Bravo 2019 - Volume 4

IN THIS ISSU E

B ON APPÉTIT TE A M S W I N N E W E N G L A N D F O O D VI S I O N P R I Z ES 2 0 1 9 BE -A-STA R HO N O R E ES E AT LO CA L CHA LLE N G E

| PAGE 3 8 | PAGE 42 | PAGE 8 8

FROM FEDELE

THE EXCITEMENT OF NEW POSSIBILITIES “The trick is to build for today’s needs and anticipate tomorrow’s requests. I want to invest in facilities that will stand the test of time.”

E

ven after decades in the food service business and countless openings, nothing excites me more than creating a new café experience.

Being given a blank canvas and the opportunity to start from scratch in designing a café feels like Christmas morning. Inspired by everything from a restaurant I may have visited to a fashion trend I’ve noticed to an article I’ve read, I’ve always got something in my head that I want to try out. I relish the chance to sit with a designer, put virtual pen to paper, and start drawing the possibilities. The trick is to build for today’s needs and anticipate tomorrow’s requests.

I want to invest in facilities that will stand the test of time both in their beauty and function — flex with trends and give our chefs room to play.

Working within an existing facility brings different challenges but just as much excitement. When I walk through a café at a bidders’ conference, my mind starts racing.

Once we strip back the café and kitchen to their barest state, I know that we can create something wonderful. First I want to know about the equipment available for our chefs.

We must be able to cook — tilt kettles for stock, enough fire power for woks, and room to prep. And dish machines! The best (and most environmentally friendly) dining experience is on china with real knives and forks. Those details matter, and they start with the equipment.

Next I start imagining the layout — how a guest walks through the servery. What they see, what they smell. Lighting is critically important. We eat with our eyes first, and we need to see the bright colors of fresh produce. The food should be raised up, not sunken in wells. Beautiful crockery breaks up the “cafeteria” look we too often inherit.

Finishing dishes to order whenever possible also creates a sense of care and customization important to the experience I want to create.

Each new café brings another chance to learn from the past, innovate, and take risks.

The space becomes a physical manifestation of what’s in my head. Of that, I’ll never tire.

01 | BRAVO

IN THIS ISSUE

07

30

88

01

FROM FEDELE

40

FROM MICHAEL

88

EAT LOCAL CHALLENGE 2019

04

BITS & BITES

42

BON APPÉTIT’S 2019 BE-A-STAR WINNERS

98

BRAVO BOOST

06

TALKING ABOUT FOOD

62

BON APPÉTIT GIVES 10 STUDENT GROUPS $1,000 TO IMPROVE FOOD SUSTAINABILITY ON CAMPUS

120

THANK YOU, BON APPÉTIT

22

BRAVO BOOST

80

COOKING UP NEW RECIPES FOR HEALTHY KIDS

126

38

BON APPÉTIT-SERVED UNIVERSITIES WIN 2019 NEW ENGLAND FOOD VISION PRIZES

84

THE POWER OF PRODUCE

The excitement of new possibilities | FEDELE BAUCCIO

Community building over shared meals, fresh airwaves, and spirited competition

The spirit of giving | MAISIE GANZLER

Safely serving our food-allergic guests

Becoming part of the family | MICHAEL BAUCCIO

Carleton College’s relationship with local Hmong farmers has proven beneficial to both students and the local food movement | DAVID SCHIMKE, THE CARLETON VOICE

03 | BRAVO

Upgrade your CaterTrax

BON APPÉTIT MVP

From catering to AGM, Armando Valenzuela is ready for change | BONNIE POWELL

BITS & BITES

Students enjoying Sunday Supper at University of Portland’s Pilot House

Bon Appétit Marketing Assistant Danielle Lee and Marketing Coordinator William Persson coproduce “Green Is the New Black”

UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND STUDENTS GATHER FOR SUNDAY SUPPER

HILLSDALE TEAM TAKES TO THE AIRWAVES WITH “GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK”

General Manager Kirk Mustain, Chef de Cuisine Ken Clemens, and Retail Manager Brian Armstrong decided to start a new tradition for University of Portland in Portland, OR: Sunday Supper at Pilot House.

Started as a new way to reach Hillsdale College students in Hillsdale, MI, with information about Bon Appétit’s wellness and sustainability initiatives, the weekly “Green Is the New Black” radio show has enjoyed unexpected success, reaching several hundred listeners with each episode.

Held biweekly and marketed through a combination of direct email, Instagram posts, and in-café signage, the dinner series offers several main dishes along with a beverage and dessert, served at a table for 12 set in the middle of the café. Themes have ranged from “Plentiful Pastas” to “Bayou Bash.” Ken lets his staff try out their ideas ahead of time for approval by him and Brian.

Students have welcomed the opportunity to dress up and create quality connections over a shared meal, and the plan is for the number of spots to expand to 24. “Sunday is traditionally a ‘study’ day here, and students tend to stay on campus. This is home for 30 weeks a year, and we wanted to help it feel even more so, by providing an opportunity to gather for a family-style meal,” said Kirk. “We want to provide a great meal that will be remembered as a cherished college experience.” — Submitted by Brian Armstrong,

The show is hosted by Danielle Lee, a student marketing assistant for Bon Appétit, in collaboration with Marketing Coordinator William Persson. Special guests have included Bon Appétit Waste Programs Manager Claire Cummings and Director of Wellness Terri Brownlee, and Danielle and William are also tackling more general sustainability topics such as fashion’s impact on the environment, and what Fair Trade means. “Green Is the New Black” airs on Hillsdale College’s Radio Free Hillsdale (WRFH) 101.7 FM and streams on SoundCloud (find it at soundcloud.com/radiofreehillsdale). — Submitted by William Persson,

Retail Manager

Marketing Coordinator

04 | BRAVO

BITS

TACO ‘BOUT AN IMPOSSIBLE TRIP: Executive Chef Derek Ivancic (pictured) of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland won Bon Appétit/Impossible Foods’ joint contest in April 2019, showcasing the “outside-the-bun” versatility of the new and improved formulation of Impossible Burger via his Impossible chorizo tamales. Derek and his wife recently took his prize trip to the Bay Area to visit the Impossible Factory in Oakland, CA, and dine at School Night, the San Francisco restaurant of Bon Appétit chef-partner (and Impossible culinary adviser) Traci Des Jardins, where he enjoyed her Impossible crispy tacos and Impossible albondigas.

— Submitted by Cheryl Sternman Rule, National Marketing Manager

Campus Executive Chef Patrick McElroy eyes his next batch of tomatoes

WASH U TAKES ON THE ONE-TON TOMATO CHALLENGE Everyone knows there’s such a thing as too many zucchinis, but can you really have too many tomatoes? The Bon Appétit team at Washington University in St. Louis is not afraid to find out. Every year they eagerly take on the One-Ton Tomato Challenge, an activity orchestrated by Campus Executive Chef Patrick McElroy to support a local partner in a big way and foster some healthy competition among his team.

Sally the salad robot offers Target employees 24/7 access to quick and healthy meal options

SALLY THE SALAD ROBOT SERVES TARGET GUESTS The Bon Appétit team at Target’s North Campus in Brooklyn Park, MN, has a hardworking new helper — Sally the salad robot!

Seeing a need for fresh meal options for Target employees working late nights, Resident District Manager Jim Klein and General Manager Lyle Schoenthaler have partnered with Chowbotics to bring Sally to Target. With a small 3-by-3-foot footprint that easily fits on a counter, the machine has 22 refrigerated canisters stocked with fresh ingredients that guests can customize for fresh salads delivered in minutes. — Submitted by Lyle Schoenthaler, General Manager

It begins with the purchase of truckloads of late-fall tomatoes from Farm to Fork vendor Double Star Farms. Chefs at the Danforth University Center, the Village House, Ibby’s Bistro, South 40, Parkside Café, and the campus commissary kitchen then come up with creative ways to feature as many of the delicious orbs as possible in a week. Among the tomato-centric solutions: tomato pie, a virgin Bloody Mary, fried green tomatoes with lemon aioli, pizza with roasted tomatoes and Brussels sprouts, tomato risotto with grilled balsamic-lemon portobello mushrooms, and tomato Florentine soup.

This year the WashU teams crushed the previous One-Ton Tomato Challenge record, by splattering past the goal to hit 3,667 pounds!

“It’s great to celebrate a seasonal local product, while challenging ourselves to see how creative we can get,” said Patrick. — Submitted

by Rob Staggenborg, Marketing Manager

05 | BRAVO

TALKING ABOUT FOOD | MAISIE GANZLER

THE SPIRIT OF GIVING “Each year, in the name of our clients, we make a donation to a special charity.…[for] projects that can help change our food system for the better.”

W

e are extremely grateful for the trust and responsibility given to us by our clients. It’s a true honor to be welcomed into their dining rooms. While we try to say thank you every day by providing delicious, nourishing food and great service, during the winter holidays we take the opportunity to say a special thank you.

In the early days, we’d send a physical token of our appreciation — a cookbook, a whisk, a special spice mix. In 2001, we’d planned to send each client a knife engraved with our logo. Then on that fateful day in September America will never forget, tragedy struck.

Mailing sharp objects around the country all of a sudden seemed grossly inappropriate.

2001: Windows of Hope, to support the families of food service workers lost in the Twin Towers, New York 2002: Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, for a family home, St. Paul, MN 2003: Habitat for Humanity Portland, for a family home, Portland, OR 2004: East New York Farms! for a community garden and youth empowerment program, Brooklyn, NY 2005: Collective Roots Garden Project, to build an outdoor kitchen, East Palo Alto, CA 2006: Earthworks Enterprises, to establish a communitysupported agriculture (CSA) program and provide 30 families with shares for year-round nourishment, Whittier, CA 2007: New Orleans Food & Farm Network, to create a demonstration urban farm to aid in rebuilding the local food system after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, LA 2008: Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help (REACH), to educate young people about air and water pollution and introduce them to sustainable agriculture, Duplin County, NC 2009: Cesar Chavez Education Institute, to buy high-quality, high-interest reading materials for 2,500 children in farmworking communities, Tehachapi, CA 2010: Wholesome Wave, to expand the Fruit & Veggie Rx program, through which healthcare providers write “prescriptions” for local produce from farmers’ markets, Dorchester, MA

We decided to take the funds we would’ve spent on the knives and donate them to Windows of Hope, the relief fund set up for the families of food service workers in the World Trade Center.

A simple card of thanks was sent to each client. And then thank you cards started coming in for us! Client after client shared how moved they were by the gesture and how much this gift embodied the true spirit of the holidays.

A new tradition was born! Each year, in the name of our clients, we make a donation to a special charity. The two years following 9/11, we built Habitat for Humanity homes for deserving families in St. Paul and Portland. After that, we decided to focus on projects that can help change our food system for the better.

2011: Farmer-Veteran Coalition, to establish Good Food Fellowships for returning veterans, Sacramento, CA 2012: Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), to provide educational and business opportunities for farmworkers and would-be farmers to grow and sell their own organic crops, Salinas, CA 2013: FoodCorps, to send service members to Boston; Oakland, CA; Portland, OR; Santa Fe, NM; and Wake County, NC; to teach 4,000 kids about healthy eating 2014: To mark the 15th year of our Farm to Fork program, 10 small farms and ranches received grants for infrastructure improvements, nationwide 2015: College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), to assist freshmen students from migrant farmworking families in making a smooth transition to college, Austin, TX 2016: Main Street Project, to create a new model for the humane production of free-range poultry raised by immigrants and other limited-resource farmers, Northfield, MN 2017: Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS), to establish the Food Justice & Equity Scholarship Fund for farming apprentices of color, Santa Cruz, CA 2018: World Central Kitchen, to purchase 25 mobile waterpurification systems to aid in disaster relief, Washington, DC

06 | BRAVO

2019: REBEL VENTURES, FOR A REBEL MOBILE CARGO VAN, PHILADELPHIA

Rebel Ventures participants visit the University of Pennsylvania campus

I’M EXCITED TO SHARE THAT REBEL VENTURES IS OUR RECIPIENT FOR 2019. This youthpowered nonprofit creates healthy deliciousness for their community, striving to increase access to nutritious, tasty foods for kids and to engage high school students in meaningful entrepreneurial job experiences.

Since launching in 2017, Rebel Ventures has served more than a million Rebel Crumbles (fruitfilled breakfast cakes) to kids in Philadelphia. Each Crumble contains a half-cup of fruit and 16 grams of whole grains. Offering Crumbles in school cafeterias significantly increases kids’ fruit and whole-grain consumption and also means they’re eating fewer less-healthy breakfast options. Through Rebel Ventures’ job-training model, centered on creating, sourcing, producing, and marketing the Crumbles, high school students build technical skills, professional ‘soft’ skills, self-reliance, and cultural capital. Crew members seek out problems to solve, confidently raise their voices, try novel things, and travel to new places.

Since 2016, 100% of Rebel’s graduating seniors have continued on to start college or trade school.

Taken together, this youth-driven work — rooted in food education and entrepreneurship — is transforming their community’s culture of health.

Our donation will fund the purchase of a Rebel Mobile cargo van, which will help transport fresh produce, prepared foods, supplies, and the Rebel crew. A gift for the Rebel youth and their community, in the name of our wonderful clients. For that, I am thankful.

07 | BRAVO

ADOBE GOES HIGH TECH FOR IMMERSIVE “ASIAN IN AMERICA” MULTIMEDIA DINING EXPERIENCE

Adobe guests put on Oculus Go VR headsets to watch artist renderings before each course

THE BON APPÉTIT CULINARY TEAM at Adobe in San Jose, CA, served up a special treat to Adobe employees with “Asian in America,” the award-nominated multimedia dining experience from Studio ATAO. Adobe’s Asian Employee Network and VR Club copresented the first event, which was open to all Adobe employees. This cutting-edge dining experience included virtual reality headsets along with multiple courses and cocktails, each one featuring symbolic ingredients and preparation methods. Illuminating and highly interactive, the experience used food as a “way in” to

The event encouraged guests to engage all their senses while eating

08 | BRAVO

ADOBE - SAN JOSE CULINARY TEAM HOSTS BENEFIT FOR FARM DISCOVERY Executive Chef Jessica Yarr and the rest of the Adobe San Jose team cooked an alfresco feast to raise funds for Farm Discovery. The Watsonville, CA-based nonprofit empowers thousands of students each year through handson farming, environmental, and health programming at Live Earth Farm. Jessica’s colorful main course featured Red Ace beet borscht with beef short ribs, potato-leek pierogis, and rainbow chard stuffed with beluga lentils, roasted cauliflower, carrot pilaf, and dried Santa Rosa plums. Jessica shared with guests that the menu was a tribute to the food of her heritage, and to her Ukrainian grandmother, who had just passed away at the age of 103.

Naem beef short ribs with Japanese yam purée, fermented plum, pea vines, “bun mam,” and nigella seed caviar were accompanied by thought-provoking poetry

inspire conversation about some challenging topics — questions of identity, race, representation, and stereotypes. Conversations were broached and new connections made over a delicious and thought-provoking meal. Diners donned Oculus Go headsets to watch brushstroke-by-brushstroke artist renderings of the course they were about to eat, paired with spoken-word narrative by Studio ATAO Founder and Creative Director Jenny Dorsey (who also served as executive chef) about her experience as a woman of Chinese heritage in the United States; other courses were accompanied by a poetry card.

Watsonville Mayor Francisco Estrada spoke about the need for food and environmental equity, and his own involvement in a similar program at a young age. “I would not be standing here if it weren’t for programs like this,” Estrada said. “I know how important it is. This community, this nation won’t endure unless we support our youth — especially youth of color.” — Submitted by Emilie Zanger, Communications & Engagement Manager

The menu included “Stereotypes” — Thai naem fermented beef short ribs with Japanese yam purée, fermented plum, pea vines, nigella seed caviar, and bún mắm (a fermented Vietnamese noodle soup); and “Fancy Because It’s French” — an oolong cookie with red bean mousse and salted turkey egg custard, served with fresh soy milk. Assisting Jenny to produce the meal were Bon Appétit Catering Sous Chef Geovanny Gil, Executive Pastry Chef Cynthia Leung, and Catering Supervisor Mark McCandless.

A second event, a private gathering for 25, brought together members of the Adobe Culinary Team, Workplace Experience, and Digital Workplace Experience teams at Palettes in San Jose for a similar experience. Everyone left inspired by the possibilities of an emerging technology and energized to collaborate on more cutting-edge, multidisciplinary experiences in the future.

Submitted by Sydney Clark, Marketing Specialist

09 | BRAVO

Line Cook Angel Estrada and Executive Chef Jessica Yarr with golden beet and chard stem pickles

RESTAURANT 917 HOSTS EXPERIENCE-DRIVEN DINNER

General Manager Oliver Alexandre and Executive Chef Matt Lee at Restaurant 917

Dulcey crémeux with cocoa tuile, honey ice cream, and passion fruit sauce

EXECUTIVE CHEF MATT LEE, General Manager Oliver Alexandre, and the rest of the Bon Appétit team at Restaurant 917 at the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles in Carson, CA, know the importance of driving brand awareness. To get the word out about the restaurant and the Porsche Experience Center to a new crop of media and influencers, they hosted a three-course, invitation-only dinner that combined the rush of demonstration laps on Porsche’s driver development track with Matt’s innovative take on contemporary California cuisine.

to Restaurant 917 for dinner, beginning with an amuse-bouche of Mission oysters with Ocean Mist Farms fennel mignonette and liquid nitrogen-frozen Polito Family Farms Mandarin orange. Matt prepared a first course of crab ceviche with avocado, grilled pineapple, coconut and swarnadwipa butter (infused with a currylike blend of spices and coconut), followed by Wagyu beef tenderloin with creamed corn and wasabi-fried Broccolini. Pastry Cook EunBee Lee closed the meal with a dessert worthy of a photo finish: dulcey crémeux with cocoa tuiles, honey ice cream, and passion fruit sauce.

The intimate guest list included a mix of broadcast journalists (radio and television), print journalists, and digital influencers ranging from car aficionados to cocktail enthusiasts. Guests were greeted on the Speedster Café patio overlooking the 53-acre driver development course with a Formula E cocktail, a nod to Porsche’s forthcoming line of electric vehicles, which featured Nolet’s gin, lemon cordial, crème de mûre, and an “ode to the Earth” ice cube (frozen with lemon peel, cinnamon, star anise, and lemongrass).

After enjoying exhilarating demonstration laps with Porsche’s professional drive coaches, the guests made their way upstairs

“Great food starts with great product. We wanted this menu to showcase the best ingredients to deliver an unforgettable experience,” said Matt.

Impressed, the media guests took to social media to share images of the visually stunning, delicious dishes with their followers, racking up thousands of likes and Instagram Stories views — and raising awareness of this hidden gem on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Submitted by Waverley Aufmuth, Public Restaurant PR & Marketing Manager Photos: Rick Poon

10 | BRAVO

A delicate amuse-bouche of oyster with fennel mignonette and Mandarin orange

11 | BRAVO

MUSTARD SEED FARMS IS A GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY LOVE STORY

Farmers Nancy and David Brown at Mustard Seed Farms

THE DAY AFTER THEIR 1967 GRADUATION from George Fox University in Newberg, OR, David and Nancy Brown got married and began working the farm David had started while still living in the dorm.

Named after the Matthew 13:31-32 parable, Mustard Seed Farms is a labor of love and faith, one that has been planted in several locations around the Willamette Valley over the years.

Certified Organic since 1991, David and Nancy have helped other farms in the area transition their land to organic. The farm also has a long relationship with both George Fox University and Bon Appétit, as Nancy spent a number of years as a Bon Appétit employee working the salad bar at the university. Neither David nor Nancy could quite remember when Mustard Seed Farms started selling produce to Bon Appétit, but they suspect it was at that time.

Bon Appétit General Manager Jason Rosvall, Fellow Shannon Tivona, other Bon Appétiters, and George Fox students learned all this and more on a recent visit

Nancy and David are both George Fox University alumni turned farmers

12 | BRAVO

GEORGE FOX MAKES A FOOD WASTE WAGER

When General Manager Jason Rosvall found out Fellow Shannon Tivona would be visiting George Fox University in Newberg, OR, he immediately jumped to make the most of the opportunity.

Jason wanted to bring awareness to two important issues that he had been hearing about from students and staff: food waste and food insecurity. Together, Jason and Shannon cooked up a week full of education and action with a very specific goal in mind: If the amount of lunchtime food waste by students could be reduced by 30% over the week, Jason would donate an entire pallet of instant oatmeal to the on-campus Bruin Community Pantry. Members of the Bruin Community Pantry, which serves students and community members in need, helped to spread the word among students, with help from the pallet of oatmeal on display in the café with signage.

Front of House Supervisor Kitty Jones and Front of House Manager Brett Harvey checking out Mustard Seed Farms’ squash

to the farm. David and Nancy explained that the biggest challenge Mustard Seed faces is the difficulty of organic weed control. The farm grows a full array of organic vegetables and salad crops, but they’re best known for their giant pumpkins.

They once grew a 700-pound pumpkin!

Jason ended up taking two giant pumpkins back to campus where he set up a fun fall contest asking the students to guess how much they weighed.

On her way out, Shannon asked if she could take a picture of Nancy and David holding a pumpkin. Without missing a beat David pulled Nancy in close and said: “I’ve got my pumpkin right here.” This one was a far cry from being giant, though.

The week started off with a Weigh the Waste event where Shannon collected all the food waste from the lunchtime meal period. The food was then weighed, and that 110 pounds of food (and napkins) became the baseline for reduction over the week. (Shannon noticed a lot of burger buns getting tossed, which prompted Jason to look into starting to offer some burgers without buns.) On Tuesday and Thursday, Shannon hosted a table in the café focused on waste awareness. Students were encouraged to join in a game of Food Jeopardy: Waste Edition! And could sign the “Clean Plate Pledge” to reduce their food waste, an activity created in partnership with the Bruin Community Pantry.

To finish out the week, Shannon and student David Park ran another Weigh the Waste session. By the end of the meal, the students had reduced their waste by 35%, exceeding the original goal! The pallet of oatmeal was delivered to the Bruin Community Pantry to celebrate the victory. — Submitted

by Shannon Tivona, Fellow

Submitted by Shannon Tivona, Fellow

13 | BRAVO

George Fox students’ signed Clean Plate Pledges were displayed in the café to inspire others to also reduce their food waste

FRED HUTCH NETS A WILD EXPERIENCE WITH LUMMI ISLAND SALMON

Chef de Cuisine Kris McAuliffe, Sous Chef Billie Blue, Executive Chef Diego Torres, and Catering Chef Peter McCoy ready for some salmon fishing

LET’S GO FISHING! Executive Chef Diego Torres gathered his Bon Appétit colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle to visit the Lummi Island Wild salmon fishery on Lummi Island and learn more about how these prized Pacific Northwest specimens are caught. The fishery, which partners with the Lummi Nation, has been rated one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world. (It also claims to be the world’s first solarpowered wild salmon fishery and to have one of the lowest bycatch rates.)

The Pacific Northwest has been observing a declining population of resident orca whales, and café guests at Fred Hutch have inquired about the impact of the team’s salmon purchases on the marine mammals. Diego had the opportunity to discuss this with the Lummi contingent. They learned orcas in this region eat Chinook salmon (plus herring, halibut, squid, and rockfish), so Chinook harvest is not allowed. When they’re caught, they’re immediately released.

Diego and his team members got to observe the fish as they headed for the Fraser River, and with some guidance, using a process called reefnet fishing, they strategically drew in and raised the netting to gently roll the salmon into a holding area.

Rows of small raftlike boats with observation towers are commonly used for reefnet fishing

In all, the Bon Appétiters found that they had much in common with the Lummi fisherfolk, including a shared passion for sustainability. They were grateful for the learning experience and to be able to report back to concerned guests with details about their firsthand visit.

Submitted by Jay Payne, General Manager

14 | BRAVO

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY AND ST. TIMOTHY’S SCHOOL COHOST FARM TOUR AND PICNIC

Full plates and happy faces at the dramatic alfresco lunch at St. Timothy’s Redlands Farm

IN SEARCH OF A LOCAL FARM for Johns Hopkins University students to visit and get a firsthand sense of what goes into growing food, Bon Appétit Marketing Manager Victoria McGrath had an out-of-left-field idea for an event that could include the students at another nearby campus.

With lots of logistical help from their clients, the Bon Appétit teams at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and St. Timothy’s School, a private high school for girls in nearby Stevenson, MD, joined forces to put on a very special tour and picnic at St. Timothy’s own Redlands Farm. (Johns Hopkins Resident District Manager Abdel Anane was temporarily overseeing both locations for Bon Appétit.)

Redlands Farm Director Brooks Binau walked the Johns Hopkins students, Johns Hopkins Senior Manager of Dining Programs Ian Magowan, and Dining Programs Coordinator Stephanie Sufczynski through the farm and highlighted its sustainable practices, explaining that the Redlands Farm grows produce for campus dining and supports learning opportunities for students, emphasizing smallscale, sustainable production. The farm also boasts a honeybee operation, a culinary herb garden, and heritage laying hens. While

many farms enjoy bumper crops in the summer, Redlands Farm tries to plan to harvest the majority of its crops during the school year, when students are there to enjoy them.

