a variety of excellent foods in abundant quantities, b) my first opportunity to come across such kind people who can volunteer to feed people — a testimony that good kind people still exist on planet Earth, and c) a first experience for me to meet people who can give you a source of income in such a friendly environment — always patient with you and willing to teach and learn from each other. Many thanks to Bon Appétit! And from Patrick Mugabo, 2010–2011 scholar: I am personally very grateful for the charitable work Bon Appétit is doing for Roméo Dallaire scholars. Without their support, it would be otherwise impossible for us to be what we are today. Without Bon Appétit, my experience would have been unaffordable and I would consequently have been unable to attend Lewis & Clark College. Although I worked just 12 hours per week, the job they offered me helped in getting an amount to supplement the stipend I received. Because of that, I had enough money to make a trip to the home of a fellow student in California during the winter break and the money to buy some gifts for my siblings. My job also helped me to get acquainted with an American workplace, and I learned how to interact with English native speakers in a work environment. The message I have for Bon Appétit is to keep doing this great job you are doing for us, as your support has played a great role in changing our lives.
Geddes continues by sharing notes submitted by previous scholarship recipients:
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Thank You, Bon Appétit
...at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a world-class health care facility that sits close to the shores of South Lake Union in Seattle, shares the same campus as Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In addition to serving the Fred Hutchinson Center, Bon Appétit operates and manages a modest café in SCCA called the Red Brick Bistro, which was created for patients and families to come get away from the stresses of treatment. Café Supervisor Mourad “Mimo” Boumrar was hired in July 2007. It was evident from the beginning that Mimo showed an extraordinary ability to engage and connect with patients and their families. Recently, General Manager Chad Gross received this moving letter from Megan Thompson, a patient’s family member, showing how such interactions can affect people’s lives:
he had to go say hi before we left. Mimo was sitting with another patient who looked very sick, an older gentleman eating slowly. He had that man smiling and laughing. He turned and saw my dad and got up and started immediately joking with my dad. They decided they should go hunting someday. My dad laughed for a long time even walking out of the hospital. Please know that you have somebody working for you that means the world to these people. He inspired me. I am now asking to transfer to Seattle Children’s through my job so that I can do the same thing: make people laugh, smile and enjoy life even if just for a second. My dad is now in remission, so we won’t be around the hospital much, but when we are, our first stop will always be to see Mimo.
I have unfortunately become quite familiar with the hospital due to my father having cancer. We are there daily during treatments and monthly in between. I need to share with you how important Mimo has become to me and my family. Like me, he works in food service, and all too often people assume that we don’t matter or just couldn’t find any other means of work. How untrue! There were many days during treatment where my dad had nothing to smile about, something [that] unless you have gone through it, you can’t begin to understand. My dad really took to Mimo. Mimo greeted not only my dad but my mom and me every day for my dad’s chai tea, as he wasn’t allowed his two pots of coffee. Mimo ALWAYS had a smile. A cheery disposition went with it. He had a joke or a story every day. Something that my dad really looked forward to. If Mimo had a day off, Dad’s entire experience just wasn’t the same. Not that ANY of your staff is rude or not knowledgeable of great customer service; they just weren’t Mimo. He goes out of his way every day. This is a gift. It wasn’t just my dad. He does this with all his customers. I can attest that customer service is a draining job, and I am exhausted at the end of my day. I cry as I write this to you because these words do not come close to describing Mimo’s greatness. Yesterday I came up to the hospital after work and stopped by the cafeteria to see if Mimo was there. He greeted me with an awardwinning smile and asked how I had been. He told me that I needed to tell my dad he said hello. After his appointments, my dad said 78 | BRAVO
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Café Supervisor Mourad “Mimo” Boumrar
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…at Seattle University ...at Cleveland Museum of Art
Following the first wedding held at the new Cleveland Museum of Art, Director of Catering Sherri Schultz received the following glowing review from Bob Glick, the father of the bride: Words cannot describe the unbelievably amazing job you did in pioneering the CMA’s first wedding. I can only say — and will tell the world — that the event was beyond my wildest imagination. Everything came together, and the synergy levered the end result by 10! I was especially pleased with the food service; servers came from the kitchen in groups of 8-10-12 delivering delicious, hot food to each table! The lighting you suggested, the bar in the back, the tables facing front (we about ran out of room!), the table settings...everything you suggested worked beyond belief.
