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2014
LOW CARBON DIET
LOW CARBON DIET DAY 2014 SMOOTHIE DEMOS, LOW CARBON MAKEOVERS, AND MUCH MORE PAGE 30
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: BRAVO IS THE ALMOST QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF
BON APPÉTIT MANAGEMENT COMPANY |
A Member of the Compass Group
Chili Cook-Off Champs
100 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 400 Palo Alto, California 94301 650-798-8000 www.bamco.com
PAGE 58
Food Waste Fighters PAGE 88
LEARN HOW FOOD CHOICES AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY, AND YOUR WELL-BEING AT www.cafebonappetit.com 14-4779
VOL 2
INDEX Mills College 115 Minnesota History Center 53 Mount St. Mary’s College 89 Musical Instrument Museum 94-95 Nordstrom 43, 103 Oberlin College 13, 32, 102 Oracle - Broomfield 7, 41 Oracle - Burlington 77 Oracle - Redwood Shores 105 Oregon Museum of Science and Industry 37 Pacific Café 49, 98 RA3 Café 96 Reed College 65, 91, 97, 103, 110 Regis University 5, 42, 48, 60, 84, 110 Rio Rancho Café 62 Roger Williams University 33, 98, 104 RS5 Café 35 Santa Clara University 36, 52, 57, 64, 86 Santa Fe University of Art and Design 20 SAS 7, 61 Savannah College of Art and Design 54, 65, 104 Seattle University 36, 48, 55, 106 Soka University 4 St. Edward’s University 72 St. Martin De Porres High School 12 St. Martin’s University 61 St. Mary’s College of Maryland 112 Target 34 TaylorMade 19, 98, 103 Trine University 45, 104, 112 University of La Verne 60 University of Northwestern - St. Paul 61 University of Pennsylvania 10-11 University of Portland 37 University of Redlands 37, 43, 71, 82, 99 University of the Pacific 46 Vanguard University 33, 76, 98 Vivint - Lindon 63 Washington University in St. Louis 6, 28-29, 49, 66-67, 91, 105, 113 Wheaton College 39, 60, 93 Whittier College 104 Willamette University 113
Adobe - Lehi 45 Art Institute of Chicago 4, 37, 99 AT&T Park 74-75 Banfield Pet Hospital 23 Beloit College 21, 69, 91 Best Buy 35 Biola University 81 Bon Appétit Management Company HQ 116 Brocade 99 Buena Vista Café 16-17 Carleton College 56, 63, 87, 106, 117 Case Western Reserve University 35, 80, 85, 97, 114 Claremont McKenna College 56, 91 Cleveland Museum of Art 34, 50-51 College of Idaho 6 Colorado College 47, 63, 102 Denison University 26-27, 62, 115, 116 DePauw University 69 Dominican University 91 Duke University 35, 46, 107 EBC Café 65 Eckerd College 18, 91 Electronic Arts 47 Emmanuel College 73, 96, 105 Flextronics 33 Genentech - South San Francisco 40, 68 George Fox University 106 Georgetown University Law Center 22 Grand Central Café 16-17, 41 Grove City College 83, 97 Hamilton College 44, 108, 114 Hawthorn Farms Café 65 HD1 Café 79 Institute of American Indian Arts 20 Johns Hopkins University 14-15 Jones Farm 5 Café 33, 111 Lafayette College 34, 62, 73, 96, 114 Lawrence University 38 Lesley University 63 Lewis & Clark College 103 Macalester College 7 Market Café and Wine Bar 65 Marymount California University 34 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 62, 109 Medtronic 36 Mentor Graphics 32
BRAVO WAS PRINTED ON PAPER MADE FROM
100%
RECYCLED FIBER INCLUDING
THIS SAVED...
76 fully grown trees 35,215 gallons water 34 million BTUs energy 2,357 pounds solid waste 6,493 pounds greenhouse gases
57%
POST- CONSUMER WASTE .
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highlights | 2014
VOL 2
IN THIS ISSUE
23 02
04
From Fedele
39
Reflections Longtime CWRU intern bids a fond farewell
FEDELE BAUCCIO
MICHAEL BAUCCIO
KERI BARRON
Bits & Bites
40
GE3 Stars
88
From the Fellows
Six accounts that shine bright
Getting wasted: Fellow turns waste specialist
44
Events...in Brief
CLAIRE CUMMINGS
58
Chili Cook-Off
Talking about Food
From the Fellows
66
Visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium brings seafood sustainability into focus NICOLE TOCCO
Turning Waste into Wins
ALLISON AMATO
Innovative ways that Bon Appétit teams are battling the problem of waste
Awards & Recognition
CLAIRE CUMMINGS
Bon Appétiters acknowledged by their communities and colleagues
96
Valentine’s Day Celebrating with lovers of all kinds
70
Meating in the Middle for Low Carbon Diet Day Showing how flexitariansim can be both planet friendly and tasty, with demos and makeover dishes
90
To bean, or not to bean?
MAISIE GANZLER
30
85
Speak up when it comes to safety and sharing good ideas
Setting a new standard with FAD-free tuna
24
An Operator’s View
Words of advice and inspiration for new graduates
Nibbles about about company pride, sweet treats, and more
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102
34
Celebrating Farmworker Awareness Week
100 Lunar New Year
Bringing to light the disconnect between farmworkers’ wages and the end price to consumers
Discovering China’s four influential cuisines
110 78
Thank You, Bon Appétit!
From the Fellows New perspectives on sustainability in our food system ANDREW MONBOUQUETTE
120 The Back Page University of the Pacific gives and receives love on social media
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from fedele
Step Into the Future This spring, Fedele gave the commencement address at Albion College in Albion, MI. His words were so inspiring, we decided to share two excerpts with you. His advice for the graduates themselves follows, continuing on page 118 with his commentary on the food system.
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grew up. For you, the question is not if you will make an impact, for it is clear that you are well poised to make one. You are leaders in academics, the arts, community service, and athletics. You’ve grown up with, and have been educated by inspirational role models. In this broken world of ours, your talents, your dreams and ambitions are beacons for a brighter future.
t is a genuine honor for me to be with you today. Being invited to share this special day must be because your four years of eating with Bon Appétit were pretty good. I am thrilled that you’ve asked me to be a part of your celebration, especially in your theme year of sustainability: about the food we eat, the water we drink, the shelter we live in, the energy we use, the footprint we leave, and the future we build.
If I can make an analogy: four years ago when you arrived as freshmen at Albion College, the seeds were planted, and now you’ve matured and grown to the point where you are ready to harvest the fruits of your education. You are graduating today in a world that is faster and more connected. But it is, as I said before, a broken world in so many ways.
I’ve been struggling a bit about what benchmarks to offer you, a generation so smart, so quick, so perfectly positioned to tackle this new world — one infinitely more complex than when I
The chasm between the rich and the poor is wider than ever before. Opportunities for the uneducated are more limited than they’ve ever been. Violence, especially among our young people,
This world needs you. Take the responsibility and the leadership to restore the beauty of this earth, with justice, hope, and love.
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is growing at an unchecked pace. And hunger among the world’s population is rising to absolutely intolerable levels. While the challenges are extraordinary, you can make a contribution toward a safer and healthier world. You have the freedom to think and work expansively, to reach farther, explore opportunities, take risks, and to make a significant difference — a difference in communities and the natural systems and resources on which our lives depend. As I travel around the country, I see wonderful examples of young people touching people’s lives in so many ways: spending time to plant gardens in schools, teaching young children where our food comes from, working with Habitat for Humanity to build houses for those in need (see box, right), helping to bring needed services to low-income communities, and creating a new dimension in people’s lives by helping the most vulnerable.
These young Habitat for Humanity volunteers understand how fulfilling community service can be
One of my heroes has always been Robert Kennedy. His vision for the American dream was a promise of dignity and hope for the underprivileged…especially for migrant farmworkers. This vision was fueled by optimism and faith in the qualities of our youth: young, caring, optimistic individuals working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor. One of his famous quotes: “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.” You are graduating in the most amazing of times, and in the most challenging of times. The education you have received and have earned gives you unique status and responsibility to imagine better and make an impact beyond your borders. This world needs you. Take the responsibility and the leadership to restore the beauty of this Earth, with justice, hope, and love. We need your talents, your commitment, and your passion to make a difference in helping to nourish future generations toward a more sustainable future. Step into the future with confidence and skill, and a vision to change what is into what can be.
Several Bon Appétiters spent the weekend cooking for Habitat for Humanity volunteers and two families who were moving into their new houses in Fort Bragg, CA. Left to right: Joe DeBono, executive chef at Dominican University; Eddie Jarrell, executive chef at Pacific Union College; Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio; Andrew Cvitanich, general manager at Dominican; and Katy Simones, general manager at Mills College.
Turn to page 118 for the rest of Fedele’s address
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bits & bites Soka Students Visit Bon Appétit Headquarters t Soka University in Aliso Viejo, CA, the Learning Clusters offer an immersion in food issues; students study a particular theme in a 3.5-week period to unite theory and practice and think about policy changes. Soka’s Purpose-Driven Economy Learning Cluster students took a trip to the Bay Area to visit Maisie Ganzler, vice president of strategy, at Bon Appétit’s corporate offices. Students spoke with Maisie about Bon Appétit’s current initiatives, as well as upcoming initiatives that they will see revealed in the near future at Soka. Students in this cluster chose to study and focus on conscientious companies whose stakeholders are committed to make the world a better place. In addition to Bon Appétit, Cluster students also visited Homeboy Industries, Goodwill, and Taco Bell Foundation for Teens.
A
Soka University Learning Cluster students at Bon Appétit’s corporate office
Submitted by Michelle Gomez-Arguello, General Manager
COO Michael Bauccio with Museum Café Line Cook Ernesto Munoz
COO’s Tour of Art Institute Turns Up Very Special Paycheck
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t the Art Institute of Chicago, staff members relish visits from industry colleagues and peers, but having Bon Appétit “family” stop in really kicks the excitement up a notch. When Chief Operating Officer Michael Bauccio came to tour the entire operation, meet team members, attend 10@10s, and see the newly remodeled Museum Café, the team was abuzz. Ernesto Munoz, Museum Café line cook, was particularly excited to see Michael and show him the very first paycheck he received from Bon Appétit — 17 years ago. “It was so great to meet Michael and have the opportunity to share my experience with our company,” said Ernesto. “I love Bon Appétit! I have grown so much personally and professionally since joining the company. I never want to leave. I will be here all my life.” Michael was very touched by the glowing review. All the AIC team members said good-bye to him, energized and proud to be part of such a great company. Submitted by Olivia Miller, Project Coordinator
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House-Made Doughnuts an Instant Hit at Regis University
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ou can’t buy happiness, but you can buy doughnuts — which are close. That was the working theory, anyway, at the bakeshop at Regis University in Denver.
Celebrating Pi Day with a slice of pie
And work it was! Bakers Mike Fullenwider and Adora Valeriano took doughnuts to the next level, making the sweet treats from scratch for the main campus café. They adapted a classic doughnut recipe and took extra care forming and rolling out the doughnuts and cutting them into classic shapes, coming in before dawn to make sure the doughnuts would be fresh and ready for breakfast. Bakery Supervisor Nicole Barthlow helped keep the batches of doughnuts frying to make sure the café did not run out. The house-made doughnuts were offered with both chocolate and vanilla glaze and were an instant hit. The Regis team is lucky to have such a creative and talented bakery staff that’s so committed to pleasing student palates. Submitted by Rebecca Richter, Director of Catering and Brand Programs Doughnuts before frying
Technology Company Geeks Out on Pi Day
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arch 14, or 3.14, is widely known as Pi Day by math aficionados and number enthusiasts — many of them working at technology companies. Bon Appétit teams at one software behemoth pulled off an amazing feat, serving 15,172 slices of pie at precisely 1:59 p.m. at its locations all across the U.S. Why that time? 3.14159 is the first six digits of this magical number!
Submitted by Cara Brechler, Marketing Director
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bits & bites Washington University Offers Smart Study Fuel
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hat’s the fuel of choice for the average college student studying for exams? Pizza? Popcorn? Chips and salsa? Hoping to offer tasty options that are smarter choices, Bon Appétit at Washington University in St. Louis teamed with Director of University Nutrition Connie Diekman for advice on promoting healthier snack options. Amy Evans, satellite café manager, surprised 250 students on the first day of finals by offering them a free “study fuel snack” that promotes “Connie’s Choice” grab-and-go items at the cafés. Connie’s Choice items are based on the following guidelines: 20 to 35 percent (or less) of calories from fat, with less than 10 percent from saturated fat; low sodium, so that total sodium consumption doesn’t exceed 2,300 mg daily; and meals/entrées based around plants or lean meats. The students were surprised and appreciative to receive a sample “signature scoop,” with sliced almonds, dried cranberries, walnuts, sunflower seeds, whole-grain cereal Os, and dark chocolate. Submitted by Patti Louvier, Director of Satellite Operations Amy Evans, satellite café manager, delivering “study fuel” snacks to Wash U students on the first day of finals
One short-term cure for long, gloomy winters is cheerful comfort foods. Baker Penny Laspina brought that with a little nostalgia to brighten the students’ day with Cookie Monster cupcakes at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, ID. Judging by how fast they disappeared, the idea worked! Penny created the monsters’ fur out of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, heavy cream, and of course, blue food coloring. The cupcake itself was a yellow chocolate chip cake. Penny composed eyeballs from royal icing, sugar, and egg whites. Naturally, the Cookie Monster wouldn’t be complete without chocolate chip cookie crumbs all over him. Submitted by Larisa Gavrilyuk, Admin Assistant
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Oracle - Broomfield Handles First Paleo Request with Aplomb
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xecutive Chef Evan Symmes at Oracle - Broomfield in Broomfield, CO, has always been a highly competent all-around culinary all-star, someone who knows history and chemistry as well as technique. So it was a bit of a surprise when he received a request for a “paleo” meal and didn’t immediately have menu ideas at the ready — though this was the first request of its kind at this kitchen. “Paleo diet” practitioners eschew grains and other products of domestic agriculture in favor of foods that early man would have eaten, such as meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and honey. After some discussion, Evan and his team settled on a salad with chicken and some greens and raw vegetables for that Friday. But returning Monday morning, Evan had spent a few hours researching the paleo diet and had come up with an improved version. That day, he served the guest an arugula salad with grilled chicken, fire-roasted hazelnuts, strawberries, and avocado, dressed with honey, lemon juice, and sea salt. The following day, the guest got chicken with mixed greens, pine nuts, dried apple rings, fennel slaw, and grilled lemon. Paleo meals haven’t yet been adopted into the regular program, but it was a learning experience for the kitchen, and the team had fun concocting other ideas for future requests.
Submitted by Derek Whitney, General Manager
At Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, safety is a top priority. The entire team is on board with protocol and using the correct personal protective equipment. Above, Catering Driver Mark Mingo demonstrates properly using a degreaser to clean the ovens. Submitted by Joshua Olson, Director of Operations and Safety Champion
Irresistible Sweet Treats Dominate SAS’s Candy Bar
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on Appétit chefs at SAS in Cary, NC, offered a pop-up candy bar as a monotony breaker to provide stress relief at work and take people back to their childhoods. Guests in the Atrium Café could select candies for their own unique treat bag. The idea was to remind them of the candy counters at old-fashioned drugstores. The popular surprise event had people sending their friends in from all over campus to get their fill of their favorite candies. It generated a revenue boost that didn’t detract from lunch sales, as it took place mid-afternoon after the lunch rush. Guests enjoyed the midday break and the variety of treats. Submitted by Sarah Hammermeister, Marketing Coordinator Candy bar with something for everyone
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talking about food | maisie ganzler
a new standard for our tuna
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ish like to congregate around objects in the water, and that’s why some of the best scuba diving sites in the world are sunken ships. Scientists don’t actually know exactly what drives this behavior, but theories include the ships creating a “visual stimulus in an optical void” or a point of reference. Or maybe fish are attracted to the marine matter that attaches to the wrecks. Whatever the reason, even the most novice diver knows that if you want to see fish, find an object in the ocean.
the majority of which will remain in the ocean until removed or destroyed,” a Pew Charitable Trusts position paper says. Lots to digest here. Let’s break that down. “Over 20,000” means we’re talking big impact. FADs are so effective that they have become standard practice in the tuna industry. “Actively monitored” refers to the fact that most of today’s FADs are equipped with transmitters that allow fishermen to know where the “drifting” FADs are (since they’re not moored to anything, they move around the open ocean) and sonar that can calculate the biodensity around the FAD, thereby indicating how many fish have congregated. The fish are essentially sitting ducks for the large purse seine nets (sorry for the mixed species metaphor).
At Bon Appétit, we don’t simply follow fads, we set trends.
It’s not a big leap to then say, if you want to catch fish, find an object in the ocean. Or better yet, put an object in the water and let fish come to you.
That’s the basic theory behind “fish aggregating devices,” a.k.a. FADs. For centuries, fishermen around the world have been making FADs out of bamboo rafts, palm fronds, or whatever they have on hand to attract fish. Like many practices, what works well on a small scale isn’t sustainable on a large one. “Based on conservative estimates, over 20,000 drifting FADs are actively monitored by the global purse seine industry — 08 | BRAVO
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And let’s talk about those purse seines. A purse seine is a large net that is drawn closed like a purse. Doesn’t sound like a very precise way of fishing, does it? Nope, purse seines capture everything in the area. So even if the boat is only after tuna, they also get sharks, swordfish, marlin, and juvenile fish, which further destabilizes the fish populations. Some estimates put bycatch as high as 20%, or 182,500
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Using “fish aggregating devices” (FADs) such as sunken debris to catch fish can have negative consequences
tonnes annually (that’s 400 million pounds for those of you who aren’t up on your metric-tonnes-to-pounds conversion rates). Lastly, these floating hunks of junk — FADs are made of anything and everything including old nets, logs, oil barrels, you name it — “remain in the ocean until removed or destroyed”…or forever if no one wants to spend the money to haul them back in. To put it simply, as Pew says,“While FAD fishing can be an efficient method for catching large schools of tuna, industrial-scale FAD fisheries can have significant adverse impacts on tunas and other species.” “Adverse” is a rather mild way of saying mass fatalities. Well you know we at Bon Appétit couldn’t let that go on. We knew there had to be better tuna out there. We pushed, and our purchasing partner Foodbuy listened. I’m very proud to tell you that starting in January 2015, all of the skipjack tuna served in Bon Appétit accounts will be FAD-free. (That’s 91.5% of our processed tuna: I urge you to think hard before you order that albacore or yellowfin or tongol.) Foodbuy has secured us a supply of tuna that comes with a signed statement from the boat captain including date caught, location, and commitment that no fish aggregating device was used. Full transparency as to where our tuna is coming from and how it was caught! How cool is that? At Bon Appétit, we don’t simply follow fads, we set trends.
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Rick Bayless Shapes Student Palates at Penn Submitted by Beth Bayrd, Marketing Manager
I
t’s always exciting when the buildings housing Bon Appétit facilities get remodeled, but Bon Appétit at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia recently took the excitement up several notches thanks to their joint collaboration with celebrated chef Rick Bayless, one of the pioneers of the local-food movement.
Tortas Frontera combines high-quality ingredients from top local providers with recipes based on the diverse fare found in Mexico. “Philadelphia has really come on to the scene as one of the great restaurant cities,” said Rick at the opening. He also mentioned that he is excited about working on a college University of Pennsylvania President Amy campus because the college Gutmann steps behind the line at Tortas Frontera for a special sample of Rick Bayless’s famous years are formative, and he guacamole (pictured with Chanel Mathlin, barista, and Danielle Matthews, sous chef) wanted the chance to “educate students’ palates.” Rick believes the bold flavors and from-scratch cooking of Tortas Frontera, his quick-service Mexican café, are a good fit for Bon Appétit’s similar ethos at the University of Pennsylvania. This is the first Tortas Frontera located on a college campus and the first outside of the Chicago area. In order to maintain 10 | BRAVO
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the integrity of the brand and in keeping with Bon Appetit’s Farm to Fork commitment, extensive work went into sourcing as many of the ingredients possible from local farmers/vendors, such as Eberly Poultry (certified organic chicken), Country Time Farm (antibiotic-free pork), Roseda Beef (naturally raised Black Angus beef ), Wawa Dairy Farms, Rival Bros. (small-batch coffee and espresso), Common Market (distributing local eggs and fresh fruit), and Premium Steap Teas. When the university reopened the late Gothic Revival building, CEO Fedele Bauccio and Penn President Amy Gutmann were on hand with Rick, who was signing books at the café exhibition, as well as several student performing arts groups providing entertainment. Tortas Frontera has quickly become the hottest spot to dine on campus.
ABOVE:
Chef/Partner Rick Bayless works behind the line with the new Tortas Frontera baristas, Musharah Beyah, Theresa Robinson, and Heather Royal
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Samples of the café’s molletes — open-faced Mexican sandwiches — were handed out during the ARCH reopening party
Left to right: University of Pennsylvania Provost Vincent Price, University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann, Chef/Partner Rick Bayless, and Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio
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St. Martin De Porres Empowers Picky Eaters Through Involvement Submitted by Dayna Einheit, Registered Dietitian
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ids are picky eaters — true or false? Many frustrated parents might answer this with a resounding “True!” but Chef/Manager Victor Lane of St. Martin De Porres High School in urban Cleveland has set out to bust that myth. It’s been a challenge to work within school nutrition guidelines and provide fresh and wholesome food, but the students have really taken to their new lunch options. They were so inspired by the offerings that they wanted to learn to cook similar food while at home. And that’s how St. Martin’s first high school culinary club was born! The club grew exponentially throughout the school year, and Victor hopes to expand it to the parents and teachers association participants next year. Although most extracurricular activities are designed to break the monotony of studies, this one actually has homework. Victor picks an ingredient, which students must use to find two types of recipes – one classic and one fun. The first week, students learn a classic preparation technique utilizing that ingredient, and the following week, they prepare a fun dish. For example, Victor taught students how to prepare a roux from their homework ingredient, flour. Once the roux was mastered, they learned how to turn it into an Alfredo sauce. In addition to learning to make a simple sauce from scratch, students were also taught how to determine the doneness of their pasta without throwing it at the cupboards. After the students finished cooking, Victor made his own batch of Alfredo sauce, showed them the traditional proper plating technique (parsley included), and joined the students to enjoy their labors of love. The following week, the students got to have more fun baking cupcakes and making frosting from scratch. No wonder the club is so popular!
Students of St. Martin De Porres High School enjoy their made-from-scratch fettuccine Alfredo
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Oberlin College Helps Healthy Resolutions Stick Submitted by Eric Pecherkiewicz, Registered Dietitian/Marketing Manager
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o support the health and wellness goals of Oberlin College faculty and staff in Oberlin, OH, the Office of Wellness launched a New Year, New Me program based on peer mentoring. The office also had Bon Appétit put together a nutrition program for participants wishing to eat healthier and needing guidance. Dietitian Eric Pecherkiewicz developed a series of weekly “lunch and learns” to address issues such as nutrition basics, eating healthy on a budget, and more. Engaged faculty and staff members met once each week to listen to Eric and to get their nutrition questions answered. To keep everyone honest and on track, one session included a segment in which attendees had to bravely agree to share the contents of their brown bag lunches for open discussion with the group. The successful program paired faculty and staff mentors with program participants so that those with regular exercise and other health practices could share knowledge with their peers. The capstone of this series was a healthy cooking demonstration by Catering Chef Matt Krasnevich. Timing for the event could not have been worse — the weather was minus 25 with wind chill, and much of northeast Ohio was shut down. Regardless, a dedicated group of participants turned out, and Matt delivered the (healthy) goods. Using the “velveting” technique learned recently from Chinese culinary training guest chef Jet Tila, Matt demonstrated how to make a delicious and nutritious stir-fry while keeping sodium and fat in check. (Velveting involves immersing marinated meat in hot oil for several seconds to seal in juices before cooking it as the recipe calls for, and results in a more tender texture.) After the smoke cleared in the kitchen, the whole group sat down with the chef and dietitian for a satisfying family-style meal.
Catering Chef Matt Krasnevich teaches an audience of Oberlin College faculty and staff how to make stir-fry sauce from scratch
It was great to see everyone who made it there through the bad weather to break bread together, and several glowing program reviews came in. “I learned a lot from the sessions — they definitely filled in some gaps in my knowledge and got me thinking in new ways about my diet and food choices,” one enthusiastic staff member wrote. “I had no idea about the nutrition information on the Bon Appétit website, and have already found it useful on several occasions.”