After the tour, students were invited to enjoy peak farm produce at a family-style picnic, joined by St. Timothy’s Head of School Randy Stevens. St. Timothy’s students gave a presentation about how each menu item featured on that day’s lunch was sourced from the land they were touring. On the menu from Hopkins Campus Executive Chef Philippe Chin and Chef/Manager Lenord Washington: fried local Murray’s chicken with honey glaze, buffalo-cauliflower “steaks,” cucumber and tomato salad with sage vinaigrette, red-skinned potato salad, summer squash and roasted pumpkin medley with pumpkin seeds, and local apple cider.

The students were grateful for this inside look into how farmers grow and harvest seasonal crops, especially in their local community. Their collaboration culminated in an inspiring, educational, and all-around delicious event.

Submitted by Victoria McGrath, Marketing Manager

15 | BRAVO

BON APPÉTIT BRINGS FRESH FLAVORS TO NBCUNIVERSAL LOT

NBCUniversal’s BaseCamp Kitchen is made from four repurposed shipping containers

BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS of its dining services at DreamWorks Animation in Glendale, CA, Bon Appétit has gradually expanded operations across the Universal Studios Lot for NBCUniversal in Universal City, CA. A series of restaurant openings in summer and fall culminated in the revamping of campuswide catering services, the Commissary main eatery, and the upscale Studio Grill over Thanksgiving week.

Located at the 10 Universal City Plaza skyscraper, the Terrace Café was the first to open. The Universal Studios Operations team

developed the branding for the Terrace Café in collaboration with Bon Appétit’s marketing team to create custom collateral for the space, including to-go bags, gift cards, and coffee mugs. The welcome week events included appearances from celebrity chef Jet Tila (one of Bon Appétit’s culinary partners).

The bustling café serves 245 guests for breakfast and 370 guests for lunch each day, with a menu of hand-crafted sandwiches, seasonal soups and salads, breakfast specials, pastries baked on site, and a coffee program that includes Peet’s and Groundwork

16 | BRAVO

coffee. Knowing their audience of busy media professionals, Executive Chef Patrick Youse and Café Manager Miguel Solorzano focus on ease of ordering and menu variety. Guests can order via selfserve kiosks, with a cashier, or order ahead via the café’s website.

In September, Patrick, Resident District Manager Jonathan Webster, and Chef/ Manager Rosie Bucknovitz opened BaseCamp Kitchen, a unique café made from four repurposed shipping containers.

Situated on the studio backlot, BaseCamp Kitchen serves weekday breakfast and lunch to around 300 employees and studio guests daily. The menu comprises reasonably priced, delicious standards such as sandwiches, salads, and made-to-order burgers. Bon Appétit partnered with the studio to recreate a lost employee favorite, the Original Backlot Breakfast Burrito (featuring tater tots!). The culinary team spent weeks in development and tastings to perfect the Backlot Burrito, which already has a cult following.

Bon Appétit staff at the opening of the Terrace Café

The biggest facility opened last. At the front of the lot, the Commissary features a welcoming wood-framed patio out front, a café with multiple action stations (including sushi, build-your-own bowls, and global stations), a full salad bar, and a fine-dining restaurant, the Studio Grill.

Executive Chef Estevan Bautista and Chef de Cuisine Zach Chambers will oversee the culinary team serving weekday breakfast and lunch to an expected 2,000 guests daily at the Commissary.

Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

The opening team at the Studio Grill, a fine-dining restaurant

17 | BRAVO

KNOX COLLEGE STUDENTS GET THEIR HANDS DIRTY FOR SUSTAINABILITY

A hoop house on Knox Farm

AT KNOX COLLEGE IN GALESBURG, IL, Bon Appétit Fellow Lily Gross joined an Urban Agriculture class at the Knox Farm for an afternoon of getting their hands in the dirt. Knox Sustainability Coordinator Deborah Steinberg, who is teaching the class, and Tina Hope, Knox’s food systems coordinator and campus farm manager, led the working visit.

The Knox Farm occupies an acre of outdoor growing space plus two high tunnels, one of which is dedicated to growing food that

With the help of Bon Appétit Fellow Lily Gross, students in Knox’s Food Recovery Network chapter hosted a Weigh the Waste event during a recent lunch period. During the three hours the café was open and serving about 500 students, a total of 58 pounds were scraped from plates.

In addition to educational events like that one, the Food Recovery Network students rescue excess edible food that would normally go to waste and

goes primarily to the Bon Appétit team at Knox, while the other is used mostly for teaching and research. Any surplus produce the farm grows is donated to Knox students, faculty, and staff, and to the community. The group learned about the importance of cover cropping for moisture and nutrient retention, and then weeded and removed spent watermelon plants from a bed that was being transitioned to cover crops.

Submitted by Lily Gross, Fellow

KNOX STUDENTS WEIGH THE WASTE donate it to local organizations including the Galesburg Rescue Mission, Safe Harbor Family Crisis Center, and Moon Towers subsidized housing units. After they wrapped up the Weigh the Waste event, Lily joined the group in picking up 98 pounds of food and delivering it to Moon Towers, and retrieving clean pans from Safe Harbor. The Knox College Food Recovery Network chapter has an inspiring strong member base — they even have their own van to make deliveries! — Submitted by Lily Gross, Fellow

18 | BRAVO

Students from Knox College’s Food Recovery Network chapter packing up excess edible food they will deliver to local nonprofits

SAP SHINES LIGHT ON STAR CHEF AMY KIMOTO-KAHN EXECUTIVE CHEF MIKHAIL SHVARTS, Chef/Manager Robert Perez, and the rest of the Bon Appétit team at SAP in Palo Alto, CA, were proud to host Amy KimotoKahn as a part of Bon Appétit’s Star Chefs education series. The author of “Simply Ramen” and “Simply Hot Pots,” Amy is a yonsei (a fourth-generation JapaneseAmerican) who hails from Boulder, CO. Guests enjoyed her presentation about the history of ramen and her interpretations of the dish, which she developed starting as a child growing up around Japanese food and later as an adult with a food-loving circle of relatives and friends. Amy’s outlook on respecting Japanese traditions while adapting them to modern tastes resonated with attendees.

Amy’s visit also included a tasting of her ginger chicken ramen, a book signing, and a lively question and answer session with guests. The Bon Appétit team at SAP embraces opportunities such as this one, where they can dive deeply into the work of visiting cookbook authors and share the experience with culinary staff as well as guests.

SAP Chef/Manager Robert Perez, author Amy Kimoto-Kahn, and Executive Chef Mikhail Shvarts

Submitted by Mikhail Shvarts, Executive Chef

Amy signs cookbooks for eager SAP guests

19 | BRAVO

CASE WESTERN RESERVE CHEF/MANAGER TEACHES AT RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE

A trayful of goodness from the ravioli-making class

ALTHOUGH MOST CLASSES led by a Bon Appétit chef take place inside a café on a Bon Appétit-served campus, sometimes they bring these skills into the community.

For example, Case Western Reserve University Chef/Manager Jonathan Barger, who has volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland many times (as has Executive Chef Derek Ivancic), recently led

a team-building culinary exercise benefiting the House’s families.

The Ronald McDonald House is a no- or low-cost resource for families whose children receive medical treatment in nearby hospitals or medical centers. The House allows families to focus on their kids rather than cooking, cleaning, or paying bills. For Jonathan’s class, he showed House

20 | BRAVO

volunteers, employees from nearby Lincoln Electric, how to make ravioli from scratch as well as roasted root vegetables, creamy polenta, Italian braised beef, and fresh cannolis. (The Bon Appétit team at Case Western donated the ingredients.) The hearty, delicious meal served more than 50 families that night, and sent community members home with new skills.

Submitted by Colleen Reynolds, Marketing Manager

ELEVATING RAVIOLI FOR “EAT LIKE A KID AGAIN” CHALLENGE For the second annual Eat Like a Kid Again fundraiser thrown by the Children’s Hunger Alliance at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, guests could enjoy “grown-up versions” of favorite childhood foods as interpreted by local Cleveland chefs, along with a silent auction and special access to museum exhibits. Executive Chef Derek Ivancic and Chef/Manager Jonathan Barger of the Bon Appétit team at Case Western Reserve University nearby were excited to participate. Together they offered 350 tastes of hand-shaped New Creation Farm lamb and parmesan ravioli with black-garlic demi-glace, brown butter, and herb breadcrumbs. — Submitted by Colleen Reynolds, Marketing Manager

Executive Chef Derek Ivancic (left) and Chef/Manager Jonathan Barger (right) are all smiles as they prepare to greet guests

New Creation Farm lamb and parmesan ravioli with black-garlic demi-glace, brown butter, and herb breadcrumbs

Case Western Reserve University Chef/Manager Jonathan Barger demonstrates how to pipe ricotta filling for fresh ravioli to Ronald McDonald House volunteers

21 | BRAVO

BRAVO BOOST SAFELY SERVING OUR FOOD-ALLERGIC GUESTS

There is no disputing the facts: the number of guests dining in our cafés who report having food allergies has grown exponentially. New statistics estimate that nearly 32 million Americans have food allergies. Bon Appétit has an obligation to ensure guests dining with us can eat safely. The November companywide webcast was dedicated to explaining how we can continue to do just that, by underscoring our standard operating procedures, sharing best practices for reducing cross-contact, updating our guest communication materials, and informing our teams of their responsibilities when it comes to food accessibility in our cafés.

We’ve refreshed our signage and hourly trainings, and provided more internal resources than ever before to help our café staff keep food allergies top of mind. The Wellness team can help those managers who wish to provide additional training for their staff with the FARECheck certification, who are interested in conducting some spotchecks on how well training is working by using a Nima gluten sensor, or who are considering a station dedicated to serving foods made without the eight major allergens or gluten.

RAMEN A SWIFT SELLER AT RGA POP-UP AT REINSURANCE GROUP OF AMERICA in Chesterfield, MO, Executive Chef Justin Keimon stole the show with a shoyu ramen pop-up during lunch. With strong training in Japanese cuisine, Justin is both passionate and knowledgeable about ramen, and he proposed the pop-up along with the recipe. Making magic with fresh noodles, chashu (braised pork belly), ajitsuke tamago (ramen eggs), kamaboko (a cured, puréed deboned white fish), scallions, nori, and a rich soy broth, he sold 30 orders in 50 minutes, an unusual bump for early lunch service at this account.

This was the RGA team’s first-ever pop-up and first time serving ramen — but it won’t be the last. It was so popular that one guest even came back for a second order so he could take some home for dinner. He said it was the best ramen he had ever had!

Submitted by Jessie Gentz, Regional Marketing Director

Ramen hits the spot

24 | BRAVO

WASTE TEAM RELEASES GUIDE TO REUSABLE TO-GO SERVICEWARE

Marketing Coordinator Sean Lewis shows off one of the University of Pennsylvania’s eco to-go containers, which can be checked in and out via student ID cards using the POS system

AS PART OF THEIR ONGOING EFFORTS to reduce food and packaging waste throughout Bon Appétit Management Company, Waste Specialist Maggie Kraft and Waste Programs Manager Claire Cummings created a comprehensive guide for Bon Appétit teams who are interested in reducing their café’s use of disposables. (Bon Appétit is the first — and possibly only — food service company to have created staff positions dedicated to fighting waste.)

to-go containers and reusable mugs, as well as ideas for creative ways to offer reusable serviceware in cafés without a dishwasher.

The guide also shares best practices and lessons learned from a variety of Bon Appétit accounts, including mini case studies of the reusable clamshell programs at Gordon College and University of Pennsylvania and the reusable mug programs at Sony Interactive Entertainment and Washington University in St. Louis.

The comprehensive guide walks through the different ways to get started with eco-takeout programs. It includes a decision tree to help identify the best options for the reader’s café and explains implementation strategies for offering both reusable eco

The “Guide to Reusable To-Go Serviceware” can be downloaded from the Bon Appétit extranet under Initiatives > Waste > Source Reduction > To-Go Containers.

Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

25 | BRAVO

BON APPÉTIT IN DEMAND TO FORETELL THE FUTURE mine, or a supermarket, or an independent restaurant, they’re all going to have different distribution networks, different needs for packaging. For me, I’m not going to sell a product in a package. I’m going to sell a product on a plate, so I don’t really care what your package says, I don’t really care how pretty it is. But I want it to be big, and I want it to be easy to open. Very different than if you’re going to be on a grocery shelf.”

Chief Strategy and Brand Officer Maisie Ganzler (center) at EatingWell’s Future of Food Summit

CHIEF STRATEGY AND BRAND OFFICER Maisie Ganzler, in addition to writing a column for Forbes.com about sustainablefood news and trends, has become a sought-after speaker on the “Future of X” conferences being convened by thought leaders on various topics. This fall, in the space of a few short weeks, she was invited to speak at the Good Food Institute’s Future of Meat conference in San Francisco and at EatingWell’s Future of Food Summit in New York.

The Good Food Institute’s conference was focused on cutting-edge plant-based and cell-based meat research. Maisie joined a panel with CEOs of three venture-funded alt-seafood companies (Ocean Hugger Foods, BlueNalu, and Shiok Meats) and the CEO of Oceankind, a nonprofit focused on researching moonshot-style seafoodsustainability projects. (Fun fact: Ocean Hugger Foods CEO David Benzaquen inspired Bon Appétit Management Company’s cage-free egg policy back in 2005,

when as a university student he asked now-District Manager Yvonne Matteson whether the company was concerned about humane treatment of laying hens, and Yvonne turned to Maisie!)

As usual, Maisie offered pragmatic, practical insights from the point of view of a large buyer, in this case one that seeks out both sustainable seafood and alternative plant-based proteins. “It seems like everyone’s focused on ‘Develop a product, develop a product, develop a product...I’ve got a product, sell it!’ And there hasn’t been the focus on people developing real expertise in distribution, for example, which is the lynchpin to success in the food business,” Maisie told the panel and the audience of scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers.

She advised them to start thinking about distribution and packaging from at least day two, and talking to the end purchaser — “be it a food service company like

26 | BRAVO

At the “Consumer Experience of the Future” panel at the Future of Food Summit co-hosted by EatingWell magazine and the International Food Information Council, Maisie shared a stage with EatingWell Editorin-Chief Jessie Price, GE Director of Industrial Design Chris Bissig, author Katherine Alford, and Mario Ferruzzi of the Plants for Human Health Institute. They debated whether the future included robots stirring the pots on our stoves; grocery store produce departments stocked straight from vertical farms on their roofs; and how concerns for sustainability, health, and social justice might reshape both fast-casual and high-end dining.

Want to know the answers? Videos of both panels — and their entire conferences — are available via the conference websites.

Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

Maisie (right) with two of her fellow Future of Meat speakers, Oceankind CEO Evan Rapoport and Ocean Hugger Foods CEO David Benzaquen (center)

GOUCHER STUDENTS DINE WITH ELDERS FOR NO SENIOR EATS ALONE DAY WHEN JUDY COHEN, program director of the Sage Academy for Lifelong Learning at Goucher College, heard about a Baltimore County Department of Aging regional event called No Senior Eats Alone Day, she immediately reached out to Bon Appétit General Manager David Friendlich to see if the Bon Appétit would be interested in co-hosting a community lunch on the Towson, MD, campus.

The purpose of the event was to help make older adults feel valued and connected, establish better eating habits, and improve nutrition and health. Research shows that sharing meals together improves health, happiness, and social connection — something Bon Appétit Management Company has long believed. No Senior Eats Alone Day provided a terrific way to promote these values while also furthering Sage’s mission to promote intergenerational experiences, so David of course said he would be happy to help.

On a warm fall day, a few dozen Goucher students and seniors from Bykota Senior Center visited the dining hall at the Mary Fisher Dining Center and then gathered to eat together in a private room. Watching the two groups laugh and share stories about their very different experiences of going to college was heartwarming. More smiles followed during a game of group Jenga using oversized cardboard bricks.

Several of the seniors enjoyed the food and the camaraderie so much that they return to the dining hall occasionally!

Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

Goucher College students dine with Baltimore-area seniors for No Senior Eats Alone Day

27 | BRAVO

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR GUESTS USE THEIR NOODLE IN THE KITCHEN

Executive Chef Joe Dougherty kept his students laughing throughout the class

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR EMPLOYEES in Portland, OR, get together once a month for the “Cooking With Joe” class series led by Executive Chef Joe Dougherty at the campus’s Lillehammer Restaurant. Joe, with help from Bartender Chris Beard and General Manager Kristen Redshaw, aims to keep current food trends and popular recipes in mind when planning classes for the 25 attendees.

Topics have ranged from food foraging to holiday dishes. At Joe’s recent pasta-making class, attendees were presented with the raw ingredients, then Joe walked them through combining ingredients and rolling out the pasta dough. Together they made a simple and flavorful puttanesca.

At the end of the class, Joe joined his students as they sat down together to enjoy heaping bowls of their house-made pasta.

Submitted by Kristen Redshaw, General Manager

Joe demonstrates how to roll out pasta dough

28 | BRAVO

ST. EDWARD’S OFFERS STYLISH CONVENIENCE AT NEW GRAB & GOAT

The new Grab & Goat convenience store at St. Edward’s University offers local, gourmet, and of course grab-and-go items in a contemporary, welcoming space

THE MASCOT OF ST. EDWARD’S UNIVERSITY in Austin, TX, is the goat, so when the Bon Appétit team wanted to open a new convenience store on campus, the name Grab & Goat just fit a little too perfectly. The Grab & Goat carries produce from Johnson’s Backyard Garden and Farm to Table, plus everything from 44 Farms beef jerky to Nada Moo vegan coconut-milk ice cream. And of course there’s coffee: coldbrewed Cuvée Nitro Brew and Hilltopper Morning Blend. Students can also grab plenty of fresh new house-made grab-andgo items or stop by the frozen yogurt shop in the back.

Executive Chef Tanner Harris is using the Grab & Goat to host a complimentary cooking class open to the 380 residents of the building, teaching them to make meals from ingredients found in the store. The Grab & Goat also hosted the kickoff to the new Coffee with a Chef series, where Sous Chef Ruben Teran spoke about Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork purchasing and locally sourced burgers from Augustus Ranch and GrubTubs.

Sous Chef Ruben Teran chats with students during the new Coffee with a Chef series at the Grab & Goat

Submitted by Robert Fredericks, Director of Operations

29 | BRAVO

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO CREATES WARHOL-INSPIRED MENU MASTERWORK

The Rorschach dish for the Andy Warhol menu featured a swirl of squid ink surrounding cod and pearled white barley with salsa verde in coconut saffron broth

BON APPÉTIT TEAMS at art museums always look forward to the opening of a major new exhibition as a chance to flex their creative culinary muscles. Chef di Cucina Carolina Diaz at Terzo Piano restaurant at the Art Institute of Chicago got to do so in honor of a major Art Institute retrospective titled “Andy Warhol — From A to B and Back Again.”

Through elaborate dishes designed to entice visitors to match meals to masterpieces, Carolina brought to life some of Warhol’s most iconic paintings, including “Campbell’s Soup Cans,” “Flowers,” and “Rorschach.” Carolina’s Rorschach featured seared halibut and squid ink — the ink representing her take on the inkblot test Warhol found fascinating. On the sweet side, Pastry Chef Rachel Erceg created playful desserts, such as a TV dinner in a nod to

“Andy-Mats,” a concept Warhol created for a TV dinner-themed restaurant. (The dessert was plated on “divided” TV dinner-style servingware.) Cocktails were on point, too, with a spiked Roy Rogers and a gin-based prosecco cocktail inspired by Marilyn Monroe, one of Warhol’s many famous subjects.

Carolina loved working on this project. “This menu allowed me and my team to be creative and dive into the life and legacy of such a cool modern artist,” she said. “We had fun experimenting with different colorful ingredients and turning his pop-art pieces into a culinary experience.”

Submitted by Abigail Flores, Marketing Manager Photos: Neil Burger/Neil John Burger Photography

30 | BRAVO

“The TV Dinner� dessert: a malted banana and Nutella ice cream sandwich, cinnamon milk pudding, and banana chips

In honor of Warhol subject Marilyn Monroe, the Marilyn cocktail was made with Bitter Truth pink gin, prosecco, pomegranate simple syrup, and lemon

31 | BRAVO

RAGHAVAN IYER BRINGS INDIAN-INSPIRED FEAST TO CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS

Guests chat with author Raghavan Iyer while he signs copies of his cookbook “660 Curries”

WHETHER JAMES BEARD AWARD-WINNING CHEF and cookbook author Raghavan Iyer is visiting a Bon Appétit campus for a Star Chefs event or a culinary training, he makes every minute count.

For a fall event at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA, this longtime Bon Appétit friend and adviser hit the ground running, helping Executive Chef Joshua Brent and the culinary team prepare several recipes from his many Indian cookbooks.

The day’s menu focused on the flavors of northern India, including popular dishes such as butter chicken, saag paneer (spinach with cheese), aloo gobi (cauliflower and potatoes), and chana pulao (chickpea pilaf), which were accompanied by naan bread and freshly made chutneys. Raghavan tasted the CalArts dishes and gave

advice on how to coax maximum flavor from dried spices and fresh herbs. The team picked up new tips and a deeper understanding of spices — like how their characteristics can change based on preparation (toasting, grinding, or frying).

For the book signing portion of his visit, Raghavan welcomed guests warmly, signing copies of his cookbooks “660 Curries” and “Indian Cooking Unfolded” and talking about his adventures starting out as a home cook in an unfamiliar country. More than 350 guests came to the café throughout lunch service, including CalArts President Ravi Rajan, who brought his sons to the event and later sat down with Raghavan to enjoy the meal together and swap stories.

Submitted by Dianna Sherick, General Manager

32 | BRAVO

EXPLORING THE PASTA-BILITIES AT ROSE-HULMAN

EXECUTIVE CHEF MATTHEW LEEPER led students at RoseHulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN, in a crash course about all things pasta. With Matthew’s guidance, attendees learned not only how to make their own pasta from scratch, but also about all the many different shapes and types of pasta — how the various flours used contribute to different flavors and textures.

Raghavan, CalArts President Ravi Rajan, and General Manager Dianna Sherick

After preparing five different kinds of fresh pasta — fettuccine, pappardelle, lasagna, tortellini, and ravioli, each using a different flour — the class learned how to make a pan Alfredo sauce, which they enjoyed with their pasta for lunch. Attendees left with a new understanding of pasta, as well as recipe cards to keep for preparing different dishes on their own.

Submitted by Paige Johnson, Marketing Coordinator

Raghavan’s recipe for saag paneer (spinach with cheese)

33 | BRAVO

SAINT MARTIN’S WELCOMES CELEBRITY CHEF CARLA HALL

Celebrity chef Carla Hall leads demo with audience guests

CARLA HALL IS IN THE HOUSE! Executive Chef Matt Alspaugh, General Manager Carole Ann Beckwith, and the team at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, WA, were thrilled to host the TV personality, cookbook author, and all-star celebrity chef once again for the university’s 14th annual black tie gala and fundraising event.

Matt drew inspiration from Carla’s cookbook “Soul Food” to plan a five-course menu for the more than 600 guests. The menu: smashed beets with pistachio oil and chèvre, pimento cheese on a buttermilk biscuit cracker, cornbread, black-eyed pea salad with smoked ham and hot-sauce vinaigrette, mixed bitter greens with smoked steelhead trout, Sea Island shrimp and grits, slow-braised pork short ribs with pickled red onion smashed potatoes, and for dessert, pecan pie with bourbon Chantilly cream, paired with Bolivia Buena Vista coffee from Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters.

Carla led a spirited demo on how to prepare the short ribs, inviting guests up on stage to help cook. She mixed and mingled with the crowd and Bon Appétit staff throughout the night, and everyone enjoyed her infectious laughter and love of food. By the end of the night, the gala had raised a total of $1.4 million for student scholarships!

Submitted by Carole Ann Beckwith, General Manager

34 | BRAVO

General Manager Carole Ann Beckwith with Carla

SNAP FLIES THE COOP TO VISIT PASTUREBIRD

Baby chicks gather to feed

SOUS CHEF TERRENCE LEON GUERRERO and other Bon Appétiters from Snap in Santa Monica, CA, were excited to head out of town to Temecula to visit Farm to Fork partner Pasturebird.

Pasturebird cofounder (and former Marine intelligence officer) Paul Greive gave them a tour, explaining his belief that the future of poultry farming is not just sustainable but regenerative. At Pasturebird, chickens live in an open, natural habitat at all times, on rotating pastures.

Farmer Paul Greive shows Sous Chef Terrence Leon Guerrero the bright orange yolk of a pastured egg

Each day chickens are rotated to new pastures, which allows them to comb the land for bugs and worms, and build healthy immunity outdoors. They are part of a rotational plan with cattle and sheep that Paul believes makes for healthier animals and healthier soil.

Needless to say the team was impressed by their visit and tour of the operations. Inspired by the trip, the staff returned to the kitchen and started planning new menu specials incorporating Pasturebird’s chicken to work into their regular rotation.