...at Roger Williams University
A Roger Williams University student in Bristol, RI, was thrilled to find employment right after graduating. Alison Gerver ’13 emailed this enthusiastic message to General Manager James Gubata via email, with the subject line: “I got a job!”
Bon Appétit teams love getting notes from grateful clients and guests, but they also love hearing from happy employees, too, even those moving on! Buzz Hofford, resident district manager at Seattle University, shared this note from Franklin Sanchez, a graduate student in the business school who worked for Bon Appétit: To the greatest supervisors ever, Just wanted to say Thank You all for the two awesome years I spent in the catering department! Bon Appétit was pretty much the first job I ever had, and you all made working extremely easy to get used to and really made me feel like part of the family from day one. All of you contribute to an environment that really promotes teamwork, and I think this is a huge reason why so many current employees recommend the catering department to all of their friends looking for jobs. The tone that you all set at the top really makes working more enjoyable, and I feel like everyone is working together to finish tasks. You have a great team on your hands. Thank you very much for the opportunity, and I truly appreciate the effort each of you give to this team every day.
I would just like to thank you again so much for giving me the opportunity to work for Bon Appétit last summer. I gained amazing experience by working for you guys, and I had an amazing time doing my job. Earlier this week I had an interview for a nonprofit working with local food. Without my experience at Bon Appétit, this new opportunity would not have been possible. I will be working on event planning projects for their annual benefit featuring 40 of some of the top restaurants in Manhattan :) Thanks again!
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Thank You, Bon Appétit
…at Hampshire College
...at Carleton College
After a new opening, little is more satisfying than receiving a rave review that is shared with the entire campus community. General Manager Betse Curtis at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, received the following note from students Bridget Leung, Beth Lisi, Debby Nelson, Matt Malmquist, and Brandee Simone of the College Advancement Team that was posted in Hampshire’s daily digest:
The admissions office and the planning committee for the International Festival of Carleton College in Northfield, MN, sent the following lovely thank-yous to General Manager Katie McKenna:
We just partook in a scrumptious lunch at the dining hall, where our eyes and mouths feasted on fresh vegetables, delicious entrées, and tasty desserts. Our highlights included: a) two types of (real) beets b) the lightest chicken salad of all time c) green goddess dressing d) whole wheat tuna sandwich with cheese e) cucumber mint agua fresca f) vegan options that taste amazing g) garlic-tastic hummus h) an excellent assortment of cheeses at the salad bar! Thank you for making our dining experience so enjoyable. It is a wonderful change and we encourage all of our Hampshire community members to investigate. Now that we are off campus, eating in the dining hall will be one more reason for us to make the trip down the street!
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...at Case Western Reserve University
Brittany Chung, a Case Western Reserve University student in Cleveland, wrote the following note to Jackie Thomas, a server at Leutner Commons. It really captures the bond that so many students make with Bon Appétit employees during their daily interactions at school: Dear Ms. Jackie, Thank you for an amazing year. Your smile, encouragement, and positive attitude have been highlights this year. I hope I see you during the summer, and I definitely look forward to seeing you next year! Keep being beautiful; you do make a difference in our days, and you’re a wonderful person. You’ve been a blessing to me, and I wish you a safe and relaxing summer. After Dayna Einheit, CWRU dietitian, spoke about sustainability to a group of graduate students, she heard from Jane Korsberg, MS, RD, LD, a senior instructor in CWRU’s department of nutrition: Thank you for taking the time and effort to speak with the Nutrition 517 [Seminars in Dietetics II] masters degree students regarding sustainability in food services. You gave them an excellent overview of this important topic. The students stated that you were very knowledgeable, and the presentation was informational and useful to them. Individual comments ranged from “loving the tomato story” to better understanding the impact of sustainability and supporting local businesses. Students also appreciated the well-developed, interesting presentation and the slides on specific Bon Appétit practices regarding using its influence and RD advocates to persuade farmers’ growing practices. Your contribution to the course content provided students with a good foundation for future practice. It was a pleasure to have you participate.