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Collaboration Comes Full Circle at Johns Hopkins University
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Submitted by Andy Tzortzinis, Marketing Manager, and Kerry Dunnington, Guest Chef
ollaboration has been a key feature in Johns Hopkins University’s dining program in Baltimore. One of the most successful programs was an ongoing chef series with cookbook author Kerry Dunnington (This Book Cooks, Planet Kitchen Table: Recipes for a Sustainable Future in Food), whose work focuses on local and sustainable themes. The most recent event brought Kerry and Hopkins dining staff together for a field trip to the Cylburn Arboretum to see the Center for a Livable Future’s (CLF) Aquaponics Project and learn more about two key ingredients for Kerry’s demo: tilapia and sorrel. The CLF, a research branch of the university’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, manages several projects that are in line with Bon Appétit’s commitment to a sustainable future, and the Aquaponics Project appears to encompass many of them. The tilapia is grown in a closed water system, which then feeds a small, floating hydroponic garden and renders waste and runoff virtually nonexistent. As is true in many larger university communities, many Johns Hopkins undergraduate students are unaware of this amazing program. The projects exists primarily as an experiment in feasibility and education, so the administrators, Assistant Scientist Dr. David Love and Farm Manager Laura Genello, are eager to get the word out any Tilapia, weighing up to two pounds, swim in one of the clean enclosed way they can to both the unifinishing tanks versity and the general public. The president of the student government association came along for the field trip, as did JHU’s Director of Dining Bill Connor, Bon Appétit Marketing Manager Andy Tzortzinis, Director of Operations Gary Rehaut, and Kerry.
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After the facility tour,Kerry and the Bon Appétit group purchased 8 pounds of fresh sorrel from the floating garden and 20 pounds of fresh tilapia from the tanks. Kerry was so impressed with the venture that she ended the tour in a state of “giddy wonderment — the idea that a university the size of Hopkins is operating a successful aquaponics program is remarkable,” she said. For Kerry’s pop-up event, one meal swipe got students a hearty tilapia chowder or her sorrel salad demo with arugula and baby spinach, dressed with blue cheese, sliced apple, a classic Dijon vinaigrette, and a savory-sweet (thanks to garlic and honey) oatmeal-granola topping. The students loved the offerings, and several commented that the pop-up station option offered a great healthy alternative meal tailored to their budgets and schedules. The entire event was rewarding: Some students returned for a second meal swipe, and the team from the Aquaponics Project got to witness the excitement and answer questions after the demo. “To be able to share this work, and to turn the harvest into a meal for the students was pure synergy,” exclaimed Kerry.
Assistant Scientist Dr. David Love prepares to reach over the aquaponics’ floating garden beds to pluck some fresh greens. The sorrel used for the demo is in the bottom left corner.
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“To be able to share this work, and to turn the harvest into a meal for the students was pure synergy.�
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Buena Vista and Grand Central Cafés Promote Personal and Community Wellness Submitted by Beth Drumlake, Controller
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hen Bon Appétit teams get to participate in a client’s wellness fair, the chefs are excited to share their nutritional knowledge through recipes and demos. But when the cafés can host special guest chefs who are also committed to using activism for the wellness of the community, even better! Grand Central Café in Glendale, CA, and Buena Vista Café in Burbank, CA, hosted their annual wellness fairs with Pati Zarate, chef, activist, and cookbook author, as the star guest. Both Usanee Pistole, café chef at Grand Central Café, and Brian Casey, café chef at Buena Vista Café, prepared unique Mexican dishes in each of their cafés directly from Pati’s book, Hungry for Life, along with a complimentary taste of a variety of aguas frescas. Pati’s signed cookbook was given away during a drawing at each wellness fair. Hungry for Life is a cookbook like no other; it showcases a light, colorful, and healthy take on Mexican foods grounded in family traditions, cultural roots, and personal stories. The recipes are as unexpected and nontraditional as they are delicious — using apple salsa atop a carnitas taco, adding squash blossoms in quesadillas, and caramelizing Alisha Ruiz, a contributor to Hungry for Life, signing a copy hibiscus. Her Hungry for Life is filled with stunning photographs, enticing recipes, and compelling stories about the trainees’ experiences. Pati was the founding chef of Homegirl Café, a project of one of Homeboy Industries’ social enterprises. Homegirl Café brings formerly gang-involved, incarcerated, or addicted young women together to learn to prep, slice, season, and taste – as well as become contributing members of their community through training in restaurant service and culinary arts. Pati was impressed with Bon Appétit’s standards and commitment to quality, made-from-scratch food products and the
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Controller Beth Drumlake with Pati Zarate and her colleagues Maria and Alisha Ruiz, both featured in the book
promotion of the book’s dishes prominently displayed in each café. “It was a good experience for the Homegirls and me to see firsthand how it is possible to pursue a career within the food industry,” she said. “We are grateful for the exposure to our programs and support of our organization.”
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Executive Chef Peter Alfaro doing a cooking demo
Chicken enchiladas from the book
Pati Zarate, founder of Homegirl CafĂŠ, with Alisha and Maria, who are featured in the book and work at Homegirl CafĂŠ
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Eckerd Serves Late-Night, Made-from-Scratch Pizza on Wheels Submitted by Scott Myers, General Manager
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heap and filling and delivered to their door, latenight pizza is a college student’s best friend. But what if a tastier, healthier alternative to the usual rubbery chain fare were available?
Bon Appétit at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, launched an after-hours pizza oven to offer just that. The wood-burning pizza oven is a creative solution to getting around the small café space and the limited hours of residential dining. The pizza is sold by the slice and by the whole pie — both at prices significantly cheaper than local chain’s offerings. Even the hours are better: Most Friday and Saturday nights, students can get pizza all the way to 4 a.m.
Pizza dough is made from scratch, and cooks take advantage of vegetables from the campus hydroponic garden. Additionally, about 20 students are employed to help with production and delivery. Set at a sizzling 700 degrees, the oven cooks each pizza in less than 90 seconds, which is good because the pizza truck sells an average of 80 to 100 pizzas Tuesday through Thursday and 100 to 130 pizzas Friday and Saturday! Students can pay using cash, credit, and dining dollars. Plans are in the works to expand to vegan and made-without-gluten options. The truck is on wheels and is moved for special events, but mostly student workers act as runners. Students are Nick Lapinski, pizza truck supervisor thrilled with their new pizza truck, which they follow on social media. Coming soon: a clever new name chosen by the students.
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TaylorMade Employees Enjoy Bountiful Farm to Fork Demo at Home Submitted by Molly Johnson, Chef/Manager
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very day, Bon Appétit chefs enjoy showing off the company’s deep commitment to local purchasing. But Chef/Manager Molly Johnson and the staff at TaylorMade in Carlsbad, CA, wanted to take this further; San Diego County is the 12th largest farm economy in the United States. With more than 6,500 small farms in the county, how could Molly and her team not take advantage of giving TaylorMade employees a real Farm to Fork experience?
TaylorMade employee showing off her produce purchases
Bon Appétit often hosts guest chefs, so adding a guest farmer to the mix seemed like a natural fit: a special showcase Farm to Fork lunch was born. Farm to Fork provider Nic Romano of VR Green Farms joined from the beautiful farm in San Clemente; he brought gorgeous produce and sublime mango honey. Matt Richman, owner and executive chef of San Diego’s Table 926 who shares Bon Appétit’s sustainability philosophies, happily joined as guest chef and designed a menu almost solely sourced from VR Green Farms. Guests enjoyed seared mahi mahi with brown rice over fava-bean puree with a citrus and arugula salad. Matt also made apple–butternut squash soup garnished with shaved Brussels sprouts, roasted pepitas, and that delicious mango honey. Nic did not stop at supplying the produce; he also set up a farm stand in the café so that guests could sample and buy honey and just-harvested kale, apples, citrus, tomatoes, cabbage, and strawberries. To promote the event, TaylorMade purchased produce ahead of time, which Line Cook Ryan Johnston creatively set up into 2-ounce sample cups to be distributed on a decorated farm cart to different buildings the afternoon before. The event was even smoother with Regional Marketing Director Kari Menslage’s creativity in designing materials to promote both the event itself and the chef and farmer guests.
Local restaurateur and guest chef Matt Richman
The day generated both excitement among guests and additional revenues. Riding the waves of this positive response, Molly and her team are looking into booking another Farm to Fork special guest.
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IAIA and SFUAD Raise Funds for Santa Fe Food Bank in Annual Souper Bowl Submitted by Guido Lambelet, General Manager, IAIA, and Melody Lambelet, General Manager, SFUAD
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hich restaurant serves the best soup in Santa Fe? Tasting — and voting on — these champion “bowlers” was the draw for the 1,400 participants in Souper Bowl XX, as well as the chance to raise funds for The Food Depot at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. The Food Depot provides goods to 135 area nonprofits, including emergency food pantries, hot meal programs, homeless shelters, youth programs, and senior centers.
the deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie Chowder from Bon Appétit at SFUAD as an example of the type of whimsy she appreciated. IAIA’s coconut curry kabocha squash bisque, which is both vegan and made without gluten, got its complexity from freshly toasted and ground allspice, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, star anise, dry ginger root, cinnamon sticks, cardamom seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, red chili pods, and turmeric. This year’s Souper Bowl raised more than $60,000 for the food bank’s hunger-relief work in Northern New Mexico. Sherry Hooper, executive director of The Food Depot, told Guido and Melody that the participants helped The Food Depot provide a meal for more than 240,000 hungry New Mexicans. “Words cannot express the impact your gift has made in the lives of those who face hunger every day: the single parent struggling to make ends meet; grandparents raising their grandchildren on fixed incomes; hard-working adults skipping meals so their children can eat; seniors who can’t afford both medication and food; a homeless family seeking shelter; and children going without food when they are away from school,” she wrote.
IAIA Executive Chef Josh Anglin and General Manager Guido Lambelet at the Souper Bowl XX
Needless to say, the Bon Appétit teams felt pretty “souper” themselves knowing that they’d played a part in such an important and successful fundraiser.
Executive Chef Josh Anglin and General Manager Guido Lambelet of Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) and Executive Chef Paul Gentile and General Manager Melody Lambelet of Santa Fe University of Art and Design (SFUAD) participated in what has become one of the biggest events in Santa Fe. Each account made a whopping 15 gallons of soup! Bon Appétit represented 2 of the 28 restaurants, caterers, and other organizations competing in the categories Cream, Savory, Seafood, and Vegetarian, as voted on by attendees. Bon Appétit at IAIA competed in the Vegetarian category and SFUAD, Savory. (Chefs met ahead of time to draw their tickets, which ensured an even number of competitors and soups.) One regular attendee said that soups at this year’s event were “much more creative” than in years past. She went on to cite 20 | BRAVO
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SFUAD Executive Chef Paul Gentile
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International Students at Beloit Share Family Recipes Submitted by Ken Hnilo, General Manager
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inger, garlic, scallions, frying Sichuan peppers, and playful banter in Chinese filled the kitchen for the launch of the Guest Chef program at Beloit College in Beloit, WI. What was for dinner? Great food and cultural discussions! The Guest Chef program – the brainchild of the Office of International Education, its Director Josie Inaldo, and the Bon Appétit team – was created in response to international students’ desire for more authentic international cuisine. Now, each Monday, any international student with a family recipe to share can “guest chef ” in the Commons Dining Room at lunch and dinner, after signing up through Executive Chef Michael Downey.
First up were Chinese student Li Wan and her team, who prepped on Sunday and cooked and served their meal at the Comfort station on Monday. Their menu was mapo beef/tofu, twice-cooked pork, potato-and-pepper stir-fry, egg-fried rice, and garlic-cucumber salad. Word had gotten out, and the line for dinner began forming early. Throughout dinner service there was a steady stream of students stopping by and sampling all of the dishes, many of them returning for seconds. Next, guest baker Hana Vackova treated diners to traditional Czechoslovakian pastries: poppy seed bread, butter cake, and apple strudel. Round two of authentic Chinese food found a group of hardworking student-cooks led by Nan Feng. Once again the line began forming early and continued through service. Her team served up dapanji, a spicy chicken and potato dish; hong shao rou dun yu tou, pork and taro braised in soy; fried green peppers; and pork and seasoned spinach. Coming soon: a Romanian dinner, a Mexican/Latin-inspired dinner from the Voces Latinas club, and a meal from the school’s sole Bangladeshi student. Involving students in the meal planning has been a great success.
Guest student chefs at Beloit College
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Georgetown Law Demands Rigorous Studies but Prioritizes Health Submitted by Michelle Mooney, General Manager
Ingredients for quinoa seafood salad
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good lawyer is one with energy and an eye for details, and both require being in good health. That may be why Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., had Bon Appétit participate in its tenth annual Dean’s Challenge. Each year, the multiweek event challenges participants to engage in healthy behaviors including exercise, meditation, and choosing healthy food options. They collect points that are redeemable for prizes, presented at an awards ceremony with the dean. This year, Bon Appétit put together two events during the healthy competition. “Ask the Chef ” highlighted Foods for Your Heart from the Food for Your Well-Being program. Executive Chef Brazil Murphy made an amazing edamame and avocado spread for crostini, and Chef/Manager Herb Phillips made almond olive-oil cake. Students, faculty, and staff came by the table to check out the delicious offerings, which gave Brazil the opportunity to answer a variety of questions about healthy fats, ingredients in the items on the table, and Bon Appétit’s cooking principles. The second program was a cooking demonstration. Brazil had an intimate, attentive class, who watched a composition of quinoa seafood salad with chipotle-lime vinaigrette. It was a great opportunity to discuss the Seafood Watch program, introduce quinoa to the guests, and demonstrate Bon Appétit’s from-scratch principles, while guests sipped honey-rosemary agua fresca. They left with recipe cards and a whole new appreciation for Bon Appétit.
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Banfield Celebrates Decades of Success Submitted by Lacey Marsolek, Chef/Manager
Kids hard at work
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hen the monumental milestone of the 60th anniversary of Banfield Pet Hospital in Portland, OR, rolled around, Bon Appétit was right there to help. The homegrown Oregon business long ago went national and now operates more than 800 hospitals that serve pets with high-quality care. “This is a historic achievement, and I want thank all of our associates for…making Banfield the best preventive care practice in the world,” said Tony Ueber, president and CEO. To mark the occasion, Banfield hosted a party for the 500 associates who work at the Portland headquarters. Chef/Manager Lacey Marsolek and her team created a menu to represent each delicious decade the company has been in business. The team had a great time brainstorming and executing the theme menu below.
Decades of Success Menu
In association with the national Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work program, Banfield Pet Hospital hosted 90 children at its corporate headquarters in Portland, OR, for a fun day of activities designed to inspire young people to think about future careers. Bon Appétit collaborated with Banfield to lead the popular Banfield Chef session, during which children could make healthy dog biscuits to take home for their pets. Children without pets at home were excited to donate their creations to a local pet shelter.
1950s | Chips and dips 1960s | Mac and cheese 1970s | Cocktail wieners in sweet chili sauce, Divina green olives, and deviled eggs 1980s | Spicy Buffalo chicken served with house-made blue cheese dip 1990s | Mocktails of apple-pomegranate Rossini and sparkling virgin cosmopolitans 2000s | Cupcakes Jones mini cupcakes
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from the fellows | nicole tocco, senior fellow
bon appetit foundation
seeing seafood up close brings sustainability into focus
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he oceans are a world unto themselves, and with the exception of the rare scuba diver among us, we never get the chance to experience its wonders from anywhere but above. The Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA, was designed to provide the humbling perspective of viewing an ocean ecosystem from within. As the Bon Appétit Foundation team and I learned on our recent field trip to the aquarium — whose Seafood Watch® program has long been an important Bon Appétit partner organization — one thing that sets it apart is its mission to inspire the conservation of the oceans. And inspired we were by the end of the day.
(some can swim as quickly as 60 miles per hour), and their bodies are designed to camouflage them from equally mobile predators. Their dorsal side is dark and blends with the ocean floor when viewed from above. Their belly is lighter, to blend with the surface when viewed from below.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the oceans cover more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface, and we have explored only 5 percent of it. Unfortunately, we’ve managed to do a lot more damage than that statistic would suggest. The Aquarium estimates that 85 percent of the world’s fisheries are fully exploited, overexploited, or As we toured the aquarium, I have collapsed. What’s even was awed by the magnificence more concerning: In the of the creatures on display. 1980s, global landings (the Salmon, for example, are born Waste Specialist Claire Cummings marvels at the jellyfish pounds of wild seafood in freshwater rivers and then migrate to spend most of their lives in the sea. They return to caught and — you got it — brought to land) started to those rivers to spawn — usually to the near-exact spot of decrease. While some might mistakenly interpret this as a their birth, a phenomenon that scientists are still trying to positive step, the decrease in global landings wasn’t a result of figure out. Tuna swim near the surface, down near the ocean decreased effort (which has gone up), but because we’re running floor, and at every depth in between at astonishing speed out of fish to catch. 24 | BRAVO
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BAMCO Foundation team tours the Monterey Bay Aquarium, led by Seafood Watch Outreach Coordinator Simone Jones
Things need to change if we want to maintain these phenomenal ocean ecosystems and our last source of wild food. In 1999, the Monterey Bay Aquarium launched its Seafood Watch® program, which helps consumers and businesses make choices for healthy oceans by providing science-based recommendations. The program currently has 2,500 recommendations covering 405 species. Since 2002, Bon Appétit has strived to purchase only seafood that’s rated Best Choice or Good Alternative according to Seafood Watch’s recommendations for commercial buyers. In fact, the Aquarium said in its annual Turning the Tide report, “Bon Appétit Management Company has become an international model for what is possible in sustainable food service.” Seafood has unique qualities and challenges, but in this journey toward a more sustainable food system, there are some common threads. We all need to think more about what we’re eating — who grew, raised, or caught it, and how they did so. One Monterey Bay Aquarium display quotes Anne Stevenson: “The sea is as near as we come to another world.” Without asking the right questions and going out of our way to source seafood more responsibly, we’re going to destroy that other world before we have a chance to appreciate its beauty or understand its complexity. BAMCO Fellows Alyse Festenstein and Andrew Monbouquette, Waste Specialist Claire Cummings, Seafood Watch Outreach Coordinator Simone Jones, and Senior Fellow Nicole Tocco
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Farmer Fridays Showcase Farms at Denison University Submitted by S.K. Piper, Sustainability Manager
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lthough hosting field trips to farms can be a great deal of fun, more students will see the faces behind their food if the farmers come to campus. With that in mind, Bon Appétit at Denison University in Granville, OH, started an initiative to invite farmers in on Fridays. Sustainability Manager S.K. Piper teamed up with the student group People Endorsing Agricultural Sustainability (PEAS) to bring a different Farm to Fork vendor into Curtis Café each Friday during lunch so that students can meet the people who grow their food. In addition to having a table with product samples and marketing materials, Chef/Manager Paul Millman plans a special menu for the day’s lunch incorporating the featured farmer’s products. The new program welcomed its first guests, apple farmers Dan and David Ochs from Ochs Fruit Farm, who were miraculously still providing local apples to Denison when they visited in February. For lunch that day, guests enjoyed turkey and apple meatloaf; roasted beets with apples, lentils, and goat cheese; chicken salad with apples; and apple bars for dessert. When Debbie Gilbert from Velvet View Farmstead visited, Paul featured the farm’s yogurt in a raita and mixed its Greek yogurt with peach and raspberry compote so that guests had flavored yogurts to sample. On his Friday, Paul Kurtz, owner of Hemisphere Coffee Roasters, brought with him coffees from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Thailand for students to sample while they learned about how his direct-trade policies benefit the farmers and their communities. It’s been a wonderful way to make “local’ come alive for the students.
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Debbie Gilbert of Velvet View Farmstead talks about her family’s farm while a student enjoys flavored Greek yogurt samples
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Denison Students Tour Farm to Fork Partners for Photography Class One of the first classes to fill up in the Environmental Studies department at Denison University is “Farmscape: Visual Immersion in the Food System.” This interdisciplinary course satisfies both arts and humanities components, as the class studies various components of the food system through the lens of a camera, with the goal of bringing “an artistic sensibility to our understanding of food.” With spring being the first time the class has been offered since Bon Appétit has been on campus, Sustainability Manager S.K. Piper worked with Professor Abram Kaplan to design the course more closely around Denison’s own food system. A major component of the class is weekly tours to different farms and processing facilities, so that students can photograph and analyze these different components of the food system. Students kicked off the class with a tour behind the scenes of Huffman Café on campus, where they were surprised and delighted by all the local food options they got to photograph. They made the short drive to Columbus to tour producepacking house Produce One and learn about the complicated distribution side of the food system that consumers rarely get to view.
Students gather around a shipment of potatoes during a tour of Produce One
The class favorite was visiting Stutzman Farms, an Amish mill in Millersburg, OH, that uses 100-year-old-plus technology to process grains and make flour. The puffer was the highlight of the trip; kernels of corn were poured into what looked and sounded like a flaming machine gun, which was then shot into a cage-like contraption, spewing a batch of puffed corn and a cloud of smoke. The semester ended at Huffman Café, where students viewed back-of-house operations with the“new eyes” gained from the rich travels of the season. Judging from the thank-you note on page 116, the Bon Appétit aspect of the curriculum was a big hit. Submitted by S.K. Piper, Sustainability Manager
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Busy Times at Washington University in St. Louis Submitted by April Powell, Director of Marketing and Communications
St. Louis Is 250! The city of St. Louis recently turned 250, and the Bon Appétit team at Washington University in St. Louis went all out to help mark the occasion! Lead Baker April Morrison participated in the citywide celebration by volunteering to decorate several of the 250, 4-foottall, fiberglass birthday cakes placed on display throughout the city and county. Two of the cakes decorated by April are on display at Wash U: One is on Francis Field and celebrates the field’s rich tradition of athletics. The cake’s design was inspired by the 1904 Olympics, which were held there. The second cake is on display at Wash U’s Medical School and was inspired by 1950s medical textbooks. But the team couldn’t resist asking April to make just one more cake — one that students, faculty, and staff could actually eat! April, Pastry Chef Starr Murphy, and the entire bakery team created a delectable and very edible version of one of the cakes. The cake showed up in the Danforth University Center on glorious display, and students were shocked that such an elaborate work of art was, in fact, edible. Students took pictures with the cake, and some celebrated their own birthdays with the cake. Fortunately, there was enough to go around — more than 350 slices! It was a bit messy, but worth the sweet celebration of the city Wash U calls home. The Washington University in St. Louis Medical School cake was inspired by 1950s medical textbooks
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The chefs gather to showcase their tasty research
Expanding International Cuisine Offerings
often head to Europe to train or hone their culinary C hefs skills, but some Bon Appétit chefs are gathering inspiration from virtual trips to learn about less mainstream cuisines. At Washington University, chefs are taking“expeditions” that have been providing students with delicious souvenirs. Led by Campus Executive Chef Patrick McElroy, culinary teams are assigned a region of the world to research and then present what they learned and how it can be integrated into the campus menus. So far, the teams have explored Nordic and Native American cuisines. Chef de Cuisine David Rushing has incorporated an Anasazi-style red chili–braised pork, and Executive Chef Hayes Green introduced an open-faced smoked trout sandwich on house-made oat molasses bread with herb salad. This is just the beginning of the “journeys” these talented chefs will be taking over the next few months.
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chefs pride themselves on guest engagement, T dictionary. Now, there are even classes devoted to local foods! B onso aAppétit new chef at an education account is best introduced Students Discover Hyperlocal Harvest
New Chef Introduces Himself with Delicious Tapas and Cooking Demo
en years ago, the word “locavore” wasn’t even in the
The focus of Washington University’s Freshman Focus class is on foods indigenous to Missouri, so students collected everything from Burr Oak acorns to the service berries that line the campus’s walkways on the South 40 campus. But the most exciting find was the maple syrup! Bon Appétit chefs joined the students in a sugar-maple tree tapping. Class members identified and tapped three sugar maples right on campus.