Cattle and sheep rotate onto the land that Pasturebird’s chickens vacate to help regenerate the soil for future pastures

Submitted by Caroline Garfink, Catering Manager

35 | BRAVO

HILLSDALE COLLEGE CELEBRATES TURNING 175 IN STYLE

A Hillsdale student worker with the duck, bacon, and corn wonton appetizer

A preset dessert of opera cake

THE HILLSDALE COLLEGE COMMUNITY in Hillsdale, MI, marked the school’s 175th anniversary with a gala, the dedication of Christ Chapel, the launch of a capital campaign, and multiple special breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. The celebrations were attended by thousands of faculty, staff, students, and VIP visitors such as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and architect of Christ Chapel Duncan Stroik.

The gala events were a true team effort, requiring the best from Executive Chef Shawn Ferguson, Director of Catering Anna Harutunian, Catering Coordinator Blake Sawdey, Marketing Coordinator William Persson, and Hillsdale College event planners.

Due to the large scale of the events, Bon Appétit and other culinary talent from around the region came to help out, including Dan McCasey (Albion College), James Welfinger (Royal Caribbean), John Dey (regional support), and Ben Geltzer (Oberlin College).

For the first of many gala dinners, the menu was roasted beet and goat cheese salad with Mandarin oranges; filet mignon with Rioja Duchess potatoes, roasted Parisian carrots, Egyptian basil butter, and fresh basil crumbles; and a vanilla crème brûlée with fresh berries. The various receptions offered tempting appetizers such as lamb lollipops, wild mushroom and truffle arancini, and Gruyère

Local sushi chef (and Farm to Fork partner) Ezra Bertakis rolled sushi to order at the chef’s action station at a gala dinner

dip with caramelized onions and bacon. And who could resist desserts like a dark chocolate lattice ring filled with a pistachio amaretto chocolate?

The Bon Appétit team was deeply grateful for all the help they received executing this epic series of high-profile events, including the time and talents of legions of Hillsdale students, faculty, and staff who pitched in to serve, bus, reset the rooms, and help plate!

Submitted by William Persson, Marketing Coordinator

36 | BRAVO

GROWING SUCCESS AT MEDTRONIC - RICE CREEK

The garden after the green thumbs took charge

NOTHING BEATS HARVESTING HERBS, greens, and produce just outside your kitchen — as the Bon Appétit team at Medtronic’s Rice Creek location in Fridley, MN, now knows. With Medtronic’s permission, they converted a plain patch of landscaping into a thriving vegetable garden, handling the planting, weeding, and harvesting while Medtronic’s facilities team put in a timed irrigation system.

A big hit with guests, who liked pointing out what was ripening, the small but mighty garden provided produce for the café all summer and fall right up until the snow fell. The small plot produced a bounty of lettuce, green beans, heirloom tomatoes, both bell and hot peppers, celery, Japanese eggplant, green onions, and herbs such as mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and several varieties of basil. The bumper crop was cucumbers: the garden produced a whopping 200 pounds of crunch for the café!

Submitted by Dylan Johnson, Café Manager

FOOD YOU JUST HAVE TO STOP WORKING TO ENJOY: When the Bon Appétit team at Mounds View Café worked with Medtronic’s Hispanic Latino Network to plan menus in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the reception was enthusiastic.

Wrote one guest in an email: “The Brazilian stew today was fantastic.

I’ll admit to you, but not my boss, that while I set out to have a working lunch, I ended up captivated by the dish and didn’t do anything but enjoy it.” Each week focused on the cuisine from a different Latin American country. Here, Cook Ben Jung shows off the Brazilian feijoada, made with beef, bacon, pork shoulder, and beans. — Submitted by Tracy A large quantity of celery and several varieties of basil were harvested from the small but mighty garden

37 | BRAVO

Haraldson, Café Manager

BON APPÉTIT-SERVED UNIVERSITIES WIN

2019 NEW ENGLAND FOOD VISION PRIZES

38 | BRAVO

“This local cheese producer makes an excellent mozzarella but never had the capability to shred it for us. We use well over 10,000 pounds of shredded cheese a year for pizza, so we are thrilled to be able to move that spend over to a great Farm to Fork partner.” — Ty Paup, Bon Appétit Director of Culinary Operations at Brown University

LOCAL FOOD PURCHASING JUST TOOK A BIG LEAP FORWARD in New England. Brown University (working with Roger Williams University) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (working with Lesley University and Emmanuel College) are among the 2019 winners of the Henry P. Kendall Foundation’s New England Food Vision Prize, an effort to encourage college and university campuses in the region to improve the health, sustainability, and vitality of the region’s food system.

This marks the second annual round of prizes, in which food service leaders from the region’s 200 college and university campuses submit bold ideas aimed at increasing the amount of regionally produced food on campus menus. Each of the six teams of winners will receive an award of up to $250,000 to begin implementation of their project.

“I am extremely proud of the five Bon Appétit teams for working together and coming up with these innovative ways to help our Farm to Fork farmers and bring even more local foods to their campuses,” said Regional Vice President Elaine Smart. “We are grateful to the Kendall Foundation for this tremendous opportunity.”

HANGING BY A SHRED: SUPPORTING REGIONAL DAIRY FARMS THROUGH INCREASED SHREDDED CHEESE PRODUCTION

TRANSFORMING SURPLUS INTO STABILITY AND SCALE

The idea is a simple one: “This local cheese producer makes an excellent mozzarella, but they’ve never had the capability to shred it for us,” explains Ty Paup, Bon Appétit Director of Culinary Operations at Brown University in Providence, RI. The Food Vision Prize funds will help purchase the equipment that Providence-based Narragansett Creamery needs to be able to supply shredded mozzarella for not only Brown but also the Bon Appétit team at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, and others. “We use well over 10,000 pounds of shredded cheese a year for pizza, so we are thrilled to be able to move that spend over to a great Farm to Fork partner,” says Ty. The implications of this simple purchase are far-reaching. As Narragansett Creamery grows this capacity, it can service other institutional customers in the region. This impacts not only the local cheese market, but also the local milk supply. Cheesemaking requires approximately eight times as much milk as does using milk directly, such as in baked goods or for drinking. This project will increase the amount of local cheese produced within the region, and therefore exponentially increase the amount of local milk produced and utilized, helping the struggling New England dairy industry.

When Manager of Strategic Initiatives Nicole Tocco Cardwell met with Bon Appétit’s leadership at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA), Lesley University (Cambridge, MA), and Emmanuel College (Boston) to brainstorm a joint project for the 2019 New England Food Vision Prize, they began with a basic assumption: Bon Appétit teams and their university clients want to purchase more local food, and local farmers and fisheries want to sell their product to colleges in the region. And yet 20 years after the Farm to Fork program was launched, there remain significant challenges within the supply chain, such as seasonal shortages, pricing, and inconsistent product quality, that no single entity within a supply chain can resolve.

So the MIT, Lesley, and Emmanuel College teams have partnered with CommonWealth Kitchen, Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center, Boston Area Gleaners, and Pioneer Valley Grows to create a portfolio of “Food From Here” products that will be utilized across campus kitchens, retail locations, residential halls, and convenience stores. Chefs will work with the processing partners to analyze campus menus and recommend products for the “Food From Here” portfolio. These partners, along with Boston Area Gleaners, will identify local suppliers, who will receive the support they need to become a part of the supply chain.

Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

Opposite: By helping a Rhode Island cheesemaker dramatically ramp up mozzarella production, the Food Vision Prize will also help struggling New England dairy farms

39 | BRAVO

FROM MICHAEL

BECOMING PART OF THE FAMILY

“The reason we’ve been able to retain Biola, Northwestern, and all the rest of our wonderful longtime clients is because our on-site teams become part of their staff.”

I

n recent months, as I have visited our teams around the country, I attended two very special anniversary celebrations: one that marked 30 years of our partnership with Biola University in La Mirada, CA, and another for the 25-year milestone with the University of Northwestern St. Paul in Minnesota. And at our annual Be-A-Star celebration, which recognizes our outstanding employees (see following pages), I was reminded of how we manage to sustain these and other relationships for so long.

Biola was Bon Appétit’s very first higher-education client, back when we were a very young company no one was sure about.

(Santa Catalina, in Monterey, CA, was our first-ever education account.) Senior Vice President Cary Wheeland and I opened it together. It meant a lot to me to celebrate three decades of our partnership together by having lunch with President Barry Corey and Chief Financial Officer Mike Pierce. Dr. Corey is the author of a book, “Love Kindness: Discover the Power of a Forgotten Christian Virtue,” which has a chapter on the importance of being around a table and enjoying meals together. I was honored that he gave me and Fedele autographed copies.

In late fall, during a visit to Northwestern, we celebrated our 25th anniversary. Northwestern was our first higher-education client in the Midwest. I opened it with Steve Samuelson (see page 44) and the late John Engstrom. Amazingly, there were some familiar faces still there. Jerry Palmer was our chef at the time at Northwestern, he’s now regional controller; I remember he served an enormous pork chop people couldn’t believe. And Northwestern’s chief financial officer, Bryon Krueger, was a student at Northwestern back when we opened it. He worked for Bon Appétit to help put himself through college!

When he told me that, I had to laugh. Back then, I said, Fedele and I were putting our Bon Appétit paychecks in a drawer in the office so that our employees could cash theirs. That was the early days. There were a lot of other stories like that as we toured the

Bon Appétit President Michael Bauccio, Biola University President Barry Corey, and Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio after the 30th anniversary celebratory lunch at Biola

campus. We had an excellent lunch with Bryon and other Northwestern leaders. It was a great visit.

The reason we’ve been able to retain Biola, Northwestern, and all the rest of our wonderful longtime clients is because our on-site teams become part of their staff. It’s really a partnership, where we work together for our common goals. We become woven into the fabric of their culture; we’re all one family. It isn’t always rosy,

40 | BRAVO

Celebrating 25 year of partnership, left to right: Doug Schroeder, retired vice president for business/chief financial officer; Scott Hvistendahl, senior manager, conferences & rental services; Jane Goedeke, director of event services; Michael; Bryon Krueger, vice president for finance and operations/chief financial officer (and former Bon Appétit student employee!); Marla Dennison, associate vice president of business services; Mark Lachance, Bon Appétit regional vice president; Elliott Meier, Bon Appétit general manager; and Michelle Kirkwold, Bon Appétit district manager

General Manager Elliott Meier presents University of Northwestern St. Paul President Dr. Alan Cureton with a 25th anniversary plaque

there are times when we have to figure things out together, but we are there for each other when we need to be, through thick and thin. We know that the only way to be successful is to have mutual understanding and a plan that is beneficial for both sides.

And it’s our people who do that. Recognizing that is so important. I love going to the Be-A-Star celebration every year because for many of these employees, it’s their first chance to experience something like that. Our people create the value we have as a company. No matter what area of responsibility you have in Bon

Michael (center) with the late Regional Vice Presidents John Engstrom and John Nelson at the Northwestern opening in 1994

Appétit, what title you have, everybody plays an important role.

You all make a difference.

Our client retention rate is among the highest in our industry.

That’s due to the hard work every day of our employees all around the country. It’s about delivering on our promises, the sense of pride you take in doing things right, the commitment to being the best. It’s the relationships that all of you build with our guests and our clients. Those values are what makes Bon Appétit special. You are all stars to me.

41 | BRAVO

The Be-A-Star honorees and senior leaders, left to right: Genentech Operations Manager Sue Truoccolo, President Michael Bauccio, University of the Pacific Executive Chef Marco Alvarado, Director of Integrated Safety Steve Samuelson, George Fox University Sous Chef Franco Rojas, University of Chicago Cook Joshua Jones, Google Sous Chef Nicholas Mullaney, CEO Fedele Bauccio, SEMW District Marketing Manager Olivia Miller, Johns Hopkins University Resident District Manager Abdel Anane, Chief Administrative Officer Liz Baldwin, and SAS Catering Lead William Coniber

BON APPÉTIT’S 2019 BE-A-STAR WINNERS 42 | BRAVO

Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio addresses the crowd

University of the Pacific Executive Chef Marco Alvarado watches the show

Through the Be-A-Star program, Bon Appétit (along with the other subsidiaries of its parent company Compass North America) recognizes outstanding employees and teams for achieving business excellence. The program culminates with national winners invited to an all-expenses-paid Night of Stars formal gala in Orlando, FL. The stars of the company arrive in style on the red carpet (complete with “paparazzi”), then enjoy a delicious dinner while watching live entertainment.

Congratulations to the following Bon Appétit honorees for embodying the company’s values and operational principles!

43 | BRAVO

PENTA AWARD | 30 YEARS OF SERVICE S T E V E S A M U E L S O N , D I R E C T O R O F I N T E G R AT E D S A F E T Y Steve Samuelson, Certified Professional - Food Safety (CP-FS), oversees Bon Appétit’s integrated safety program. Steve spent the first decade of his 30-year career at Bon Appétit in operations as a general manager, then a district manager, before taking over operations at Intel, where his passion for safety was awakened. He made it his mission to improve the culture of safety in Intel’s cafés. From cajoling experienced chefs into wearing cut gloves (Steve went through nearly 20 brands to find the right pair) to implementing and enforcing a slip-resistant shoes policy, the path toward safety proved to be a journey.

But for Steve, the most essential aspect of creating a culture of safety has always been creating personal connections among all members of the team. “At Intel, I’d try to connect with every single employee at all five cafés. I knew every one of them, and our managers knew every one of them, along with their families, their kids, their spouses. We just built this family. So, when somebody got hurt — it hurt me, too. It hurt everyone. And we’d all get in there to figure out how to prevent it from happening again.”

In 2012, Chief Administrative Officer Liz Baldwin asked Steve if he’d be willing to scale the culture of safety he’d built at Intel to Bon Appétit companywide. He was up for the challenge.

Under Steve’s leadership, Bon Appétit has reduced injuries across the company over the last five years, even as the company has grown significantly. “He has completely turned our safety culture around, and his influence resonates throughout the company,” says Liz.

RESIDENT DISTRICT MANAGER OF THE YEAR A B D E L A N A N E , J O H N S H O P K I N S U N I V E R S I T Y, B A LT I M O R E The resident district manager for Johns Hopkins University, Peabody Institute, and St. Timothy’s School, Abdel Anane has been with Bon Appétit since 2015. He has “assembled a team of outstanding professionals that he leads by example with the highest degree of integrity and dedication,” says Regional Vice President Elaine Smart. “Abdel actually took up residence on the Hopkins campus during his first year in order to always be at the ready. He remains the calm at the center of the storm, quietly but persistently guiding his teams to deliver on our promises.” Born in France to Moroccan parents, Abdel has lived in the United States for 30 years. He speaks several languages fluently and has an international flair when it comes to service and attention to detail. He is also an excellent mentor, as several members of his team over the past five years have gone on to higher positions within other Bon Appétit accounts.

OPERATIONS MANAGER OF THE YEAR SUE TRUOCCOLO, GEN ENTECH , SOUTH SAN FR ANCISCO, CA Operations Manager Sue Truoccolo has been a dedicated manager on Genentech’s South San Francisco campus since 2008, serving as general manager for four different cafés before her promotion. “Whenever she’s asked to fill a position, assist in openings, hold job fairs, or oversee special promotions, her response is always the same: ‘Wherever you need me to go,’” says District Manager Steve Ganner. “She understands her numbers, and will ask the necessary questions to get to the bottom of something that isn’t quite right. Sue is totally customer-service oriented, and customers, employees, and clients all love her.” She’s also willing to help out other teams, and assisted in several regional openings as well as leading the opening of Genentech Building 40, a new challenge that she has helped turn into a showcase.

44 | BRAVO

SERVICE ABOVE AND BEYOND N I C H O L A S M U L L A N E Y, S O U S C H E F, G O O G L E , S E AT T L E Although many Bon Appétiters are considered heroes at their accounts, Sous Chef Nicholas Mullaney is a literal one. In early 2019, his quick thinking and decisive action helped to thwart a potential tragedy when he and a colleague noticed a fellow Bon Appétit staff member choking. Nick immediately administered the Heimlich maneuver and once the food item was dislodged, he helped the employee calm down through deep breathing and empathy.

Nick joined Bon Appétit as a line cook in 2015 from a Compass sister sector but was swiftly promoted to sous chef. Recently, Nick moved to Google’s new South Lake Union campus, where he was instrumental to the success of the opening. He’s known for engaging with his teams, implementing several recognition programs to drive hospitality, and providing training through a program he created called Solar Service on fun and interesting ways to connect personally with guests. “Nick is a true asset to our team in the Pacific Northwest, and we are so proud that we are able to recognize his amazing contributions both in saving a life, and his day in and out dedication to great service,” says Pacific Northwest Director of Operations John Tietema.

NATIONAL SAFETY AWARD W I L L I A M C O N I B E R , C AT E R I N G L E A D , S A S , C A R Y, N C The Bon Appétit team at SAS’s Building C has now passed seven years without an accident, thanks to top-level leadership, buddy programs for all new associates, weekly safety meetings, daily safety topics incorporated into shift meetings, employee recognition for good safety choices, and continued emphasis every day on making everyone feel appreciated and valued. “In addition to being the longest-term employee at Building C, Catering Lead Bill Coniber is representative of what it means to work for Bon Appétit,” said District Manager Liz Simmonds. “He is selfless, detail oriented, results driven, passionate about service, empathetic, accountable, and overall the most genuine person I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. He never fails to put a smile on my face and will drop me like a hot potato if the client needs something. He is an asset to both Bon Appétit and to SAS, and we are lucky to have him on our team.”

EXECUTIVE CHEF OF THE YEAR M A R C O A LVA R A D O , U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E PA C I F I C , S T O C K T O N , C A Marco Alvarado joined Bon Appétit in 2008 as executive sous chef at the University of the Pacific, then was promoted to executive chef and transferred two years later to University of San Francisco. When he returned to University of the Pacific in 2013, he raised the bar with new station concepts such as the plant-forward Herbivore, Latin Ladle, and a Middle Eastern one, Za’thar. He has a wide range of culinary influences, with Spanish on his father’s side and Italian and Irish on his mother’s, and he grew up in Chile and Argentina, arriving in the United States at age 15. Marco enjoys teaching guests how to eat healthy food that also happens to be delicious, pointing out that there are cultures around the world that have been eating flavorful plant-forward dishes for centuries. His cooking is founded on traditional dishes or techniques that he has learned through experience, reading, or simply watching a show, and implementing ingredients and techniques with an original twist. “Marco is the true definition of a chef’s chef and is respected by all,” says Regional Manager Bob Lubecky. “His passion for food and his creative ability to develop industry-leading authentic seasonal menus using fresh ingredients are unparalleled.”

45 | BRAVO

SOUS CHEF OF THE YEAR F R A N C O R O J A S , G E O R G E F O X U N I V E R S I T Y, N E W B E R G , O R During his 13-year tenure at George Fox University, Franco Rojas has been a creative and hardworking leader who has earned the respect of his peers, students, and management team. He takes pride in the food he prepares, especially when sharing dishes from his heritage, as well as the food prepared by the kitchen staff he supervises.

When presented with challenges or new opportunities, Franco keeps an open mind and optimistic outlook, all the while demonstrating integrity, trust, and a passion for quality. His can-do approach is evident in the way he mentors cooks using patience and kindness, and in the way he works with students with dietary restrictions. In the middle of serving 600-800 guests at each meal, Franco will find time to speak one-on-one with a student about special dietary needs like they were the only concern at the moment — and he’s taught his staff to deliver the same high level of service. He demonstrates a constant focus on performance and efficiency and excels at batch cooking, waste reduction, and overall organization of the kitchen. He also leads by example when it comes to safety. “Franco goes way beyond the duties of a sous chef and is a valued member of the team,” says Executive Chef Brian Radford. “When staff are asked for their thoughts on Franco, they simply respond with ‘He is the best.’”

COOK OF THE YEAR J OS H UA J O N E S , U N IV E R S I T Y O F C H I C AG O When Executive Chef John Bubala first interviewed Joshua Jones back in 2016, Josh was a soft-spoken young man not overly high in confidence. After he learned that Josh had just graduated from the Cara Program, which John knew to be a terrific Chicago-based nonprofit helping people develop workplace competencies and find meaningful work, he decided his team needed Josh as much as Josh needed the opportunity with Bon Appétit at UChicago.

He hired him on the spot. From that shy young man blossomed an accomplished cook who leads in his own special way, showing constant dedication, curiosity about how to make processes more efficient, and attention to food quality and freshness. Each morning, Josh reports to work ready to go through temperature logs and kitchen sanitation before slicing, dicing, and cooking away to prepare perfect scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast, three different made-from-scratch soups daily, delicious avocado salsa, and more. “Josh’s journey with Bon Appétit has taken him to places in both his personal and professional life that I don’t think he could have imagined for himself,” says John. “He’s truly had a fresh start and created something extraordinary with it, benefiting the entire operation here at University of Chicago.”

MARKETING MANAGER OF THE YEAR OLIVIA MILLER , SEMW DISTRICT When Olivia Miller started as a Bon Appétit catering coordinator at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011, her exceptional eye for detail was immediately apparent, says District Manager Bryan Bruin. Olivia’s thoughtful approach, keen attention to nuance, and passion for all forms of design and branding made her a natural fit for a marketing role at the Art Institute.

In less than a year, Bryan elevated her position to a district-level marketing role. As a district marketing manager who focuses on specialty venues, Olivia has overseen and implemented complex marketing programs and special marketing projects for the Art Institute, Porsche, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and other Bon Appétit locations in the Southeast/Midwest region. “Olivia’s commitment to quality always drives us to be the very best,” says Bryan.

“Her ability to integrate our brand into our clients’ brands creates outstanding partnerships that support all areas of the operations. We would be lost without her.” Olivia’s skills and contributions were instrumental in the sales process for some of Bon Appétit’s showcase accounts, including the recently signed contract for The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Olivia has an amazing sense of style that helps create the magic of Bon Appétit — our purpose, our vision, and culture. We are so proud of her,” says CEO Fedele Bauccio.

46 | BRAVO

INCLUSION EXCELLENCE AWARD B O N A P P É T I T T E A M AT E M O R Y U N I V E R S I T Y, AT L A N TA

In this still from Emory’s Buddy Program video, QA Supervisor Ryan Thompson and Cox Lead Classics/Comfort Cook Lucy Watts play new employee and Buddy serving “guest” Assistant General Manager Kevin Price

The first few months in a new job can be a make-or-break time for both employee and employer. The Bon Appétit team at Emory University in Atlanta were recognized for their Employee Buddy Program, designed to help new employees feel at home and learn the ropes while giving veteran team members mentoring experience — and strengthen the company culture for everyone.

Developed by Human Resources Manager Maritza Diaz and Regional Human Resources Manager Holly Melonas, Emory’s Employee Buddy Program pairs an experienced employee with a new hire. The Buddy is charged with helping to acclimate the new employee for at least four weeks (longer for some departments), showing the newbie not just their specific job functions, but helping them learn about the work environment.

“While it can be challenging for the Buddy to be available to their mentee during peak business hours, which is often the most stressful time for a new hire, it’s important to let them know that everyone on the team is available for questions and support,” says

General Manager Eric Battles. “This encourages team building and develops trust between coworkers. We teach our Buddies that it’s imperative to make sure to follow up with the new employees after the busy times, encouraging questions and concerns that may have arisen during service. The Buddies and mentees can then focus on solutions together, so when a similar challenge presents itself, the mentee is armed and ready to tackle it! By building our team in this way, we will quickly turn these small steps into massive strides.”

Once the new employee successfully completes the 90-day probationary period, the Buddy receives a monetary bonus payout.

“I am so proud of our team at Emory and their commitment to our people,” said Regional Manager Michael Aquaro. “The Buddy Program is a great way to welcome new staff to our family and teach them the importance of working safely, and it puts new team members on the right path to a successful career with us.“

Written by Jenny Slafkosky, Writer/Editor; Norris Mei, Digital Content Manager; and Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

47 | BRAVO

DEPAUW STUDENTS GET LESSON IN SEASONAL, SUSTAINABLE COOKING THE NEW ULLEM CAMPUS FARM AND CENTER FOR SUSTAINABILITY at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, is a beautiful farmhouse-style space on a hill overlooking the campus farm. Featuring a fully equipped kitchen, it was designed to host foodfocused education events in style. The Bon Appétit team at DePauw and Fellow Carrie Cullen recently joined up with students from the Fresh Food Club and the campus farm to host a class in cooking seasonal and sustainable meals on a student budget.

Sous Chef Brandon Townsend led the class, whose menu was plant-based and featured fresh, seasonal produce from the campus farm, lit by a vivid sunset visible from the wall of windows.

Brandon kicked the night off by using a sweet vegan pumpkin bread recipe to give a lesson on the science of gluten and plantbased binding agents. As the bread baked, students spiralized just-picked zucchini to make “zoodles.” These were new to a lot of students, and the task was quite a hit.

Bon Appétit Sous Chef Brandon Townsend (rear) led a cooking class for DePauw students that included using a spiralizer to turn zucchini into zoodles

The students learned some “chef hacks” for peeling garlic and chopping onions, then made a simple marinara using freshly picked heirloom tomatoes. For the main course, they chopped peppers and roasted sweet potatoes for seasonal garden tacos.