...at Concordia University
Kevin Callahan, general manager at Concordia University in Irvine, CA, received the following from a South Korean exchange student Min Kim: I was really concerned about what kind of food Concordia cafeteria will provide. I imagined American cafeteria to be full of greasy and fast foods such as pizza, hamburger, and hot dogs. Just as my imagination, Concordia cafeteria has all those three menus since many people like those menus. However, those are options. There is always fresh salad bar and fruits available which make it possible for students to choose to eat healthier. Additionally, this cafeteria provides many different kinds of food from different culture, which made me feel respected as an Asian. One day, there was Mexican food. Another day, there was Chinese food. Because the foods were diverse like this, even until the end of my stay in Concordia, I was not tired of eating at this cafeteria. Last of all, staffs in this cafeteria were extremely kind. Especially, Kevin and [Assistant Manager] Cecilia [Wong] would always come up to me and ask me if I have any trouble eating foods in the cafeteria. Eventually, we became good friends. Overall, thanks to this cafeteria, I was able to have balanced and nutritious meals for one year, and I will definitely miss this place. Exchange student Min Kim
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The Back Page
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Heroes for Hens: Melissa Miller, executive chef at SAP, sits for an interview about Bon AppĂŠtit Management Company's cage-free egg policy, then demonstrates how to cook a simple omelet. Directed by 4SP Films for the US chapter of World Society for Protection of Animals, the short video is intended to inspire other corporations to go cage-free in their egg purchasing. It will feature Melissa, CEO Fedele Bauccio, and VP of Strategy Maisie Ganzler talking about how Bon AppĂŠtit came to be the first food service company to switch to 100% cage-free shell eggs in 2005, the challenges we faced in doing so, and how humane policies translate to the culinary side. Submitted by Bonnie Azab Powell, Director of Communications
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INDEX
Andrews University 57 Art Institute of Chicago 10-11, 53 AT&T Park 24 Banfield 21 Best Buy 7, 54, 74 Carleton College 45, 52, 71, 80 Case Western Reserve University 9, 81 Cleveland Museum of Art 79 Colorado College 30 Concordia University 81 Eckerd College 17, 40-41 Emmanuel College 15 Fort Worden 39 Genentech – South San Francisco 28 George Fox University 56, 67 Google 60-61 Hampshire College 34-35, 80 Institute of American Indian Arts 68 Javelina Cantina 31 Lewis & Clark College 77 Marylhurst University 30 Medtronic 74 Mills College 70 Minnesota History Center 37, 58 Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth 72-73 Musical Instrument Museum 6 Nordstrom 16 Notre Dame de Namur University 70 Oberlin College 29, 63 Payless 29 Reed College 5 Regis University 74 Roger Williams University 7, 55, 67, 79 Ronler Acres 4, 19
BRAVO WAS PRINTED ON PAPER MADE FROM
Saint Louis Art Museum 42-43, 44 Santa Clara University 5, 32-33, 59, 70 SAP 82 Seattle Cancer Care Alliance 78 Seattle University 6, 36, 79 St. John’s College 27 Target 74 Trine University 13, 36, 51 University of La Verne 26 University of Pennsylvania 18, 76 University of Portland 51 University of Redlands 52, 63, 69 University of San Francisco 70 University of the Pacific 12, 55 VMware 22-23 Washington University in St. Louis 37, 38, 50, 68 Wesleyan University 8 Wheaton College 21, 31 Whittier Law School 68 Willamette University 20, 75
100%
RECYCLED FIBER INCLUDING
THIS SAVED...
48 fully grown trees 22,561 gallons water 21 million BTUs energy 1,510 pounds solid waste 4,160 pounds greenhouse gases
57%
POST- CONSUMER WASTE .
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2013
FOOD WASTE A HOT TOPIC AROUND THE COUNTRY PAGE 20
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