Although freezing temperatures stalled the sap production from the trees, students were still able to collect approximately 15 gallons of raw maple sap — enough to make breakfast! Bon Appétit chefs opened Ibby’s Bistro on a Saturday to create a breakfast featuring fresh maple syrup, Burr Oak acorn butter, and a service berry and mulberry compote. Chef de Cuisine David Rushing began boiling the maple sap at 7 a.m. and finished the process around 10:45. David also prepared pancakes and quinoa pancakes to serve with the campus-harvested trimmings, along with fresh-squeezed orange juice and fruit salad. The students continued to collect sap from the trees, which the Bon Appétit team helped them boil down to take home with them at the end of the semester. Eating sure doesn’t get more local than this!
in person, where he or she can show off her talents. Thomas Martoccio, new Executive Sous Chef at Washington University’s Village, introduced himself to the student residents with Spanish tapas created with fresh and colorful ingredients — and they made him feel welcome by devouring the wonderful offerings: tapenade on crostini with lemon oil and bull’s blood microgreens, asparagus rolled in chorizo with Manchego crostini, and pico de gallo and guacamole with white corn tortillas. With the edge taken off, students could pay attention to the following chicken and chorizo paella demonstration, which involved oregano-marinated chicken, smoked paprika chorizo, Calasparra rice, and of course sofrito. The lighting was dim, amazing aromas were in the air, and the students were attentively eating and learning from Thomas’s professional experience and knowledge. The satisfaction — and the welcome — was mutual. “The entire group learned a lot! All my residents left very happy, and I definitely believe this is a highlight of everyone’s school year,” wrote Rachel Skladman, the resident advisor who’d invited Thomas to host the special event for her students.
Submitted by Todd Bale, Sous Chef
Thanks for the Tapas Lesson Executive Sous Chef Thomas Martoccio received the following note from a Washington University in St. Louis resident advisor, who’d hosted a special event for her residents at the Village at which he showed them how to cook some tapas. Hi Chef Thomas,
Tapping the sugar maples on Washington University’s campus
Students from the Freshman Focus class monitor the temperature of the boiling maple sap
Thank you so much for doing a cooking demonstration for my floor. It was a truly wonderful experience. You were so thoughtful and engaging, and I can honestly say that the entire group learned a lot! All my residents left very happy, and I definitely believe this is a highlight of everyone’s school year. The food was delicious and your passion for cooking really shined. I really hope to continue this partnership between the RAs and the chefs in the upcoming years. Thank you very much again, Rachel Skladman
Executive Sous Chef Thomas Martoccio demonstrating a technique of cooking paella for students
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2014 “Let’s Meat in the Middle” In the years since Bon Appétit Management Company launched our Low Carbon Diet program, food’s connection to climate change has largely become common knowledge. At the same time, more and more people are aware that cutting back on animal products through flexitarianism — whether through Meatless Mondays or being “vegan before 6” — can be good for their health. Perhaps even more Americans would be happy to forgo beef and dairy once in a while if they knew they were doing something good for the environment…and they didn’t have to give up flavor or their favorite dishes to do so. That’s why for our sixth annual companywide Low Carbon Diet Day, Bon Appétit teams around the country turned their cafés into fun culinary classrooms offering ways for guests to shrink their carbon“foodprint” via tasty alternatives to beef and dairy. Through cooking demonstrations (a dairyless smoothie, a cheeseless pizza, or a meatless burger), makeovers of popular high-carbon dishes, and takeaway recipes, we showed guests they didn’t have to go entirely meatless in order to make their diet a climate-friendlier one. What’s the beef with beef? Cows (and goats and sheep) are ruminant animals, which thanks to their digestive systems, produce a lot of methane — a greenhouse gas that is 20 to 25 times as powerful as carbon dioxide. Dishes made with beef or dairy of any kind are thus the highest carbon choices. If all Americans skipped meat and dairy just one day a week and replaced them with vegetable-based proteins, it would be the equivalent of taking 19.2 million cars off the road for one year. (Learn more at our website, EatLowCarbon.org.) Consumer surveys have indicated that people respond better to positive messaging than to doom and gloom warnings. Who wouldn’t want to learn how, through making a few tasty swaps on a regular basis, they can have a positive impact on the future of our planet?
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Every April, the world celebrates Earth Day, but for environmentally concerned Obies (otherwise known as Oberlin College students), one day is not enough to contain their passion. So the college’s Office of Sustainability created the Ecolympics, which runs for most of April and features a slate of educational and entertaining events for the campus in Oberlin, OH. Bon Appétit was proud to participate. In addition to the annual Low Carbon Diet Day and related Food for Your Well-Being activity, the Oberlin dining team expanded the existing Meatless Monday program by introducing meatless Tuesdays at a second campus café. For some Obies, the most exciting event of this year’s Ecolympics was Food Trivia night, hosted by Bon Appétit Registered Dietitian/Marketing Manager Eric Pecherkiewicz (second from right) and Brad Melzer (bottom), the manager of the college-owned George Jones Farm, a Bon Appétit Farm to Fork partner. Four teams of students faced off on questions inspired by Bon Appétit’s sustainability principles. The winner received a huge goodie bag filled with mugs, coupons, and a variety of Real Food Challenge–approved snacks. No one went home empty-handed: all contestants received George Jones Farm T-shirts and water bottles from the Office of Sustainability. And all got to enjoy the Farm to Fork appetizers, including New Creation Farm chorizo poached in local maple syrup. When it comes to living sustainably, everyone is a winner! Submitted by Eric Pecherkiewicz, Registered Dietitian/ Marketing Manager
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A nattily dressed Mentor Graphics employee in Wilsonville, OR, enjoys his smoothie sample. Submitted by Wes Boese, General Manager
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Executive
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delivered , CA, not Carbon m one but three Low a ke ov e rs , dairyless c including hicken ch owder ma with almo de nd milk. G uests were drawn to the demo both the sm ta oothie sam ble for chance to ples and a win a coo kbook. Submitte d by Dia General n Manage e Ortiz, r
Assistant General Manager Jeremy Glennon is ready for smoothie duty at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA! Submitted by Jeremy Glennon, Assistant General Manager
At Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, redfish tacos sans cheese replaced the traditional offering at the Upper Commons grill station, while Executive Sous Chef Jon Cambra served up some beautiful roasted Brussels sprouts.
Cook Rosa Cordova and Café Chef Andre Uribe pose
Submitted by Stephanie Keith, Marketing Manager/Controller
with a good-looking Low Carbon Day table at the corporate Jones Farm 5 Café in Hillsboro, OR. Submitted by Grace Wilson, Café Manager
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Low Carbon Diet Day fit in perfectly with the greener working environment initiatives that Target implemented at its headquarters in downtown Minneapolis in honor of Earth Week. At Café Target, Executive Chef Shaun Holtgreve (pictured) and the staff were excited to spread the word that pizza doesn’t need cheese to be delicious. Shaun created a pizza that highlighted fresh items such as asparagus, tomatoes, garlic and more. The samples flew off the table! Submitted by Kathy Vik, Operations Manager
o Palos
Ranch ersity in iv room n U rnia gan “mush e fo v li a a C — t r nd n e arymou shallots a n makeov
This Cleveland Museum of Art team’s mouthwatering makeover of a beef burger was an Asian turkey burger with local ground turkey, ginger, scallion, soy sauce, napa slaw, and chili aioli on a brioche bun. Submitted by Beth Kretschmar, Marketing Manager
At M Carbo h sliced nager A, the Low abello topped wti neral Ma nt e rt Verdes, C G o p . it d h e st ge ou h roa was a hu ote from a Marym steak” wit oms — n ro e mply sh ic si u n s a m is ed th room w iv button e sh c u re m y t e a bad I ovotn : “ Th (it was too ng! Donna N a Colbeck re d o n a m t m e g A ber, k to shari staff mem ! I nearly RAN bac THANK YOU for . G !) outh is e N m I m y r ing fo in? M AMAZ it a a g a w t d n e se u ointm uces were ef!” had an app s. What sa y thanks to the ch u io c li e d m d n se Simply se ng….Plea still wateri
At Lafayette College in Easton, PA, the team celebrated Earth Day by setting up a potting table for students, complete with a galvanized tub of dirt with small shovels, small cups, different varieties of flower seeds, and a pitcher of water. Plant a flower, take it back to your room, and watch it grow! Submitted by Ashley Fabriziani, Marketing Manager
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At Bon Appétit’s Low Carbon Diet Day at Best
Buy
Headquarters in Richfield, MN, eco-minded employees tried Low Carbon makeovers in the form of a beefless Ferndale Farm turkey “sloppy jane” on a whole wheat bun, or Pizza Cook Francisco Asitimbay’s creative Low Carbon pizza makeover: a pizza with wild mushrooms, rosemary, and roastedgarlic mashed potatoes (pictured)! The Bon Appétit team also ran a waste-awareness campaign showing what one week’s worth of to-go disposables looks like, to remind guests to opt for reusable dishes whenever possible. Submitted by Susan K. Davis, General Manager
The team at Duke University in Durham, NC, keep the samples coming for guests at Penn Pavilion. Submitted by Juli Deans, Operations Assistant
In Cleveland, Sous Chef Ben Wentz grilled sweet potato-
spinach-apple smoothies to a corporate guest at RS5 Café in Hillsboro, OR.
tahini sliders for Case Western Reserve University students to sample. “Wow, here I really thought I was doing everything I could to save the planet,” a student was overheard exclaiming as he studied the Low Carbon Diet Day materials.
Submitted by Sarah Gill, Café Manager
Submitted by Beth Kretschmar, Marketing Manager
Café Manager Sarah Gill hands out samples of dairy-free,
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“No need to be afraid — it’s low carbon pizza, not lowcarb pizza!” Sous Chef Josh Grimes seems to be saying to a Santa Clara University student in Santa Clara, CA,
before starting his demo. Submitted by Stacy Stafford Scott, Regional & Account Marketing Manager
With help from Medtronic Regional Controller Jerry Palmer (right), everything went smoothie-ly in Mounds View, MN, where Michelle Kirkwold (left) was in her first few weeks as general manager (having moved from heading the Bon Appétit team at the Minnesota History Center).
Seattle University Café Chef Nicole Marquez prepares to share samples of dairyless raspberry-pear smoothies.
Submitted by Michelle Kirkwold, General Manager Submitted by Cathy Lee, Marketing Coordinator 36 | BRAVO
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Executive Chef Ryan Morgan (pictured) and the rest of the Bon Appétit team at Theory at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, OR, were excited to hold their first Low Carbon Diet Day. So was the museum! Using Bon Appétit’s website EatLowCarbon.org as a resource for facts and figures, the OMSI education team even created a food-and-climate-change quiz for kids to take at the entrance of the café. Submitted by Laura Braley, Specialty Venue PR Manager
Practice made perfect at the University of Redlands in Redlands, CA, where staff members gathered to watch Sous Chef Lucia Navarro run through her cheeseless pizza demonstration. Executive Chef Marc Powers whipped up a special Low Carbon Diet Day cheeseless pizza with eggplant and roasted mushrooms for his demo in front of guests. Submitted by Malisia Wilkins, Marketing Manager
At
University of Portland, the team whipped up a Lebanese version of the cheeseless pizza, with house-made baba ghanoush, assorted olives, fennel, beets, roasted asparagus, mixed herbs, and olive oil on flatbread — and Jonathan Aebi ’14 (pictured) enjoyed it in dramatic fashion.
Submitted by Claire Cummings, Waste Specialist
“It was hectic, but I got a lot of joy out of it because Low Carbon Diet Day is a special, unique event. I was happy to satisfy our guests with our falafel burger, and tell them how it helps the environment.” —Line Cook Will Herron, Art Institute of Chicago
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Asian Noodles Inspire Chefs and Students at Lawrence University Submitted by William Bauman, Sous Chef
O
The abundant condiment table
ne of the best things about being a chef is getting to research and try out new recipes that make guests happy.
Inspired by the PBS show The Mind of a Chef, Sous Chef William Bauman at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI, threw a dashi bar for a day at the Global Market. Guests could choose from various noodle types, such as hand-stretched biáng biáng noodles, as well as three hot broths — mushroom, chicken tan tan, and bacon dashi. The final decision before guests took their bowls to the abundant condiment table was between teriyaki mushrooms and Japanese braised chicken. The condiment table included crispy bacon, grilled scallions, crisp fried leeks, spicy kimchee, sesame oil, rice vinegar, cilantro, and several other colorful and exciting items. It went over really well with both students and staff. Most came back at dinner to try different combinations than at lunch! The team had so much fun researching and putting it together — and seeing so many satisfied guests.
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an operator’s view | michael bauccio
A cut above on safety: Justin Hickman, operations manager at Wheaton
speak up
N
ot long ago I was visiting Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. I stepped behind the line for moment to admire the roast chicken breasts, all laid out for the taqueria. The aroma was so incredibly tempting that, without even thinking twice about it, I grabbed a knife and began slicing one. That is, until Operations Manager Justin Hickman interrupted my trance by grabbing my arm. “Cut glove, please sir!” he said politely but firmly. Justin was absolutely right. It turns out that Justin is Wheaton’s safety champion, and I was so pleased he stepped up. I should have been wearing a cut glove. Working safe isn’t just for the kitchen staff, but for every single one of us in Bon Appétit. I’ve told this story over and over since it happened. I was just so very proud that he stopped me in my tracks. It made a huge impression on me, and I hope it will on you, as well. Good safety practices, of the kind that Steve Samuelson and his team send out every week through News From Home and other channels, should be absolutely ingrained in all of us at this point. We want you to go home in the same physical shape you came to work, so you can play with your kids or do whatever you want to be able to do.
I hope you know that at Bon Appétit, we believe that good ideas are good ideas, no matter where they come from. If you see a way to improve the lunchtime flow at your café, speak up. If you think the waste sorting area needs extra attention in the mornings when students are in a rush, speak up. We also want you to speak up when you see someone else going the extra mile. Everybody appreciates having the care they take in their work noticed. So, don’t hesitate to tell that friendly cashier how much you and our guests appreciate his smiles first thing in the morning. Say thank you to the farmer who came in to the café to offer samples of her fresh-pressed apple cider. On the following pages you’ll read about the latest Bon Appétit all-star accounts that have passed their Great Expectations 3 certification and recertification visits with flying colors.They did so through a combination of teamwork and the willingness to take on constructive comments from the Regional Operations Support team that could help them improve what they do. We are very proud of all of you. But we should never stop looking for what we can do better — and speak up.
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GE3’s Newest Stars
B
on Appétit’s Great Expectations 3 certification sets the bar for consistent standards of excellence across all cafés. GE3, as it’s called, gets bestowed on accounts that meet our stringent 38-page standards for food standards and initiatives, sanitation, safety, marketing, merchandising, signage, customer service, and other station-specific criteria. Once certified, however, accounts cannot rest on their GE3 laurels — the reviewers will return (unannounced) to recertify them and ensure that the “great” truly remains Great. The Regional Operations Support team comprises Carrie Buckley, Paula Nielsen, Ellen McGhee, Kimberly Triplett, and Marc Marelich (who recently transitioned to a district manager role), along with occasional supporting GE3 auditor Jim Dodge (who’s also our director of specialty culinary programs). They congratulate Genentech’s Building 33, Grand Central Café, Regis University, and Oracle - Broomfield on their certification and Nordstrom’s Dish and Fashion Bowl and University of Redlands on their recertification. These accounts all demonstrated the extraordinary teamwork and tireless efforts necessary to meet or exceed the more than 300 standards.
Genentech - South San Francisco Building 33
Sometimes accounts come very close to certification but just require a few small adjustments. Thanks to a hardworking team with a willingness to listen and respond, Genentech’s Building 33 received its GE3 certification on Paula’s most recent visit. Paula found some creative and delicious offerings such as spa water with citrus and cucumber-mint combinations; an amazing roasted butternut squash soup with lavender; and three scrumptious composed salads of gnocchi, salmon, and rigatoni. The gorgeous salad bar offered more than 30 seasonal toppings and eight dressings. The 10@10 included a singing prep cook, and that wonderful team spirit shined through exemplary customer service from greeting guests to the customization of meals. Aromas at the café — turkey in the rotisserie, seasonal soups, chicken tikka, garlic at the pasta toss — all contributed to a stellar guest experience. The team’s receptivity to feedback got them to the certification finish line!
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Grand Central Café, Glendale, CA
The Grand Central Café was another that was just so close but had to check off a short “fix it” list from Kimberly and Paula. On Kimberly’s return visit, the minor items had all been corrected. The sushi station was simply top notch — fantastic, fresh, and delicious. The market station offered a wonderful tagine entrée, and the smoothie station and perfect eXpress program were excellent and full of healthy options. The made-to-order deli station had lots of tempting options, including panini and pre-made (yet fresh) wraps. The folks running the grill station did a great job handling customers’ requests and were a big hit with the lunch crowd. Customer service was uniformly excellent throughout breakfast and lunch. The back of the house was just as well oiled as the front, as evidenced by the incredible sanitation, the wellorganized cold pantry, prominently displayed standards, and safety adherence (all cooks were using cut gloves). Way to go, Grand Central!
Oracle - Broomfield, Broomfield, CO
When Ellen and Kimberly stopped by Oracle - Broomfield unannounced, they were very impressed. The salad bar contained an abundance of fresh toppings and exceeded GE3 standards. The gazpacho soup and pork green chili were full of flavor. The global station was serving great Asian-inspired menus — fantastic ginger beef and noodles! The grab-andgo eXpress oatmeal was attractively and thoughtfully packaged for customers on the go. The uniforms were perfect, and the back-of-house sanitation was close to it. Everyone was FACT trained, and the customer service was well executed. Barista Patty Blouin in the coffee shop was a one-woman show, delivering superb customer service while keeping the space clean, neat, and organized. Ellen and Kimberly also enjoyed the great signage throughout and were thrilled to visit the onsite hydroponic herb garden.
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Regis University, Denver
When Ellen and Kimberly surprised General Manager Letina Matheny and her team at Regis University, they found a great example of what a Bon Appétit café should look (and smell!) like, with a very dedicated team committed to the program and its standards. They made note of a few things that set Regis apart and made the café GE3 great: Every station looked fresh and crisp. Weekly menus were posted for the staff with additional columns listing which COR icons should be used and what item to be displayed for decor (and the signage was perfect, with mouthwatering descriptions and great details). The amazing culinary program included curried apple bisque and tandoori chicken, as well as fantastic house-made doughnuts in the Book ’n’ Bean and a breakfast sandwich of waffles with bacon, eggs, and cheese, with a hot side of maple syrup. The catering storeroom was organized and clean; the over-the-door shoe organizer for storing product signage was brilliant! Uniforms were perfect, and Regis was one of the best accounts that the Regional Ops team has assessed for sanitation and safety. Time and temp logs were organized and thorough…among the best in the Rockies!
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(Re)Certified Great Nordstrom’s Dish and Fashion Bowl, Seattle
Nordstrom’s Dish and Fashion Bowl cafés also just narrowly missed recertification by Paula and Marc, but the teams took their to-do lists seriously and had no problem passing Kimberly’s subsequent surprise inspection. Both cafés had salad bars that were full of color and vibrant and soups that were spot on with delicious flavors. The food looked very fresh and appetizing, catering made great use of high and low levels for decor, and beautiful seasonal displays graced the dessert station. The very busy breakfast grill was bustling yet offered great customer interaction. The nice marketing display and menu signage at the guest entrance included a freshlooking Farm to Fork chalkboard. The grab-and-go cooler was full and inviting, while the merchandising display for snacks was fantastic. Kimberly loved the customer service tips and tricks posted on the wall for employees. Thanks to the staff for extending such gracious hospitality to the certification team and for all the hard work put into attaining GE3 recertification!
University of Redlands, Redlands, CA
In just the second year of its brand-new, refurbished café, the University of Redlands team was practicing high standards and sailed through recertification on Paula and Kimberly’s surprise visit. Anyone walking into the café could tell immediately that it is a Bon Appétit operation.The breakfast program, in particular the omelet station, was full of action, friendly faces with great service, and fresh options.The wonderful in-house sushi program offered a large variety, and the salad bar was well stocked with visually appealing options. The cold countertop showcased the beautiful salad toppings and Bon Appétit’s standards well. The handcrafted oblong pizzas tasted wonderful and were displayed with care, while the in-house smoked pork at the classic station
smelled and tasted delicious. Healthful options at all stations take front and center stage.The team’s 10@10 included great interaction between staff members and management and a thorough safety example on proper lifting. When asked,“Who has the best menu item today?” staff members raised their hands to excitedly tell their teammates what was on their station.Sanitation was almost perfect, and safety was clearly a key priority: Kitchen staff used cut gloves, and an updated safety board tracked FACT training and personalized safety stories using pictures of loved ones. Paula and Kimberly witnessed a large water spill that was handled professionally and expeditiously by several staff members. Safety is present in daily operations. Excellent work, University of Redlands! 2 0 1 4 Vo l u m e 2
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events in brief Sous Chef Jeff Golden and Regional Dietitian Daniele Rossner (right) leading a healthy cooking class
Hamilton College Health Expo Whips Up Healthy Foods and Staff into Shape
College dining may be aimed at students, but faculty and staff also need to be well fed — and healthy — too. Very enthusiastic faculty and staff members of Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, attended a recent health expo at which the Bon Appétit team held a cooking demo. Sous Chef Jeff Golden made black-bean salad with lime-cilantro dressing and sushi-grade yellowfin tuna. Regional Dietitian Daniele Rossner came in to answer questions about cooking with less sodium and putting together healthy and balanced meals. Bon Appétit staff enjoys interacting with students daily, but everyone was happy to get to know faculty and staff better through this opportunity. Submitted by Jillian Ksiadz, Marketing Manager
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Trine University Breaks Record with Tasty Fundraising Event
Last year, Trine University in Angola, IN, hit a record high in fundraising at its annual Black and White Scholarship Gala. So the Bon Appétit catering team knew they had to step up their catering game to help set another record for this year. The five-hour event inside the Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Athletic and Recreation Center included an appetizer buffet followed by a served meal. The 320 guests enjoyed a wide range of appetizers; favorites included the shrimp cocktail display and endive-chicken mousse points. Guests enjoyed the strawberry and spinach salad course with the live auction, which featured all-inclusive vacations, luxury jewelry, and more. Then guests dined on their choice of Florentine stuffed chicken breast, roast sirloin of beef with creamy, crunchy shredded potatoes and roasted cauliflower, or house-made vegetable-loaded calzone with marinated Italian vegetable salad. Individual tuxedo bombes finished the evening, accompanied by delicious Great Lakes Chocolate and Coffee Company coffee. The evening was an all-around win: Not only did Bon Appétit’s silent auction item fetch more than $300 for student scholarships, but the record was broken once again! The more than $450,000 raised set the bar even higher for next year. Submitted by Craig Stangland, Catering and Marketing Manager
Catering Chef Arny Sifuentes
Adobe Hosts Utah Engineers Council Awards
Awards dinners are often imagined to be stuffy affairs, but the one hosted by Adobe in Lehi, UT, at its state-of-the-art, award-winning building, The Hangar, broke the cliché by being lively and fresh. Attendees enjoyed a keynote by Adobe cofounder Dr. John Warnock as well as a delicious Bon Appétit Farm to Fork buffet dinner created by General Manager Robert Bauer, Executive Chef Steven Robinson, and Catering Manager Terry Davies, along with their dedicated team. The Utah Engineers Council hosted the affair for 250 revelers in semiformal attire who dined on local bone-in pork chops with pear compote, cornbread pudding, and baby carrots; applewood-smoked chicken, house smoked in the café, served with grilled fennel, whipped potatoes, and haricot verts; and a scrumptious dessert bar of assorted tarts.
Members of the Trine University baseball team raised funds for their organization by working with Bon Appétit Management Company to assist as servers
Submitted by Terry Davies, Catering Manager 2 0 1 4 Vo l u m e 2
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events in brief Duke Sends Guests Around the World — Virtually
U of the Pacific Kicks Off Finals with BBQ Break
Bon Appétit guests reward staffers daily with their purchases, participation, and feedback, so often Bon Appétit likes to give back. Dining staff at Duke University in Durham, NC, hosted this year’s annual customer appreciation meal with a “cruise around the world.” Diners (passengers) arrived on board to be given delicious mocktails and serenaded with live Caribbean music. Their “passport” enabled them to cruise around seven distinct destinations in the building. Each port offered traditional cuisines from each respective region.
Most students feel a drop in energy between the refreshing spring break and the start of finals season. To combat the spring study blues, the Bon Appétit team at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, planned and organized BBQ @ the Grove to help students unwind, relax, and forget the upcoming deadlines and tensions of finals. The Grove is the center of Pacific’s lusciously green campus, and the courtyard is big enough for a large event. The turnout was helped by the beautiful weather, but the aromas wafting through campus certainly assisted. Students enjoyed tender tri-tip sandwiches prepared over a hot grill, savory vegetarian black bean burgers, creamy macaroni and cheese, and refreshing Asian slaw. The courtyard was lively with students enjoying great food and kicking country tunes. With the semester dwindling down and with finals just around the corner, students left relaxed and with satisfied full bellies.