Everyone was wowed by Brandon’s fancy pepper-flipping skills during the sauté demo and were even more delighted when he stepped aside and let everyone take a turn.

As the students enjoyed the feast they made, they chatted with Carrie about Bon Appétit’s commitment to the Farm to Fork program, plant-forward menuing, and other topics.

Submitted by Carrie Cullen, Fellow

Students also got to practice sautéing and flipping peppers

48 | BRAVO

DEPAUW BRINGS HOME THIRD CONSECUTIVE WIN AT TASTE OF PUTNAM COUNTY

For Bon Appétiters at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, the Taste of Putnam County is a highly anticipated event. A fundraiser for the Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce, the event draws more than 3,000 attendees for live music, family-friendly activities — and, of course, food!

Local vendors and restaurant teams look forward to offering their dishes and competing for the best overall menu at Taste of Putnam County. Chef de Cuisine Laura Fornari created the featured menu, with help from Executive Sous Chef Nathan Smith: short-rib bao made with Wyeth Farms beef, Jamaican-

inspired jerk chicken lettuce cups, mini carrot cake truffles, and vanilla bean panna cotta. Catering Manager Megan Inman and General Manager John Hecko coordinated the event; and Catering Attendants Brooklynn Buchannan and Sue Beaman and Administrative Assistant Ashleigh Walden worked the table.

For the third year in a row, the DePauw team was thrilled to win the Golden Plate Award determined by attendees’ votes!

— Submitted by Megan Inman, Catering Manager

The DePauw team celebrates winning Taste of Putnam County’s golden plate a third time

49 | BRAVO

MEATWORKS SHOWS ROGER WILLIAMS TEAM IT HAS NOTHING TO HIDE

EAT LIKE A PIG: Twice a week, the Bon Appétit team at Roger Williams University is donating perishable food scraps to West Place Animal Sanctuary, a nonprofit that takes care of injured and orphaned animals. These Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs named Jack and Diane especially like watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, pears, potatoes, carrots, and corn. — Submitted by Stephanie Keith, Controller and Marketing Director Purchasing Manager Andy Costanzo, General Manager James Gubata, Executive Chef Jon Cambra, Café Manager Josh Hennessy, and Controller and Marketing Director Stephanie Keith visit a new local slaughterhouse and processing facility

WHEN BON APPÉTIT TEAMS go visit a local vendor, it’s usually a “field trip” to picturesque pastures. Meatworks, a slaughterhouse and processing facility in Westport, MA, was a different experience.

A Bon Appétit group from Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI — Controller and Marketing Director Stephanie Keith, Café Manager Josh Hennessy, General Manager James Gubata, Executive Chef Jon Cambra, and Purchasing Manager Andy Costanzo — joined Fellow Samuel Martin on a trip to check out enrolling Meatworks as a Farm to Fork vendor itself, since a number of Roger Williams’ Farm to Fork partners are using them, including Blackbird Farm, DaSilva Farm, and possibly aggregator Farm Fresh Rhode Island.

Open for just over a year, Meatworks is owned and operated by the nonprofit Livestock Institute of Southern New England, who aid regional livestock farmers through educational programming and infrastructure improvements. Built in part with a USDA loan intended to restore small-scale USDA-certified processing to the

region, Meatworks is a multispecies slaughterhouse that specializes in humane slaughter on a small scale, with full transparency.

The facility can process about seven cows or 12 pigs, goats, or sheep a day — a fraction of what the big plants do in an hour.

Lisa Baeza, Meatworks’ quality assurance manager, walked the group through the entire facility beginning in the retail space.

They observed a team of butchers breaking down carcasses in the processing room, while Lisa explained how Meatworks uses an integrated scale system to ensure full traceability from drop off to pickup.

The team also toured the hanging room, smoke room, and blast freezer, getting a firsthand view of the plant’s processing and packing capacity. The Roger Williams team was even allowed to tour the actual slaughter room, but admitted to being relieved that since a client had cancelled that morning, it was not in action on their tour day.

Submitted by Samuel Martin, Fellow

50 | BRAVO

GETTY TEAM BRINGS MANET’S PARIS TO LOS ANGELES THE CHEFS AT THE GETTY CENTER in Los Angeles often find inspiration in the art that surrounds them, but rarely do they get an opportunity to show off their edible masterpieces to people beyond the museum grounds. This year, the Getty’s curators partnered with the Bon Appétit culinary team to create a branded booth at L.A. Magazine’s annual L.A. Food and Wine event, showcasing the museum experience at the food festival.

To promote the recently opened “Manet and Modern Beauty” exhibit, which explores the final years of Édouard Manet’s life, the Getty and Bon Appétit teams created a co-branded, immersive “Café Manet.” They sought to offer the ambiance of a chic Parisian brasserie at the booth, with bistro tables surrounded by a backdrop of enlarged Manet imagery.

For the menu, Catering Chef Gino Pineda presented an elevated take on the brasserie staple steak frites: Wagyu tenderloin seared rare and thinly sliced, served atop a potato pavé garnished with bone-marrow aioli and lemon herb powder.

Executive Pastry Chef Joanne Ponvanit drew on Manet’s colorful depictions of flowers and simple still-lifes for her two classic French treats. She served her bonbon à la fraise, strawberry chocolate bonbons made from local Coke Farm strawberries and Valrhona strawberry-flavored chocolate in strawberry-shaped molds, in a basket to create a real-life replica of Manet’s painting “Strawberries.” Her hand-painted cocoa nib, salted caramel, and strawberry macarons were adorned with intricate flowers that were nearly as stunning at the artist’s famous flower paintings.

“This was like a chef’s playground,” said Joanne. “I love exploring the beauty and

Life imitates art: Executive Pastry Chef Joanne Ponvanit’s strawberry bonbons were inspired by Manet’s “Strawberries” painting

simplicity of everyday objects like flowers or fruit, and presenting them in a way that defies expectations.” Guests were blown away by the presentation and flavors — in the days following the event Joanne

51 | BRAVO

received half a dozen emails from impressed guests who were looking forward to visiting the Restaurant to try more of her desserts.

Submitted by Waverley Aufmuth, Public Restaurant PR & Marketing Manager

WHITTIER COLLEGE FIGHTS FOOD INSECURITY ON MANY FRONTS “WE’RE IN THE BUSINESS OF FEEDING TUMMIES — not feeding trashcans,” Director of Operations Lucy Alcaraz told visiting Bon Appétit Fellow Carrie Cullen, and the Bon Appétit team at Whittier College proved it, over and over, during the days Carrie spent with them in Whittier, CA. Immediately after lunch the first day, the entire Whittier dining team bustled to wrap up excess food in bins and weigh them as one Bon Appétiter said out loud how much he enjoys packing up food for donation because he knows what a long way it will go for those in need. Carrie joined Aileen Figeuroa, president of Whittier’s studentrun Food Recovery Network chapter, to donate the recovered food at the local church just a few blocks from Whittier’s campus. The soup kitchen primarily receives donations of canned and boxed goods, and the manager mentioned how much the warm, from-scratch meals from the Bon Appétit café are always anticipated.

Carrie also accompanied General Manager Craig Irby to a meeting with Frances Romo, new student programs coordinator in the Dean of Students office, to discuss food insecurity on Whittier’s campus. They discussed how the Bon Appétit team had recently implemented a system where students experiencing food insecurity receive free meals at the dining center at the end of every meal period. (Any excess edible food is donated.) Bon Appétit is also partnering with the college to give meal vouchers to students with demonstrated need to use in place of a meal plan. Then Frances led Craig and Carrie on a tour of the new food pantry space at Whittier, comprising four large shelving units in an existing kitchen, which has been stocked by student and community food drives.

Whittier College student Aileen Figeuroa, president of the Food Recovery Network chapter, with the day’s donations she is delivering to a local church

(The food pantry was a semifinalist in Bon Appétit’s Student Activist Grant contest, see page 62.) Craig and the Bon Appétit staff developed a point system to allow equitable access to the available food items. The Student Senate has made a donation to purchase a refrigerator to expand the available food options.

Frances shared a few moving stories about students she’d worked with, noting that sometimes having a reliable source for a daily meal can make all the difference in a student’s life. Craig and Carrie were happy to be part of the group trying to find solutions to campus — and community — food insecurity.

Submitted by Carrie Cullen, Fellow

52 | BRAVO

ELECTRONIC ARTS KICKOFF IS ALL FOOD AND GAMES

Catering Chef Mike Gerton, Executive Chef Jon Hall, Catering Manager Ariana Tanimura, and Bon Appétit Global Director of Food Service for Electronic Arts Chris Bifano encouraged guests to play with their food

VIDEO GAME GIANT ELECTRONIC ARTS throws a worldwide annual celebration, Kickoff, to mark the beginning of “launch season,” when new games are released, to give all of its employees a chance to appreciate each other’s work and get familiar with all the new fun they’re about to give the world.

The Bon Appétit team decided to go with game-themed foods for the menu for the thousand or so employees at the Redwood City, CA, campus. Inspired by FIFA 2020, pulled pork tacos with Carolina Reaper barbecue sauce and pickled onions were served with a side of potato salad.

Drawing on Anthem, the crab cake sliders with Sriracha mayonnaise and lemon-dill

slaw were served on silver dollar rolls with a side of house-made vinegar chips. And the onion-ring bar offered assorted dipping sauces themed to the newly launched Apex Legends game: Gibraltar’s BBQ sauce, Bangalore’s honey mustard, and Lifeline’s ranch dressing. There was even a Plants vs. Zombies flowerpot vegetable display in honor of Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville.

“Loved the food and there were enough activities to get people out and socializing.

Great way to celebrate our games!” wrote Chief People Officer Mala Singh in an email shared with the team. “It is so refreshing to have this team think differently about these events. They have a huge impact on

53 | BRAVO

Cooks Jose Casas Lopez and Mario Garcia grilling elote

the morale of the EA team, so thank you!

You guys have raised the bar!”

Submitted by Ariana Tanimura, Catering Manager

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO AMPLIFIES STAFF AND GUEST ENGAGEMENT The Bon Appétit and UChicago Dining teams at the University of Chicago had a busy fall semester filled with multiple successful activities aimed at engaging students and energizing the culinary staff. — Submitted by Colleen Maul, Marketing Manager

COOKING IS AN ART AND A SCIENCE DEMOS

During his Cooking Is An Art and a Science demo, Sous Chef Ben Arfa taught students how to poach an egg perfectly, then served the eggs with toast points to soak up the yolk

FOR THE MONTHLY CHEF DEMO SERIES, they began putting a twist on Bon Appétit’s Cooking Is an Art and a Science promotion. Once a month, a chef is tapped by the campus executive chef to perform a cooking demonstration and tasting at a different dining commons each night for three nights. He or she gets to choose a topic or technique from the Cooking Is an Art and a Science portfolio and prepare a brief presentation to repeat throughout the event.

Sous Chef Michael Digby demonstrated how to caramelize onions, explaining how caramelizing changes the flavor profile of the onion and giving suggestions on other items to caramelize, such as apples or squash

54 | BRAVO

STUDENTS GRILL FOR FUN AND PRIZES ON A CHILLY BUT BEAUTIFUL FALL DAY, students from the UChicago Grill Club set up three large grills donated by Weber, donned protective mitts, and picked up grilling utensils for an intense grilling competition attended by approximately 350 people. The three teams each comprised four student grill club members paired with a Bon Appétit chef from the Baker, Bartlett, and Cathey dining commons. The esteemed judges included Associate Vice President of Development Michael Levine, Dean of Students Michele Rasmussen, and Weber Restaurants Head Grill Master Kevin Kolman.

With help from Sous Chef Darrain Bowdry, Team Baker took home the win for their Jamaican spicy pork loin and West Africaninspired grilled chicken, paired with spicy baked beans, coleslaw, and warm hibiscus tea. The winners took home a plaque, grilling tools, and Maroon dollars, and all participants received a T-shirt, Weber oven mitts, and a Bon Appétit water bottle in a Bon Appétit bag. And then everyone — including the onlookers — feasted on the competition entries as well as grilled vegetables and mac and cheese prepared by the Bon Appétit team.

Grill Club Competition winner Team Baker Hall, with Sous Chef Darrain Bowdry (rear, center)

HUNDREDS VOTE IN CHILI COOK-OFF A CHILI COOK-OFF WAS JUST THE THING to take the edge off in cold and wintry Chicago. Each of the three UChicago cafés plus the commissary location entered a recipe into the competition by making nine gallons of their chili, which was then divided up between the three dining common locations for judging.

Guests voted using a dried bean. Nearly 500 votes were counted campuswide! Team Baker Hall triumphed once again with their hearty, beefy three-bean chili, winning a chile-pepper trophy plus celebratory balloons to display. The entire Baker Hall staff also got to enjoy cupcakes and, of course, bragging rights. The winning chili recipe was also made the following Monday and served at all locations on campus.

Café Manager Brian Stratton, Food Service Worker Erica Coleman, and Michael offer chili cookoff samples at Bartlett Dining Commons

55 | BRAVO

PENN TEAM HOSTS HIGH-IMPACT ZERO WASTE CONFERENCE THE POST-LANDFILL ACTION NETWORK, a network of student leaders focused on waste reduction, recently hosted the sixth annual Students for Zero Waste Conference at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Six hundred students, staff, activists, and industry innovators in the zero waste movement attended the three-day conference, which offered workshops, activity sessions, tours, and panels related to waste and environmental justice — and of course some delicious zero-waste meals prepared by the Bon Appétit team at Penn!

Bon Appétit Waste Specialist Maggie Kraft attended panels and workshops about food insecurity and disposable packaging solutions and also presented the results of the Waste team’s recent Plate Waste Study. A group of 40 people attended her session and were deeply engaged.

For the second year in a row, Catering Director Natalie Armentrout and her colleagues on the Bon Appétit catering team went above and beyond to provide a delicious, zerowaste lunch for all attendees. The thoughtful, Asian-inspired vegan menu utilized stem-to-root cooking techniques to minimize waste. The team even provided everyone with ecoclamshells to highlight Penn’s reusable to-go container program (see page 25 to learn more about Bon Appétit’s new reusable guide that Maggie helped put together).

Campus Executive Chef Chris Smith led two groups on an informational Sunday morning kitchen tour and explained several of Bon Appétit’s sustainability initiatives, from Farm to Fork purchasing to food recovery. Executive Catering Chef Rocco Spampinato then demonstrated the process for creating a zero-waste meal, using the lo mein-inspired dish served the prior day as an example. Rocco shared tips for using all parts of the plant and handed out the recipe so guests could replicate the meal at home. One attendee remarked, “I never thought about preventing food waste while cooking. This cooking demo has inspired me to be more thoughtful about how I prepare my meals so I can create less waste!”

The Penn catering team put together a delicious, zero-waste lunch utilizing stem-to-root cooking techniques and offering eco-clamshells

Submitted by Maggie Kraft, Waste Specialist

56 | BRAVO

BON APPÉTITERS TRAVEL TO FIGHT FOOD WASTE

Food Recovery Network student volunteers and Bon Appétit Café Manager Josh Hennessy (center) drove down from Rhode Island to the National Food Recovery Dialogue in Philadelphia

FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL National Food Recovery Dialogue, hosted by Bon Appétit’s longtime nonprofit partner the Food Recovery Network (FRN), it was only natural that several Bon Appétiters made the trip to Philadelphia.

Waste Specialist Maggie Kraft was there to present the results of Bon Appétit’s plate waste study, conducted in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Following her presentation, the group discussed the waste-reduction strategies recommended in the study, such as offering tasting spoons and providing guidance around portion size. And during the workshop called “Sustaining the Food Recovery Movement,” Maggie participated in a group discussion focused on engaging food donation partners, offering insight from the perspective of the institutional food donor.

Maggie was able to connect with several FRN chapters from Bon Appétit campuses and Josh Hennessy, a Bon Appétit café manager at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, who had joined four students from Roger Williams’ FRN chapter.

“It’s good to hear about how other schools handle recoveries,” said Emily Digman, Roger Williams ’20. “It helps us figure out what we could be doing differently.” Added Lydia Nelson ’20, “The dialogue always reminds us how lucky we are to have a dining staff that is actually supportive of Food Recovery Network.”

Inspired by what they learned at the conference, the Roger Williams students are now considering incentive programs and club-sponsored recoveries as a way to recruit volunteers. “We want to make sure that the club is still running after we graduate,” said Olivia Ryan ’20. “We have such a good thing going that we want to keep making a difference.”

Submitted by Stephanie Keith, Marketing Director & Controller, and Maggie Kraft, Waste Specialist

57 | BRAVO

EATING ON THE EDGE AT GENENTECH

The Edge opening team

GENENTECH EMPLOYEES IN SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA, have a unique new open-air option for breakfast and lunch. Located about a quarter of a mile from the main campus, the new Edge café overlooks the Bay Trail, which stretches for nearly 16 miles along the “edge” of the San Francisco Bay. The Edge offers meals with a view from 200 outdoor and 200 indoor seats. In addition to indoor communal spaces for gatherings and community building, the variety of outdoor activity spaces includes basketball, bocce ball, and shuffleboard courts, and even

a putting green. The 7,000-square-foot kitchen and dining hall offers lunch options such as short ribs from the Korean Barbecue station, house-made falafel at the Vegging Out station, and fish and chips with garlic fries at the Bay Shack station.

The Edge will be Genentech’s first “zero waste to landfill” café on campus. This means that everything the Bon Appétit team serves, including packaging and cutlery, will be recyclable or compostable.

Submitted by Sue Truoccolo, Operations Manager

58 | BRAVO

Early-morning views from the Edge’s picnic tables along the Bay Trail

Lunch options from the Vegging Out, Bay Shack, and Korean Barbecue stations

59 | BRAVO

ANDREWS UNIVERSITY SETS UP A CARVING STATION … FOR VEGETABLES

Andrews Dining Lead Chef Cory Williams and Bon Appétit General Manager Linda Brinegar with roasted squash from the carving station

Roasted whole, purple cabbage retains its color and nutrients

EXECUTIVE CHEF LANCE CLARK, General Manager Linda Brinegar, and the rest of the Andrews University culinary team watched closely as Regional Manager Kris Kotte, Regional Support Manager Mark Daniels, and Culinary Brand Manager Nicolai Tuban made their way through the Terrace Café. Extra-special attention had been paid to the preparation, plating, and flavor of the dishes served in the multi-stationed, all-vegetarian café. (An Adventist educational institution, Andrews offers an entirely vegetarian and vegan food program.) They were delighted to see the visitors coming back for seconds on creamy spinach hummus and roastedvegetable-and-puffed-rice patties and to hear their compliments.

vivid colors and nutrients. A place where vegetables were king.

Could they do it? Yes!

But then Kris, with a look of sadness, reluctantly said, “Well, it all tastes great, but vegetables just don’t show as well as a carving station.” Nicolai looked at Linda with a twinkle in his eye, and an idea was born. Both members of Bon Appétit’s Plant-Forward Culinary Collaborative task force, they knew what each other was thinking: a vegetable carving station!

Back in the office, everyone chimed in all at once, excitedly. A place to showcase roasted colorful whole vegetables like cabbages, beets, cauliflowers, and pumpkins that would retain their

Within an hour, huge wooden cutting boards had been ordered and plans laid out for the look and feel of the station. The vegetables would be slow-roasted in the kitchen and just before serving, transported to the flat top. Laid out side-by-side, they would continue to cook, filling the air with the sweet delicate aroma of fall gourds or the earthiness of brassicas. Andrews Dining Lead Chef Cory Williams and Cook Sebastian Warsop carve the plants just like others would meat, placing thick, tender slices on gleaming white plates. House-made sauces would be available for drizzling over the steaming offerings.

The plant carving station has been a revelation. Students and faculty alike flock to see what interesting and delicious items are on the menu, for example piping hot butternut squash with a choice of chimichurri, chipotle, lemon cannellini beans, or grilled mushrooms. One guest stopped dead in her tracks and turned to Linda and said, “Who knew vegetables could taste so good?!

Thank you for teaching us a new way to eat.”

Submitted by Linda Brinegar, General Manager

60 | BRAVO

GATES FOUNDATION HOSTS ITS FIRST HARVEST FEST HOOTENANNY

The Hootenanny’s invited Farm to Fork vendors and the Bon Appétit team

THE BON APPÉTIT TEAM at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle regularly hosts farmers’ markets, but their first-ever Harvest Fest Hootenanny took the local love to a new level.

Eight farms and vendors set up their stands in the campus courtyard. The event kicked off with an outdoor barbecue, and Bon Appétit offered dishes that featured products from the invited vendors. Representatives from Osprey Hills Farm, who provide humanely raised poultry to the café, and Pike Place Market’s Uli’s Famous Sausage, grilled their samples for the guests. Victrola Coffee Roasters demonstrated a new counter-top cold brew, while Iggy’s Kombucha showed off their fresh tap system. Others set up stunning table displays showing off their fresh produce, amazing floral bouquets, and delicious cheeses.

Guests enjoyed sampling the wares, eating lunch made from the produce, and purchasing items from the vendors directly. In addition, Regional Marketing Director Tonya Flashey set up an engagement table with appetizer samples, a marketing slide show featuring current café promotions, and a drawing. All attendees received one ticket for the drawing, and vendors handed out additional ones to those who made purchases. Prizes included gift cards and gift baskets of the vendors’ items. Winners were announced on the café’s Yammer page.

The Harvest Fest Hootenanny was well received by all, and the Gates team is already planning new farmers’ market events for the spring as well as their second Hootenanny in the fall!

Submitted by Jason Posey, Operations Manager

61 | BRAVO

GOUCH ER COLLEGE AGRICULTURE COOPER ATIVE

What the grant will fund: Make the 5,000-square-foot campus farm a more inviting and healing space by buying more perennials, including fruit bushes; compost for the raised beds; seeds for annuals; and tools and other garden items such as a new wheelbarrow, hoes, and stakes.

62 | BRAVO

IN CASE YOU THOUGHT youth activism was confined to social media, students around the country turned out to be eager to get their hands dirty to improve the sustainability of food on their college campuses.

Forty-nine student groups applied for Bon Appétit’s Student Activist Grant contest, held in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Bon Appétit Fellowship Program. (Bon Appétit Fellows are recent college graduates who were sustainability champions on their Bon Appétit-served campuses; for more, see bamco.com/fellowship.)

The applications poured in from all over the country, in the categories of campus farms and gardens; waste prevention and reduction; hunger and food insecurity; and food literacy, education, and advocacy. They ranged from low-tech (plants for a

campus farm and reusable pans to transport donated food) to high-tech (a solar-powered ventilation system for hoop houses).

“We need things to inspire us and give us hope these days,” said Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio. “Reading these applications reminded me — and everyone else at Bon Appétit involved with this contest — that small, concrete actions by bright young people can have a potentially big payoff in making our food system more sustainable and just.”

The past and present Bon Appétit Fellows narrowed the group down to 20 semifinalists. Voting opened Oct. 11 for the People’s Choice award, via Likes accumulated on project posts tagged #BAMCOStudentActivistGrants on Instagram. Continues on next page

PEOPLE’S CHOICE WIN N ER : WH E ATON COLLEGE STUDENT GOVERNMENT’S CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

What the grant will fund: Construction of a campus garden, to give students the opportunity to participate in their own food production, address local food insecurity, and teach the importance of sustainability.

63 | BRAVO

Wheaton College’s student government sustainability committee almost immediately took the lead and held it, ending the contest at 5,922 votes, thanks to dedicated and tireless sharing among their friend networks.

“My team and I are so grateful to receive this grant! The Campus Sustainability group is a new organization and does not have a large presence. This grant is the perfect opportunity to get our students caring for our Earth,” wrote Averi Cummings, Wheaton College ‘20 and executive vice president of Campus Sustainability.

The other nine winners were selected by Bon Appétit senior leadership based on the specificity of their projects, their estimated level of achievability, and the anticipated impact they would have on their campus and/or their surrounding community. The grants were distributed in November, and the winners will report back at the end of the academic year on their progress, which we’ll share on our company blog.

Congratulations to all of these passionate change-makers!

MASSACHUSE T TS INSTITUTE OF TECH NOLOGY

WESLEYAN UNIVER SIT Y

WASTE WATCHERS

LONG LANE FAR M

What the grant will fund: A food waste awareness campaign, including educational information sessions, posters, waste audit materials (bins, gloves, and scale), and survey incentives.

What the grant will fund: Professional repair of Long Lane Farm’s two hoop houses, which are crucial to the farm’s vegetable production in the winter and help it grow food for Bon Appétit, the North End Farmers’ Market, and Middletown food justice organizations.

UNIVER SIT Y OF CHICAGO

CASE WESTER N R ESERVE UNIVER SIT Y

PHOENIX SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE (PSI) SERVICE GROUP

HUMANITARIAN DESIGN CORPS LOCAL TEAM

What the grant will fund: Gardening supplies (e.g., seedlings, soil, tools) to engage Chicago elementary-school students in lessons on climate change, sustainability, natural gardening, and permaculture.