The chefs really nailed the theme, taking diners all over with such dishes as Kona coffee–rubbed beef tenderloin at the Hawaii station and lollipop lamb chops with mint salt in New Zealand. Each destination offered several items, though the Caribbean was the place for drinks and Europe for dessert. Although food was the focus, cruise-line amenities included fresh flowers on every table, casino-style games, and even a rock-climbing wall. The entire Duke crew went “overboard” in their efforts to provide the Duke community a truly memorable dining experience. Submitted by Michael Brownlee, Director of Residential Dining
Executive Chef Joseph LaPorte and Duke employee Sharron Bradshaw welcome passengers aboard 46 | BRAVO
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Written by Juan Romero, Marketing Assistant
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Little green thumbs: Some young guests from the Children’s Creative Learning Center (which provides onsite child care) visited Electronic Arts’ organic garden in Redwood City, CA. The kids learned about where vegetables come from and had fun picking carrots, beets, parsnips, and broccoli. Submitted by Christopher Dowler, Café Manager
Colorado College Throws Gourmet Celebration for Support Staff
Administrative professionals enjoying a special appreciation luncheon
In any organization, there are individuals in administrative roles who act as organizer, planner, teacher, counselor, confidant, troubleshooter, and/or multitasker. To honor people doing this work daily, Bon Appétit at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO, sponsored the first annual Administrative Professionals Appreciation Luncheon, which acknowledged the hard work and dedication of the many valued support staff on campus. College managers and supervisors were able to purchase tickets for their support staff at $20 per person. The gourmet lunch included rosemary chicken with lemon cream, artichoke–cremini mushroom flan served with pickled red tomato and caper relish, cabernet wild rice, seasonal vegetables with teriyaki butter, and New York cheesecake with Grand Marnier compote. Everyone was treated to a champagne toast, house-made truffles, and a yellow rose to signify appreciation and gratitude. The guests were serenaded by the Colorado College a capella group Room 46, and Dean Michael Edmonds presented a special thank-you from the president and board of trustees. It was great to participate in honoring those who invisibly keep the school’s operations flowing. Submitted by Maura Wadden, Catering Manager
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events in brief Regis University Goes Red for American Heart Month
National Pie Day Celebrated Campuswide at Seattle University
Some look forward to Valentine’s Day, while others dread it. But American Heart Month can surely put a new spin on February, as it did for Denver’s Regis University in the Student Center’s Main Café. Executive Chef Glenn Babcock wrote a fantastic heart-healthy menu with red-centric items at each station. Freshly baked Chicago-style pizzas featured the sauce on top, while the soup station featured red lentils. One delicious feature at the global station was a shredded beef enchilada bake with red sauce, featuring sides such as Bhutanese red rice with paprika, chili powder, and cayenne, plus crispy red tortilla corn chips with salsa roja and other fixings. The composed salad of red leaf lettuce and Gala apple featured red quinoa, fennel, goat cheese, sunflower seeds, and maple-Sriracha vinaigrette. Raspberry bars, red velvet cakes, and cherry pies for dessert ensured students saw red for the entire meal. Pharmacy students set up in the café as well, to take blood pressure and offer information about how to keep it at healthy levels. The event was a great way to focus on hearts of the non-romantic variety.
For National Pie Day — not to be confused with Pi Day, or March 14 (see page 5) — Bon Appétit at Seattle University celebrated what has become a beloved annual tradition with a beautiful spread of pies campuswide. Students indulged in a celebration of pies that were both savory and sweet. One of the most popular attractions was the Signature Ginormous Apple Pie, displayed at Cherry Street Market. Students eagerly lined up for their chance to taste a slice of this tempting delight! More than 420 pies were sold between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Pie Day was declared a crust-acular success! Submitted by Cathy Lee, Marketing Coordinator
Submitted by Letina Matheny, General Manager
Server Debra Harrington dishing up pie with a smile
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Members of the student group WashU Sangat, which hosted the first-ever langar on campus
Pacific Café Celebrates Summer Fruit with Strawberry Shortcake
Students await their meal of dal, naan, raita, and kheer to be served by the members of WashU Sangat
Shortcakes were in no shortage at the Pacific Café in Irvine, CA, one Thursday in May when Executive Chef Thomas Tran and his team served 1,800 to delighted guests at an employee appreciation event. Thanks to Thomas’s careful preplanning and his reliable team, guests were able to relish the spring-summer taste of fresh strawberries in their individually served cups. Thomas purchased 40 cases of strawberries and baked 30 sheet pans of cake in preparation for the event. Each cup held cubes of cake, macerated strawberries, whipped cream, and a whole strawberry garnish. They were a sight to be seen, but the pictures do not convey the amazing aroma of the fruity dessert. Guests were refreshed and happy. Submitted by Bonnie Adams, Controller
Sikh Organization Builds Community at Washington University Through Food
When the WashU Sangat, the Sikh student organization at Washington University in St. Louis, approached the Bon Appétit team about assisting with the very first on-campus langar, the answer was a resounding yes. What exactly is langar? It’s a simple, vegetarian meal served to a large group of people seated on long swaths of carpet and designed to invoke fellowship. In the Sikh religion, the principle of equality between all people regardless of religion, caste, color, creed, age, gender, or social status is a revolutionary one in its country of origin. The langar is designed to honor the equality concept by being vegetarian so that all people regardless of diet can eat equally. Campus Executive Chef Patrick McElroy and Cook Sona Kukal supported the student group’s efforts to provide an authentic meal by preparing a menu of hand-made naan, aloo gobi, raita, and halwa. The 35 attending students were served by the members of WashU Sangat in the traditional manner, ladling servings onto individual plates from large vessels containing each item. It was an amazing opportunity for the BonAppétit team to learn more about the practice of langar and to see the students enjoy the community building they created, along with festive music, and of course, the food! Submitted by April Powell, Director of Marketing and Communications 2 0 1 4 Vo l u m e 2
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events in brief
Cleveland Museum of Art Adds Elegance to Events
“Create” was the single-word theme for the Cleveland Museum of Art’s MIX event, a post-workday event on first Fridays that always involves art, music, and cocktails amid a changing backdrop of guest musicians, artists, designers, and more. Guests experienced artistry in action with a cooking presentation from Douglas Katz, Bon Appétit’s partner as executive chef of the museum’s Provenance restaurant and a semifinalist in this year’s James Beard Awards for Best Chef in the Great Lakes region. They could also hear original compositions created exclusively for MIX and be part of painting demonstrations. During the event, Douglas created citrus-and-leek-marinated sea scallops and garlic aioli, orange-fennel-olive salad, and radicchio and watercress with Dijon vinaigrette. Douglas continues to create outstanding menus that are locally sourced and globally inspired. Every couple of months, he changes Provenance’s prix fixe menu, inspired by a current
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museum exhibition. This season’s mouthwatering menu featured Dutch cuisine influenced by the spring Van Gogh Repetitions exhibit, such as erwtensoep, split pea soup with smoked ham hock, dark rye croutons, and crispy pancetta; draadjesvlees, braised beef with red cabbage, apples, creamy onion potatoes, and jus; speculaascake met peren, Dutch spice cake with pears and whipped cream. Create, indeed, is what this master chef does daily. Submitted by Beth Kretschmar, Marketing Manager
ABOVE:
Guests gather to watch Chef/Partner Douglas Katz’s cooking presentation
Photo credit: Robert Muller
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Successful School Fundraiser
Cleveland Museum of Art’s beautiful backdrop and large-scale catering abilities make it a natural choice for an elegant event. A recent fundraiser for the Laurel School, a nationally recognized, college preparatory day school for girls, was held in CMA’s stunning atrium. More than 500 people attended and enjoyed a cocktail reception with passed champagne and hors d’oeuvres, a three-course dinner, a silent auction, and a DJ. Several of the Laurel School students were present as well, and they were treated to a fun meal of assorted pizzas and house-made chips with French onion dip. TOP: Breezy Hill greens with orange segments, Lucky Penny goat cheese, brioche toast, and minted honey vinaigrette ABOVE:
Chef/Partner Douglas Katz at the MIX event
Hiram goat cheese cake with vegetable relish and micro greens
Photo credit: Robert Muller
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events in brief Celebrating the 49ers with an elegant twist on traditional tailgate cuisine created by Executive Sous Chef Luis Acosta
Menu 49ers Owner Jed York Celebrates His Team and His High-Tech Stadium
In a growing city with no room to grow, one can wonder about the future of sports stadiums. This was the topic at the 600-guest event hosted at the Adobe Lodge at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA — specifically the future of the San Francisco 49ers. Attendees were charmed by 49er CEO Jed York, the guest of honor for a special speaker series welcome event. The gathering was hosted by the university’s board of regents and President Father Michael Engh. York mingled with guests, who enjoyed delicious tailgate-themed food as a warm-up for the big event in the theater. Of course, it was tailgate with a Bon Appétit gourmet twist. Submitted by Stacy Stafford Scott, Regional and Account Marketing Manager
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Slider of Mini Filet Mignon, Arugula, Mustard, and Horseradish Slider of Fresh Mozzarella, Basil, and Olive Oil Slider of Oven-Roasted Turkey, Cranberry, Spinach, and Mayonnaise Chilled Gazpacho Shooter House-Made Potato Chips Beef Chili Bites | phyllo cup filled with chili and topped with white cheddar, sour cream, and chives Garlic-Tomato Grilled Prawns | on a skewer with lemon-basil aioli Parmesan Meatball | with sun-dried tomato dipping sauce Rosemary Cocktail Lamb Chops
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Super Bowl Snack Pack winner Nicole Jansen
Minnesota History Center Café Competition Scores Big with Guests
What better way to heat up the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, MN, during what felt like a winter polar vortex than with the thrill of competition? Bon Appétit’s Café Minnesota hosted a Super Bowl Showdown as a way for the kitchen to have fun producing uniquely themed specials while increasing guest interaction. Executive Chef Erik Vik went all out when creating entrées for fans of both Super Bowl teams. Representing Denver was the Bucking Bronco Burger, a grilled beef patty topped with melted pepper Jack, bacon, barbecue sauce, beer-battered onion rings, and green chili sauce on an onion bun. Pulling inspiration from the colorful players making up their team, Seattle’s entrée, the DangerRuss Dog, was a footlong hot dog topped with cheddar mac and cheese, caramelized onions, honey Sriracha, and diced jalapeño and served with a side of Skittles. The Super Bowl Showdown ran for one week, asking guests to show support for their favorite team while daring to try something new at the grill. Whichever entrée a guest selected was accompanied with a team ticket to place their vote in the corresponding jar. There was no limit to the number of times a guest could vote; they could both eat and vote for the Bucking Bronco Burger daily if they wanted to. Café Minnesota staff members were thrilled to see multiple DangerRuss Dog guests make return appearances. with a side of Skittles Additionally, guests could try for the extra point by simply liking Café Minnesota’s Facebook page and being automatically entered to win a Super Bowl Snack Pack for ten (complete with chips, house-made dips, and potato skins with all the fixings!).
Café Minnesota. This experience proved to be one that brought the kitchen and client closer together. Bon Appétit cooks went the extra mile to get involved in the competition by providing spunky, up-to-the-minute commentary behind the grill, informing guests whether Denver was still in the lead or if there was a sudden surge in DangerRuss Dogs going out! For those not dining in the café daily, Facebook updates and email blasts kept participants updated — resulting in an increase of great comments and feedback seen from guests. Though it looked like a close race, Denver was the predicted winner, with blue tickets flowing out of the jar at the end of the week. However, along with the rest of the country, everyone was surprised when Seattle came out on top. Those who came back for multiple DangerRuss Dogs were particularly pleased. Winners aside, the entire Minnesota History Center staff and their guests raved about the chance to be such active participants at lunch, and Café Minnesota is already planning for the next opportunity to liven up the guest experience. Submitted by Sarah Johnson, Catering Event Coordinator
After Sunday’s big game, the café staff selected three tickets out of the victorious team’s jar, and winners received a free meal at 2 0 1 4 Vo l u m e 2
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events in brief Savannah College of Art and Design Rolls Out Festive Spread
At the BYTE CafĂŠ at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA, students celebrated the big game with all of their favorite fan foods prepared by Executive Sous Chef Jackie Lovecchio, including chicken wings with house-made sauces, a French fry and nacho bar, and football-themed desserts. Students were encouraged to hang around and watch the game on the big screens and take part in a paper football kicking contest and Super Bubble gum guessing contest. Students and staff alike enjoyed the fun, festive atmosphere on top of the filling game food. Submitted by Heather Carbone, Marketing Manager
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Paper football kicking contest — field goal!
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Operations Manager Jeffrey Smith in Seattle Seahawks gear
Seattle University Calls Victory for Super Bowl Game Food
When the Seattle Seahawks were set to play in the Super Bowl, the energy on the Seattle University campus was electric. February 2, 2014, was a big day for the entire city. Fellow 12th man and Operations Manager Jeffrey Smith, along with his team, hosted a Super Bowl viewing party at the Hawk’s Nest Bistro. An array of classic game-day appetizers was featured, as well as a variety of Seahawks-decorated desserts. Students had a great time feasting, watching the game, participating in free giveaways, and winning cool Seahawks prizes! Better yet, the Seahawks won their first Super Bowl title, crushing the Denver Broncos 43 to 8. As the Seahawks triumphed their way through Super Bowl XLVIII, the 12th man (the fans) celebrated this historic victory — and ate well with Bon Appétit while doing so. Submitted by Cathy Lee, Marketing Coordinator
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events in brief Fat Tuesday Comes to Claremont McKenna Board Manager Jenny Pope, RD, at Carleton College’s Winter Health Fair
On Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras celebrations positively rained down at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, CA. General Manager Pam Franco and her team put together a feast complete with New Orleans music, beads, and Executive Chef Alberto Gonzalez’s menu including jambalaya and prepared-to-order seafood boil with potatoes, corn, crab, crayfish, fresh broth, and cornbread! Here’s hoping for a feast of precipitation later this year. Submitted by Pam Franco, General Manager
Carleton College’s Health Fair Is Everyone’s Cup of Tea
Well-being includes all aspects of health, not just eating well. To promote all ways to stay healthy through the cold winter, Bon Appétit at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, participated in the campus Winter Health Fair. The fair featured 15 booths that guests could visit on topics ranging from the effects of drinking to the importance of physical activity. Even campus safety was addressed. At Bon Appetit’s table, students learned about that month’s Food for Your Well-Being topic, eating during stressful times. Board Manager Jenny Pope, RD, ran a customized tea-tasting station to show the benefits of various herbs, such as those that help fight illness or energize, and shared information on the benefits of drinking a relaxing cup of tea. Submitted by Jennifer Pope, Board Manager
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Ingredients for prepared-to-order seafood boil
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The Dalai Lama Visits Santa Clara University
Compassion, kindness, and cooperation — in the business sector — were the focus of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s address to 4,000 guests at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA. Immediately following the larger program, Bon Appétit’s Mission Catering created a beautiful presentation for the honored guest at the President’s Luncheon for 150 people. All involved in the preparation saw to it that the event was set to perfection, and Executive Chef Michael Brinkman created an amazing meal.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Santa Clara University
Anticipation filled the air as His Holiness entered the room. The seated guests rose to honor the beloved messenger of peace.Once everyone was seated and blessings given,the worldrenowned cellist Michael Fitzpatrick (and dear friend of the Dalai Lama) filled the room with his enchanting music. The Dalai Lama blessed the guests with his message of compassion, as well as answered questions. Guests began the meal with a vichyssoise shooter, grilled ciabatta crostini with lobster salad, and salad of microgreens with lemon-tarragon vinaigrette. A pan-seared chicken breast topped with grapefruit, orange, and basil relish followed, served with a wild mushroom risotto cake and sautéed spinach with goat cheese. Completing the meal was a special house-made opera cake by Executive Pastry Chef Didier Laborde from Santa Clara University’s Nobili Bakery. The opera cake was soaked in coffee syrup and rum, layered with coffee and chocolate butter creams, and drizzled with dark chocolate glaze. Bellies, minds, and spirits were sated and complete. The Mission Catering staff was honored to serve His Holiness and create a special event for such a special guest. Submitted by Stacy Stafford Scott, Regional and Account Marketing Manager
Honored guests sit with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the President’s Luncheon
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Chili Cook-Off: To Bean, or Not to Bean?
Submitted by Allison Amato, Retail Marketing Manager
A
t Bon Appétit Management Company, we love a friendly competition. It could be because of our roots as culinary pioneers or our ongoing commitment to from-scratch cooking with regional, seasonal ingredients, which guarantees no two café menus are the same. Whatever the reason may be, we enjoy showcasing a range of culinary styles — and our first-ever Chili Cook-Off promotion was no exception. At the tail end of a bitterly cold winter in many parts of the country, cafés all across the country heated things up by rallying their fiercest competitors. While there are traditional favorites, the definition of chili is open to interpretation, and ingredients, toppings, and presentation are limited only by the cook’s imagination. As a result, guests sampled and were invited to vote on a range of scrumptious conventional and unconventional takes on this classic American dish, including mouthwatering vegan and vegetarian options. Unconventional, inspired,
and savory examples included a vegan chocolate–black bean chili with smoked jalapeños at MIT in Cambridge, MA; Indian-inspired vegetable chili with coconut milk, tamarind chutney, and toasted coconut at Lucasfilm in San Francisco; and bacon, lime, turkey, and white-bean chili at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. Some teams invited guests and clients to join in the fun, competing alongside our chefs and cooks. Guests cast their votes for their favorite chili using a small item such as a token, dried bean, or raffle ticket in a vessel placed at the tasting station.Winners were declared after the event and awarded a prize. While the special chili-champion patches, winner certificates, aprons, and other gifts were appreciated by all, post-event feedback indicated that one of the greatest takeaways for many guests and Bon Appétit staff alike was the opportunity to engage over food, discussing their ingredients, techniques, and personal preferences.
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Raul Delgado, general manager for Bon Appétit at
Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, regularly receives compli-
ments about his team, staff, and dining in general. But what excited him about the chili cook-off was the chance to introduce the people behind the product to the guests. All six submissions exhibited the individual’s creativity, and everyone on the team seemed energized by and excited for their colleagues. They took pride in what they made, but they also enjoyed trying each other’s submissions. It felt less like a competition and more like a team-building event. It was wonderful to see how they congratulated, rooted for, and complimented each other. A special panel narrowed the six entries to two finalists, Cooks Marcelino Gonzalez and Jose Muro (pictured, left and right). Jose’s oregano and cheddar cheese chili incorporated those ingredients not as toppings, but as part of his base. Marcelino’s twist was incorporating dry guajillo chilis. Close to 300 students, faculty, and guests tried both chilis on promotion day. It was a heated race, but when the votes were tallied, it was Jose’s chili that won. During the voting, both cooks posed in front of their creations, and the guests gave them a round of appreciative applause. Submitted by Raul Delgado, General Manager
tri-tip chili that took top honors.The La Verne team, pictured left to right: Grill Cook Eddie Briones, Lunch Cook Pedro Padilla, Director of Operations Sharon Levine, Executive Chef Justin Alarcon, Global Cook Prince Jones, and Catering Cook Amanda Castillo.
Executive Chef Justin Alarcon of University of La Verne in La Verne, CA, submitted a flavorful Davenport
Nine cooks at Regis University in Denver participated in the chili cook-off, aiming for a claim to fame — the winner’s chili gets served in the café until the next competition. Students really enjoyed the tasting, which featured wonderfully unique contributions. Pastry Chef Michael Fulenwider (pictured) won with his New Mexico green chili that was out-of-this-world delicious!
Submitted by Jennifer Lofland, General Manager Submitted by Glenn Babcock, Executive Chef
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Chili Cook-Off Raises Funds
Often a great idea is the brainchild of a collective unconscious. In other words, a chili cook-off was already a tradition at the University of Northwestern - St. Paul (UNWSP) in St. Paul, MN, before it became a new tradition at Bon Appétit. Each year, the Education Department and other departments come together and enter their special recipes for the chili cook-off. It began as a way to raise money for the student benevolence fund, which provides small grants to students with needs that threaten to keep them from completing their academic goals. The Bon Appétit crew at UNWSP ordered, organized, and provided the prepped ingredients for the four teams — the registrar’s office, facilities, elementary education, and early childhood education. Bon Appétit entered a vegetarian chili paired with cornbread and honey butter, while the other four teams did traditional meat-and-bean-based chilis, although with various special ingredients such as corn, green chilis, garbanzo beans, and even pasta. For the second year in a row, a three-meat chili took first place. The event raised just under $1,700, with the attendees each donating $5. This made the bean counters very happy indeed! Submitted by Carol B. Cummings, Director of Catering
At St. Martin’s University in Lacey, WA, student employee Anthony Kerns (pictured top, center) got in on the tasting fun, along with scores of other students, faculty, and staff. Sometimes traditional-style meat and beans hits the spot the most! Catering Director Andy Meier (pictured) took first place with his. Submitted by Carole Ann Beckwith, General Manager
Bon Appétit’s chili cook-off was highly anticipated by the employees of SAS in Cary, NC. Not only did three of the Atrium Café chefs show their culinary talent by each preparing a chili recipe of his own, but the team set up a pop-up potato bar. Executive Chef Trey Delamar showcased textured vegetable protein (TVP) in his vegan white bean and spinach chili; Sous Chef Tim Youngblood prepared a unique lamb chili; and Grill Cook Ian Albertson prepared a delicious traditional beef chili that had people daydreaming about being at a baseball game with a foot-long chili cheese dog. Guests really enjoyed the cook-off: the specials helped ring in additional sales to the café for that day. Several guests admitted that they would not have stepped outside of their comfort zone had they not been required to taste all the chilis before voting, and they were glad to have tried them all. Tim took the trophy for his lamb chili; he’s shown here with Ian, who took second place. Submitted by Sarah Hammermeister, Marketing Coordinator
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Teams at MIT in Cambridge, MA, presented five varieties of chili for students to vote on, including firehouse chili; green chili with turkey, cilantro, and lime; and chocolate–black bean chili with smoked jalapeños (vegan). Although the voting was extremely close and competitive, the McCormick team — Chef/Manager Chip Coller and Cook Andy Allen — carried the day with their turkey chili!
Lafayette College in Easton, PA, had a conflict that made participation in the national promotion impossible, so management came up with a wonderfully creative way to address the chili cook-off on a different day: a surprise pop-up! Marquis Sous Chef Aaron Wertman and Upper Farinon Executive Sous Chef Ryan Zellner (pictured “sparring” with their creations) were asked to create their best chili concoctions. They could use any ingredients available to them, but they were not allowed to tell anyone until the day of the event. Ryan thought about what a lot of the students really like — “chipotle anything,” he says — and incorporated that into his entry: a chipotle short rib and chorizo chili. Aaron created a smoked-brisket-and-ham chili with crispy chipotle tortillas as a garnish for his chili (clearly the smoky spice is a fan favorite on campus).
Submitted by Cheryl Walker, Marketing Manager
The chili cook-off at Denison University in Granville, OH, was just too much fun. Curtis Café Chef/Manager Paul Millman (pictured below, left) hid behind a pig head that farmer Scott Boehnlein of New Creation Farm (right) brought for Paul’s winning chili, dubbed Pig Face Chili. Paul cut and braised the jowls for meat; made stock out of the head, feet, and bones; and then braised, julienned, and fried the ears for use as garnish. In the bottom photo, Slayter Café Chef/Manager Sean Eason, Paul, and Executive Chef Jonathan O’Carroll show off their game faces in preparation for voting time. Submitted by S.K. Piper, Sustainability Manager
Once“chili cook-off ” was announced, word spread like wildfire, and lines formed outside of Upper Farinon where the chilis were displayed. Both Aaron and Ryan were very engaged with the students during the pop-up, explaining their techniques and ingredients. The students were also very vocal about the differences in taste, consistency, and bite of each chef ’s creation. Each student picked up a clean spoon from the table and used it to cast a vote in the container next to each chef. Ryan’s chipotle short rib and chorizo chili claimed the most spoons. Several students returned with bowls to fill up, eschewing the samples. It was a really fun and successful pop-up. Submitted by Ashley Fabriziani, Marketing Manager
Buzzing over Chili
General Manager Karl Holme received a rave review for the chefs’ hard work and the guests’ great time at Rio Rancho Café in Albuquerque, NM, from Corporate Services Hospitality Manager Bridget Maldonado: Y’all did a fantastic job on the Chili Cook Off today. It’s been the buzz since the message went out last week, and then today it was totally amazing with all the positive comments we heard in the office areas after the event. What a fun event!! Good job! Thank you so much for...a Great Place to Work!
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On a cold night in Northfield, MN, five teams of students at Carleton College put their skills to the test in East Dining Hall’s second annual Chili Contest. (Carleton was an early adopter on the chili-contest chuckwagon.) Each team prepared their unique chili under the supervision of Sous Chef Gibson Price. The five entries: vegan corn, three-bean and squash chili by Three Sisters Stew; Not Too Hot turkey chili by O’Haren Chili; Aunt Darla’s classic turkey chili by Darla’s Darlins; beef and four-bean Guinness chili by Guinness Book of World Records’ Best Chili; and three-bean veggie chili by the Spice Girls (Caroline Sheffield ’17 and Megan King ’16, pictured). The teams served their chilis during the dinner service at East Dining Hall. Students voted with single beans. The voting was close, but in the end, the Guinness Book chili took the title. Submitted by Jennifer Pope, Board Manager
The chefs at Colorado College brought their A game for the chili cook-off, although nothing less was expected. Overachieving Executive Chef Ed Clark prepared three chilis — spicy pork green chili; vegetarian sweet potato, red bean, corn, and quinoa chili; and a locally raised Callicrate beef and pork chili. Executive Sous Chef John Faulkner stirred up bacon, lime, turkey, and white bean chili (pictured), and Sous Chef Matt Butler crafted a smoked Callicrate beef chili. The excitement from guests was amazing to watch and only fueled the competitive spirit between the chefs as they described their creations and interacted with the guests. John took the honors (and is shown here proudly holding his badge), but already there is scheming for next year! Submitted by Randy Kruse, General Manager
Students tasted five delicious chilis by chefs from both dining halls at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, but ultimately selected Cook Randy Wright’s vegan bean chili as their favorite.
Submitted by Tara Norcross, Director of Operations
At Vivint Lindon in Lindon, UT, four staffers eagerly participated, and despite fears that guests might get chili’d out, the offerings were too tasty and getting to vote was too irresistible for that to happen. Grill Cook Dareq Wazir submitted Donna Rosa’s white Portuguese chili, Deli Station Cook Mesa Lorn submitted chorizo chili, Entrée Cook Adam Scholle went for a creamy, white vegetarian chili, and Sous Chef David Dexter went the other direction with a spicy poblano beef chili. Guests were very eager to find out whether the votes they cast made the winner. Mesa’s chorizo chili carried the count. Pictured left to right: Dareq, Mesa, Adam, and David.
Submitted by Efrain Mejia, Executive Chef/Manager
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Sous Chef Josh Grimes, Executive Chef Michael Brinkmann, Sous Chef Eric Boarini, and Cook Farit Berber
What a hot ticket! Five Bon Appétit employees at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA, duked it out till the hot, spicy, and savory winner was announced. Executive Chef Michael Brinkmann created his steakhouse chili with grilled steak, black beans, roasted green chilis, caramelized onions, garlic, sour cream, garlic croutons, cheddar cheese, and green onions. Sous Chef Eric Boarini was inspired by using real chilis, as well as a secret ingredient, when he created his Gold Coast chili with beer, cocoa, molasses, avocado, red onion, cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream, and shredded Jack cheese. Sous Chef Josh Grimes mixed it up with his unique creation called New Mexican green chili stew with pork chops, tomatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, roasted green chilis, pork stock, onions, house-made flour tortillas, and cotija cheese. Also in the running was a Southwest chorizo chili made by Cook Farit Berber with corn, peppers, onions, black beans, tequila, cilantro, limes, tortilla strips, and sour cream. But the chili that took home the crown was Kitchen Supervisor Ray Volis’s five-pepper chili made with Anaheim chilis, poblano chilis, bell peppers, jalapeños, onion, garlic, steak, ground beef, Italian sausage, chipotle peppers, beer, tomato, chicken stock, kidney beans, pinto beans, coffee, and fried onion. (Ray believed the coffee was his killer ingredient.) More than 140 guests sampled and voted, offering up only rave reviews with their votes. Within two hours, every pot of chili was scraped clean, and not a morsel was left to be tasted. Submitted by Stacy Stafford Scott, Regional and Account Marketing Manager
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Bakery Supervisor Craig Thompson and Baker Suvannah Moss showed they could handle savory as well as sweet
Catering Director Lindsey Leisinger and Operations Manager Vanessa van Staden created a powerhouse chili
Students, faculty, staff, and chefs all enjoyed the chili cook-off at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA. Executive sous chefs from all three cafés (Hive, BYTE, and JO’s) submitted a total of seven chilis. Guests loved the creative way of voting using dried beans as tokens, and in the end chose Executive Sous Chef Derek Morgan’s smoked turkey and white bean chili as the winner. When asked about his victory, Derek had this to say: “When you start with first-rate ingredients, as Bon Appétit always does, it’s fairly simple to make a great dish. With chili, it is important to layer flavors throughout the cooking process. Don’t be afraid of the chili powder! What you think is enough is probably not.” The winning chili will become a regular offering in the cafés, and guests are already looking forward to next year’s chili cook-off! Submitted by Heather Carbone, Marketing Manager
Expo Cook Melody Marquez teamed up with Entrée Cook Bonnie Dawson (not pictured) to create a delicious, meaty chili
Two weeks after the Pacific Northwest experienced what some refer to as Snowpocalypse 2014, Bon Appétit at Reed College in Portland, OR, thawed out by unleashing a little heat wave in the form of the chili cook-off. More than 800 servings were devoured in a cutthroat battle for the best of beans, beef, and broth. Students, faculty, and cooks took part in the festive fanfare that drew in delighted crowds of tasters/voters. Five teams from five different departments competed for their place in campus cookery history. In the end, it was newly hired Grill Cook Shan Gray who took home the distinguished title with his unique rendition of beef chili and cornbread casserole. In addition to bragging rights, Shan will be the first name etched into a Chili Cook-Off plaque at Reed College and will be able to serve his champion chili as a meal to fans both new and old. There is already talk of next year!
At the Market Café and Wine Bar in Cleveland, Executive Chef Dean Thomas triumphed with his New Creation Farm beef chili. Submitted by Beth Kretschmar, Marketing Manager
Cook Matt Whipple (with trophy) triumphed with his Texas Tri-Tip Chili after a three-day, six-café cook-off bracket at Hawthorn Farms in Hillsboro, OR.
BELOW, LEFT:
BELOW, RIGHT:
Chef de Cuisine Edward “JR” Chacon at
EBC Café in Santa Clara, CA, took home the trophy
for his Smoking Guns Chili, made with beef brisket, ancho chilis, and house-made bacon.
Submitted by Jenny Nguyen, Executive Chef Submitted by Cara Brechler, Marketing Director
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g Washington University Dining Services Recognized for Waste Management Best Practices Submitted by April Powell, Director of Marketing and Communications
The Bon Appétit team at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) has long made fighting waste a top priority. Whether it’s streamlining purchasing practices to reduce kitchen waste, coming up with creative ways to decrease overall waste, or fueling a fleet of trucks on used fryer oil, the team is always looking for ways to bring this issue to the forefront for both employees and students. So it felt quite natural to submit an entry on best practices for waste management to the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) 2014 Sustainability Awards. The team was thrilled to be selected from many entries from colleges and universities around the country to win the NACUFS Gold Award for Waste Management! Over the past year, the team has made tremendous strides with the campuswide Choose Reusables campaign, which encourages students to opt for reusable alternatives to a variety of different items including plastic bags, compostable containers, and paper coffee cups. The primary tenet behind the Choose Reusables campaign is to find ways for the community to reduce overall waste, not just create “better” waste. In partnership with a few student groups (Tote Green and Net Impact), the Bon Appétit at WUSTL team was able to create groups of ambassadors who assisted with sharing the message about waste reduction. Overall use of compostable to-go containers was reduced by 30 percent (through the Eco To-Go program), and plastic bags were eliminated in two convenience-store locations. These initiatives have helped spark interest among the larger Washington University community to get on the Choose Reusables bandwagon and create a more sustainable community. 66 | BRAVO
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They have also drawn public recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which sent an EPA representative to campus to officially recognize WUSTL for reducing its volume of solid waste (the compost efforts alone have diverted 317 tons of food waste from landfills since 2011!) and to view firsthand its innovative recycling and food recovery programs. The EPA commended WUSTL and the Bon Appétit team for: Oil reuse: More than 23,000 gallons of kitchen waste oil has been recycled into biodiesel to fuel campus delivery trucks. (The fat to fuel process recovers energy and recycles waste oils.) Saying goodbye to bottled water: Washington University is the first university in North America to eliminate the sale of bottled water on its grounds. Newly installed water fountain retrofits make refilling reusable water bottles fast and convenient. Food recovery: The Bon Appétit at WUSTL team donates leftover packaged foods to Campus Kitchens, which repurposes the food into meals for shelters and groups in the community, and recently joined EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge (FRC), a national initiative aimed at encouraging organizations to find better alternatives to throwing food away through exactly the kind of efforts WUSTL is already practicing. The Bon Appétit team is very proud to partner with WUSTL on these efforts to decrease food waste sent to the landfill — which creates greenhouse gases contributing to climate change — by both preventing it and diverting it into more productive uses.
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Executive Chef Patrick McElroy (right) explains how used cooking oil is recycled into biodiesel that is then used in the Bon AppĂŠtit delivery trucks to John Smith (left), deputy director of the Air & Waste Management Division of the Environmental Protection Agency Region 7. (In the middle is Paul Schimmele, dining services manager, and in the rear is Nadeem Siddiqui, resident district manager) Photo: Joe Angeles/WUSTL
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g Genentech Celebrates Bon Appétit and Other Suppliers Submitted by Elizabeth Fox, Marketing Manager, Northern California
Just as Bon Appétit teams value their tried-and-true supplier relationships, so does Genentech. Genentech’s South San Francisco campus hosted the Second Annual Roche Global Facilities Procurement Supplier Recognition event, celebrating superior performance by Roche and Genentech partners. Director of Catering Jamie Campo and Chef Jenem Martin led the team that executed the event’s lunch, which itself was an ode to Bon Appétit’s own suppliers. The menu was chock-full of ingredients from Northern California farms and food-craft businesses including Arbequina olive oil, Bravo Farms provisions, and Hodo Soy Beanery tofu.
Outstanding Supplier for Environment & Sustainability. They were delightfully surprised to win such a high accolade!
TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT:
Lani Flores, catering manager; Casey Dennison, operations manager; Yoel Cohen, director of operations; Alma Valadez, general manager; Oscar Matute, chef; John Koyanagi, chef; Ramon Chavez, general manager; Steve Ganner, district manager; Laurent Vailly, chef; Jaime Nodal, chef; Doug Foglesong, controller; James Campo, catering director; Ryan Cockrell, chef. BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT: Jenem Martin, chef; Pedro Nova, chef
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Although everyone was humble, there were all kinds of reasons to support the win: Bon Appétit’s collaboration with Green Genes, Genentech’s sustainability department; ongoing hosting of farmers’ markets that make buying local and seasonal affordable and easy for guests; mastery of guest education — apparent in the skillful execution of the Low Carbon Diet and Eat Local Challenge days, along with the implementation of programs such as chef demonstrations and snout-to-tail cooking; and the team’s efforts to divert disposable to-go containers from landfills through the introduction of compostables and reusable plateware. It was honor enough for the catering team to serve the award lunch, but it sure felt good to be honored as well!
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Bon Appétit team at DePauw University
Beloit College Dining Staff Recognized with Photo at Student Union Submitted by David Ramlow, District Manager
Some small surprises can really make one’s day, such as this note District Manager David Ramlow received from Beloit College student Henry Klatz ’16 about the staff appreciation project he’d undertaken. Dear David, I thought it might interest you to know about a recent project I did to appreciate the staff of DK’s on another terrific year of service. This photo was taken a few weeks ago and will be hung up in our student union where DK’s resides, as an homage to the workers who have dedicated so much time and effort to feeding the faculty and students. The relationships that students make with the staff are wonderful and one of the things that make this a truly unique space to live and learn in. Henry Klatz
DePauw Pauses for Staff Appreciation Submitted by Jason Rose, General Manager
One of the most treasured forms of client recognition for a job well done might be simply being allowed the time and space to celebrate that job. Bon Appétit assumed responsibility for campus dining at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, just over a year ago. It was a long and winding road to get running, but one everyone traveled together as a team. So when university administrators graciously allowed operations to pause for a little bit of staff appreciation on the first anniversary, it was much appreciated. It was time to bring everyone together, enjoy a moment, and talk about the future of DePauw. All six campus operations shut down for one hour, and the new clients stopped by to say a few appreciative words. Staffers were honored and celebrated with drawings for cookbooks, managers’ parking spots, and take-and-bake pizzas and complete prepared family meals. General Manager Jason Rose told his team that they had come so far from where they started and that “I am proud of each and every member of my team for what they have learned and for what they have taught me.”
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Celebrating Farmworker Awareness Week Who picked your food? Most people don’t know and have never given it a moment’s thought. With National Farmworker Awareness Week, celebrated every year around the birthday of labor leader Cesar Chavez, the Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) group aims to change that, and Bon Appétit teams are proud to help promote fair-labor practices. As a company, we believe that farmworkers should not only be honored for their contribution to our food system, but also enjoy the same rights and protections as employees in other occupations. For 2014’s Farmworker Awareness Week, the companywide campaign included information tables, social media links and reminders, and events such as film and TEDx screenings. Throughout the week, those accounts with a social media presence reminded guests to stop by the info tables and special events with posts like “Got food? Thank a farmworker…. Farmworkers bring food to your table. Help us bring dignity to theirs. Visit our Farmworker Awareness table in the café to learn more.” The tables included five commonly hand-picked produce items — tomatoes, oranges, apples, grapes, and onions — accompanied by facts on just how few pennies per pound workers are usually paid for their backbreaking yield. It was a powerful way to convey to guests the disconnect between farmworkers’ wages and the end price to consumers — as well as Bon Appétit’s commitment to ending such discrimination through efforts such as participating in the Equitable Food Initiative.
“You have to appreciate all the hard work that goes into feeding people.” TRIVAUGHN WILLS, AM SUPERVISOR, UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS, CA, ABOUT FARMWORKER AWARENESS WEEK University of Redlands’ Farmworker Awareness Week table Submitted by Malisia Wilkins, Marketing Manager
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St. Edward’s Puts Justice on the Menu
At St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX, National Farmworker Awareness Week is a special one — because for the members of St. Edward’s College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), it represents their own life stories. The St. Edward’s team and Midwest Fellow Alyse Festenstein joined forces with CAMP and the Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO) to organize an event together. About 20 students, faculty, and staff members came together to watch and discuss three 10-minute talks from Bon Appétit’s 2011 TEDxFruitvale conference about farm labor: “Children in the Fields” by Roberto Romano, director of The Harvest/La Cosecha; “Making Corporations Pay” by Gerardo Chavez-Reyes of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers; and “Empowering Students to Control What They Eat” by Tim Galarneau of the Real Food Challenge. To start off the event, Alyse was joined by Esmeralda Perez, a St. Edward’s student and CAMP participant who spoke about her experience as a farmworker in Colorado. Esmeralda explained that she began working in the fields at 9 years old as a rock picker, collecting rocks and debris to prevent these items from getting stuck in the tractors’ wheels. She recounted how after a day’s work, her family members would return home barely able to pick up their legs because of the mud caked onto their shoes and pants. Throughout the event, students and staff spoke in solidarity and support of Esmeralda and the other St. Edward’s students who shared their stories. And from these personal experiences, the discussion expanded outward to ideas for action. After watching Gerardo Chavez-Reyes’s talk about the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Fair Food Program, one audience member summarized the conversation with a powerful statement: “It is actually the groups that may seem the least powerful — farmworkers and students — that actually hold much power. We only have to realize it and work together.” Submitted by Alyse Festenstein, Midwest Fellow
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St. Edward’s University student and CAMP member Esmeralda Perez and Midwest Fellow Alyse Festenstein introduce the TedxFruitvale screening event for National Farmworker Awareness Week
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Farmworker Awareness Week at Emmanuel College
Stopping to Think at Emmanuel
Usually students come and go from the café with their heads down, immersed in thinking about their studies or other college life activities. Farmworker Awareness Week at Emmanuel College in Boston successfully got students to pause to think about where their everyday produce comes from. The student response was positive, and one person even filled out a comment card to thank the Emmanuel team for the information table. Submitted by Catherine Corbo, Café Manager
Lafayette Gets the Facts About Farmworkers
With the idea that raising awareness is the first step toward creating lasting change, Senior Fellow Nicole Tocco visited Lafayette College in Easton, PA, to hold an event for National Farmworker Awareness Week. Did you know that at least half of the farm labor force lacks authorized immigration status and roughly twothirds speak little to no English? Many Lafayette students now do. Nicole spoke about farmworkers to a class focused on racial and ethnic minorities and American politics. She also held an event with Lafayette Environmental Awareness and Protection (LEAP) to discuss important issues that have an impact on the global food system and to examine ways in which Bon Appétit is addressing those issues. Lafayette students were very interested in how farmworkers are treated and what they could do to help. Submitted by Ashley Fabriziani, Marketing Manager, and Nicole Tocco, Senior Fellow
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Public House at AT&T Park Overflows with SF Beer Week Events
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Submitted by Laura Braley, Specialty Venue Public Relations Manager
ven for hops lovers, SF Beer Week overfloweth with tastings. This showcase for the Bay Area’s brewing heritage and craft beer scene offers more than 500 events packed into 10 days, from beer dinners to cheese-beer pairing events, to meet-the-brewer evenings and home-brewing demonstrations.
Public House at AT&T Park in San Francisco elbowed its way to the front of the crowd thanks to some top-notch events, kicking off the week by hosting the Fourth Annual Beer Week Beerunch. Executive Chef Jorge Lumbreras partnered with San Francisco–based brewery MateVeza to create an over-the-top brunch experience that paired a diverse assortment of craft brews with his delicious menu (see menu below). Next, the Public House team hosted Southern Exposure. Starting with breweries south of AT&T Park, this event traveled down the California coast to bring together a selection of beers not regularly seen around town, such as Monkey Paw, El Segundo, Golden Road, Craftsman, Lost Abbey, Firestone, and Speakeasy. The first 60 people to purchase a beer also received a special tour of AT&T Park. The next day, for the Ballast Point Tap Takeover, Ballast Point commandeered all 24 taps at Public House for the entire night with 24 different types of beer.
For a fun Valentine’s Day twist with mainstream appeal, the Bitter, Sour, Single Night featured a selection of bitter and sour beers for singles wishing to mingle or bring friends. Participating breweries included Magnolia,Bear Republic,and Almanac,and complementary tasting flights were also available with food. A Belgian-style bash blending East Coast with West Coast came next. This celebration also featured an appearance by Rob Todd of Allagash. In addition to having the incredible head brewer in Grapefruit and Jicama Salad | paired with house and chatting up guests, the event MateVeza Morpho Herbal Ale featured a special selection of beers from Quad-Marinated Carnitas Tacos | paired with Allagash and The Bruery that are rarely — Cervecería de MateVeza Mahogany Belgian-Style if ever — available in the Bay Area. Public Quad House’s Beer Week events wrapped with Remnants and Hangers On, a last drop of Salted Caramel Macaron | paired with fun that featured a secret list of craft beers Cellarmaker Brewing Coffee and Cigarettes Porter not announced until the day of the event. Gruyère and Ham Cubano | paired with
Beerunch Menu
Moonlight Brewing Toast (Slightly Burnt) Pork Belly and Egg Rillette | paired with Mill Valley Beerworks Manzanita Alt Bay Shrimp Ceviche | paired with Cervecería de MateVeza Bigote Libre 100% Brett Citra Pale Ale Potato Frittata and Chicken Chorizo Salsa | paired with Highwater Brewing No Boundary IPA
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Despite stiff competition, Public House drew a large crowd for every Beer Week event. The team’s creativity and strong partnerships with craft brewers helped not only fill bar stools, but also put smiles on guests’ faces. There’s no doubt that serious beer lovers now know where to get their fix in San Francisco.
Public House has strong partnerships with small-batch brewers
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Public House guests enjoying their craft brews Images Credit: FrankenyImages.com
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Vanguard University Holds Delicious Welcome Events for New President Submitted by Jeremy Glennon, Assistant General Manager
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anguard University in Costa Mesa, CA, recently welcomed its 10th president, Mike Beals, right around the time that Bon Appétit welcomed two new staff members — General Manager Heidi Balis and new Assistant General Manager Jeremy Glennon, both veteran Bon Appétiters. The Bon Appétit at Vanguard team quickly came together to entertain 170 guests for a VIP and board of trustees event and then more than 900 guests for the inauguration luncheon. The outdoor, sit-down dinner featured grilled filet mignon with rosemary demi-glace and seared salmon with citrus beurre blanc plus salads, sides, and desserts. The next day, the luncheon enlisted the help of volunteers and student workers to put together a delicious meal under the supervision of Catering Supervisor Arianna Contreras, with the support of Biola’s Catering Director Heather Podsakoff. Executive Chef Anthony Bencomo and Sous Chef Salvador Ochoa outdid themselves with the presidential menu, which included Shrimp Louie salad with creamy Cajun dressing; seasonal vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, purple and yellow cauliflower, and herb-roasted potatoes; bow tie pasta with blistered tomatoes and sautéed spinach; Old Bay–seasoned chicken with herbed reduction; Cuban-style mahi mahi; and individual exquisite desserts.
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Vanguard student caterers Evelyn Gomez, Daneyqua Gisby, Tyler Wheeland, Anna Jaehn, and ShaDe Johnson
The buzz at Vanguard was uplifting and upbeat, and Heidi and Jeremy received a lot of positive feedback about Bon Appétit’s food service.
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Balancing Plate and Weight with Oracle - Burlington Submitted by Chef/Managers David Coles and David Turri
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o coincide with the theme of National Nutrition Month, enjoying the “Taste of Eating Right,” the staff at Oracle - Burlington in Burlington, MA, got a little interactive for their Well-Being Wednesday, adding a voting activity to call attention to balanced, tasty, and filling composed salads. Staff launched a “vote for your favorite whole grain” contest, pitting grains against each other: quinoa, bulgur wheat, wheat berries, barley, amaranth, and millet. Guests were encouraged to try all of the grains before making their final decision.
A tasting of different whole grains
The goal was to show guests how to fill the majority of their plate with fruits and vegetables and then balance it with lean protein, whole grains, and healthy fats. Guests learned not only the benefits of eating balanced meals but also how to select meals within the café that fall under Bon Appétit’s In Balance category. The winner was quinoa, which starred in composed salads for the coming weeks. The recipe created for the special Well-Being salad featured quinoa with diced red onion, red and green pepper, and seeded tomatoes, and parsley. This was tossed with heart-healthy yet flavorful garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and champagne vinegar. Involving guests in decision making helped them learn while looking forward to the delicious winning salad at mealtime.
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from the fellows | andrew monbouquette, west coast fellow
bon appetit foundation
new perspectives Men and women who are challenging the way this country grows and distributes its food, as featured in the film Growing Cities
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fter growing up in Nebraska, the land of corn and cattle, I didn’t hear the term “sustainability” until I enrolled at Willamette University in Salem, OR, in 2006. And not until my sophomore year did I really connect the need for sustainability to the food system. I thought sustainability was all about recycling, driving personal cars less, and turning off electronics before leaving a room. However, the Bon Appétit–run café I relied on three times a day soon clued me in to food’s link to climate change — and shocked me in the best way possible.
Exposure to the unsustainable aspects of the food system ultimately inspired me to partner with a friend from middle school to make a documentary film about urban farming, called Growing Cities. We traveled more than 13,000 miles across the United States, meeting the men and women challenging the status quo of food production and inspiring people to reimagine what’s possible in urban settings. The film is dedicated to food and social justice, youth empowerment, and the revitalization of local economies and vacant land. Producing Growing Cities not only allowed me to explore one of my strongest passions in filmmaking, but also developed my passion for using food as a tool to grow healthy communities. The experiences I gained will no doubt help in my new role as Bon Appétit’s West Coast Fellow. I’m eager to infect students with my enthusiasm and give them the tools to participate more knowledgeably in their food system. 78 | BRAVO
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
Visit GrowingCitiesmovie.com to learn more about where you can see the film or participate in the movement.