What the grant will fund: A solar-powered, temperatureresponsive ventilation system that will allow the campus farm’s hoop houses to be used to their full potential year-round.

64 | BRAVO

CL AR E MONT MCKEN NA COLLEGE

JOH NS HOPKINS UNIVER SIT Y

FOOD RECOVERY NETWORK

ENACTUS JHU

What the grant will fund: Several brand-new sets of reusable, food-safe bins for transporting excess edible food from campus to local hunger-relief organizations.

What the grant will fund: Addressing food security in Baltimore by teaching residents how to grow fresh food at home by using a compact hydroponics system.

DEPAUW UNIVER SIT Y

SAVAN NAH COLLEGE OF ART AN D DESIGN

SUSTAINABILITY AND LEADERSHIP PROGR AM

SCAD NET IMPACT & SCAD BACK40

What the grant will fund: Purchase infrastructure for large-scale composting, including multiple compost bins, large heavy-duty tarps, red wiggler worms, shovels and pitchforks, and signage for the compost piles and windrows, to be located at the campus farm.

What the grant will fund: Piloting a kitchen food-scrap landfill diversion program by SCAD Net Impact for SCAD Back40 (a flourishing organic farm, apiary, and model for sustainable food systems), including a coffee-ground compost system for mushroom farming.

65 | BRAVO

LINKEDIN GUESTS MEET AWARD-WINNING CHEF MARTIN YAN

The LinkedIn team in Sunnyvale, CA, with celebrity chef Martin Yan (front, center)

THE CULINARY TEAM AT LINKEDIN in Sunnyvale, CA, was humbled to host award-winning chef, food writer, and television personality Martin Yan for their campus Guest Chef Series.

a whole chicken and prepared his recipe for mapo tofu. And the first 100 guests to arrive received a signed copy of his most recent cookbook!

Executive Asian Cuisine Chef Andy Wai is a longtime friend of Martin’s, and while they were both attending the Asia Pacific Culinary Forum in Malaysia, Andy invited Martin to visit LinkedIn for the series. Usually, the guest chef prepares a plated dish or dessert and teaches a culinary demo for Bon Appétit associates.

But Martin went above and beyond with a class for 200 LinkedIn guests in which he demonstrated how to break down

Martin also spent time sharing stories with the culinary team, and Journey Marketplace Café’s lunch menu that day included some of Martin’s greatest hits: hot and sour soup; dan dan noodles; string beans and tofu; mapo tofu with beef; and spicy Sichuan chicken wings.

Submitted by Katherine dela Cruz, Director of Administration

66 | BRAVO

CONNECTING BODY AND MIND AT LINKEDIN

At LinkedIn’s Sunnyvale, CA, campus, the events and catering team helped organize and host an outdoor yoga pop-up with Bon Appétit Regional Nutrition and Wellness Manager Jasmine Chan.

A small group of “frequent flyers” to LinkedIn’s campus gym were invited to participate. The Bon Appétit team offered a colorful array of healthy snacks and drinks, including a “tropical cleanse smoothie,” build-your-own spa water bar, and chia seed fruit cups.

Participants also received a Bon Appétit-branded reusable water bottle with built-in infuser. — Submitted by Katherine Refreshing pineapple, banana, ginger, and dela Cruz, Director of Administration

Events and Catering Coordinator Yong Xiong and Events and Catering Manager Jeanie Lelevaga present Martin with a Bon Appétit gift bag

spinach smoothies were among the healthy treats offered

Each attendee received a complimentary yoga mat, towel, and water bottle

67 | BRAVO

IAIA MANAGERS VOLUNTEER TO FEED THOSE OFTEN OVERLOOKED VIPS COME IN ALL FORMS. Bon Appétit General Manager Melody Lambelet and Executive Chef Guido Lambelet at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM, took great pride in catering a recent dinner for 22 guests at the San Martin de Porres Soup Kitchen in Española, NM. The dinner was the first in what has since become a monthly event called Friday Night Dining, which focuses on feeding homeless people and those from low-income backgrounds.

The upscale, three-course meal that Melody and Guido prepared featured ingredients sourced from local farms and purveyors. Dishes included a salad of mixed greens, carrots, green beans, and heirloom cherry tomatoes with fresh herb vinaigrette; an entrée of roast chicken and mashed potatoes with from-scratch gravy and honey-glazed carrots; and apple pie and fresh rolls donated by Española’s own Lovin Oven Bakery, along with coffee from local roaster Iconik Coffee. The meal was served at no cost to diners while a band from nearby Pojoaque provided live music.

The series draws roughly 60 low-income and/or homeless diners monthly. To be able to offer such a meal to those whose circumstances otherwise prevent them from “dining out” has been tremendously rewarding for everyone involved.

The event earned glowing coverage from The Santa Fe New Mexican

Submitted by Melody Lambelet, General Manager

68 | BRAVO

BON APPÉTIT FELLOW TALKS TURKEY WITH WESLEYAN SUPPLIER EKONK HILL BON APPÉTIT FELLOW SAMUEL MARTIN got the chance to see how Thanksgiving dinner is raised on a visit to Farm to Fork vendor Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm in Moosup, CT. Farm Manager Katie Hermonot, daughter of Ekonk Hill’s owner Rick Hermonot, gave Sam a tour, explaining that the farm’s operations began in 1998, when the Hermonot family raised 15 turkeys for family and friends.

They now raise more than 3,000 turkeys every year, some of which they sell to the Bon Appétit team at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, for Thanksgiving, along with ground beef, the occasional pork, and ice cream other times of the year. Katie said she really enjoys working with Executive Chef John Cyr and the Wesleyan team because they understand the constraints of a small farm (and of agriculture in general), have similar values, and their requests are reasonable and made in a timely manner.

Ekonk’s free-range turkeys have access to pasture

Sam was particularly fascinated by the biology lesson Katie gave him about how cows and other ruminants break down fodder with the help of bacteria and other micro-organisms in their multichambered stomach systems.

Katie also talked a lot about how they prioritize animal welfare. From pasture raising all their livestock, to personally verifying that the slaughter is done in a humane manner, to successfully lobbying for their own on-farm turkey slaughter facilities to be licensed, the Ekonk Hill team puts animal welfare at the forefront of their operation.

Submitted by Samuel Martin, Fellow

Farm Manager Katie Hermonot with some of Ekonk Hill’s livestock

69 | BRAVO

MILLIKEN’S PLANNING PAYS OFF AT VIP BREAKFAST THE BON APPÉTIT TEAM at Milliken & Company was honored to be entrusted with feeding more than 200 community leaders at a special breakfast for United Way of the Piedmont held at Millken’s Spartanburg, SC, headquarters. Milliken President and CEO Halsey M. Cook, Jr., keynoted the event and shared some of the company’s 2025 sustainability goals.

Executing a catered, seated meal of this magnitude presented exciting logistical challenges. Catering Director Adam Miller, Chef/ Manager Joey Pearson, and Corporate Hospitality Manager Carey Lapidus brainstormed innovative solutions to ensure they would deliver culinary excellence despite having a small staff of just three catering attendants, a single catering chef, and only seven minutes to serve 200 breakfast plates. And they did!

Additional staff was enlisted from as far away as Raleigh, NC. The team hit the ground running at 5 a.m. and completed setup 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Using an empty conference room as the staging kitchen, Joey organized two lines of 100 plates each with three culinary associates to run a rapid plate-up process for fruit cups, a seasonal vegetable frittata, bacon, and grilled potatoes.

And when a thoughtful Milliken staffer came to the staging area to say that the team could have a few more minutes of serving time, they responded proudly, “Thanks, but we won’t need it. All our guests have been served!”

Submitted by Adam Miller, Catering Director (Milliken), and Bill Allen, General Manager (Citrix)

Catering Chef Keri Higgins and Milliken Guest House Executive Sous Chef Nick Sanders prepare plates for local community leaders

70 | BRAVO

ALBION LOVES FOOD (AND LOVES FUNK!)

DELVING DEEP INTO the invigorating world of fermented foods, the Bon Appétit team at Albion College in Albion, MI, decided to get funky with the Love Food, Love Funk marketing promotion.

During breakfast at Baldwin Café, the team set up a table for students to sample strawberry kefir and two flavors of kombucha from popular brands, and umami-ed up the day’s menus.

Breakfast specials included kimchi hash with bacon, broccoli, potatoes, and a roasted red pepper sauce. For lunch, buttered

kimchi udon pasta with garlic-ginger chicken, roasted broccoli, and sesame seeds offered a twist on the always-popular pasta with broccoli. During the promotion, upbeat music filled the café, and curious students asked lots of good questions. Even students who were skeptical of the unfamiliar offerings still gave the newto-them dishes a try, a success in everyone’s book!

Submitted by Kirsten Strong, Service Supervisor

71 | BRAVO

EMERSON STUDENTS VISIT HORSE LISTENER’S ORCHARD

The Emerson group with farmer Matt Couzens (center)

STUDENTS FROM EMERSON COLLEGE in Boston huddled outside the store at farmer Matthew Couzens’ Horse Listener’s Orchard, absorbing doughnuts, cider, and Matt’s wisdom on biodiversity in today’s context. The students, accompanied by Senior Marketing Specialist Christina Solazzo and Sustainability Manager Catherine Liebowitz, were there to tour the property, pick apples, and visit the animals. Perhaps most special was Matt’s horse, Irish, who he said taught him the importance of listening and inspired the name of the orchard.

Students explored the orchard and walked through rows of Honeycrisp, Macoun, and Cortland apples, getting a taste of Matt’s day and a greater appreciation for the work that goes into the farm side of Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork program. One student, Fiona Torres ’22, said the visit inspired her to focus her service-learning course’s semester project on working with local farmers.

Matt enjoys knowing that when students savor a helping of peach cobbler in mid-January, made with Horse Listener’s peaches the

A student picks a Horse Listener’s apple

Bon Appétit team at Emerson preserved in mid-summer, they’ll know that Matt picked them himself. And he’s sowing the seeds of stewardship one plate at a time.

Submitted by Christina Solazzo, Senior Marketing Specialist

72 | BRAVO

CELEBRATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF “FRIENDS” AT EMERSON

When Emerson College decided to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the TV show “Friends,” General Manager Dawn Sajdyk and Executive Chef Alex Drumm said “I’ll be there for you.”

At the Center Stage café in Boston, there was synchronized clapping, “Smelly Cat” sing-alongs, and the one where the Bon Appétit team got to celebrate all the Thanksgivings. The menu included Chanberry sauce, mac and C.H.E.E.S.E, Joey’s meatball sub, and the famed Moist Maker Sandwich (Monica’s Thanksgiving-leftovers sandwich that Ross is obsessed with).

Students watched a number of episodes while enjoying their meal, breaking for trivia and contests. Those who gave their best Janice impression were judged by none other than “Friends” Executive Producer and Emerson alumnus Kevin Bright ’76! Bright is dedicated to giving back to his Emerson roots. He took the time to meet with students, take photos, and share wisdom developed throughout his extensive career.

— Submitted by Christina Solazzo, Senior Marketing Specialist

Emerson College alum and award-winning executive producer of “Friends” Kevin Bright with Executive Chef Alex Drumm

Emerson students (and Bon Appétit marketing assistants) Madison Umina and Dylan Loftin on the “Friends” set replica in Lion’s Den

73 | BRAVO

UBER SAVORS CHOCOLATE DURING FAIR TRADE MONTH EVENT

CHOCOLATE LOVERS AT UBER are a lucky bunch! In honor of Fair Trade Month, the Bon Appétit team at Uber invited Director of Cocoa Sourcing and TCHO Source Laura Ann Sweitzer of TCHO Ventures to give a talk about its popular chocolate.

She covered how the Berkeley, CA-based company sources its cacao beans and how TCHO Ventures Director of Cocoa Sourcing Laura Ann Sweitzer gave a talk to Uber employees about chocolate production it uses its buying power to influence the way cacao is grown and Laura even took guests through a chocolate tasting journey, guidpurchased. Laura also spoke about fermentation and how TCHO, ing them as they discovered high-quality chocolate’s many distinct which is proud of its Fair Trade status, has invested in flavor labs notes and flavors. They enjoyed sampling chocolate pretzel, mint near its farmer-owned cooperatives. This investment allows their chip (made with freeze-dried ice cream), and Blue Bottle coffee partner-farmers to make and taste chocolate made from their dark chocolate. own beans — something they had never been able to do prior.

Submitted by Sarah Burger, Assistant General Manager

UBER WOOS INDOOR VERTICAL FARMING COMPANY FOR PLENTY OF REASONS: A new indoor vertical farming company in the Bay Area, called Plenty, is making headlines for its venture capital funding and Michelin-starred-chef advisory team. Plenty claims its hydroponic system uses 1% to 5% of the water and a fraction of the land used to grow comparable crops on a traditional, soil-based farm — and does so via a facility powered by 100% renewable wind and solar energy. Its engineers adjust the facility’s lights, air temperature, and humidity to try to coax the maximum amount of flavor from the produce. Assistant General Manager Toddy Fineberg and Executive Chef Brian Anderson of the Bon Appétit team at Uber in San Francisco invited Plenty’s Senior Business Development Manager Jill Carlson (pictured, center) to visit Uber with several colleagues in order to share samples of their products and information about their business with Uber employees. Guests enjoyed learning more about the innovative local business while sampling a variety of Plenty’s tasty mixed greens, and the Plenty team enjoyed their lunch in the café. — Submitted by Sarah Burger, Assistant General Manager

74 | BRAVO

MACALESTER TEAMS UP WITH COALITION OF ASIAN AMERICAN LEADERS

The Macalester team prepares family-style pan-Asian platters for a special luncheon

IT’S ALWAYS AN HONOR to be asked to cater an organization’s fundraising event. The Bon Appétit team at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, was excited to host the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL) Power of We luncheon, which brings together leaders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to celebrate, support, and invest in CAAL’s work.

Executive Chef Michael Pruett, Sous Chefs Mike Wahlman and Paul Riley, Catering Director Robert Bowman, and Catering Manager Lisa St. Germain came up with a pan-Asian menu served family-style on

large, circular bamboo platters at each of 45 tables. The 350 guests enjoyed the Korean tofu, lemon grass-marinated halal chicken, carrot-radish salad with nuoc cham (a Vietnamese condiment), chili-garlic broccoli with garlic chips, tamari-glazed bok choy, steamed pork dumplings, vegetable dumplings, and rice pudding with mango. And the Bon Appétit team enjoyed pulling off this challenging event for such an important community group!

Submitted by Robert Bowman, Director of Catering

75 | BRAVO

FURMAN HAS A (GOOD) BEEF WITH LOCAL FARMER

Green Valley Farm cows are raised on pasture

EXECUTIVE CHEF KEN NEW and the Bon Appétit team at Furman University in Greenville, SC, have long been fans of Bruce Adams, a local fifth-generation farmer who manages the Furman Farm, growing 40 or so crops throughout the year, including corn, kale, chard, peppers, spinach, tomatoes, onions, and more.

Bruce also raises livestock on his own farm, Green Valley Farms.

All of Bruce’s cattle are pastured and moved around every 90 days, depending on the precipitation, to make sure they are getting the best naturally grown food. He begins replanting after each move with high-protein clover, winter rye, and other seeds.

When the weather doesn’t cooperate, he feeds the livestock hay that’s been previously baled and set aside. Unlike typical grocery store meat, his cattle is never grain- or corn-fed, and you can taste the difference.

His pigs also enjoy a stress-free environment with no confinement.

Bruce’s favorite breeds are Yorkshires because of their higher litter yields and firm meat with good fat content. Small wonder that his breakfast sausage has long been a favorite at the dining hall.

Bruce makes what the Bon Appétit team thinks are the best burgers and breakfast sausage around. After serving them in Daniel Dining Hall for two years, they brought them to the on-campus full-service restaurant, The Paddock. Bruce and Chef/Manager

Chef/Manager Jered Young and Farmer Bruce Adams with the new in-house ground beef burger for The Paddock

Jered Young worked together to create the perfect mixture of brisket and chuck so that Jered could start grinding his own burgers in house. Jered trims and grinds all of the meat daily to ensure he is serving the freshest product possible to all students and visitors who dine at Furman.

Submitted by Ashley Greene, Retail and Marketing Manager

76 | BRAVO

STATE AUTO INSURANCE BRINGS HEALTHY DIY DISHES TO WELLNESS EXPO FURMAN FIGHTS TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE AND FOOD INSECURITY The Shi Center for Sustainability at Furman University recently received a substantial grant to fund food waste and food insecurity reduction programs on the Greenville, SC, campus. This grant made it possible to hire Furman junior Harrison Broyles as a Food Waste and Insecurity Fellow.

Harrison and Shi Center staff have been working with the Bon Appétit team to bring the Swipe Out Hunger program, which allows students to donate their leftover meal swipes to those in need at Furman.

Bon Appétit Fellow Carrie Cullen joined Harrison and two student volunteers at an information table to spread the word about an in-progress food-recovery alert system at Furman. The program utilizes a mass texting application, Slick Text, to send out alerts about leftover food at catered events on campus. The texts will be distributed to anyone who opts in to the alert system and food will be claimed on a first-come first-served basis, monitored and disposed of when food safety becomes a concern.

The response was positive and enthusiastic, and more than 50 students signed up for Slick Text in just two hours of tabling! — Submitted by Carrie Cullen, Fellow

STATE AUTO INSURANCE’S ANNUAL WELLNESS EXPO is a great chance to reach many guests at the Columbus, OH, campus, so the Bon Appétit team jumped at the invitation to participate.

Students Harrison Broyles, Riya Misal, and David Savini share information about food insecurity and a new campus food recovery alert app

General Manager Kecia Tatman invited Registered Dietitian Megan Brzuski from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland to come help run an interactive station where guests could make their own vinaigrette and sample a new salad special made with red quinoa and farro. Many guests stopped by to learn about these healthy whole grains, customize their own vinaigrette using herbs and spices, and taste how its flavors complemented the quinoa and farro salad.

Submitted by Kecia Tatman, General Manager

77 | BRAVO

GUEST CHEF LIZ ALPERN SHARES SOUP AND SOCIAL JUSTICE AT PENN IN COLLABORATION WITH the Chaplain’s Office and Vice Provost for University Life at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the Bon Appétit team launched a new program called Penn Cooks: Celebrating Culture and Community through Cookbooks and Cuisine. The goal is to bring in chefs with diverse backgrounds to collaborate on special events (both in café and at the Penn Bookstore, to bring the program beyond dining plan holders) and feature their menu items throughout the cafés. When possible, the activities are aligned with specific cultural celebrations and occasions.

First in the series was Liz Alpern, cookbook author and longtime LGBT advocate, who the Penn team invited as part of LGBT history month celebrations. Liz is the creator of Queer Soup Night, a global event series highlighting the talent of queer chefs and raising funds for social justice organizations. She is also co-owner of the Gefilteria, a cutting-edge food venture reimagining Old World Jewish dishes.

Liz took part in a roundtable discussion with all culinary staff; a cookbook signing at the campus bookstore; a guest chef appearance at the 1920 Commons dinner series; and an intimate discussion group with Penn Hillel, a student organization celebrating Jewish culture and community.

Throughout her visit, Penn Dining served soup recipes from her cookbook “The Gefilte Manifesto” across campus, including beet borscht, leek soup with beet greens, classic chicken soup, and matzo ball soup.

And in honor of her visit, Penn Dining made a donation to The Homeward Initiative, an organization dedicated to creating much-needed LGBTQ housing options in Philadelphia.

Cook Brandon Reeves serves up soup with guest chef Liz Alpern

Chef/Manager Raymond Franckewitz, Liz, and student mashgiach Shoshana Weintraub visit with Penn students

Submitted by Beth Bayrd, Director of Marketing

78 | BRAVO

STUDENT CENTER CAFÉ AT REGIS UNDERGOES COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION REGIS UNIVERSITY IN DENVER has completed an extensive remodel of the Student Center Café, opening up the floor plan and offering comfy booths and chairs lit by pendant lamps, providing a modern setting for Regis’s food-loving student body to gather and enjoy their meals. The entire Regis community is delighted.

General Manager Melina Jakubcin and Executive Chef Glenn Babcock look to the latest trends to create a fun, hip, vibrant food program the campus can truly celebrate.

“We’ve expanded our concepts and like to really change things up. There’s almost always something exciting going on any given night,” shares Melina. Guests can dig into street tacos made with local skirt steak; Korean-inspired steamed buns with crispy pork belly and gochujang; or fresh rolls and poke from the sushi bar. Diners seeking classic comfort dishes can enjoy elevated options such as grilled local steaks, fresh seafood, and a 30-foot-long full-service salad bar featuring standouts from the in-house rotisserie such as apple-brined turkey breast and wild-caught sockeye salmon cooked on cedar planks. Furthermore, there’s now a bustling Neapolitanstyle pizza joint with eight local brews on tap, as well as a full-service espresso bar offering house-made cakes, fresh Danish pastries, and seasonal favorites such as walnut baklava featuring local honey.

“The Student Center has been transformed into our campus’s family room and will continue to welcome faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends for many years to come,” said Regis Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Salvador Aceves.

The Bon Appétit team at Regis is looking forward to rolling out even more exciting, new programs in the future!

The stations and dining area feature wooden panels and natural earth tones

A noodle bowl from the new café

Submitted by Melina Jakubcin, General Manager

79 | BRAVO

Enjoying yogurt apple “donuts” at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s first Healthy Kids class, led by Executive Chef Paul O’Brien

COOKING UP NEW RECIPES FOR HEALTHY KIDS IN THE BON APPÉTIT KITCHEN The Healthy Kids in the Bon Appétit Kitchen team loves the ongoing challenge of taking kids’ favorite foods and giving them a healthy twist. The goal is to find a good balance between showcasing recipes that not only shift taste preferences toward fruits and vegetables and teach new skills, but also result in something that kids will enjoy and want to make at home.

This fall, Healthy Kids Program Coordinator Nina Abramson and Manager of Food Education Hannah Price (née Schmunk) tested and rolled out some fun new recipes: “zoodles” with marinara, yogurt apple “donuts,” and vegetable sushi hand rolls.

Zoodles were a huge hit. Using a spiralizer to twist and turn zucchinis into something resembling spaghetti, gives kids more confidence in the kitchen and gets more vegetables on their plates. “I don’t even miss the pasta!” was a common refrain. By replacing the part of the dish that is usually refined carbohydrates with a fresh vegetable packed with nutrition and fiber, the Healthy Kids team shows kids that vegetables can be the center of a meal and taste delicious.

The yogurt apple donuts, meanwhile, turn an indulgent dessert into a healthy snack and were the perfect accompaniment for a nutrition lesson on processed versus unprocessed foods. The kids core an apple, slice it horizontally to resemble the ring of a donut, and then decorate the rings with yogurt, sliced fruit, and coconut, granola, and other crunchy toppings. The veggie sushi hand rolls lessened the intimidation factor of sushi and offered the chance to practice safe knife skills to chop a rainbow of vegetables to roll up with brown rice in seaweed and enjoy with soy sauce.

The Healthy Kids team — Nina, Hannah, Garden at Oracle Park Program Manager Sam Wilder, the Bon Appétit Fellows, and chefs around the country — enjoyed trying out these new recipes, finding them a great addition to the extensive Healthy Kids database of easy, nutrition-packed, delicious dishes that kids can make at home with their families.

Submitted by Nina Abramson, Healthy Kids Program Coordinator

80 | BRAVO

HEALTHY KIDS HEROES

These Bon Appétit partners hosted Healthy Kids in the Bon Appétit Kitchen classes in July through December: Adobe (San Francisco and San Jose) BECO Best Buy Biola University Butler University Carleton College Cornell College Denison University DePauw University

Emmanuel College Furman University Goucher College LinkedIn (Mountain View) Medtronic Milliken & Company Oracle (Pleasanton, Redwood Shores, and Santa Clara) The Presidio

Making sushi with brown rice, vegetables, and seaweed at SAP (with help from Executive Chef Mikhail Shvarts, Chef/Manager Robert Perez, and Café Chef Janet Vicens)

Reed College SAP Sony Interactive Entertainment STEM Kitchen & Garden Target (North Campus and Plaza) University of Chicago Wabash College Willamette University

Spiralizing zucchini into zoodles at Butler University’s first Healthy Kids class, led by Executive Chef Brandon Canfield

81 | BRAVO

MAKING GARDEN TACOS AT BIOLA UNIVERSITY: Executive Chef Amine Boussaksou (pictured) and the Biola team in La Mirada, CA, hosted their first Healthy Kids class with help from Fellow Carrie Cullen, General Manager Steve Rall, Director of Catering Sanha Ko, and Director of Operations Leon Darley. Twenty-five children from the Biola community tried dragon fruit and Amine’s roasted fennel, made garden tacos with from-scratch salsa and fruit kebabs for dessert, then enjoyed a picnic together. Amine surprised everyone with a dragon fruit to take home, and the young chefs were so excited to show off their spiky treasures to their parents!