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Employees Get Five-Star Treatment at HD1 Café Submitted by Michael Quackenbush-Mockus, General Manager/Executive Chef
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on Appétit teams are always trying to introduce a bit of fun to corporate life, like a contest to win a gourmet lunch for six at HD1 Café in Hudson, MA. Technology employee Joseph Cavallo along with five of his coworkers recently won the honor of sitting at the new chef ’s table, complete with table linens and fine china. Entrée Cook Robert Laberge and Baker Julie Hodgdon prepared several fabulous courses and a truly decadent dessert. Joseph wrote a long, lovely review, beginning, “It’s hard to find an event or activity that would make six software people smile that much all at the same time…. It was magnificent. We all agreed that lunch was as gourmet as it gets, Chef Robert can certainly be placed at a five-star restaurant, and the chef ’s table was a wonderful idea to build enthusiasm about the office, reinforce team spirit, and just have a good time.” Future would-be winners can fill out registration cards each month and cross their fingers they’ll be the chosen one for the special fourth Wednesday meal. As great as it is to serve daily at HD1, it’s certainly fun to pull out all the culinary stops for this special monthly event! Article written by Kim Ketron, Site Services Specialist
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Green City Growers Shares the Story Behind the Salad Submitted by Alyse Festenstein, Midwest Fellow
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t’s not every day that chefs or students have the opportunity to sit down with the CEO of one of the largest urban greenhouses in the United States. That’s why Bon Appétit staff and members of Case Western Reserve University’s Student Sustainability Council were quite excited to host Mary Donnell of Green City Growers. The head of the 3.25acre urban hydroponic greenhouse and worker-owned cooperative in Cleveland brought the greenhouse experience to Case Western Reserve University as a substitute for hosting a tour (prohibited due to food safety issues in the enclosed space).
construction and operation phases, the group saw the $17 million project bloom into a working greenhouse filled with acres of lettuce and basil. Although only 3 miles from campus, Mary said that Green City Growers can seem like a world away from the hum of campus life at Case Western. Located on an old brownfield site in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood, the latest census results show that nearly 45 percent of the residents live in poverty. Green City Growers’ mission, and the mission of its larger parent organization, the Evergreen Cooperatives, is to change those numbers. By leveraging the purchasing power of Cleveland’s anchor institutions in education and medicine, Green City Growers currently employs 20 to 25 people from the community and provides living wages, job training, and profit sharing for all employees. At capacity, the greenhouse can produce 3 million heads of lettuce per year — and with this volume comes logistical challenges. From maintaining plant health to training staff without much job experience, let alone greenhouse experience, Mary explained that it’s been a nonstop year of hard work — but that she couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
During the meet and greet, Chef/Manager Michael Kroneker led a demonstration of Thai chicken lettuce wraps with plum glaze and fresh vegetable slaw
Entering its second year of operation, Green City Growers is a Farm to Fork partner for many of Bon Appétit’s Cleveland area cafés, including Case Western, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and Oberlin College. Midwest Fellow Alyse Festenstein started off the event with an introduction to Green City Growers and Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork program. Meanwhile Chef/Manager Michael Kroneker prepared delicious Thai chicken lettuce wraps with Green City Growers’ Bibb lettuce for the group. Then Mary took over the show, sharing the story behind the greens and herbs prepared in Bon Appétit’s campus cafés each week. Using photos and time-lapse videos of the building’s 80 | BRAVO
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During the conversation, Sous Chef Ben Wentz shared his experience behind the grill line in Leutner Café working with Green City Growers Bibb lettuce. It’s not only a product with integrity, but also one filled with just-picked flavor and vibrant hue sometimes lacking during Cleveland’s cold winter months. As he explained how beautiful it looks atop a local New Creation Farm burger and how students actually request it, he reminded everyone, “We eat with our eyes.” The intimate meet-and-greet event demonstrated what is possible through strong Farm to Fork partnerships with local growers such as Mary and Green City Growers. Bon Appétit chefs get to source a delicious, high-quality product, and Green City Growers sprouts opportunities in a community where once there were few. The fresh salads served in the Cleveland cafés are visible reminders of the power of food to build stronger communities and a future where the grass is truly greener.
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Farmers’ Market Rounds Out Creation Stewardship Week at Biola Submitted by Daniel Cruz, Retail Supervisor
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reation Stewardship Week at Biola University in La Mirada, CA, was the perfect example of sustainability-based cooperation between the university and Bon Appétit. The celebration was planned to remind students and faculty of the responsibilities humans have to the planet and how personal decisions affect the world around us, even in ways that may not be immediately apparent. The farmers’ market that capped the week went beyond just offering produce, including education materials related to the purchases and supplementary information about environmental conservancy. Local produce organized by Executive Chef John Rose and supplied by Robert Knight from Old Grove Orange and his affiliates set the tone for a traditional farmers’ market. An abundance of talented musicians signed up to provide entertainment, while an assortment of cultural and environmental campus groups set up fundraising and educational booths that provided crafts and even plants for sale from the campus farm (as well as free farm tours). Biola’s Soaring Eagle food truck enticed crowds with free tacos.
General Manager Steve Rall spots one of the elementary school students snacking on radishes and carrots like they’re candy
The participation from faculty, individual students, a multitude of cultural and environmental clubs, and even guest visitors from the local Whittier grammar school exceeded even the initially high expectations. A highlight of the event was the excitement of the elementary school students, who came to see the farm and its fresh produce prior to starting their own student garden. Hope that activities like this can inspire children was clearly visible that day; a sweet bonus was witnessing a college student and a fifth grader equally getting excited at the sight of a purple carrot, cautiously taking a bite, then simultaneously realizing how tasty it was. Unlike a usual farmers’ market, after which farmers must pack up unsold goods and leave, Bon Appétit was able to buy and use all of the remaining produce, ensuring that farmers went home happy and students had healthy meals to look forward to.
Farmer Robert Knight takes a break with Executive Chef John Rose and Sous Chef Sergio Avina
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Cooking Up Safe Fun at University of Redlands Submitted by Susan Martinez, Operations Manager
Redlands students try their hand at making tamales
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ollege campus leaders are always looking for creative ways to keep students engaged and out of trouble, while Bon AppĂŠtit campus chefs love adding fun to food. So-called R Nights at the University of Redlands in Redlands, CA, satisfy both goals. The weekend program provides students with an opportunity to spend time interacting with others and learning new skills rather than engaging in potentially risky behavior. Assistant Residence Hall Director Dan Burfeind has been directing these free events, and the Bon AppĂŠtit team was pleased to be asked to help out.
A recent R Night event paired Sous Chef Lucia Navarro with Executive Chef Marc Powers in teaching students to make tamales and hallacas. More than 20 students found their way into the Irvine Commons for a night of entertaining and delicious enjoyment. They set up camp at elongated tables, which were stockpiled with all the necessary ingredients. The group watched demonstrations of the intricate task of making chicken, beef, and sweet uchepo tamales. The way tamales are made varies by region and by the cook. Lucia has been making traditional tamales since she was a child in Nayarit, Mexico. Her techniques made it easy to learn and brought great satisfaction among the students with the results. For filling the tamales, Lucia told students to let their imaginations run wild, explaining that almost anything goes. 82 | BRAVO
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Students used slow-cooked beef, sweet corn, and fruit, and the outcome was mouthwatering. Executive Chef Marc Powers took over teaching the art of hallacas. Hallacas, the oldest food tradition in Venezuela, were created during colonial times. Slaves of the wealthy would collect leftovers from the banquet of their masters, sprinkle them in cornmeal dough, carefully wrap them in banana leaves, and boil them. The recipe has survived centuries. Marc presented different combinations to the students to show how each can meld flavors. Chicken, capers, and vegetables were dropped by the spoonful into the hallaca dough, which lay on a plantain leaf. Students then folded the dough into the leaf and tied it closed with string. Students got to mingle as they waited the hour or so it took the hallacas to cook in saltwater. The result was delectable! All the attendees were overwhelmingly excited about the workshop and expressed their wish for more of these opportunities to learn, cook, and break bread with Marc and Lucia.
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Church Basement Ladies Play Grove City College Submitted by Lori Kragnes, Catering Manager
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ometimes it’s a challenge to come up with entertaining alumni events, but with Bon Appétit and the Church Basement Ladies, one spring event was a slam dunk. A Mighty Fortress Is Our Basement, the fourth installment of the Church Basement Ladies’ touring musicals, graced the campus of Grove City College in Grove City, PA. Bon Appétit cooks had fun catering several aspects of the day — serving meals to the stage crew, a delicious dinner for the cast, and a themed dinner for the guests who had dinner and show tickets — mirroring the fun that the church basement ladies have with each other.
John Bish, catering attendant; Amanda McNany, catering attendant; and Lori Kragnes, catering manager
The team set up the room to truly feel like a church basement (down to the old-time coffee pots) and even dressed up to mirror the cast parts. The cast had such a great time being catered and tended to that they considered making catering a mandatory aspect of their touring. Charlene Shaw, associate director of alumni programs and events, sent a lovely thankyou note on behalf of the Alumni Relations office, including: “And the food! I wish we could serve that at all the high-end events! I thought the scalloped potatoes were among the best I’ve ever had — and the ham loaf, the chicken casserole…people LOVED it! This kind of out-of-the-box and creative partnership is so great.” The church ladies — both the performers and the Bon Appétit imitation cast — were the talk of campus all week!
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First Regis Cooking Class Inspires a Series Submitted by Letina Matheny, General Manager
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egis University’s first cooking class was such a hit with students and staff that a series is now planned! The Denver university offers varied campus programming and has to compete for student interest, but 16 enthusiastic students had a blast learning to make pasta primavera and salad of roasted beets and goat cheese with Executive Chef Glenn Babcock and General Manager Letina Matheny. Regis’s Director of Wellness and Recreation Debbie Guenther Heard suggested that word of mouth from the happy students will help with even stronger future attendance for classes such as for sushi rolling. “I found myself giggling more than I had expected,” Debbie wrote in a thank-you note appreciative of Letina and Glenn’s joking banter. Sous Chef Adam Schedeler contributed by preparing for the event and serving the students a sample of what was cooked during the class. The students loved the class and found it fun as well as educational.
Executive Chef Glenn Babcock
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reflections
Longtime CWRU Intern Bids a Fond Farewell Submitted by Beth Kretschmar, Marketing Manager
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eri Barron, author of the following Reflections piece, was a marketing intern for Bon Appétit at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland for the past three years. She graduated with dual degrees, a bachelor’s in biochemistry nutrition and a master’s in nutrition, and is off to UNC Chapel Hill to pursue her doctorate in nutrition. Working for Bon Appétit has taught me many skills and lessons, but I’ve narrowed it down to four. The first is the importance of mindful eating and consumption. Before coming to Case, and especially working for Bon Appétit, I thought it was really only hipsters and people with too much time who made an effort to eat local, fight for workers’ rights, and generally abide by responsible cooking and sourcing practices. I have come to be extremely passionate about many of the principles Bon Appétit chefs follow because I see how absolutely essential it is; fresh, wholesome food also tastes so much better! Interacting with many Bon Appétit employees has also taught me how far a smile can go. My presence in the different Bon Appétit cafés around campus was scattered, and I would usually just pop in unannounced, but every time, I was always greeted with a smile and someone asking if I needed help. You just don’t see kindness like that everywhere, and I appreciate it, as do the students (trust me, they notice it too). Marketing Manager Beth Kretschmar, Marketing Intern Keri Barron, and Resident District Manager Jim O’Brien
The most important lesson I have learned is to do what you love. I have interviewed several chefs over the years, and all of them have been very forward about their passion for cooking, learning, and growing as a chef in addition to serving students. I want to have the passion and excitement that they have every day in whatever career path I choose. And finally, working for Bon Appétit the past three years has taught me how to cook! Not that I’m any good, but I now have more recipes and tips from cooking demos and several chefs to help me as I move out and live on my own. So thank you to every chef, employee, manager, and especially to [Marketing Manager] Beth Kretschmar and [Resident District Manager] Jim O’Brien for making my time at CWRU even better and for providing me with this unbelievable experience. It’s been a blast getting to know everyone!
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Mission Catering Struts Its Stuff in Seasonal Showcase Submitted by Stacy Stafford Scott, Regional and Account Marketing Manager
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anta Clara University in Santa Clara, CA, offers several cafés to keep students fed while on the go or sitting down to meals. But not everyone knows the range of possibilities that Mission Catering at SCU offers as well, which includes everything from a self-service $3-perperson option to a fancy catered department affair. Catering Director Cheryl Hartzheim hosted a catering showcase to spotlight the creative magic she is known for by her regular customers and reach potential new customers. The showcase, which left no creative stone unturned, featured a new catering menu, a seasonal menu, creative small plates, and a dessert station with amazing treats.
More than 120 guests joined for the grand affair, where they got to experience innovative catering menu items amid samples of unique event setups. Savory choices alone topped 15 options, such as vegetable crudités in cucumber cups, stuffed chicken rolls of blue cheese and pancetta, mini bouchées Tiramisu mousse cups filled with lobster salad, lollipop lamb chops with truffle mashed potatoes, and grilled Gruyère cheese wedges with tomato shooters. SCU’s onsite Mission Bakery staff created the sweet confections at the dessert table. As a courtesy to old and new catering clients, Mission Catering offered a day-of promotion of 15 to 20 percent off catering orders for more than 40. Thanks to the creative efforts of the whole catering team, this event was a great success that resulted in improving customer relations and increasing business!
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Dessert table featuring sweets from Mission Bakery
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Carleton Starts Culinary Education Young Submitted by Katie McKenna, General Manager
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ith a cooking club and very engaged Bon Appétit staff at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, the team is accustomed to working with — and cooking with — college students. But recently a pack of fourth graders from local charter Prairie Creek Community School piled in for a tour of the Bon Appétit kitchen and a cooking class. Prior to their arrival, the students spent a week studying food in different cultures and had assignments to complete for the week. The assignments included cooking a dessert from the culture they studied and putting together a research-based website showing information about the culture, a video, photos, the dessert recipe, and maps.
dish is typically a way to make fresh use of slightly stale bread so that it doesn’t get wasted. The students had a blast, as did the Bon Appétit staff, who enjoyed working with a much different age group for a day.
Sous Chef Gibson Price showing 4th graders from Prairie Creek how to prepare French toast
Fortunately, all that hard work was rewarded with a field trip. The students arrived at Carleton at 9 a.m. and toured the kitchen. Staff showed them around each station and explained what happens there. Bakers gave them housemade granola bars to tide them over through the cooking class. Sous Chef Gibson Price taught the kids how to make French toast, or pain perdu. Literally meaning“lost bread,” the 2 0 1 4 Vo l u m e 2
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from the fellows | claire cummings, former west coast fellow
bon appetit foundation
Waste Specialist Claire Cummings shows off her kitchen compost
getting wasted
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hen I first heard Vice President of Strategy Maisie Ganzler speak at Lewis & Clark College back in 2010, I was inspired by her vision of how a corporation can positively impact the food system if it chooses to do so. But if you had asked me if I thought I would end up a trash-talking garbage guerilla for Bon Appétit Management Company, I would have said not a chance!
I have always been passionate about sustainable food and cared more about where my ingredients come from — not where they end up. And back in 2010, the phrase “food recovery” wasn’t yet in my lexicon, the process of composting was still a magical mystery, and Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma seemed new and revolutionary. While Michael Pollan is still my hero (I have his new book Cooked sitting on my nightstand) and composting still remains a mystery to me (how in the world can an apple core and eggshells combine to make rich soil?), a lot has changed since that time. Most notably, I’ve learned that you cannot have a sustainable food system without an environmentally conscious waste management system. My education in waste began when I became the West Coast Fellow for Bon Appétit in August 2012. I was assigned a side project to look into the issue of the contamination of the waste streams in our cafés — that would be bottles destined for 88 | BRAVO
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recycling ending up in the compost bin, for example, to the rest of you. As I started diving into the issue, I began getting involved in everything from food recovery (diverting excess food to hunger-fighting organizations) to kitchen-waste tracking programs. That little side project grew into full-time work. In the newly created position of waste specialist for Bon Appétit, I have three areas of focus: food waste in our cafés, food recovery efforts, and waste reduction in the supply chain. Right now, food recovery is my biggest focus because it both reduces waste and addresses hunger in the United States. Seattle recently became the first city in which every single one of our accounts is donating their excess food (that would otherwise go to waste) to people in need. I love seeing all teams championing a waste initiative like food recovery, and I hope more will get on board in the future. Down the road, I will be working with the field to set goals for reducing waste in our kitchens and cafés, as well as together figuring out innovative ways to utilize products that get wasted on the farm and during distribution. To that end, I want you all to know I am here and ready to help with waste programs around the country! Many have already been started, as you’ll see from the following pages. Please get in contact with me if you need support or want to start a program: claire.cummings@bamco.com
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Students at University of Redlands posed with Waste Specialist Claire Cummings after hosting an educational event around the issue of single-use disposables
The Mount St. Mary’s College team (pictured) in Los Angeles is proud to become the latest Bon Appétit account to join the food recovery movement, which seeks to not just avoid wasting food but to get edible leftovers to the hungry. Bon Appétit at Mount St. Mary’s works with the Chefs to End Hunger program, which donates the food to Midnight Mission, an agency that provides resources to homeless men, women, and children in Los Angeles.A couple Bon Appétiters have volunteered their time there to help prepare and serve the
food. To date, Bon Appétit at Mount St. Mary’s College has donated more than 2,500 meals since it partnered with Chefs to End Hunger in March 2013. The team at Mount St. Mary’s is proud to do its part, fulfilling community needs and adhering to strong sustainability principles. Submitted by Jotanna Proescholdt, General Manager
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Turning Waste Into Wins Submitted By Claire Cummings, Waste Specialist
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asted food in the food industry is rarely a good thing: it means all the time and resources that went into growing, distributing, and cooking that food are squandered. It often means that food is going to a landfill, where it decomposes and emits methane, the greenhouse gas up to 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. And let’s not forget, wasted food almost always means wasted money! Despite all the problems associated with waste, Bon Appétit teams have found a way to turn their waste into something positive for their food-service operations and their communities. More than 70 of our kitchens at colleges, universities, and corporations around the country are taking excess, edible food that would otherwise get tossed out, and donating it to people in need on a regular basis — a process known as food recovery. The headquarters team was able to track donation numbers for 21 of our 70 programs for a year, and we found that those 21 accounts donated 74,339 pounds of food during that period. That amount equals approximately 62,000 meals! In addition, Bon Appétit has: • Achieved a major milestone in Seattle — where 100% of Bon Appétit accounts have implemented food recovery programs thanks to a groundbreaking partnership with the nonprofit group Food Lifeline. • Worked with the student-run nonprofit Food Recovery Network to develop policies and practices around food recovery at college campuses — not just Bon Appetit’s — including co-authoring the downloadable Guide to Food Recovery for Chefs and Managers, and other tools to help any school set up such a program. • Facilitated the growth of the Chefs to End Hunger program at Bon Appétit cafés in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas by working with our produce distributors LA and SF Specialty in these cities to recover food that would otherwise go to waste.
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• At accounts around the country (such as Colorado College and Carleton College) we have worked with local and state health departments to clarify and adjust regulations around food donation to be more accepting of prepared food recovery. • Piloted Feeding America’s Online Marketplace, a newly established program for recovering perishable, prepared food items from restaurants and cafés. The program launched in Oregon; we have now brought it to cafés in Minnesota and Illinois and are working on expanding to Utah and Pennsylvania.
Another common question asked by Bon Appétit teams — who, after all, cook in small batches to order — is: “Do we even have enough food to donate?” Almost always the answer is Yes! There are many common misconceptions out there about food recovery, such as liability being a major issue. The answer is no, the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996 protects all donors from liability barring gross negligence. Another common question asked by Bon Appétit teams — who, after all, cook in small batches to order — is: “Do we even have enough food to donate?” Almost always the answer is Yes! We can’t be certain how many people are coming in and what they are going to eat every day. Even small servings recovered, day after day, add up to a lot of food over time. These are just a few examples of some of the frequently asked questions addressed in our companywide guide to food recovery. Check it out on the Bon Appétit Management Company extranet (go to Initiatives > Waste Reduction and scroll down to the Food Recovery section).
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Here are a few snippets from around the country on how our accounts are reducing, reusing, recycling, and rethinking waste management: Beloit turns breakfast waste into nutritious soil: At Beloit College, before students’ coffee and omelets ever make it to the table, the leftovers used to make them have been stored for a second use. Since February, Beloit’s Executive Chef Michael Downey has partnered with students to save these bits of waste from dining outlets on campus to donate three times a week to Wright Way Farm, where they are used to cultivate healthy soil for growing fresh fruits and vegetables. (Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen,while eggshells provide calcium and other minerals to the soil.) Dominican University opts for seconds: The USDA estimates that over 1 billion pounds of produce grown never make it to the fresh market — simply because it looks less than perfect. One California farmer launched a startup to address this pervasive problem (and others): CropMobster — an online tool for sharing agricultural and food surpluses in the Bay Area. Much like a “farmie” version of Craigslist, farmers can post when they have excess food or imperfect produce (i.e.,“seconds”) that would otherwise go to waste, and community members and businesses can claim those products. Dominican University’s Executive Chef Joe DeBono and General Manager Andy Cvitanich have partnered with CropMobster to pilot the program for Bon Appétit. They have enrolled one Farm to Fork vendor already and, as excess produce becomes available, they are ready to start purchasing and rescuing products from going to waste.
Working toward zero waste at Washington University: Over the past few years the Washington
University in St. Louis team has been implementing creative and simple solutions to preventing, reducing, and reusing waste — and they recently won an award for doing so! (See page 66.) Locally made compost at Claremont McKenna College: Claremont McKenna College produces, processes,
and distributes their compost all right on campus! The dining hall uses two bio-digesters that capture both pre- and post-consumer food waste from the café. In just a short amount of time (less than a day) the machines break down the food into nutritious compost, which is then set out on the loading dock for facilities to pick up and use for campus landscaping.
Nose-to-tail cooking takes off at Reed and around the country: Many Bon Appétit teams have long been
buying whole animals and making use of every single part. Reed College, for example, recently purchased a whole cow from Carman Ranch (bones and all) to serve in different dishes on campus.
Clamming it up techno-savvily at Eckerd College:
There is a vending machine on the campus of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, that is making heads turn. The OZZI is an automated system that lets guests return their reusable to-go containers safely, efficiently, and conveniently. Guests insert a used container into the slot of the OZZI machine and it spits out a token in return; that token can then be exchanged for a new reusable container the next time they place a take-out order. Eckerd College was the first Bon Appétit café to launch a reusable to-go container program (it was the project of an Eckerd student), and is the first Bon Appétit café in the country to bring OZZI to campus.
The Carman Ranch–raised steer that was purchased and utilized (in its entirety) by the Bon Appétit team at Reed College
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Getting Food Recovery Certified
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t Bon Appétit, we are accustomed to guests asking where their food comes from and under what conditions it was raised. But until recently very few people have asked what happens to food once it has left the plate, at the end of its life. We want our guests to know that sustainable waste management matters to us, which is why when the student-run nonprofit Food Recovery Network asked us to be the first food-service company to pilot their Food Recovery Certification, which recognizes businesses that are regularly donating food, we didn’t hesitate to jump on board. Almost 30 Bon Appétit cafés have gone through the certification process and passed with flying colors. “Our customers care about their community and the environment, and they want to know that we care, too. Food Recovery Certified is helping us communicate this to our customers in a compelling way,” says Craig Hetherington, Bon Appétit Executive Chef at the Seattle Art Museum’s TASTE restaurant.
Congratulations to the following Food Recovery Certified Bon Appétit Accounts! Adidas Adobe - Seattle Amazon - Seattle Banfield Best Buy - Minneapolis Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation College of Idaho Daimler Denison University Fort Worden Fred Hutch and Seattle Cancer Research Center Hampshire College Lewis & Clark College Marymount California University Mount Saint Mary’s College Nordstrom Reed College Russell Investments Saint Martin’s University Seattle University Starbucks TASTE University of Portland Whitman College
Bon Appétit Waste Specialist Claire Cummings has served on the board of advisors of the student-run Food Recovery Network (FRN) for the past year and has worked closely with FRN’s national leadership team and Bon Appétit units to implement various programs. FRN wrote to express their gratitude for all the hard work Bon Appétiters have done to support their organization and the food recovery movement.