— Submitted by Raquel Netto, Operations Support Manager

BRING YOUR KID TO THE KITCHEN AT BEST BUY: In conjunction with Best Buy’s “Bring Your Kid To Work Day” event at its headquarters in Richfield, MN, Bon Appétit Fellow Lily Gross, General Manager Susan Davis, and Executive Chef Mike Camplin got kids dancing for unprocessed food, trying dragon fruit and watermelon radishes, chopping up vegetable sticks for dipping, and making hummus. Mike’s industrial-size immersion blender for the hummus caused quite the excitement! Everyone made their own fruit parfaits for dessert. — Submitted by Lily Gross, Fellow

BOYS & GIRLS GIVE THANKS AT MILLIKEN: Just before Thanksgiving, 20 elementary schoolers from the Boys & Girls Club of the Upstate joined the Healthy Kids team at Milliken & Company’s Spartanburg, SC, headquarters — along with a reporter from the Herald Journal. After a taste test of acorn squash and pomegranate seeds (a first for all the kids!), Executive Chef Joseph Pearson (pictured) led the group in making “salad on a stick.” — Submitted by Hannah Price,

RAISING THE ROOF AT ADOBE - SAN FRANCISCO: Healthy Kids Program Coordinator Nina Abramson joined Executive Chef Daniel Williams for a class with a view from the rooftop garden above the Montage Café in San Francisco. The eager attendees enjoyed a taste test with gooseberries, a garden scavenger hunt, and cooking up garden tacos. — Submitted by Nina Abramson, Healthy Kids Program Coordinator

Manager of Food Education

82 | BRAVO

WASH U TEAM WELCOMES NEW CHANCELLOR WITH LOCAL-CENTRIC CELEBRATION

Café Manager Shawn Coffel manned the bánh mì station for Chancellor Andrew Martin’s inauguration

THE INAUGURATION OF the new chancellor for Washington University in St. Louis was a multiday, all-campus affair, but Campus Executive Chef Patrick McElroy, Catering Executive Chef Mark Magee, and the rest of the Bon Appétit culinary team were equal to the challenge.

Chancellor Andrew D. Martin is a fan of St. Louis treats, so Patrick and Mark worked with local vendors to provide items such as glazed old-fashioned donuts from Old Town Donuts and local cotton candy for the outdoor reception at the Danforth campus. Heartier options included bánh mì with rice noodle salad and tamarilime vinaigrette.

The inauguration was also a great chance to pedal out Bon Appétit’s new addition to the campus’s mobile fleet, a WUSTL Dining-branded trike with an attached food box. The trike allows the team to activate underutilized spaces and to serve large crowds spread out across campus.

For the chancellor’s inauguration, the trike dispensed ice cream, but it’s also been used to promote the addition of Gus’ Pretzels, a revered St. Louis institution, to the menu at Stanley’s Café in historic Lopata Hall. They’re hoping Chancellor Martin stops in to try one soon.

Submitted by Brittni Walters and Rob Staggenborg, Marketing Co-Managers

Shawn and Café Manager Mark Catubig (left) serve Gus’ Pretzels to students at a pop-up

83 | BRAVO

84 | BRAVO

Carleton College’s relationship with local Hmong farmers has proven beneficial to both students and the local food movement DESPITE THE FACT that Hmong American agrarians are integral to Minnesota’s local food movement and account for more than 50% of vegetable producers at Twin Cities farmers’ markets, they were until recently largely uncelebrated, unsupported, and misunderstood.

“Because of language barriers and unfamiliarity, and probably a little bit of racism, Hmong farmers haven’t had access to land, larger markets, or any of the capital and credit that’s prevalent in agriculture,” says Pakou Hang, executive director of Hmong American Farmers Association.

In 2011 Pakou and her brother Janssen Hang cofounded HAFA with a mission to “advance the prosperity of Hmong American farmers through cooperative endeavors, capacity building, and advocacy.” In practice, this has meant helping members unearth lucrative markets and deepen their understanding of small business management. Two years later, HAFA recruited a benefactor, who purchased 155 acres in Vermillion Township and created an agricultural land trust, ensuring that farmers who qualify get a 10-year lease.

Two dozen small red toolsheds are complemented by two greenhouses, a machine shed, a brand-new pack shed, and a dilapidated but still functional country house turned makeshift office space.

Continues on next page

85 | BRAVO A Hmong farmer cuts a red onion off its stalk

Nineteen Hmong families are currently each renting one or two 5-acre plots from HAFA, growing carrots, potatoes, onions, and more for Carleton College, St. Olaf College, and other buyers

Once the farm was working, HAFA began to forge a deep, mutually beneficial relationship with Bon Appétit Management Company, the dining services provider at Northfield, MN-based Carleton College (and others). It was just the sort of alliance Pakou and her colleagues were looking to build, since it provided their members access to a large, nationally recognized vendor and simultaneously created an opportunity for them to engage in wider conversations on campus and at farm-sponsored events about issues such as economic equity, racial justice, and the importance of local agriculture.

“It’s a very substantive multipronged relationship,” Pakou says.

“We are able to sell a substantial amount of produce to Carleton, but we also show students how the complexities of the food system reflect the complexities of Hmong farmers’ lives, which are layered with misperceptions, curiosity, and struggle. It’s a fullcircle thing, because in order to lift up Hmong farmers, you have to tell their stories to people who will share them with people in the wider community.”

of paying special attention to marginalized communities that play a huge part in our local food system.”

Bon Appétit proved to be the perfect partner. Claire, who already was managing Carleton’s Real Food Calculator — an online instrument that tracks institutional purchasing patterns — approached General Manager Katie McKenna. Always looking to diversify the college’s local supply chain, Katie was on board from the word go.

“Bon Appétit is dedicated to being a model for change,” says Claire, who spent the first two years after she graduated from Carleton working for Bon Appétit as a Fellow. “They not only support smaller producers who have been cut out of large, concentrated supply chains, they also leverage those producers’ purchasing power, which influences larger institutions that may not be as educated [about small farms and sustainability] as they could be.”

As a first-year student, Claire Kelloway ‘16 found her way to Carleton’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement and discovered the Real Food Challenge, a national nonprofit focused on encouraging colleges to buy meat and produce from local, ecologically sound, humane sources. Later, she attended the group’s national conference, where Pakou gave a keynote speech.

Claire returned to campus committed to creating an alliance between HAFA and Bon Appétit.

Katie and former Carleton Executive Chef Gibson Price negotiated terms in 2017 for HAFA farmers to provide root vegetables to Carleton, with a heavy emphasis on yellow onions. It was a transformative contract. Farmers who had previously relied exclusively on seasonal sales learned how to cure their vegetables for year-round use, which provided them with more economic security and the ability to buy seeds and plan crop rotations in advance. Forging a relationship with a national vendor and a prestigious college also augmented HAFA’s reputation, opening doors to both local lenders and prospective clients.

“I was already interested in the idea that entities we don’t usually think about, like college cafeterias, can be vehicles for change,” she says. “Pakou’s presentation impressed on me the importance

“Our contract with Carleton was one of the main motivators for us to embark on a million-dollar project to build a new rinse, wash, cutting, and cooling facility,” Pakou says. “Our hope was

86 | BRAVO

The Hmong farmers each get a shed to store their tools

that the expansion would lead to other similar contracts so our farmers could really invest in their future. And that’s exactly what happened.”

In 2018 HAFA sold some 10,000 pounds of produce to Carleton, mostly cured onions and potatoes. It also secured contracts to provide vegetables to the Minneapolis Public Schools, Lunds &

Byerlys grocery stores, and Surly Brewing. As sales increase, Pakou remains loyal to the college that set the wheels in motion, encouraging Carleton students to visit the farm, offering to speak with classes and student groups, and hiring interns from both Carleton and St. Olaf College, which is also served by Bon Appétit.

Adapted with permission from an article written for the Carleton Voice by David Schimke, Managing Editor. Photos by Mike Hazard ’73.

CARLETON COLLEGE HOSTS SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE

This fall, more than 200 students and staff from more than 50 higher education institutions gathered at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, for the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability conference. Bon Appétit worked closely with Carleton’s own Sustainability Office to offer a locally sourced vegetarian breakfast and lunch, and campus

Sustainability Fellows led attendees on a tour of Carleton’s student-run farm, which sells its produce to Bon Appétit during the summer and fall. After the farm tour, guests visited the Language and Dining Center as well as Sayles Hill Café to follow the food from farm to plate. — Submitted by Grace Liao,

Executive Sous Chef Vale Riggs and Bon Appétit Sustainability Students Grace Liao and Karen Chen hosted visiting students for a tour of Sayles Hill Café

Conference guests toured Carleton Farm

Carleton College Sustainability Student

87 | BRAVO

EAT LOCAL CHALLENGE 2019 DIGGING DEEPER INTO LOCAL FOODS A LOT HAS CHANGED on the local-food landscape since Bon Appétit Management Company held its first annual companywide Eat Local Challenge in 2005. But the original parameters still leave acres of room for creativity. For the 15th annual Eat Local Challenge, the guidelines were to take the original requirements — create a 100% locally sourced meal, with all ingredients from within 150 miles (that includes oils, spices, sweeteners) — then dig even deeper, creating as many additional all-local menu items as feasible.

As usual Bon Appétit teams rose to the occasion, planning and presenting local dishes ranging from sweet to savory, but all seasonal and all delicious.

YES, WE CAN

EAT LOCALLY JOIN BON APPÉTIT MANAGEMENT COMPANY’S EAT LOCAL CHALLENGE Eat a meal made entirely of foods grown within 150 miles of this café

UCHICAGO SAYS YES WE CAN EAT LOCAL: This is what local pride looks like. At the University of Chicago, Bon Appétit Cashier Lead Kimberly Shumake (far left) channeled her inner Rosie the Riveter, posing with a Seedling Farm pear; Executive Chef John Bubala gladly lugged produce to Baker Dining Commons; and Sous Chef Michael Digby served the Bartlett Dining Commons ELC special, Kauffman Farms’ turkey with mashed potatoes.

— Submitted by Colleen Maul, Marketing Manager

89 | BRAVO

E L C

ENCOUNTERING BIRDS OF A DIFFERENT FEATHER AT THE COLLEGE OF IDAHO Eat Local Challenge menus over the years have featured chicken, turkey, even Cornish game hen, but … ostrich? Leave it to the Bon Appétit team at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, ID, who surprised everyone with yak a few years ago to come up with another jaw-dropping local protein.

Farmer Mark Coates and Bon Appétit at

As Catering Director Ashley College of Idaho Catering Director Ashley Huston and General Manager Huston at American Ostrich Farms Chad Gross approached the gate of American Ostrich Farms in Kuna, ID, they could see these unusual avian creatures peering out. There they met chef-turned-ostrich-farmer Mark Coates for a tour. Mark explained that while ostrich is considered poultry, its meat tastes more similar to beef or bison (but is higher in iron and lower in cholesterol). Unlike cattle and other ruminants, ostriches emit little to no methane or greenhouse gas, and leave a minimal water and land footprint.

Back at the college’s kitchen, Executive Chef David Smigo transformed the ostrich meat into savory sliders topped with local cheese and vegetables and served on local buns. Students were hesitant at first, but some came back for seconds after digging in!

— Submitted by Ashley Huston, Director of Catering

ZOOX UNLEASHES LOCAL HALIBUT: Kristela Nazario-Mendoza, Bon Appétit culinary director at Zoox in Foster City, CA, and Cook Nicole Soult put the finishing touches on a Monterey Bay-caught halibut ceviche with Gabriel Farm apples and pears and Weiser Family Farms’ Prity Tang melon. The honeycomb from Marshall’s Farm was used for honey-roasted Gravenstein apples, courtesy of Devoto Gardens & Orchards. — Submitted by Chris Schatzinger, General Manager

Curious adult female ostriches peer over the fence

BEST OF BAY AREA AT FRANKLIN TEMPLETON: General Manager Jeremiah Han greeted guests at Franklin Templeton in San Mateo, CA, and answered questions about their local farms and produce. In the kitchen, Executive Chef Gerard Darian pulled together the best of the Bay Area for his ELC dish of grilled Mary’s Chicken with Frog Hollow Farm peaches and a Laura Chenel goat-cheese salad. — Submitted by Cheryl Sternman Rule, National Marketing Manager

90 | BRAVO

MEETING THE FACES BEHIND THE FOOD AT EMERSON COLLEGE The Bon Appétit team at Emerson College in Boston went all out to celebrate the campus’s second annual Eat Local Challenge, delivering a menu full of ingredients from 23 Farm to Fork partners. One of the most popular entrées was roasted chicken breast with maple cider glaze.

Several vendors accepted an invitation to come celebrate. Horse Listener’s Orchard Owner Matt Couzens, who had hosted students at his orchard the week prior, manned a booth where he offered some “in-cider” information about growing apples and cider-pressing operations. Nearby, Chi Kitchen Founder Minnie Luong talked to guests about the health benefits of incorporating fermented foods into their everyday diet, as well as her commitment to providing education on Asian culture and cuisine. The Root station served crispy tofu tossed with Minnie’s vegan kimchi.

Throughout the day students mixed and mingled with their Farm to Fork partners, picking up goodies, sampling their products, and gaining a better understanding of where their food comes from. — Submitted by Christina Solazzo, Senior Marketing Specialist

Horse Listener’s Orchard Owner Matt Couzens talks apples with a student

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MUSEUM PLAYS A NATIVE TUNE: Executive Chef Chris Lenza and the Café Allegro team at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix chose to honor indigenous flavors and ingredients with their ELC menu specials. Assistant Baker Ellie Jaramillo (left) shows off their Mexican-inspired buñuelos (sweet deep-fried fritters), while Baker Yesenia Perrino holds the strawberry- and apple-filled hand pie. Also on the menu: mesquite-meal sourdough focaccia. — Submitted by Chris Lenza, Executive Chef

CLAREMONT MCKENNA PUTS THEIR PEDAL TO THE METAL: Bon Appétiters were excited to invite ELC Day superstar Hollandia Dairy to Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, CA. They brought their popular blender bike to campus, and students lined up to take turns pedaling it out to blend their own shakes prepared with local produce. — Submitted by Richard Uribe, Catering/Marketing Manager

91 | BRAVO

E L C

E L C GETTING DOWN TO THE GRAINS AT FRED HUTCH: The culinary team at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle got down to the grains for their 100% local meal, making fresh fettuccine using Cairnspring Mills “Trail Blazer” Yecora Rojo wheat flour, served with Ten Fold Farm pork shank. Sous Chef Billie Blue nurtured live yeast for house-baked sourdough rolls.

Additional ELC Day specials included soup with Oak Meadows Farm chicken, fennel, and anise hyssop, as well as poutine featuring North Cascade beef, Pioneer russet potatoes, and Golden Glen Creamery cheese curds. — Submitted

by Jay Payne, General Manager

ZUCKERMAN COMES TO NVIDIA: On Eat Local Challenge Day, the Nvidia team in Santa Clara, CA, received a special visit from Farmer Roscoe Zuckerman of Zuckerman Family Farms.

His potatoes starred in a house-made gnocchi special, and he offered samples of his crisp Granny Smith apples in the café. — Submitted by Joe DeBono, Culinary Director

LOCAL STARS SHINE AT HILLSDALE: At Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI, Chef’s Way Organic Farms’ Ezra Bertakis greeted students throughout ELC Day and shared insights about his day-to-day life as a Farm to Fork partner. — Submitted by William Persson, Marketing Coordinator

92 | BRAVO

TRANSYLVANIA CELEBRATES FIRST EAT LOCAL CHALLENGE

A WKYT cameraman films Transylvania University’s ELC meal

Executive Chef Desmond Young, General Manager Chris Harris, and the rest of the Bon Appétit culinary team at Transylvania University showed the Transy community what eating local was all about for their first-ever Eat Local Challenge celebration in Lexington, KY. Even though Transy is Bon Appétit’s first campus in the state, Chris and Desmond have already made lots of connections. “Kentucky and southern Ohio are proving to be very fertile for farms and local artisans to partner with. As soon as we opened we met with Ashton Potter-Wright, the director of local food and agricultural development for the mayor’s office. She was very helpful in introducing us to some farms. We also partnered right away with Local Food Connection, which connects and distributes produce from local farms,” said Chris.

For ELC, he reached out to Prayer Mountain Farms, Marksbury Farm, and Local Food Connection, inviting them to attend the day’s festivities. Representatives remained in the café throughout lunch service to greet guests and discuss what they grow or raise.

The 100% local menu included pork chops courtesy of McDowell Farms and a vegetarian option featuring locally grown mushrooms from Prayer Mountain and bok choy from O2 Aquaponics. Mount Pleasant Acres Farm, Foxtail Farm, Mulberry Ridge Organics, Swallow Hill Jersey Dairy, Courtney Farms, and That Guy’s Family Farm were also represented in dishes!

A crew from local news station WKYT even joined the fun, filming the culinary team throughout the process and as they prepared for the day’s lunch service. Go to www.bamco.com/in-the-news to watch the clip. — Submitted by Samantha Lowe, Communications Project Assistant

LC KITCHEN GIVES A GREEN THUMBS-UP: The culinary staff at LC Kitchen in Plano, TX, came together for a special group gardening session for Eat Local Challenge Day. They harvested Swiss chard and mint fresh from their campus garden, and incorporated them into the ELC salad entrée along with produce from Village Farms, Fagan Family Farms, North Haven Gardens, and Texas Olive Ranch. — Submitted by Vijay Sadhu, Executive Chef

93 | BRAVO

E L C

E L C

OHIO LOCAL AT STATE AUTO INSURANCE: The Bon Appétit team at State Auto Insurance in Columbus, OH, went all out and presented a 100% local menu, which included a rolled porchetta special with butternut squash and creamy goat cheese grits, served with an apple wheat berry salad. Among the featured Farm to Fork partners were New Creation Farm, Stutzman Farms, Covered Bridge Creamery, Sunsational Oil, Blue Jacket Dairy, and the team’s own campus garden. They also provided samples of fresh apple cider from Ochs Fruit Farm along with Jonagold apples. — Submitted by Kecia Tatman,

SWEET AND SAVORY AT UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC: Chef/ Manager Kevin Hennessy and the University of the Pacific team in Sacramento, CA, treated students and staff at the satellite campus to local treats both sweet and savory. The 100% local menu included a beautiful fig tart topped with honey-lavender whipped cream. In addition to the local figs, the honey came from Marshall’s Farm, lavender from Cache Creek Farm, cream from Straus Family Creamery, flour from Capay Mills, and butter from Organic Pastures. — Submitted by Kevin Hennessy, Chef/Manager

General Manager

NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR GIVES GUESTS SOMETHING TO TACO-BOUT: Executive Chef Craig Gatewood (second from left) and his culinary team at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, CA, featured an uncommon protein in the 100% local tacos they served — goat! The slow-roasted goat included house-made local Coke Farm salsa roja, goat cheese, and pickled vegetables using ingredients from Marin Sun Farms, Bellwether Farms, Sparrow Lane, and Laura Chenel. — Submitted by Blanca Garcia, General Manager

94 | BRAVO

ST. EDWARD’S TEAMS UP WITH LOCAL COOPERATIVE

Sous Chef Ruben Teran presents his 100% local plate: pork tenderloin with fig demi-glace

LINKEDIN GOES 100% LOCAL: Executive Chef James McCarthy and the Bon Appétit culinary team at LinkedIn in New York City offered a multicourse ELC menu drawing from the best of New York’s farming community. The feast included Locust Point Farm grilled chicken paillard with Radicle Farm herbs and Hudson Valley maple vinegar; Black Horse Farms fingerling potatoes and beet salad with Fruitwood Orchards orange blossom honey vinaigrette, Hudson Valley balsamic apple vinegar, and Kirchenberg Farm goat cheese; Grilled Pineridge Farm roma beans and caramelized Eagle Road Farm candy onions; and Upstate Farmers mixed greens with Hudson Valley peach vinegar and Fruitwood Orchards honey-basil vinaigrette. — Submitted by Lee Weiss, Café Manager

Eat Local Challenge Day was highly anticipated at St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. The Bon Appétit team put their heads together to come up with multiple dishes. On the menu: a pork belly, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, or PBLT; an eggplant stack; and pork tenderloin with fig demi-glace.

A representative from Johnson’s Backyard Garden (JBG) Organic visited the café to share information about this Farm to Fork partner’s community supported agriculture boxes, which are delivered to participating students, faculty, and staff at Hunt Hall every Thursday throughout the school year. In honor of ELC Day, JBG offered two boxes as prizes to students who correctly guessed the amount of food waste the café produces in one week. The contest drew multiple submissions through the café’s social media page and was another great way to get students engaged and thinking about creating a more sustainable food system. — Submitted by Robert Fredericks, Director of Operations

COMFORT FOOD CLASSICS AT PACIFIC CAFÉ: Executive Chef Alberto Gonzalez (far right) and the Bon Appétit team at Pacific Café in Irvine, CA, proudly display their ELC Day offerings, which included 5 Bar Beef short ribs, Di Stefano mozzarella salad, and roasted Mary’s turkey breast. — Submitted by Nicole Bell, General Manager

95 | BRAVO

E L C

E L C

GALLAUDET LINKS ARMS FOR LOCAL: The Eat Local Challenge meal by the team at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., featured ingredients from 18 local farms. The stars were local sausages — bratwurst, hot Italian, kielbasa, and sage — with sides of roasted tri-color potatoes, roasted butternut squash, broccoli, and garlicky kale. The displays of different varieties of ripe local apples and pears did double duty as hand fruit. — Submitted by Tanya Sealy, Residential Dining Manager

CASE WESTERN GOES FOR THE GOURD: Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland welcomed several local vendors to campus for Eat Local Challenge Day. (From left) Registered Dietitian Megan Brzuski, Chef/Manager Ben Wentz, and Cook Sara McCord welcomed Vegetable Basket Farm Owner Debbie Frank (far right), who came bearing an assortment of impressive produce, including these massive squash! Case Western’s fries are always made from Vegetable Basket’s potatoes; for ELC Day they went into a hash accompanying local pork belly. — Submitted by Colleen Reynolds, Marketing Manager

PICTURESQUE PLATES AT CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART: For ELC Day, the Provenance team at Cleveland Museum of Art drew from a vibrant palette of local colors, flavors, and farms. The menu included a maple butternut squash soup highlighting produce from Veggie Valley Farm and Chef’s Garden, as well as a chicken and goat cheese salad with brown butter-apple cider dressing made with ingredients from New Creation Farm, Chef’s Garden, Mackenzie Creamery, Minerva Dairy, and the Ohio Produce & Marketers Association. — Submitted by Nicole Miles, District Marketing Manager

96 | BRAVO

WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY GOES ALFRESCO FOR ELC

A Wesleyan student shows off his all-local plate during the ELC picnic

Local tastes in taco form: Red’s Best haddock marinated in herb oil (including Horse Listener’s Orchard rosemary); salsa made with ingredients from Wesleyan’s own Long Lane Farm; fresh slaw with cabbage, jalapeño, and carrots from Horse Listener’s; and tortillas courtesy of Mi Tierra

The Bon Appétit team at Wesleyan University took their Eat Local Challenge feast outside in a massive picnic on the lawn of the campus in Middletown, CT. Executive Chef John Cyr’s menu included steamed lobster, mussels, corn, potatoes, haddock tacos with curtido slaw, clam fritters, wood-fired rotisserie chicken, smoked pork sandwiches, pork belly, turkey, cucumber and tomato salad, barbecue seitan, fresh greens, butternut squash stew, blueberry crisp, and fresh fruit.

Among the local farms, ranchers, fishermen, and foodcrafters who supplied ingredients were Horse Listener’s Orchard, Lakeside Farms, We Bake We Jam, Baer’s Beans, Red’s Best Seafood, Dole and Bailey Fisheries, Kenyon Grist Mill, Szawlowski Farm, Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm (see page 69 for story), Hops on the Hill, The Bridge, The Barn Next Door, Lucki 7 Hog Farm, Cato Corner Farm, Ronnybrook Farm Dairy, Lamothe’s Sugar House, Indoor Organic Farm, and Avery’s Beverages.

Wesleyan’s ELC feast even featured local salt, from Maine Sea Salt Company in Marshfield, ME! — Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications. Photos by Olivia Drake, reused with permission from News at Wesleyan.

LEWIS & CLARK SHOWS OFF PRIZE POTATOES: Students at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, stopped by the ELC table throughout the day to marvel at the local cornucopia, including these sizeable potatoes from Farm to Fork partner Polar Farms. — Submitted by Eric Thomas, Director of Operations

97 | BRAVO

E L C

CATERING AND EVENTS

BRAVO BOOST

UPGRADE YOUR CATERTRAX With the new year comes a great opportunity for Bon Appétit catering teams to give their catering ordering system a refresh: if you’re using CaterTrax, you can register to begin an upgrade of your account’s platform.

With modern, clean lines, the newly branded CaterTrax skin looks and functions great on every screen from smartphones to large desktops. It features a grid of updated, custom menu categories with corresponding icons to guide prospective catering clients to their desired menus quickly and easily. The menu item pages are straightforward to read, with simple-to-navigate product choices and selection.