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Wheaton’s Food Recovery Program Supports Hunger Relief Over Landfills Submitted by Alyse Festenstein, Midwest Fellow
Sous Chef Omar Rocha transfers pans of recovered food to a cart for storage in the walk-in refrigerator to await the biweekly pickup
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nderson Commons at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, is blazing a trail in food recovery, as the first café in the Midwest to donate through the Online Marketplace Program, Bon Appétit’s food recovery pilot partnership with Feeding America. Feeding America helped identify a local hunger relief organization that could use Wheaton’s donations on a weekly basis and had the capacity to transport the food. The Bon Appétit team at Wheaton connected to the People’s Resource Center, a nearby hunger relief organization: located less than a mile away from campus, it is fighting hunger close to home. The agency picks up donations of hearty meals such as chicken and vegetables and pasta from Wheaton twice a week and reports monthly donation numbers. Wheaton College began donating leftover food items to the People’s Resource Center, in December 2013. In the first 14 weeks of the program, Wheaton donated more than 2,000 pounds of food that would have otherwise been sent to a landfill. During a recent campus visit, Midwest Fellow Alyse Festenstein got to experience Wheaton’s recovery system firsthand and found the process very streamlined. Sous Chef Omar Rocha gathered a dozen or so pans of prepared but unserved food that was safe to eat but could not be reused at the café and transferred the items to recyclable aluminum pans. With a quick label of the pans and transfer to the walk-in refrigerator to await the evening’s pickup, Omar’s job was complete. Quick, easy, and effective — food recovery takes the team only a few extra minutes of effort and provides a lasting impact. “Melissa Travis, senior director of programs at the People’s Resource Center, has been very happy and appreciative of all the food donations we have provided,” said General Manager Raul Delgado. The Wheaton team’s efforts, and the dozens of Bon Appétit cafés participating in food recovery across the country, are closing the gap between food waste and hunger — one recovered, made-from-scratch meal at a time. Food recovery is a win-win for Bon Appétit’s core values of supporting our local communities and addressing climate change through waste reduction.
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An “Extreme Flavorist” Spices Up the Musical Instrument Museum
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Submitted by Lauren Potter, Floor Supervisor
ho’s your “Herb Daddy”? Café Allegro at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix is lucky to be the only area café served weekly by Arizona Herb Daddy, the Mesa, AZ–based herb and spice farm belonging to DeWayne Frelix. Variety attracts DeWayne as much as flavor; Arizona Herb Daddy currently grows more than eight varieties of basil, including lemon basil, lime basil, cinnamon basil, purple ruffle basil, amethyst basil, and Christmas basil. And they all have a unique yet often subtle difference in flavor. DeWayne uses his herbs to create unique spice and sea salt blends such as Thai chili powder, black Hawaiian sea salt with lime basil, Valencia bell pepper powder, dried chanterelle mushroom powder, and dried key lime powder — to name only a few. Adding color to flavor are DeWayne’s edible flowers that make a colorful addition to any salad.
including corno di torro peppers, sun fire chilis, and the elusive ghost chili, known as the world’s hottest pepper. Café Allegro’s menu and grad-and-go items feature DeWayne’s custom-blend lettuces, which are beautifully crisp and provide a clean balance of bite, bitterness, spice, and sweetness, says Chris Lenza, executive chef at Café Allegro and regional forager. In Arizona heat, lettuces are a major feat to grow. After growing herbs, spices, and produce for 25 years, DeWayne launched Arizona Herb Daddy two years ago to bring these unique and original herbs to his consumers. An Arizona native and a third-generation farmer, he grows many products that aren’t marketed commercially. He is willing to grow products upon request for Café Allegro. DeWayne calls himself an “extreme flavorist” because of his love and curiosity for unusual herbs and spices. And because he uses a rich fertilizer that contains more than 90 trace minerals, he says his products have more flavor than most, and this may surprise people. “I knew we were going to develop a great relationship with DeWayne the first time I met him, because he only spoke words of passion for his products,” says Chris.“He wasn’t just trying to gain another client. He wanted the product to be perfect for Bon Appétit all the time!”
“I knew we were going to develop a great relationship with DeWayne the first time I met him, because he only spoke words of passion for his products.” Although herbs are his primary business, DeWayne also grows — and supplies Bon Appétit with — unique heirloom vegetables including 18 tomato varieties, such as Mexican midget, white cherry, and black plum. In his garden you will also find esoteric yet salad-friendly fare such as lilac bell peppers, white bell peppers, rainbow carrots, and Easter egg radishes. DeWayne also grows peppers for the fire-loving foodie, 94 | BRAVO
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I’itoi onion blossom
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DeWayne Frelix, owner/grower at Arizona Herb Daddy, checks his lettuces 2 0 1 4 Vo l u m e 2
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, Valentine s Day IF VALENTINE’S DAY IS FOR LOVERS, THEN THAT ALSO MEANS LOVERS OF GOOD, LOCAL FOOD — AS WELL AS
...BITTER CHOCOLATE HUMOR at Lafayette College in Easton, PA
ALL THE DEDICATED BON APPÉTIT STAFFERS WHO LOVE THEIR JOB. OUR TEAMS LOVE TO MAKE FEBRUARY 14 A LITTLE EXTRA SPECIAL, THROUGH EFFORTS SUCH AS…
...SHOWERING FLOWERS all over RA3 in Ronler Acres, OR
InsupportofValentine’s DayandinpartnershipwiththeOregonclient, the team distributed 1,000 pre-ordered roses and house-made Bit Bakery sweetheart shortbread cookies,as well as held festive pop-ups in allsevencafés.TheRA3cateringteamreceivedthisnotefromtheclient: I met so many employees at the office who were very excited to see this service at their café. The numbers are a testament of how convenient your plan was to many of us engineers, people who work heads down and sometimes forget about special occasions like Valentine’s Day. These efforts help the Corporate Services and Bon Appétit brands grow stronger in the minds of our employees. This was an opportunity to go the extra mile and you certainly delivered. I hope that you continue to innovate and create opportunities to connect with employees by creating a great experience while growing your business. Thank you on behalf of those whose Valentine’s day was saved by the BA team.
“Valentines, schmalentines” was the theme for dinner at Lafayette, after a traditionally love-themed lunch hour. Why not balance the mix for the lovelorn alongside the lovestruck? During lunch, there was a decorate-your-own-cookie station, as well as a themed pop-up shake store. Then, staff put together a fun dinner for the lonely, brokenhearted, or just Cupid-dissing people who want their own celebration too. The silly menu, which was for lovers, haters, and all the “-ers,” featured two-timing loaded baked potatoes, back-stabbing asparagus spears, single bacon cheeseburgers, and“miso sad” soup. The bakeshop went all out on two large, heart-shaped cakes with not-so-love-poems on them and house-made sugar sweethearts with spiteful sayings on them (all in good, creative fun, of course!). Staff took leftover cookies from the decorate-your-own-cookie lunch stations and broke them in half to complete the theme. Students enjoyed having both perspectives on Valentine’s Day — loving or sarcastic. Submitted by Ashley Fabriziani, Marketing Manager
Submitted by Cara Brechler, Marketing Director
…ROMANTIC DINNERS at Emmanuel College in Boston
Love was in the air at Emmanuel College on Valentine’s Day! The Muddy River Café was transformed into a lovers’ paradise, complete with Frank Sinatra music in the background and candlelight all around. Students were asked to reserve tables ahead of time so that staff could plan for the best romantic night out. Cashier Johnny Pereira dressed formally to play server and maître d’for the evening, alongside Café Manager Catherine Corbo, while Chef/Manager Pedro Fernandez plated up the prix fixe menu of Italian classics. Celebrating couples could end with a decadent brownie sundae. Everyone left saying what a wonderful experience it was and asking for a repeat next year. Submitted by Catherine Corbo, Café Manager 96 | BRAVO
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House-made candy hearts with bitter messages to balance the sweet
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...HEARTY HAT TRICK at Reed College in Portland, OR
BonAppétitatReedCollegespreadthelovethisValentine’s Day withthreewaystosatisfytheheartsandappetitesof guests.First, Expo Cook Melody Marquez created an aphrodisiacal lunch menu. She demonstrated her sauté flair while preparing fettuccineandfriedoystersservedwithspicyalmond-basilpesto sauce, accompanied by arugula salad.The second offering was a drawing for two lucky couples to win a special dinner served in the kitchen. The winners were served a four-course meal featuring an artisan cheese and pickle board,duck-heart ragoût, and finally a bittersweet chocolate pot de crème topped with Jacobsen’s sea salt. Guests got an inside and intimate view of all the kitchen magic prepared by Kitchen Supervisor Kenny Tarpley.Lastly,the team created a gift bundle of miniature heartshapedcookiesindecorativepackagingforgueststopurchasefor their sweetheart or to enjoy for themselves.All in all,Valentine’s Day was a“sweet”success! And the students thoroughly enjoyed the added twist on celebrating the day. Submitted by Jenny Nguyen, Executive Chef Reed’s Valentine’s Day table draws in customers with tempting Moonstruck chocolates, fresh-baked heart cookies, and an explanation of the aphrodisiac menu
Case Western Reserve University students enjoying Valentine’s Day dinner at Fribley Marché
...TWO-SWIPE DATE NIGHT at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland
Students rushed to sign up for a special two-swipe date night, which entitled them to a special five-course meal for the price of only two meal swipes. The events sold out! Thursday night at Fribley Marché and Friday night at Leutner Café, students dined at tables set with red linens amid the backdrop of a classical quartet from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Chefs put their heads together to come up with creative dishes, which included some regular options given new twists. The fancy dinners were a hit. Submitted by Beth Kretschmar, Marketing Manager
Date Night Menu AMUSE-BOUCHE
Tart Fig | with blue cheese and crumbled prosciutto Shrimp | with tomato-saffron sauce APPETIZERS
...MISSION FUNDRAISER at Grove City College in Grove City, PA
In support of a Christianity outreach program at Grove City College, Bon Appétit hosted a special event and menu for Valentine’s Day. The funds raised at the dinner, which included a four-course meal with four pricing tiers based on entrée choices, all went to the Religious Activity Committee for students applying to a Red Box mission. Sophomore and junior students wishing to travel overseas for mission-based purposes can apply for the funds. Bon Appétit chefs created a memorable night that included romantic tables for two, a nonalcoholic sparkling beverage, and live piano music. Three appetizer and three dessert choices flanked four soup or salad choices and eight entrée choices,which appealed to different spending levels as well as dietary restrictions. For appetizers, guests had a hard time choosing between prosciuttowrapped shrimp with melon-mango salsa, a black bean egg roll with red pepper coulis, and a charcuterie board. From lamb chops and short ribs to various hearty pasta dishes, the choices only got more difficult, but all choices were creative and satisfying. Guests left happy with both their experience and their contributions.
California and Spicy Tuna Rolls | with seaweed salad and wasabi mayonnaise Tomato-Fennel Bisque SALADS
Trio of Roasted Beets | with baby arugula, goat cheese, and citrus vinaigrette Grilled Vegetables | with aged balsamic reduction, Gorgonzola, and spiced walnuts Grilled Chicken Caesar | with baby romaine, Parmesan crisp, and anchovy fillet ENTRÉES
Pan-Seared, Bacon-Wrapped Miller Pork Chop | with creamed polenta and wild mushroom ragu Slow-Roasted Prime Rib | with braised chard and fingerling potatoes Crab and Shrimp Ravioli | with roasted pepper cream sauce Vegan Mushroom and Spinach Ravioli | in miso broth with shaved leeks DESSERTS
Cherries Jubilee | with ice cream Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake
Submitted by Lori Kragnes, Catering Manager 2 0 1 4 Vo l u m e 2
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...LOVELY SANDWICHES at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA
Executive Chef Anthony Bencomo planned a special, spiffed-up lunch at the Vanguard University Café. The room was warm and celebratory. Students and faculty enjoyed a delicious lunch on white table linens with red linen napkins. Fresh, red flower petals were sprinkled across the tables, along with a variety of Valentine’s Day candy. Anthony’s “Aphrodite” Greek chicken gyros were one of the favorites, along with the“singles’ club sandwich.” Submitted by Arianna Contreras, Catering Supervisor
...CHOCOLATE FOUNTAINS AND NUTELLA PIZZA at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI
Students dipping treats in chocolate
Roger Williams University students love the tradition of chocolate fountains for Valentine’s Day. Garnished withplentyof dippingchoices, the flowing sweetness is an indulgence for all of the dinner guests. The main retail café, the Lower Commons, also showed guests some love through chocolate. A specialty pizza covered with Nutella, white and milk chocolate chips, and strawberries caught the eye(orsweettooth)of many guests that day. If the pizza didn’t entice them, many opted for a conversational heart cookie with collegial phrasessuchas“textme.”The lovers of sweets were quite happy on this special day. Submitted by Stephanie Keith, Marketing Manager/ Controller
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Executive Chef Thomas Tran’s surf-and-turf chef’s plate
...STRAWBERRIES AND CHEF’S PLATE at Pacific Café in Irvine, CA
Valentine’s Day at the Pacific Café was a sight to behold with its abundance of tuxedo strawberries and lovely themed menu. The most noteworthy dish was a surf-and-turf plate of sirloin steak and pan-seared shrimp on a crispy garlic-spinach risotto cake with baby carrots and delicious horseradish sauce. The impressive chef ’s plate was a hit, but rivaling that in popularity were the 1,000 pre-ordered tuxedo strawberries, prepared by Cold Food Prep Aracali Delgado, that guests could take home to loved ones.These hand-dipped and beautifully painted creations were a special treat at the end of the week. Submitted by Bonnie Adams, Controller
TaylorMade in Carlsbad, CA, put out a very sweet spread for Valentine’s Day, including hundreds of red velvet cupcakes and hand-dipped, decorated chocolate strawberries. Submitted by Molly Johnson, Chef/Manager
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...TREATS APLENTY at University of Redlands in Redlands, CA
Love was in the air as Bon Appétit at the University of Redlands went into Valentine’s extravaganza mode. Students had plenty of time to fill out pre-order forms for specialty cupcakes, cookies, and chocolate-dipped strawberries. In addition to purchasing more than 400 of those delectable items, 24 orders were placed for heart-shaped cakes. The Plaza Market offered chocolate-covered pretzel hearts, malt balls, and several other candies that did not need any pre-ordering. However, the demand was overwhelming enough to keep the vigilant staff working hard to keep everything stocked. Lastly, word spread across campus that the first Valentine Prix Fixe Dinner would be held in the University Club restaurant. Reservations and menu testing kept the staff quite busy. Students and community members showed up in their best holiday attire, ready to revel in a splendid three-course meal. It was the perfect week’s end: The food was fabulous, the audience was ecstatic, the tables were elegant, and the lighting just right. Submitted by Susan Martinez, Operations Manager
University of Redlands Valentine’s Day Menu FIRST PLATE*
Asparagus and Dungeness Crab Soup | with chive crème Baked Oysters on the Half-Shell | with basil and Parmesan Arugula Salad | with goat cheese medallions and pine nut vinaigrette ENTRÉE* All entrées served with truffle-whipped potatoes and petit vegetables
McWilliams Honey Chicken | with house-cured bourbon bacon and dried tart cherry jus Grilled Bistro Filet | with chimichurri marinade and cabernet sauvignon demi-glace Pan-Roasted Pacific Salmon | with coriander and blood orange beurre blanc Goat Cheese Ravioli | with sautéed vegetables and tomato fondue DESSERT*
Petit Molten Cake | with mocha crème brûlée and espresso ice cream Sweetheart Ravioli Pillow with Redlands orange glaze and Grand Marnier *Choice of
Valentine’s Day at Terzo Piano
...ELEGANT DECADENCE at the Art Institute of Chicago
Terzo Piano at the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the most sought-after venues in Chicago, not only for day-to-day dining, but also for celebrating special occasions. This holds true for the most romantic day of the year, Valentine’s Day, as indicated by sold-out reservations. Operations Manager Erika Armenta commented that this may have been the best year yet, with equal kudos from returning and new visitors. Chef di Cucina Megan Neubeck and Sous Chef Justin Paponetti designed and executed the three-course menu. The first course was a choice of smoked endive, pickled shallots, toasted pecans, thyme-apple vinaigrette, and cheddar fricco or seared scallop with kumquat, pickled jalapeño, and cilantro. The second course was a choice between braised short rib, pickled horseradish polenta, balsamic cipollini onions, and micro arugula or handcrafted spaghetti, Maine lobster, lobster sauce, chives, and caviar. To end the evening on a sweet note, guests could choose chocolate cremeux, chocolate streusel, burnt-orange caramel, and meringue or honey chiffon cake, fresh citrus, pomegranate syrup, and pistachio ice cream.Rave reviews added to the sweetness,but staff members see it as a challenge to raise the bar for next time. Submitted by Olivia Miller, Project Coordinator
Brocade in San Jose, CA, offered guests special house-made to-go meals that could be pre-ordered for a tasty, headache-free Valentine’s evening. The menu: cupid’s salad (red wine and ginger-poached pears, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, mixed greens, and balsamic vinaigrette), carrot-ginger soup, chateaubriand Wellington, and macaroni and cheese for the kids, plus chocolate-dipped strawberries. Submitted by Ashley Paradiso, General Manager
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Bon Appétit’s recent partnership with culinary superstar Jet Tila not only resulted in an invaluable hands-on training in Chinese cuisine for our chefs, but was also the inspiration for a fun, memorable, culturally authentic Lunar New Year celebration for guests. Jet’s training series, called China’s Four Influential Cuisines, explained the distinctions between the four main culinary regions of China. In it, he showed how to prepare flavorful, classical Chinese dishes made with very little sugar or oil and only the freshest, highestquality ingredients. For Bon Appétit’s companywide Lunar New Year celebration, guests all across the country sampled dishes representing these four primary culinary regions. Educational materials displayed in the café explained the differences between each region’s staple ingredients, cooking styles, favorite seasonings, and signature dishes. Paper lanterns, bold black-and-red marketing materials, and vessels of symbolic foods such as tangerines (representing fortune) added color and interest to the day. To encourage participation and give guests a little extra boost, many accounts handed out red envelopes, a traditional Chinese wish for New Year’s good luck. Red envelopes often contain money, but we stuffed ours with recipe cards, coupons, candy, and Chinese zodiac wheels. Data gathered in our tracking forms showed that many cafés were able to increase participation by promoting the fun aspects of the events, while many increased check averages by offering Lunar New Year combo menus. The promotion was a resounding success! Submitted by Allison Amato, Retail Marketing Manager
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LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION: Discovering China’s Four Influential Cuisines
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Fresh off the completion of their special culinary training with chef Jet Tila, the Bon Appétit team at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH, planned a special lunch highlighting the authentic Chinese recipes and cooking techniques they’d learned. Chef/Manager Matt Krasnevich used local pork from New Creation Farm to prepare the traditional char siu barbecue, pairing it with Sichuan-style green beans and lo mein noodles, followed by Chinese almond cookies for dessert. Students loved the red envelopes. This first-time promotion was a great success at Oberlin!
Submitted by Eric Pecherkiewicz, Dietitian/Marketing Manager
At Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO, faculty, staff, and students raved about the Lunar New Year celebration. Dozens commented on how beautiful Cashier Yun Park-Rastall (pictured) looked in her traditional garb, and they loved the menu created by Sous Chef Matt Butler. One guest wrote that she was Taiwanese and thought that the Lunar New Year food was “absolutely fantastic, the best meal I’ve had here!” High praise indeed. Submitted by Derek Hanson, Director of Operations
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The Bon Appétit team at Reed College in Portland, OR, teamed up with the campus’s Chinese House to celebrate a joint student-run China Culture Week, culminating in a showstopping performance by the Northwest Lion and Dragon Dance Association! As two large lions battled to the heartbeat of live drums, guests could choose from four different regional cuisines: char siu (barbecued) pork with house-made steamed buns and fried rice (south), vegan Buddha’s delight with fried tofu (west), Peking duck (north), and steamed yang chow Oregon Coast rockfish (east). The team handed out more than 100 red envelopes randomly to guests containing lucky chocolate coins or even a voucher for free fresh-baked Chinese almond cookies.
Submitted by Jenny Nguyen, Executive Chef
Sichuan green beans were a favorite at TaylorMade in Carlsbad, CA
Reed team (front row) posing with the dancers: Kelly Labenske, manager; Vanessa van Staden, operations manager; Lindsey Leisinger, catering director; Debby Bridges, general manager; Wally Chow, director of NWLDDA; Jenny Nguyen, executive chef; James Pirsch, executive sous chef; Kenny Tarpley, kitchen supervisor; and Will Henderson, sous chef
Several times a year, the Bon Appétit team at Nordstrom in Seattle offers cooking classes for the retailer’s employees. In the spirit of the Chinese Lunar New Year, they decided to teach the history and culture behind the holiday, and it was a rousing success! Sous Chefs Amanda Cherniske (below, right) and J. Pinkos and Executive Chef Christopher Patterson (below, left) worked with a class of eager students. The menu included chicken lo mein and wontons filled with pork and water chestnuts. The absolute highlight of the evening was the hands-on portion! After constructing a few dozen of the wontons, the class steamed or fried them. Chris, Amanda, and Pinkos enjoyed showing off some little chef tricks, such as using a pinch of flour to test the temperature of oil and peeling a head of garlic by shaking it hard between two metal bowls. Hosting these cooking classes is the highlight of their week, and Lunar New Year provided an excellent new platform to share their knowledge and open communication from guests directly to chefs. Submitted by Christopher Patterson, Executive Chef
Submitted by Molly Johnson, Chef/Manager
At Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, in grand style, members of the Chinese Club held a fashion show of authentic Chinese clothing and played traditional Chinese music. The Lee’s Association Dance Team, which has performed in the Portland Rose Parade, gave a special performance of the Southern Chinese lion dance accompanied by drums and gongs that brought the student crowd to their feet. Submitted by Dan Sprauer, Operations Manager 2 0 1 4 Vo l u m e 2
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Collaborating with Student Groups
At Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, GA, Cashier Daisy Henfield greeted every guest who walked through the doors with a smile and a red envelope. The SCAD team handed out almost a thousand, with coupons ranging from free cookies to free coffee to free pizza. In a clever move, they printed SCAD Dining’s social media addresses on the back of each coupon, gaining quite a few new followers from all that envelope stuffing! Executive Sous Chef Joseph Cretella and staff created a menu that had students, faculty, and staff coming from all over town, including a stirfried local beef with broccoli.
Serendipitously, the Asian students from the multicultural student union at Roger Williams University (RWU) in Bristol, RI, had requested that RWU Dining host a Lunar New Year celebration. Executive Chef Reuben Haag enjoyed re-creating the time-honored recipes the students had provided for both lunch and dinner service. The cooks wore vibrant red chef coats, while lanterns and bamboo transformed the café. The Mongolian wok station became a dim sum palace, with carefully designed dishes and large eye-catching bamboo steamers. The Classics station highlighted Asian entrées alive with color and mouthwatering aromas such as steamed peanut fish, braised pork belly and eggs, “strange flavor” eggplant, fried bananas, and garlic-ginger green beans. As guests left the café, they were surprised with red envelopes — a fun end to a fantastic meal. Submitted by Stephanie Keith, Marketing Manager/Controller
Submitted by Heather Carbone, Marketing Manager
The Trine University team partnered with international students to provide an even more special evening in honor of Lunar New Year, with a served meal in the Bateman Presidential Dining Room. Two seatings were offered, one for students and staff at 6 p.m., and one for Angola, IN, community members at 8 p.m. At both, Kitchen Supervisor Fred Treadwell offered a brief explanation of the different regional cuisines of China. Each guest received a red envelope containing various gifts including a free specialty coffee drink from Trine’s Centennial Station. The community members were treated with a gift card for a free brunch meal to be enjoyed on a Saturday or Sunday in Whitney Commons, the primary student dining café on campus. Lastly, each guest was given a set of recipe cards for each dish served at the meal to try and re-create it at home. The Chinese students complimented Fred and his team on the dishes’ authenticity and asked for a repeat of the event next year! Submitted by Craig Stangland, Catering and Marketing Manager
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At Whittier College in Whittier, CA, a festively dressed Office Manager Channy Gil passed out red envelopes to the first 300 lunch guests. Submitted by James Dial, General Manager
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At guest chef Jet Tila’s Chinese culinary training at Emmanuel College in Boston, Bon Appétit staff from around the region enjoyed tasting some authentic flavors and dishes such as siu mai dumplings.The objectives for the day were simple: learn about the culture and variances in the four major culinary regions of China, experience their flavors, and practice the principles of balance and classical modern techniques. Afterward, the cooks at Emmanuel were very excited to pick recipes for their Lunar New Year celebration. Thanks to Jet’s expert training, they served up Mongolian beef, Cantonese roast duck, Sichuan green beans, crab Rangoon, and spring rolls without blinking an eye. Submitted by Catherine Corbo, Café Manager
At Oracle - Redwood Shores in Redwood Shores, CA, twin balloon dragons greeted guests at the entrance to the 600 Café, which features spice-filled recipes from around the Asian region year-round. For Lunar New Year, Café Chef Henry Lau executed some fantastic authentic dishes, such as gung hei fat choy (although better known as wishes for prosperity and luck in the new year, it’s also a dish of black moss/sea vegetable) and Buddha’s vegetarian lucky pot (napa and green cabbage with Chinese mushrooms, gingko nuts, angel hair, bamboo, wood ear mushrooms, wokseared garlic bok choy, and jasmine rice). The Chairman Food Truck made a guest appearance on the café’s patio, serving their famous bao buns to the Oracle patrons to much delight.