Transitioning to the new CaterTrax design will improve our guests’ experience immediately, starting with the beginning of the order process. Converting an existing CaterTrax account will take three to four weeks.

Interested in finding out more information (including fees) or ready to sign up for your upgrade? Contact Matt Comerford at Compass@catertrax.com.

EMORY STUDENTS FILM PLANT-BASED MEAL TUTORIAL

Student Annie Goldman films Katie Shelnitz preparing ingredients for their vegan pasta

AT EMORY UNIVERSITY IN ATLANTA, the student-run FIT Meals (Fast, Inexpensive, and Tasty) group teamed up with visiting Bon Appétit Fellow Carrie Cullen for help making an instructional video on preparing easy vegan dishes.

Founded by physical therapy students Annie Goldman, Katie Shelnitz, Shaun Resseguie, and Eric Holshouser, FIT Meals started as a program to share healthy recipes with patients before expanding to sharing with the student body. Their goal is to make healthy cooking achievable by finding creative ways to save time and cost. The videos showcase meals that take less than 20 minutes to prepare, are under $3 a serving, and are both healthy and delicious. Partnering with local organization GiGi’s Playhouse, the FIT Meals team also shares their recipes with a group of 15 participants with Down syndrome in a weekly accessible cooking demo.

Carrie and the students came up with a meal that would be healthy, filling, and appealing to diverse palates: chickpea pasta with roasted vegetables, and a spiced pumpkin-date dip. The four students are currently operating with some guerilla-style filmmaking tools, including a stack of medical textbooks as a tripod and desk lamps for lighting. A film major, Carrie was able to give them a crash course in lighting and editing techniques that would hopefully ease some of their technical difficulties. They also talked about ways to expand the media presence of the videos and possible partnerships with other local organizations, including ways to collaborate more with the Bon Appétit team at Emory.

Submitted by Carrie Cullen, Fellow

1 00 | BRAVO

Katie makes creative use of counter space for her prep station

TRINE OFFERS CAMPUS A CHANCE TO TASTE THE OPPORTUNITY CELEBRATING PLANT POWER AT EMORY

General Manager Eric Battles, Executive Chef Diana Yu, and the Bon Appétit team at Emory University’s new dining hall, Dobbs Common Table, want to inform the Atlanta campus community about the benefits of partaking in a plant-forward diet yearround. Marketing Coordinator Cornelia Bell and Diet Technician Raegan Perkins kicked off with a “Plant Power” educational takeover at the Stem to Root all-vegan station, decking out the café with colorful signs and informational materials such as a minibrochure with a breakdown of every restaurant station, chefs’ and managers’ contact information, and COR icons’ meaning.

Flipper signs with different messages such as “wellness” and “going trayless,” plus a cutout Instagram frame promoting the “magic” of #plantpower, were used to engage the Emory community. Guests chose a particular sign based on what they connected the most to, and the team took pictures and videos for social media. It was a fun way to spread the word about all of the plant-forward options available daily at the DCT. — Submitted by Allison D. Mitchell, Director of Community Engagement & Marketing

Trine University Executive Chef Todd Downs offered tidbits at Taste the Opportunity

EXECUTIVE CHEF TODD DOWNS and the Bon Appétit team at Trine University in Angola, IN, hosted their third annual Taste the Opportunity catering event and job fair, highlighting their catering operations and giving past, current, and future clients the opportunity to meet the staff, gather information, and sample delicious food. They also use Taste the Opportunity to attract new employees, as open positions were listed and future employees could make great connections.

Stations were set up around the Rick L. and Vicki L. James University Center on the Trine campus. Todd offered tastes of various locally grown tomatoes and samples of Gunthorp Farms pork street tacos, mozzarella-stuffed Seven Sons Farms meatballs, heirloom tomato bruschetta, mini key lime pies, and triple chocolate dessert shooters.

Submitted by Joe Gentile, General Manager

Marketing Coordinator Cornelia Bell and Diet Technician Raegan Perkins welcomed students and shared their excitement for plant-based foods

101 | BRAVO

COOKING CLASS BUILDS TEAM SPIRIT AT SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

General Manager Josie Urbick demonstrates how to assemble a roll

THE BON APPÉTIT TEAM at the Seattle Art Museum works closely with museum staff, gaining access to special exhibits and through frequent catering events. They wanted to give something back as a way to say thank you, and further strengthen the relationship. What better way than a cooking class!

Josie Urbick (then executive chef, now general manager) decided to focus on Vietnamese-inspired spring rolls, a popular item with SAM employees at TASTE Café.

The class began with an overview and tasting, before Josie demonstrated how to assemble and construct each roll. They made two sauces, a peanut and a sweet

These spring rolls are popular at the Seattle Art Museum’s TASTE Café

and sour one. By the end of class, and with Josie’s guidance, each attendee was able to prepare two rolls of their own. The group got to take home their dish, house-made peanut sauce, and a recipe card for the rolls.

Everyone enjoyed their time together in the kitchen and said they hoped this would be the first of many group events.

Submitted by Pamela Ordona, Social Media and Marketing Coordinator

TASTE TEAM GIVES BACK TO CHILDREN IN NEED: When the TASTE team heard of a local organization called the Backpack Brigade, which organizes volunteers to collect, bag, and distribute food for homeless children or those from lower-income families in Seattle, they knew they wanted to contribute. Catering Sales Coordinator Leslie Engel, General Manager Josie Urbick, Social Media and Marketing Coordinator Pamela Ordona, Catering Supervisor Bret Colebi, and Catering Sales Manager Sara Tam (pictured, left to right) arrived early in the morning and helped the Backpack Brigade meet their goal of preparing food for more than 800 students! — Submitted by Pamela Ordona, Social Media and Marketing Coordinator

102 | BRAVO

USF STUDENTS SAMPLE NEW PLANT-BASED OFFERINGS THE BON APPÉTIT TEAM at the University of San Francisco got students and staff excited about new offerings by partnering with Student Leadership and Engagement to put together the first-in-a-series called “Monday Market,” which was full of samples of local produce and new plantbased bites.

Farm to Fork partners Zuckerman Family Farms and Star Route Farms set up stands offering a selection of seasonal produce, while Dri Dri Gelato sampled vegan ice cream flavors and TERANGA juices (founded by USF alum Nafy Flately) shared unique fruit juices. Doughp Founder Kelsey Witherow drew long lines of students eager to try her delicious egg-free cookie dough. Students were also excited to sample Loca Foods’ nachos, made with plant-based cheese, and Rebellyous Foods’ “chicken nuggets” (minus the chicken).

Submitted by Crystal Chun Wong, Resident District Manager

Doughp’s edible cookie dough booth run by Owner Kelsey Witherow was a popular stop at the market

103 | BRAVO

Roses from The Huntington’s own Rose Garden made for a beautiful centerpiece for the Centennial Breakfast

CELEBRATING PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE AT THE HUNTINGTON It’s been a hundred years since Henry and Arabella Huntington signed the legal document transforming their private estate in San Marino, CA, into a collections-based institution to benefit scholars and the public. In honor of its centennial anniversary, the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens planned a series of exhibitions, programs, lectures, and guest activities examining the impact of their collections and the ideas shaping the century ahead. — Submitted by Hannah Katalbas, Director of Marketing and Social Media CELEBRATING STAFF AT THE CENTENNIAL BREAKFAST Before the year-long celebration even began, The Huntington treated their staff members to a garden-themed Centennial Breakfast. Working closely with Huntington Member Events Manager Pamela Garrison, Bon Appétit’s Huntington Hospitality team developed a custom menu highlighting each botanical garden.

Guests enjoyed nopales tacos at the Desert Garden station, freshly squeezed orange juice at the Children’s Garden table, and rose macarons representing The Rose Garden. The event was the perfect way for staff to celebrate the beloved gardens and kick off the exciting year ahead.

Compressed watermelon cones with ricotta salata

1 04 | BRAVO

Regional Vice President Michael Venckus, Huntington President Karen Lawrence, and District Manager Jotanna Proescholdt at the kickoff Centennial Launch event

Highlights included fig and goat cheese crostini

LAUNCHING THE CENTENNIAL YEAR The first public Centennial event began with a panel discussion among cultural innovators (including Roy Choi of “Broken Bread” and Kogi, and Victoria J. Orphan from CalTech) about the future of art, science, and food. Afterward, guests enjoyed an elegant cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres inspired by the bounty of produce flourishing on the property.

NINETEEN NINETEEN EXHIBITION OPENINGS On the heels of the Centennial launch, the Huntington Hospitality team catered a series of preview events for “Nineteen Nineteen,” a major exhibition that examines the institution and its founding through the prism of a single, tumultuous year, with a display of more than 250 objects drawn from The Huntington’s library and art collections. Bon Appétit Executive Chef Jeff Thurston and Event Manager Mariana Carlito came up with a fun and new way to present antipasti. The Huntington fellows, members, and press attending enjoyed the spears of mini mozzarella balls and tiny heirloom tomatoes, charred asparagus, Castelvetrano olives, prosciutto, and grissini (Italian breadsticks).

AN EXPERIENCE INSPIRED BY THE ARCHIVES Amidst all the busy Centennial events, the Huntington Hospitality team also hosted a special garden party to introduce local event planners to the historic venue spaces, delicious food, and the level of service that make Bon Appétit events at The Huntington so special. Chancing upon vintage black and white photos of the Art Gallery Loggia overflowing with potted palms and peacock chairs during The Huntington’s residency, the team knew they wanted to incorporate a tropical feel while elevating the experience in a way that transported guests back to the Gilded Age. Guests were wowed by long tables covered in a rainbow of colorful produce, bright linens, customized menu placards, and charming vintage glassware. The menu included indulgent bresaola and truffle boschetto crostini with garlic aioli, crispy bacalao (salted cod

The Huntington team has fun plating the heirloom tomato salad with basil-pepita granita (Jodee Debes Photography)

fish) fritters with romesco aioli, a colorful heirloom tomato salad with basil-pepita granita, and sous vide lobster with squid-ink risotto. At the end of the event, guests took home commemorative copper pineapple cups, a thank you gift bag, and a new appreciation for The Huntington’s history, beauty, and mission.

Jeff, General Manager Sarah Gill, and the rest of the Bon Appétit team look forward to the chance to serve delicious, innovative, and sustainable food for a brighter future to Huntington staff, fellows, scholars, members, and guests during this momentous year and beyond.

105 | BRAVO

STARBUCKS LEVERAGES STAFF TO SHOWCASE GLOBAL FLAVORS

AT STARBUCKS IN SEATTLE, the Bon Appétit team hails from many different countries, including Thailand, Ethiopia, Japan, Vietnam, and El Salvador. Executive Chef Vuong Loc and Assistant General Manager Amanda Cherniske draw on this deep reservoir of expertise in global flavors for a series of special dishes and menus.

For example, for Greek Week, Sous Chef Ioannes Manolakakis planned and prepared a menu of traditional dishes including chicken souvlaki, kadaifi (a baklava-like almond and walnut pastry), lagana (Greek flatbread), and lamb kebab. Ioannes’s passion for Greek food started at an early age, growing up in his parents’ restaurant, and continues through his professional career.

For Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, Catering Chef Guru Sigdel and Cook Sanjiv Adhikari planned a feast including saag paneer (spinach with cheese), chicken tikka masala, and pork curry, ending with house-made gulab jamun (an Indian milk-solid-based sweet resembling a doughnut hole soaked in syrup). Both of Nepalese descent, Guru and Sanjiv enjoyed sharing their special dishes with the team.

Submitted by Amanda Cherniske, General Manager

1 06 | BRAVO

Cook Sanjiv Adhikari at the Global station with his Diwali meal

GIUSEPPE RANDAZZO BRINGS HIS PIZZA-ZZ TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Vivint Smart Home Executive Chef Giuseppe Randazzo with General Manager Allen Plouffe and students from Pacific Union College

A NATIVE OF SICILY and passionate ambassador of Italian cooking, Executive Chef Giuseppe Randazzo has shared his recipes with Vivint guests at his home café in Lehi, UT, as well as multiple other Bon Appétit locations in Utah — and now he has taken the “Giuseppe Pizza Tour” on the road.

Giuseppe made three stops on his Northern California visit: Illumina in Foster City, Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, and Pacific Union College in Angwin, showing the Bon Appétit teams there how he prepares not only pizza but also zeppoli (deep-fried dough balls), stromboli, calzones, muffalettas, and fresh rolls!

Word spread quickly of the pizza party at Pacific Union College, and guests snapped up more than 1,200 pieces of pizza, calzones, and stromboli during Giuseppe’s visit! Some faculty members even asked if they could order more pizzas to take home. At Illumina, Catering Manager Tirzah Fiorito shared, “[Guests] were anxious to hear when they would be offering [his pizza] again — before we were even finished with the tour!”

Giuseppe had a blast meeting other Bon Appétiters, sharing stories, and exchanging cooking techniques and tips. It’s safe to say the Giuseppe Pizza Tour will be making more stops in the future.

Submitted by Rebecca Farraj, Regional Marketing Manager

107 | BRAVO

Allen, Regional Manager Robert Lubecky, and Giuseppe show off a prosciutto and arugula pizza

AROUND THE WORLD IN 13 DISHES AT DENISON DENISON UNIVERSITY EXPO ELEVATES CATERING The Bon Appétit catering team at Denison University in Granville, OH, recently wowed key campus players with a catering expo. Executive Chef Allen Gross served an Impossible lettuce wrap with fresh ginger and tamari, plus sushi roll bites, which have proven popular as a grab-and-go option. Catering Chef Matthew Krasnevich impressed with a grilled curry butternut squash satay and his “3B” skewers featuring bacon, Boursin cheese, and Brussels sprouts. His coronets of spinach and sun-dried tomato with local basilinfused cream cheese and artichoke tapenade also were big hits.

A display buffet table with a cornucopia of local grilled vegetables, assorted fresh fruits, and a variety of artisanal cheeses, charcuterie and house-made dips highlighted options for catering platters. Guests even got take-home gift bags: filled with holiday-themed local Weathervane popcorn in Merry Mint, Elf Crunch, and Reindeer Munch, they kept spirits bright! — Submitted by Dylan Price, Director of Sales & Catering Bon Appétit supplied ratatouille for the French department’s table at Denison University’s Flavors of the Globe

THE BON APPÉTIT TEAM at Denison University in Granville, OH, made a delicious contribution to this year’s Global Denison Days.

The inaugural Flavors of the Globe event featured 13 regional specialty tables of culinary delights paired with information and presentations by the modern languages and international studies departments. Each table was planned by a faculty member in collaboration with Executive Chef Allen Gross; Catering Chef Matt Krasnevich; Chef/Managers Mukesh Kumar, Megan Block, and Dylan Brandt; and Sous Chef Tiffany Knight. From karaage chicken for Japan, bubble tea for Taiwan, and Sichuan dry-fried green beans for China, to saffron buns for Norway, poutine for Canada, and spaetzle for Germany, it was quite the globe-trotting affair!

The faculty members served students and hosted a conversation about the food, and the chefs worked hard to make every single dish taste authentic. About 250 students and faculty members attended this year, and the event is expected to keep growing in future years.

Apple crostata from Denison University’s catering showcase

Submitted by Jennifer Pugh, Catering Manager

1 08 | BRAVO

OBERLIN LAUNCHES NEW GRAB-AND-GO EXPERIENCE

Ed Michalski, director of operations for retail food service, and Nicole Staats, supervisor for the new Biggs’ GO YEO! smoothie outlet, show off the new smoothies

THE BON APPÉTIT TEAM at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH, is now offering sandwiches, salads, and custom-blended smoothies at the new Biggs’ GO YEO! grab-and-go in Stevenson Dining Hall. (Oberlin’s athletics teams are nicknamed the Yeomen and Yeowomen.)

Director of Operations for Retail Food Service Ed Michalski and Biggs’ GO YEO! Supervisor Nicole Staats spearheaded the operation, which launched after fall break.

Ed and Nicole created several signature smoothies, including Go Mango Go, Green Power, Pacific Squeeze, and Cherry Berry Blast.

Nicole’s favorite is the Biggs’ Best! with banana, orange juice, apple juice, soy milk, mango, cherries, and strawberries.

“I love the addition of Biggs’ Go YEO! and it makes things a lot easier when I want a quick before-class snack!” one student shared via Zingle, the text-based communication hotline.

Opened in a former administrative office space, Biggs’ GO YEO! represents continued collaboration between the Bon Appétit team and Oberlin College in an effort to create more student spaces and robust student-life experiences overall.

Submitted by Wayne Wood, General Manager

1 09 | BRAVO

FERNDALE MARKET HOSTS FARM TO FORK FEAST FOR BON APPÉTIT’S MINNESOTA REGION

The open-air feast included not only Ferndale turkey but plenty of delights from other farms

BON APPÉTIT CHEFS AND MANAGERS from around Minnesota came together on a beloved turkey farm for a fall celebration to give thanks for local food and to feast under the trees. Farm to Fork partner Ferndale Market hosted the regional celebration on its Cannon Falls, MN, turkey farm, where third-generation farmer John Peterson and his family raise around 10,000 turkeys on pasture at a time. Bon Appétit chefs purchase a substantial amount of these year-round to roast in house for the cafés at Best Buy, Medtronic, Target, St. Olaf College, Carleton College, and elsewhere.

Intrepid visitors joined John on a tractor ride, where they were a source of fascination for flocks of turkeys. After the farm tour, guests sat down at rustic tables for appetizers and a dinner prepared by Bon Appétit chefs from Macalester College, University of Northwestern St. Paul, Medtronic, Best Buy, and St. Olaf using Ferndale Market’s and other Farm to Fork partners’ best. The feast started with Ferndale turkey yakitori-style skewers with blistered shishito peppers and garlic-ginger soy glaze and continued on with ricotta-stuffed fried squash blossoms with grilled-lemon aioli; seared Ferndale turkey tenderloin; grilled Oneonta Farms ribeye; Stateline roasted cauliflower with golden raisins, pine nuts, and honey and peanut tahini; and Red River Valley roasted potatoes.

“The event was amazing! From our gracious host, to the beautiful venue and weather, to the stunningly presented and flavorful food,

The Ferndale team presented the visiting Bon Appétiters with a cake

to the tangible expression of our chef-farmer relationship, I am not sure anything could have been better,” said District Manager Michelle Kirkwold. “It really goes to show that when like-minded individuals come together with common goals and values, the end result can be something as intimate, real, and spectacular as this dinner felt.”

Submitted by Jessie Gentz, Regional Marketing Director

110 | BRAVO

Ferndale Market turkey farmer John Peterson surveys his flock (photo by Sara Rubinstein)

111 | BRAVO

CITRIX CELEBRATES FIFTH ANNIVERSARY WITH SNACK ATTACK

The trip down Snack Wednesday memory lane included mini cupcakes with the Citrix logo

THE BON APPÉTIT TEAM’S Snack Wednesdays are a big part of the culture at Citrix in Raleigh, NC. So when Citrix decided to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the opening of its building with a little party for a few hundred friends, it wasn’t so surprising that the client requested that Snack Wednesdays play a starring role in the menu.

Snack Wednesday was born in 2014, created by General Manager Bill Allen as a midweek morale booster. Every Wednesday at 2:30 sharp, an email announcement goes out alerting everyone to the secret snack being delivered to 720 employees via all five floors of break rooms. Often, Bill invites a department or employee resource group to help plan the snack — especially when they have something to celebrate. Many of the Citrix employees trade guesses on Slack ahead of time, and some will even try to get hints from Bill as he mans the salad bar at lunch.

For the celebration, Bill and Catering & Sales Assistant Treisha Hall had no trouble coming up with a menu: The Best and Worst of Snack Wednesday. Five buffet tables, each with a sign from a particular Snack Wednesday, inspired recollections and debates from old-timers and newer employees alike. One of the most memorable was Bill’s April Fool’s Day snack, when the email touted the many benefits of celery. Greeted by grumpy employees, the stalks were quickly swapped out for mac ’n cheese balls while Bill laughed.

Director of Digital Sales Adrienne Lester dishes up s’mores dip and graham crackers

It may have been hard to pick an absolute best (s’mores dip with graham crackers was definitely a contender), but a party just wouldn’t seem right without cake. The mini cupcakes in chocolate or vanilla are always a hit, and these were decorated with a mini Citrix logo, as well.

Submitted by William Allen, General Manager

112 | BRAVO

BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN ENLIVENS LOCAL FARMERS’ MARKET

The Birmingham-Southern College culinary team following their demo at the Market at Pepper Place

YOU CAN FIND A LOT at your local farmers’ market — including Bon Appétit chefs! Executive Chef Matthew Jones, General Manager Jason Hall, and Sous Chefs Jacqueline Bishop, Christopher Buzzelli, Aaron Jacobs, and Michael Moreno from BirminghamSouthern College (BSC) took their show on the road to the Market at Pepper Place in Birmingham, AL. The BSC team was invited to lead a cooking demonstration at this weekly market and speak with community members about sustainable practices and what it means to commit to local food sourcing. Jason gave a brief overview of Bon Appétit’s initiatives and sustainability programs, then they prepared wood-fired ribeye

steaks with butternut squash steak sauce and sweet potato hash, featuring ingredients from Farm to Fork partner Whitesell Farms and local vendor Haynes Farming. Following the demo, attendees could sample the dish, and some stayed to get to know the team and ask questions. Many were happy to learn of the college’s commitment to local farms, and their Market host called the cooking demo the “show of the season!”

Submitted by Jason Hall, General Manager

113 | BRAVO

UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC CELEBRATES REDWOOD GROVE DEDICATION THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC in Stockton, CA, is home to more papers and collections of John Muir, the renowned naturalist, explorer, writer, and conservationist considered a forefather of the modern environmental movement, than anywhere in the world. The redwood grove next to the university’s McCaffrey Center was recently named for Muir, along with former university president Pam Eibeck and her husband, Bill Jeffery. Executive Chef Marco Alvarado and Director of Catering Christine Giordani were honored to be asked to cater this special occasion, which was attended by Kevin Huber, head of the Board of Regents, interim President Maria Pallavicini, and several descendants of John Muir who attended the University of the Pacific.

Picnic tables under the majestic trees were decked out with an eye-catching feast ranging from shrimp, andouille sausage, and chicken paella to Hawaiian-inspired pulled pork sliders with tangy slaw; chicken and mushroom empanadas; steak skewers; heirloom tomato caprese sandwiches; and fresh fruit salad with tajín and lime. The chocolate-dipped strawberries and s’mores cups went quickly!

Submitted by Sia Mohsenzadegan, Resident District Manager

Chocolate-dipped strawberries and s’mores cups were served for dessert among the redwoods

114 | BRAVO

REED STUDENTS GET PUMPED ABOUT BEING POWERED BY PLANTS

Executive Chef Jesse Fairman, Regional Nutrition & Wellness Manager Jasmine Chan, and Director of Dining Services Michael Bucuvalas at Reed’s Powered by Plants Design a Better Plate table

WHEN STUDENTS AT REED COLLEGE in Portland, OR, asked for more vegetarian and vegan options, they got their wish and more.

Regional Nutrition & Wellness Manager Jasmine Chan teamed up with Executive Chef Jesse Fairman and Director of Dining Services Michael Bucuvalas for a series of campus pop-ups to promote Bon Appétit’s “Powered by Plants” menus.

In the Build a Better Plate dinner activity, students could make a side salad or complement their dinner plate with a selection of nutritional powerhouse ingredients, such as ground flax seeds, pecans, tahini lemon dressing, and beets, which contain nutrients that vegetarians and vegans are most likely to be missing from their diets. At the Snack Smarter lunchtime pop-up, a DIY popcorn bar featured a breadth of creative toppings that enhance the nutritional value and tastiness of the popcorn. Furikake (a dry Japanese seasoning containing seaweed) and nutritional yeast, for example, in addition to imparting an umami-rich flavor to popcorn, also offer hard-to-find B12 vitamins. Participants were gifted reusable snack pails so they could continue to snack smartly throughout the school year.

Smiling Reed students and their “snack smarter” reusable snack pails

Submitted by Jasmine Chan, Regional Nutrition & Wellness Manager

115 | BRAVO

BON APPÉTIT CHEF TALKS TRASH WITH MIT STUDENTS

Chef/Manager Brian McCarthy shows MIT students what happens after trays are returned…

WHO KNEW FIGHTING FOOD WASTE could be so fascinating?

A group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students was riveted by Bon Appétit Chef/Manager Brian McCarthy’s behindthe-scenes tour of how he’s reducing food waste in the kitchen and café at Simmons Dining Hall in Cambridge, MA. Of course, they were a very special group: Fellow Samuel Martin was joined by student leaders from MIT’s food magazine Chop Stir Hack and the Waste Watchers (who won a Bon Appétit Student Activist Grant, see page 64).

Brian kicked the tour off at the tray return, showing the students how postconsumer plate waste is collected. Then they headed into the main kitchen, where he explained the difference between pre- and postconsumer food waste, and how each is handled.

He showed them where the waste is logged using On Track, Bon Appétit’s in-house-developed waste tracking system. The students were so excited about On Track that he invited them into his office to further show off the system’s ease of use and reporting features.

After a quick look at the loading dock recycling area and a peek into the walk-ins and freezers filled with local ingredients, the group

… and then how On Track, Bon Appétit’s waste-tracking software, works

gathered at a table in the dining hall for a sustainability roundtable.

Sam and Brian talked about Bon Appétit’s Low Carbon Lifestyle targets, the Farm to Fork program, and more. It was a lively and engaging discussion, and the students seemed impressed with the breadth and depth of Bon Appétit’s commitment to sustainability.

Submitted by Samuel Martin, Fellow

116 | BRAVO

MICHELANGELO’S GROCERY LIST INSPIRES CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART DEMO THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S annual exclusive event for members this year centered on the exhibition “Michelangelo: Mind of the Master.” Inspired by a handwritten, illustrated grocery list by Michelangelo, Cleveland star chef Douglas Katz (who is Bon Appétit’s chef-partner at the museum’s restaurant and café) teamed up with noted Chicago chef Tony Mantuano (Bon Appétit’s chef-partner at the Art Institute of Chicago) to create a truly memorable evening for museum members.

Using ingredients found on Michelangelo’s grocery list, Douglas and Tony dazzled more than 1,000 museum members with a cooking demonstration. Douglas prepared a spinach-radicchio salad with braised fennel, baby tomatoes, anchovy dressing, and grilled croutons. Tony took inspiration from both Michelangelo and his own Italian roots to create ricotta and spinach tortelli with brown butter, sage, and parmesan. With the help of the Bon Appétit team at the museum, who prepared the feast, guests were able to enjoy both dishes, comparing and contrasting how each chef interpreted a set of foundational ingredients.

Bon Appétit chef-partners Tony Mantuano (left) and Douglas Katz (right) hosted Cleveland Art Museum’s annual gala, with help from local news reporter Lee Jordan (center)

“To have a visual list of foods that were available during Michelangelo’s time and to be able to cook a dish using many of these ingredients allows us to connect with the artist,” Douglas said. Both chefs shined individually, but their dynamic, humor, and lively banter when together created an especially memorable evening for all those lucky enough to attend.

Submitted by Nicole Miles, District Marketing Manager Photos: Julie Hahn Kerner/Sugar Bush Design

Ricotta and spinach tortelli inspired by Michelangelo

117 | BRAVO

AGRI-CYCLE ENERGY HELPS COLBY GROUP FOLLOW THE WASTE

Members of the Environmental Coalition student group at Colby College enjoyed the visit to their local waste-hauler, Agri-Cycle

MEMBERS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION, a student group at Colby College in Waterville, ME, and Professor of Chemistry D. Whitney King were excited to join an unusual field trip organized by Nicole Tocco Cardwell, Bon Appétit’s manager of strategic initiatives. They got to visit Colby’s food waste hauler, Agri-Cycle Energy, which unlike most food waste haulers, is not a composter, but a business that combines hauling services, a biodigester, and a dairy farm to generate electricity from waste.

Greg Williams, Agri-Cycle’s director of waste solutions, gave the team a tour of Agri-Cycle’s Exeter facility and explained how it all works. Agri-Cycle hauls food waste from Colby and other

customers all over New England, combines the food waste with manure from their 1,200-head dairy herd, then pumps it into one of three large biodigesters. Waste breaks down in the biodigester, and the methane generated is captured and combusted to generate electricity that is sold back into the grid.

Once waste has passed through the biodigester, liquid waste is separated from solid. The liquid waste goes into a lagoon, and is later spread on the nearby fields where it fertilizes feed for the dairy herd. The liquid waste is nearly odorless, and more desirable than plain manure slurry because, having passed through the biodigester, it is more easily absorbed by plants. The remaining solid

118 | BRAVO

waste is dry and odorless and used as part of the bedding for the cows. Stonyvale Farm, the dairy side of the operation, has saved $80,000 a year on bedding by cycling material through the system.

Greg also showed the Colby College team Agri-Cycle’s state-ofthe-art depackaging machine, which separates food waste from packaging, allowing them to accept packaged foods from grocery stores and other suppliers. The Colby Environmental Coalition students have been interested in more compostable grab-and-go packaging on campus, and left with a list of which products will allow them to pursue smarter sourcing of disposables — and a much deeper understanding of the waste stream.

Submitted by Nicole Tocco Cardwell, Manager of Strategic Initiatives

Director of Waste Solutions Greg Williams (left) explains how Agri-Cycle generates electricity from waste

GOING BEHIND THE SCENE IN COLBY’S KITCHEN: The Dana Hall kitchen was the scene of a film exercise when students in Colby Professor Erin Murphy’s food-focused documentary film class were invited in to practice using their audio and video equipment. Chef/ Manager John Wilson (second from right) gave the class a tour of the kitchen, starting on the loading dock and following the flow of food through to the servery. The students documented the whole system as John showed them how food moves through the kitchen, from how food is prepped and stored, then cooked from scratch, to how waste is recycled, including vegetable oil. Afterward, John and the class sat down for a roundtable discussion that covered the Farm to Fork program and Bon Appétit’s animal welfare policies.

When asked, more than half the class said they eat in Dana Hall regularly, and students told John how great the food has been this year! — Submitted by Nicole Tocco Cardwell, Manager of Strategic Initiatives

119 | BRAVO

THANK YOU, BON APPÉTIT

... FOR WORKING HARD TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR STUDENTS MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, CAMBRIDGE, MA

After MIT Chef/Manager Brian McCarthy and visiting Fellow Samuel Martin took a group of students on a behind-the-scenes tour of Simmons Hall’s kitchen (see page 116), student Rachel Rock ‘20 sent Sam and the MIT team this lovely email: I just wanted to take the time to thank you sincerely for the incredible dining experience that Bon Appétit has given me as a student. The staff, as a whole, is incredible, and so many people really work hard to make a difference for students. I am especially thankful for individuals such as Cook William Marrero “Big Will” (McCormick Hall), Prep Cook Freddie Anderson (Baker), Sushi Chef Sonam Niyam, and Cook Orlando Lopez (Simmons Hall) who not only make great food but also bring warmth to students with their positive outlooks.

I am particularly thankful for the team at Simmons, who are amazing as people and who are all deeply committed to providing nutritious and delicious meals. Tonight for dinner, for example, they really pulled out all the stops: a salad bar replete with healthy, fresh, nourishing options such as kale and garbanzos; remarkable sushi; Orlando’s special savory soybeans; and, an incredible vegan Beyond sausage and Daiya cheese pizza that went within minutes.

I love the people, love the food, and just wanted to let you know how much we students appreciate both the positive attitudes of your amazing staff members and the delicious, nutritious, and future-forward brain food you provide us.

You should be proud to be a Bon Appétit Fellow helping to support such a positive force for good for the entire MIT undergraduate student body.

Best and warmly, Rachel

I love the people, love the food, and just wanted to let you know how much we students appreciate both the positive attitudes of your amazing staff members and the delicious, nutritious, and future-forward brain food you provide us.

120 | BRAVO

... FOR DELICIOUS VEGETARIAN OPTIONS

BUENA VISTA CAFÉ, BURBANK, CA Guests at Buena Vista Café often share kind words with their Bon Appétit team via Café Bon Appétit. Here are two examples: I just wanted to let you know I *loved* the vegan cauliflower and parsnip soup yesterday! I hope you can make it again soon. It was delicious. I’m also a big fan of the Cuban dish you had last week in Global (the Vegan Beef Tips). Would love to see that again too. Thank you!

And: The Panzanella Salad in the Daily Greens section was AMAZING today! Every ingredient was so delicious and I appreciate that it was vegetarian. If you made this a weekly thing, like sushi bowl Wednesdays, I would get it every single time. Thank you for the delicious dish!

Cashier Rocio Madrigal helps a guest check out at Adobe’s temPLATES Café

... FOR BEING A STELLAR EXAMPLE OF HOW CUSTOMER SERVICE SHOULD BE ADOBE, SAN JOSE, CA

A guest at Adobe’s temPLATES Café took the time to write in via Café Bon Appétit to commend Cashier Rocio Madrigal:

... FOR ANOTHER GREAT AND HEALTHY DISH

It’s easy to take people for granted when you are in a rush. Most days I have super early morning meetings where I am just struggling to make it to work, find that elusive parking spot, and squeeze into the elevators to make it in time; and if I’m lucky, grabbing breakfast.

Or at lunch, where I’m just quickly grabbing food before running to a meeting.

Executive Chef Victoria Swanson and the rest of the American Century team were touched to receive this nice email from a guest:

Those few minutes I have when standing in the checkout line are often the few moments of respite in my day. And lately, I have been helped by Rocio. No matter how late I am, or how stressed, I always get a warm smile and a hello from her. I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of that moment in my day. It’s just enough to help me recharge for the gauntlet of meetings ahead of me.

AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS, KANSAS CITY, MO

This is not the first time I’ve had the chicken shawarma, but it IS the first time I’ve had the chickpea salad that accompanied it. I have to tell you, BOTH were fantastic. The tzatziki is perfect, all of the toppings so nice and fresh.

Thank you for another great and healthy dish!

You have many more than I send comments on, but this one just keeps getting better and better!

She is a stellar example of how customer service should be. Often times she has a lunch line that stretches into the food area, but she still makes it a point to greet each of us with a smile, yet is quick and efficient with helping us get to our meals.

I just wanted to thank Rocio…I couldn’t do my job if she wasn’t there to support me.

Thank you!

121 | BRAVO

THANK YOU

No matter how late I am, or how stressed, I always get a warm smile and a hello from her. I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of that moment in my day. It’s just enough to help me recharge for the gauntlet of meetings ahead of me.

THANK YOU

... FOR BEING A DREAM TEAM TO WORK WITH

... FOR PROVIDING WONDERFUL MEALS

General Manager Allen Plouffe, Café Manager Andrew White, and the Bon Appétit team were excited to welcome incoming freshmen with snacks and refreshments. Vice President for Student Life Jennifer Tyner sent this handwritten note thanking them:

A departing Uber employee took the time to say farewell and thank you via email to Director of Operations Sam Burkett:

UBER, SAN FRANCISCO

PACIFIC UNION COLLEGE, ANGWIN, CA

Today is my last day at Uber, and I wanted to thank you for providing wonderful meals during my tenure here. I really appreciate the effort your team puts into the breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Keep up the good work and I will miss Bon Appétit!

... FOR GREAT FOOD THAT HELPS ME WORK MORE EFFECTIVELY TARGET, BROOKLYN PARK, MN

A Target associate took the time to email his kudos via Café Bon Appétit: The food here is incredible. Thanks for the great food. It means a lot and helps me work more effectively.

... FOR BEING PLEASANT, HELPFUL, AND UPLIFTING GENENTECH, SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Cook Maria Padilla is a familiar face to guests who come to the Deli station at Genentech’s B35 café, often serving sandwiches with a smile. One employee who especially appreciated Maria’s help and positivity submitted kind words via Café Bon Appétit:

Cook Maria Padilla at the B35 Deli station

I just wanted to inform someone about my experience in Building 35 at the Deli station. I find Maria to be one of the most pleasant, helpful, and uplifting people I interact with. I probably go to Building 35 once a week for lunch, and the last time I went there I found myself looking forward to getting a sandwich even though I did not know what the sandwich selection was or what was being offered at the other stations. My interactions with her help put me in such a good mood that there is a lasting impact on my disposition for the rest of the day.

I wanted to make sure someone heard this and that she knows her impact. Many thanks.

My interactions with her help put me in such a good mood that there is a lasting impact on my disposition for the rest of the day.

122 | BRAVO

THANK YOU

... FOR BRINGING JOY TO MY DAY BE THE MATCH, MINNEAPOLIS

General Manager Erika Grossman and the Bon Appétit team at Be the Match’s 5th Street Station were humbled by two messages of appreciation that came in via Café Bon Appétit: WOW. Today’s build-your-own Harvest Salad was an amazing fall flavor explosion. It brought great joy to my day, like seeing a perfect red maple leaf. Like getting a king-size candy bar during trick-or-treating.

Like cuddling up with your loved one during a cozy hayride. Thank you.

And: Kudos to Erika Grossman, who always works so hard to pull together complicated catering orders for us, most often with very little notice. The kindness and flexibility that Erika has shown has been invaluable. I frequently contact the café with weird requests, short notice requests, last minute order changes, etc. (sorry!) and Erika handles them all with real grace. THANK YOU, ERIKA! We would go hungry without you!

Jennifer Byers Administrative Specialist, Be The Match/National Marrow Donor Program Lead Cook Donnie Flanagan in the Columbia Sportswear kitchen

... FOR THE BEST MEAL ALL YEAR

... FOR THE MOST PROFESSIONAL, WARM, AND PERSONABLE SERVICE

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR, PORTLAND, OR

INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN INDIAN ARTS, SANTA FE, NM

Executive Chef Guido Lambelet and the Bon Appétit team at IAIA are on a catering roll! They put together an elegant menu for an offsite catered event for a new client, including carne asada and cilantro lime chicken skewers; stuffed mushrooms with creamy jalapeño-artichoke filling; Santa Ana blue corn muffins with local honey butter; apricot habañero brie en croute; and coconut macaroons. The client later emailed General Manager Melody Lambelet:

Lead Cook Donnie Flanagan created a special plant-based menu for guests at Columbia Sportswear, which included roasted acorn squash, rosemary root vegetables, tri-colored baby carrots, Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts, broccolini, and golden beet salad. Executive Chef Joe Dougherty shared this enthusiastic email a guest sent about the meal: Hi Joe,

Thanks so much for catering the event, the food was fabulous and everyone was very happy! The success was due in large part to your team, who are the most professional, warm and personable! We had hugs all around when they left!

I wanted to pass along that today’s plant-based roasted veggies was the best meal I have experienced all year. AMAZING!!! Several co-workers also expressed their delight! I’m not even vegetarian, but do enjoy a meatless meal now and again. The roasted squash was to die for...I would love to know how it was dressed before it was roasted!

The IAIA team also hosted a gourmet alumni reception at IAIA, for which Professor of Native American Studies Bruce Duthu emailed to thank them:

Please pass “kudos” along to the team!

I’m writing to extend sincerest thanks to you and your staff for your support in helping us host the reception last evening for Dartmouth alumni.

The set-up and service were extraordinary and everything went along beautifully. Many folks shared how much they enjoyed being in such lovely surroundings and treated to such delicious food! Once again, thank you for your support, advice and generosity with all arrangements for this reception.

The success was due in large part to your team, who are the most professional, warm and personable!

123 | BRAVO

THANK YOU

... FOR PROFESSIONALISM AND KINDNESS FROM A SUPERSTAR TEAM

STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, STANFORD, CA Catering Director Carrissa Henry and the catering team at Stanford Graduate School of Business respond to a variety of requests throughout the school year (and during breaks). Two guests were especially appreciative for the help with their events, and sent in thoughtful thank you messages via email that General Manager Daniel Salk and Senior Catering Manager Kirtina Ocampo shared:

Food Unit Lead Josie White with a donut pop-up at SCAD’s Ration café

... FOR ALWAYS BEING SO WELCOMING

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN, SAVANNAH, GA

I am reaching out to you to emphasize the excellent experience I had with our partners at Bon Appétit. Specifically, Catering Manager Emily Beck, who is a pleasure to work with, a team player, and she was flexible in accommodating our Executive Education program requests. I appreciate the professionalism and kindness exhibited and would like you to know that you have superstars on your team! In our recent program team meeting, we discussed how lovely it was to work with Emily, [Catering Attendants] Dorothy Rodriquez, Rosalba Maciel, and Joyce Mendoza, and many Bon Appétit members. Thank you for your partnership and for all that the BA team has done!

And:

SCAD students love Food Unit Lead Josie White, who stocks the salad bar, beverages, and soup stations, all the while providing non-stop greetings and kind words. One took the time to say so via Café Bon Appétit: The food this quarter has been amazing! Ms. Josie is always so welcoming and all of the staff are incredible; Ration is my favorite SCAD café to eat at.

We would like to thank you very much for your attention to the 2019 Search Fund CEO Conference. Your recommendations to properly serve a group this size were invaluable. As our numbers and opinions on the menus changed, you were calm, professional, and quickly turned around the updates. You are so great to work with! I would like to add a commendation to Lead Server Macy Lam. She was onsite all three days and we had absolutely no issues. Macy was attentive, quick, and very pleasant to work with. We would be happy to work with her again.

... FOR MAKING OUR GUESTS FEEL VERY SPECIAL BENEDICTINE SISTERS OF MOUNT ANGEL, MOUNT ANGEL, OR

... FOR A CHICKEN SPECIAL FULL OF GOOD FLAVOR ORACLE, REDWOOD SHORES, CA

For Founder’s Day at Benedictine Sisters of Mount Angel, Chef/Manager Christian Stephenson and the culinary team served 110 guests at a special fundraising dinner. Pastoral Administrator Sister Jane Hibbard wrote to express thanks for all their hard work: Dear Christian & Bon Appétit Staff, On behalf of the Benedictine Sisters, I wanted to say thank you for your outstanding support and work at our Founder’s Day dinner. You were all a part of bringing in over $75,000 to our monastic community. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without your support.

You and your staff were supportive throughout the entire process, from planning to day-of implementation and logistics. The amount of work taken off of our plate because you and your team were so well-organized was incredible. We would not have been able to focus on our guests and fundraising if it wasn’t for the hard work all of you put in. Thank you so much for that.

Our guests loved the meal. The food was prepared very well and presented beautifully. The bar service was exceptional. Your staff did a wonderful job with our guests and made them feel very special.

Peace and blessings, Sister Jane Hibbard, SNJM

124 | BRAVO

A guest at the 300 Market Café combined his thanks for a grill station special — garlic roasted chicken with green harissa and fingerling potatoes — with a special plea: The chicken special at the grill station in 300 was very good...I hope you can make it a weekly item, and not change anything. Both the sauces, oil based and green chutney, had very good flavor and blended well with chicken, potatoes...

Please make it weekly! :)

THANK YOU

Stowers Institute Cook Durell Dowdell

General Manager Chris Harris with a thank-you poster his team received

... FOR MAKING EVEN THE WORST DAY A LITTLE BETTER

... FOR MAKING SCHOOL FEEL LIKE HOME TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY, LEXINGTON, KY

STOWERS INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH, KANSAS CITY, MO A smile and a positive attitude can go a long way! Shortly after joining the Bon Appétit team at Stowers Institute, Cook Durell Dowdell starred in a number of kudos that guests have sent via email: The guy that works the deli station is so pleasant and nice. Even when he is working out by the salad bar he is kind and polite to everyone. Goes out of his way to ask how you are. Always says to have a nice day or enjoy your lunch. Anyway, I just wanted to leave a comment that his kindness and attitude are very much appreciated.

General Manager Chris Harris and the Bon Appétit team at Transylvania University were thrilled to receive this custom thank-you poster made by the women’s tennis team, who helped out in the café during meal service (along with their coach) as an additional way to show their appreciation. Chris said his favorite comment is the one saying “Thank you for making school feel like home.”

I enjoy going to his station because he can lift my spirits and make even the worst day a little better just by smiling and having a short and pleasant conversation with me. And his food is as wonderful as his demeanor!

And: I wish I knew his name, but I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate the new guy at the deli station. I spoke with him personally yesterday and told him what a wonderful person and worker he is but wanted to share this with you as well. He is so pleasant and polite, no matter if he is swamped or just waiting for someone to come to his station. He greets every person with a sincere smile and makes eye contact with them. He seems to genuinely enjoy what he does and enjoy his work. I enjoy going to his station because he can lift my spirits and make even the worst day a little better just by smiling and having a short and pleasant conversation with me. And his food is as wonderful as his demeanor! Thank you for bringing him in, he is a wonderful addition to the Café team.

125 | BRAVO

BON APPÉTIT MVP

FROM CATERING TO AGM, ARMANDO VALENZUELA IS READY FOR CHANGE ARMANDO VALENZUELA HAS WORKED in food for more than half of his life, and he’s only 32 years old. “It’s all I know, really,” he laughs.

Promoted in August 2019 from catering director to assistant general manager at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, CA, Armando started early. In high school, he worked as a host at Red Lobster before joining the food service company at the Ontario Convention Center as a cashier at the tender age of 19. There, he rose through the ranks — and met Jennifer Carbajal. And when Jennifer left to become Bon Appétit’s general manager at Claremont McKenna, he took her place as food and beverage manager at the convention center.

It wasn’t long before Jennifer needed a director of catering and called Armando.

He joined Bon Appétit in 2014. “We had worked together for years, so I knew he was hard working, consistent, and reliable,” says Jennifer, who is now Bon Appétit’s general manager at Azusa Pacific University.

“He’s really good at developing teams. At Claremont McKenna, he trained the catering team so well in Bon Appétit’s look and standards that no matter who set up the event, it would look like he did it himself.”

Armando loved catering, especially the challenge of creating and building a memorable event from scratch. He also takes every opportunity he can to assist in new account openings and work with the Image & Style team, absorbing their tips and tricks “like a sponge,” he says. “I always try to challenge myself and be open to change, to develop as much as I can.”

Incoming Claremont McKenna General Manager Pamela Franco saw that Armando was ready for even more new challenges and promoted him to assistant general

Claremont McKenna College Assistant General Manager Armando Valenzuela

manager. “Armando is a Renaissance man,” summarizes Pam. “He’s juggled a lot of plates for us. He is willing to give whatever help is needed, and he learns fast. And he does so with a great attitude — he’s so humble.”

Armando has been learning what it’s like to manage a team of full-time employees, and he enjoys it: “I was able to hire a few new positions, and I’m very proud of the team we’re developing, the camaraderie

126 | BRAVO

we’re establishing. It makes coming to work even better: It feels like I’m seeing my family at work!”

The years spent catering have taught him to roll with whatever comes his way.

“With any event, things are always going to change. There will be hurdles to get over.

But if you have a positive attitude, and if you’re passionate about what you do, everything is going to work out.”

Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

INDEX Adobe 8-9, 82, 121 Albion College 71 American Century Investments 121 Andrews University 60 Art Institute of Chicago 30-31 Be the Match 123 Benedictine Sisters of Mount Angel 124 Best Buy 82, 110 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 61 Biola University 40-41 Birmingham-Southern College 113 Brown University 39 Buena Vista Café 121 Butler University 80-81 California Institute of the Arts 32-33 Carleton College 84-87 Case Western Reserve University 5, 20-21, 64, 96 Citrix 112 Claremont McKenna College 65, 91, 126 Cleveland Museum of Art 96, 117 Colby College 118-119 The College of Idaho 90 Columbia Sportswear 28, 123 Denison University 108 DePauw University 48-49, 65 Electronic Arts 53 Emerson College 72-73, 91 Emmanuel College 39 Emory University 47, 100-101 Franklin Templeton 90 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 14, 92 Furman University 76-77 Gallaudet University 96 Genentech 44, 58-59, 122 George Fox University 12-13, 46 The Getty Center 51 Google 45 Goucher College 27, 62 Hillsdale College 4, 36, 92 The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens 104-105 Illumina 107 Institute of American Indian Arts 68, 123 Johns Hopkins University 15, 44, 65 Knox College 18 LC Kitchen 93 Lesley University 39 Lewis & Clark College 97 LinkedIn 66-67, 95

Macalester College 75, 110 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 39, 64, 116, 120 Medtronic 37, 110 Milliken & Company 70, 82 Musical Instrument Museum 91 NBCUniversal 16-17 Notre Dame de Namur University 94 Nvidia 92 Oberlin College 109 Oracle 124 Pacific Café 95 Pacific Union College 107, 122 Porsche 10-11 Reed College 115 Regis University 79 Reinsurance Group of America 24 Roger Williams University 39, 50, 57 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 33 Saint Martin’s University 34 SAP 19, 80-81 SAS 45 Savannah College of Art and Design 65, 124 Seattle Art Museum 102 Snap 35 Sony Interactive Entertainment 80-81 St. Edward’s University 29, 95 St. Olaf College 110 St. Timothy’s School 15 Stanford Graduate School of Business 124 Starbucks 106 State Auto Insurance 77, 94 Stowers Institute for Medical Research 125 Target 5, 122 Transylvania University 93, 125 Trine University 101 Uber 74, 122 University of Chicago 46, 54-55, 64, 88-89 University of Northwestern St. Paul 40-41, 110 University of the Pacific 45, 94, 114 University of Pennsylvania 25, 56-57, 78 University of Portland 4 University of San Francisco 103 Vivint Smart Home 107 Washington University in St. Louis 5, 83 Wesleyan University 64, 69, 97 Wheaton College 63 Whittier College 52 Zoox 90

BRAVO WAS PRINTED ON PAPER MADE FROM 100% RECYCLED FIBER INCLUDING 75% POSTCONSUMER WASTE. THIS SAVED...

86 fully grown trees 39,990 gallons water 39 million BTUs energy 2,764 pounds solid waste 7,325 pounds greenhouse gases

127 | BRAVO

BRAVO IS THE ALMOST QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF

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 LEARN HOW FOOD CHOICES AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY, AND YOUR WELL-BEING AT

www.eatlowcarbon.org

19-8055