Submitted by Chana Richey (Rodriguez), Director of Catering
Kosher Chef Lisa Hungler shared the tradition of Lunar New Year and traditional Chinese cuisine with the Bon Appétit team at Washington University in St. Louis. Handmade pot stickers and a whole chicken (head and all) were the centerpiece of this traditional Chinese cuisine class held on Lunar New Year. Submitted by April Powell, Director of Marketing and Communications
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Thank You, from George Fox University
Resident District Manager Denny Lawrence was pleased to receive this letter from Alex Pia, director of international student services, following the Lunar New Year celebration at the Newberg, OR, school: Our office has always found Bon Appétit to provide food service that is very meaningful and appreciated by our international students for their various cultural events such as: • Moon Festival: Denny has always purchased authentic Moon Cakes for our students to help them celebrate with this authentic dessert imported directly from China. • Lunar New Year Celebration: In harmony and input from our students Bon Appétit has always worked to provide a wide variety of authentic menus to help our students feel more at home. • Cultural Celebration Week: An annual event to celebrate the diverse foods from around the world. The Bon Appétit team has always prepared dozens of foods represented by the many international students attending Fox throughout the entire week. Denny has created a culture of service for our international students throughout his entire staff. For our Lunar New Year Celebration, Denny and his staff: • took time to discuss the planning of the event with our student leaders to ensure they were well represented and the menus authentic. • offered us the use of a portion of the dining room for our celebration, which was the perfect location for the event. • provided high-quality food and beverages including pork char siu, assorted potstickers, hoisin chicken, garlic long beans. • offered us excellent guidance when we discussed an alternative in the event that foul weather would cause us to alter our event schedule.
At
Seattle University’s Fire Wok station, students lined up under red lanterns for a customizable stir-fry dish, kung pao chicken, steamed buns, and savory egg rolls as aromatic hints of ginger, herbs, and chili lingered through the air.
Submitted by Cathy Lee, Marketing Coordinator
• had knowledgeable staff on hand to assist us as well as guidance for setup as we planned and helped execute this event. In summary, our student director commented that this year’s Lunar New Year celebration was one of the best that we have organized, and a big reason for the event’s success was the assistance of Denny Lawrence and his team. Thanks for all your good work, Bon Appétit!
When Bon Appétit managers at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, reached out to the various clubs on campus, the Carleton Chinese Club jumped at helping out with Lunar New Year. The students provided personal stories and pictures on how they have celebrated Lunar New Year with their families and friends, which were posted throughout both dining halls on campus. Chinese Club members also handed out the red envelopes and explained why they were filled with tea, candy coins, or zodiac cards. Submitted by Jennifer Pope, Board Manager
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Duke Gets a Visit from Chinese Culinary Royalty
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Submitted by Joseph Dowe, Executive Chef
unar New Year may come but once a year, but Bon Appétit teams cook variations on Chinese cuisine through all four seasons. The Duke University team in Durham, NC, was excited to host Jim Dodge, director of specialty culinary programs, and guest chef Jet Tila, Bon Appétit’s go-to authentic Chinese culinary instructor. The 42 participants, both salaried and hourly employees, were eager to learn and get hands-on experience. Jet went through the history of Chinese cooking and the different regions and how and where the different flavors arose. The class learned about the styles of woks — northern versus southern — how to correctly season new woks, and the best way to keep them maintained for everyday use. Did you know to look for a white wisp of smoke before you start cooking to ensure that your wok is hot enough? They were also surprised to find out that Chinese soy sauce differed from the Japanese version. Jet and Jim walked everyone through hands-on demos including proper egg-roll and dim-sum preparation — the simple tricks that make it easy to reproduce correctly — as well as out-of-this-world fried rice. The array of bountiful flavors, textures, and aromas made everyone’s mouth water, but fortunately they got to feast on what they’d produced. All the team members were given a signed cookbook by Jet to use as a continuation of their training. You know the class was successful when some people later brought in samples of Jet’s almond cookies that they’d made from the recipe for all to try!
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Hamilton Students Enjoy Team-Building Culinary Competition Submitted by Jillian Ksiadz, Marketing Manager
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ost culinary competitions that Bon Appétit holds are all about fostering camaraderie through teams working together against the clock. A recent event at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, did just that, but without the more stressful competitive aspects, with the goal being to help the groups of students learn more about cooking in general. In line with the values of the campusbased Levitt Public Affairs Center, which hosted the event, students gathered with Executive Chef Derek Roy to learn about feeding groups on a budget while also learning how to make a restaurant-quality four-course meal. Students worked in teams to find recipes, create a budgeted menu, and present four different courses for a group of about 40 faculty and staff members and students to enjoy. The evening’s menu comprised arugula salad tossed in lemon–olive oil vinaigrette, tomato-topped bruschetta, chicken stir-fry or tempura vegetable crepe, and for dessert, white chocolate–raspberry mousse and chocolate pound cake topped with a chocolate buttercream frosting.
Derek Roy received this handwritten note afterward
Hamilton student Maggie Haag
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Front to back: Hamilton students Elise Eagan, Amy Song, Hannah Tessler, Michael Nelson, Peter Hagstrom, and Rachel Pollan
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MIT Makes Ice Cream Magic for Prospective Students Submitted by Brian McCarthy, Chef/Manager
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warm and beautiful day provided the perfect backdrop for an exciting demo that Chef/Manager Brian McCarthy used to show off Bon Appétit’s Simmons Hall at MIT in Cambridge, MA, to prospective students. Brian saw an opportunity to surprise and delight: make ice cream at the front of the house using dry ice, so that the students could experience creating it. The electric mixer was taken to the middle of the dining area, where a group of students gathered. After talking with the audience, Brian started the demo by explaining that only four ingredients were needed — fresh whole kumquats, coconut milk, orange juice concentrate, and sugar. He mixed them in a large container using a commercial kitchen immersion blender. He then poured the ingredients into the electric mixer, added the paddle attachment, and started adding the dry ice pellets. This, of course, produced a large amount of fog streaming over the edge of the mixing bowl — adding a magical air. After about 10 minutes of mixing, it was time to serve the perfectly chilled ice cream to a long line of happy students. Perhaps Brian swayed some students to decide on MIT and MIT dining for the fall semester!
Adding the dry ice
Chef/Manager Brian McCarthy watching the ice cream chill
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Thank You, Bon Appétit ...for WORKING THROUGH THE SNOW at Reed College, Portland, OR
Portland isn’t a city that’s primed for snow. But countrywide wacky weather this year sent a “snowpocalypse” to Portland this winter. Even though snow and ice paralyzed the city, the Reed College team managed to open the Commons on time and have hot, delicious food ready for all the students living on campus. General Manager Debby Bridges acknowledged the efforts of the skeleton staff and ultimately called it a great team-building experience. Students from the Grove residential area put together the pictured thank-you sign to show their appreciation.
...for ENGAGING STUDENTS at Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont, CA
Bon Appétit’s new West Coast Fellow, Andrew Monbouquette, hit the ground running in his new role. The corporate office received this positive feedback after his first few weeks: Andrew Monbouquette came to Notre Dame de Namur University yesterday to speak to my Environmental History/Environmental Justice class. His presentation was excellent, all the more impressive when I learned this was his first time before a college class. He impressed and engaged the students — a number of them exchanged email addresses with him and discussed plans for an Earth Day event — and he was both deft and knowledgeable in his answers to questions. A pleasure to have him here — an inspiration for the students, and an excellent representative of Bon Appétit’s principles. Stephen Cole Department of History & Political Science Notre Dame de Namur University
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...for CATERING THE CAREER FAIR at Regis University, Denver
Regis University Employer Relations Developer Karen Metzger Adducci submitted this grateful note to the entire Bon Appétit staff for hosting and catering Career Day in the Main Café: Dear Bon Appétit staff, Thank you so very much for all your assistance with the Career Fair. It was an excellent event, and your staff played a big role in making it so successful. The use of the Main Café is so very appreciated. The employers year after year say the same thing: “It’s nice to be in a warm, inviting atmosphere, rather than a cold, unattractive field house.” It is a beautiful venue and creates a welcoming environment. Many thanks to [Director of Catering and Brand Programs] Rebecca Repp for working with me to create a delicious, affordable lunch for our employers. Every one of the employers remarked how fabulous the food was and how special it was we treated them to such a great meal. The staff in attendance was on hand the entire time with a smile to keep trays full and answer any questions. You helped us continue to develop the relationships we have had over the years with organizations we bring here to hopefully hire our students and foster partnerships with our new employers. Food and location is key. It shows we care about them and appreciate their time at Regis.
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We ate way too much, but oh, it was so good!!! ...for THE DELICIOUS CHEF’S TABLE at Jones Farm 5 in Hillsboro, OR
At Jones Farm 5, the fun tradition of drawing monthly for a special Chef ’s Table dining experience continues. Theresa, the corporate employee who won the multicourse, fine-dining meal for herself and five friends, had this to say about the experience: Thanks so much for last week’s Chef’s Table. The meal was a delight. Everyone enjoyed it, even the two who had to consume theirs at their desks because of a last-minute emergency lunchtime meeting. We ate way too much, but oh, it was so good!!!”
Sous Chef Katt Owen and Executive Chef Andre Uribe prepared a springthemed menu for the Chef’s Table winner and her five guests
Chef’s Table
Pumpkin soup with toasted pumpkin seeds and mini cheese-filled corn arepa
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...for FEEDING OUR KIDS WELL at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, MD
On a recent family weekend at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, one prospective student’s parents went out of their way to not just fill out comment cards, but decorate them with high praises.
...for 10 YEARS OF EXCELLENT SERVICE at Trine University, Angola, IN
We know how great all of our team members are, but we love it when we see that our students think so, too! Cook Brenda Jarrell has been serving up breakfast and lunch favorites with a smile since May of 2004. Cook Alicia Barr has been helping students start their day off with a fresh, made-to-order omelet and specialty lunch entrees for over nine years as well. We couldn’t be happier to have these two ladies as part of the team!
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...for PARTICIPATING IN HUNGER AWARENESS WEEK at Willamette University, Salem, OR
...for SERVICE WITH A SMILE at Washington University in St. Louis
The Bon Appétit team at Willamette University and Waste Specialist Claire Cummings teamed up with the men of Phi Delta Theta (a fraternity on campus) to host educational events for Hunger Awareness Week. Students were able to draw the connection between the issues of waste and hunger through kitchen tours and an educational presentation on Bon Appétit Management Company’s sustainable waste management techniques. The event was a great success, and the fraternity wrote:
As a recent letter to Resident District Manager Nadeem Siddiqui shows, the Bon Appétit staff at Washington University in St. Louis’s Holmes Lounge is known campuswide for its excellent customer service, commitment to quality, and speed:
The men of Phi Delta Theta would like to thank you for participating in our first-ever Hunger Awareness Week. It was an enormous success, raising $1,200 for Marion Polk Food Share. We educated many on the Willamette Campus about how hunger impacts our community. Sincerely, Phi Delta Theta OR Gamma
Dear Nadeem: As my retirement date draws near, I want to take a moment to thank you for the wonderful job that you and your team do. Over the years, due to convenience, I have used the services in Holmes Lounge the most. As a result, I have come to know many of the team at this location and had ample opportunity to observe the customer service. They work very hard to be accommodating and keep things moving in a space that is not ideally built for the variety of options and the volume of business. One is always greeted with big smiles and friendly chatter. And, the questions from those visiting campus are patiently answered, even when the serving line is packed. I hope you will share my compliments with them, as they represent Bon Appétit and Washington University well. Wishing you the best, Ann B. Prenatt Vice Chancellor for Human Resources
Holmes Lounge staff holding their personal copy of the letter from Ann Prenatt
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No matter what happens you have certainly proven that we can count on you. ...for BEING PREPARED at Lafayette College, Easton, PA
...for the ROCKING (AND ROLLING) SPECIAL EVENTS at Hamilton College, Clinton, NY
A very serious winter snowstorm threatened food-service operations at the Lafayette campus, but Bon Appétit staff managed to be both prepared and adaptive. General Manager Joel Blice and Director of Operations Sarah Fried received this wonderful note:
Hamilton College General Manager Patrick Raynard received the following thanks for a sushi workshop, which was offered to 30 campus employees and taught by Chef/Manager Jay Minckler.
I really wanted to thank the Dining Services team for all of your efforts to maintain operations in spite of the winter weather, which has been challenging to say the least. In very tough travel conditions, you and your employees still managed to make it to campus, find someplace to park (which might have been one of the more challenging aspects), and continue to feed our students. You ensured that we were as prepared as we could be in terms of the quantities of food and beverages and ensured our storage circumstances would be adequate, even if we were to have lost power on campus. No matter what happens you have certainly proven that we can count on you. I want you to know how much I and the whole school genuinely appreciate the extraordinary efforts and personal sacrifices you and your staff made to provide uninterrupted service. Thank you!!
On behalf of the Committees of Wellness and Employee Environment and Professional Development, thank you for helping us make the sushi workshop a reality. Our chef, Jay, was wonderful. He was articulate and his demonstration on how to make the rolls was very professional. The stations made it so easy for us to jump right in and get rolling. I can’t tell you the number of participants who are looking forward to doing this type of event again — sushi or something else! It’s always a pleasure working with you and the Bon Appétit staff, and we are looking forward to more events! Best, Anne Riffle
Kari Fazio Finance and Administration Division
…for VOLUNTEERING TO FEED THE HUNGRY around Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
Over the past two years, Bon Appétit at CWRU has donated three times to Kids Against Hunger, a student organization on campus aimed at battling child hunger. Collectively, they’ve contributed more than 1,500 pounds of rice. The team received the following note: The members of Kids Against Hunger at Case Western Reserve University want to thank you profusely for all of your help with funding and donating to the packing event. The event was a huge success! We packed 37,112 meals with the help of over 200 volunteers. We look forward to partnering with you in the future and making an even larger impact on those who need it right here in Cleveland. Thank you!
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...for MAKING STUDENTS FEEL AT HOME at Mills College, Oakland, CA
Bon Appétit staffers treat students so much like family that graduating seniors can get a little sad about leaving the nest, as shown by these two comment cards shared by Mills College General Manager Katy Simones. Kudos to Winnie On and Julie Lau, café attendants, for their welcoming presence.
You have been so enthusiastic, open and helpful that we can be optimistic about everything dining related.
...for the HARD WORK at Denison University, Granville, OH
Denison University’s dining committee student members witness firsthand daily the efforts of General Manager Jennifer McGann, and the entire committee sent lovely handwritten notes to thank her. An excerpt: This past year has been wonderful. Getting to know you both professionally and personally has been one of my biggest takeaways this academic year. You have been so enthusiastic, open and helpful that we can be optimistic about everything dining related. Your spirit, energy and wit have always help me hold the meetings. Thank you for your effort and love to us on the committee and at Denison. We really appreciate the hard work you and [Executive Chef ] Jonathan [O’Carroll] have put in. Here’s to you, chef, and another great year. Until we’re back in August, Raghor I wanted to thank you for taking so much time out of your schedule to help the Dining Committee. Without your help, expertise, and drive, the Dining Committee would not have made anywhere near the amount of successful improvements to Denison. It was a pleasure meeting you and working with you each week. Thank you for everything. Regards, Jamie 2 0 1 4 Vo l u m e 2
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...For OFFERING TRANSPARENCY AND INSPIRATION at Denison University, Granville, OH
S.K. Piper, formerly Bon Appétit’s Midwest Fellow and now Denison University’s sustainability manager, received this glowing thank-you letter along with a handmade book about the food industry from a student who she’d helped with a senior project and interacted with on other projects. Dear Piper, I would like to personally thank you for this year. I have been lucky to work alongside you in two projects. From the Farmscape class we greatly appreciate you working with the Huffman staff and opening the back gates for us. This great exposure to behind the scenes that many people don’t have the opportunity to experience was wonderful. We gained more than pictures to use in our books and exhibition. We gained knowledge, personal views, and emotions. When we look at our different trips, Huffman was not the classical picturesque field for us to create art. But with the personal connections we all have with the dining hall, the challenge to create art was accepted and enjoyed. The freedom you gave us in touring Huffman truly showed your connection with the community and food industry. It is great to see there was no hiding involved. With this class and everything you do, the Denison community is becoming more aware of their food. Working with you on my senior project was a delight. …You have great ideas and were very helpful in pointing me in the right direction. I would not have been able to complete the process of my project without you.
...for the Corporate Office’s VOLUNTEERING TO HELP END HOMELESSNESS, Palo Alto, CA
Even in wealthy Silicon Valley, more than 7,600 people in Santa Clara County are homeless on any given night. Thus, the annual fundraiser Rivers of Chocolate for the county’s HomeFirst nonprofit organization is a significant one. Thanks to all the volunteers, donors, and attendees, the event raised more than $160,000 this year. Bon Appétit corporate office staffers — Norris Mei, project assistant; Vicki Field, office manager; Jee Deleon, payroll manager; and Jennifer Takara, regional manager of recruitment and safety — enjoyed a fun-filled, busy day volunteering on everything from setup to breakdown to raffles and auctions. Norris received the following thank-you email from Antoinette Nguyen, event manager. Dear Norris, Rivers of Chocolate was a HUGE success! I could not have done this without your support. Hands down, you and the Bon Appétit crew were the BEST crew EVER!!!! In the short time I got to know all of you, I am touched and amazed by your commitment to support me and this fundraising event. Thank you. And, we bonded so well. I cannot thank you enough.
Through my senior project and Farmscape I learned more about what you do here for Denison and sustainability. What I learned has inspired me to move in a similar direction you have taken. Then changes you have made for Denison are incredible, and I know it is just the start! Your ability to communicate with anyone and everyone allows you to make changes at many different levels. I want to start with my communication abilities and experience many different fields to expand my knowledge. This summer and season I will be working on a farm. I hope the knowledge I have gained from interacting with you will help me understand and communicate the benefits of agriculture and sustainability. Thank you for helping with this process and being an inspiration for me. Sincerely, Charlie Allen 116 | BRAVO
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With deepest gratitude, Antoinette
Hands down, you and the Bon Appétit crew were the BEST crew EVER!!!!
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...for ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING EVENT at Carleton College, Northfield, MN
Bon Appétit is proud that our clients share our commitment to supporting our communities. ACT (Acting in the Community Together) is a Carleton College organization that connects student volunteers to local organizations for co-curricular community service and student leadership development. The above thank-you, received by General Manager Katie McKenna, is for Bon Appétit’s contribution to a fundraiser for one of the sponsored community nonprofits, HOPE. 2 0 1 4 Vo l u m e 2
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From Fedele Step into the Future
Fedele turns the camera on the assembled Albion commencement crowd
Fedele’s Albion College Commencement address, continued from page 3
Wendell Berry, America’s poet and staunch defender of small-scale farming, said: “Eating with the fullest pleasure is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world.” It is this connection with consumers, the communities in which we work and live, and the environment that I would like to focus on for a few minutes. I had the privilege to serve on the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. I traveled all over the United States to see and learn firsthand how our food was raised and the effects agriculture has on the environment andpublichealth.Itgavemethe opportunity to help formulate solutions to the problems which lie at the heart of our nation’s system of agriculture. Food production has shifted from the traditional, extensive, decentralized family-farm system to a more concentrated system with fewer producers. Not long ago, the bulk of the fruit, grain, vegetables, meat, and dairy products consumed by the American people were produced on small family farms. These farms once defined both the physical and the social character of the U.S. countryside. We have shifted to an industrial agriculture model run on agrochemicals, federal subsidies for feed crops, heavily dependent on fossil fuels, and responsible for an unconscionable percentage of this country’s greenhouse gas emissions. We continue to push the concentration of modern agriculture past the limits of ethical and environmental acceptability. The current system to ensure the safety of our food is disjointed and dysfunctional. It contributes to the development of an undernourished, grossly overweight population filling up on empty calories. The problems are not one-dimensional. They affect multiple aspects of life in this country. They impact the health of the public through the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, as well as the rivers and streams that support our fish and wildlife. They contribute to the increase in the pool of antibiotic-resistant bacteria because of 118 | BRAVO
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the overuse of antibiotics. They impact rural communities and the fundamental ethical tenets of our relationships with the billions of animals that are raised and slaughtered each year to provide meat and dairy products for our tables. While the impacts of factory farming may be far reaching and detrimental to many aspects of life in America, they are distressingly invisible and unknown to most Americans. As a people, we have become remarkably divorced from the roots of our food supply. We continue to harbor romantic notions of a more pastoral form of agriculture which has all but disappeared in the United States, only to be replaced by the densely packed, windowless sheds housing thousands — sometimes hundreds of thousands — of animals who live out their remarkably short lives without ever being able to exhibit and experience many of the natural behaviors of their species. One wonders how we ever ended up where we are today. We never voted or ever had a conscious say on the transformation of agriculture from what it used to be to what it has become.
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The Pew Commission was able to identify both the strengths and weaknesses of the current way in which we go about raising the vast majority of our farm animals for food, and to make it more compatible with the ideals of a society that strives to balance the needs and best interests of people, animals, and the environment, in ways that do not jeopardize any one merely for the sake of market efficiency. This experience served to underscore my commitment to Bon Appétit’s core values of sustainability. When I started Bon Appétit, my dream was to build a company that would make a significant difference in our industry — one that would see things differently, crazy enough to think we could change the world by uprooting industry conventions and by significantly changing customer expectations in a positive way. A company that would help to fulfill the promise of tomorrow by providing flavorful food that’s healthy and economically viable for all, produced through practices that respect farmers, workers, and animals; nourish the community; and replenish our shared natural resources for future generations. Healthy and economically viable for all is perhaps one of the biggest challenges America faces. Bon Appétit Management Company now has more than 500 locations and serves over 190 million meals annually. We source as much product as we can from local, owner-operated, small family farmers and artisans. All of our seafood purchasing follows the Seafood Watch guidelines for sustainability. Our protein is purchased without antibiotics as a routine feed additive and we were the first food-service company in the United States to serve cage-free shell eggs. We created the Low Carbon Diet to help create food choices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We established game-changing fair labor standards and a code of conduct for growers to follow, in an effort to address the exploitation of farmworkers in this country. Nearly 2 million workers in America’s fields labor like machines without rights, earn sub-living wages, and exist in dehumanizing circumstances. The persistence of inhumane conditions and poverty wages for farmworkers has long been a tragic chapter in the story of American agriculture.
result in a further lack of confidence in agriculture, where we will continue to have increased environmental damage, worsening public health, dismal animal welfare, and a grave outlook for rural communities. In this age of increased awareness of the need for economically and environmentally sustainable endeavors, agriculture cannot be left behind. We have a long way to go and a lot of work to do, and so much to gain … if we just eat like we give a damn. It’s time to stretch your imagination to envision what is not, and let it lead to invention and innovation, to catch the opportunities that would otherwise be beyond your grasp. With your energy, your hunger for adventure, and your newfound wisdom, find something that you care about. Stand up for what you think is right. Raise hell for those who have no voice. Tap the reserves hidden within you. Do something you’ve never done before. Listen to the music in your soul, run a marathon, climb a mountain, and don’t be afraid to wear the color purple. Unleash the ordinary, do something extraordinary. Life requires unrelenting effort, a willingness to try, and commitments that will span generations. I promise you that these efforts will help build meaning in your life. Here is a fitting sentiment from an old song by Joni Mitchell — you won’t know it, but your parents might: Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you got Till it’s gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot Hey farmer farmer Put away that DDT now Give me spots on my apples But leave me the birds and the bees My hope is that you will always have brilliant Mondays, lazy Sundays, and an occasional day with nothing to do but ride bikes and roller skates. In 1855, an unknown poet named Walt Whitman published Leaves of Grass. After reading the book, Ralph Waldo Emerson responded with one of the most famous tributes in American literary history: “I greet you,” Emerson wrote to Whitman,“at the beginning of a great career.” I end here by wishing you the same. I greet you at the beginning of a great career. Graduates of 2014, we present you with our world. May you have the wisdom to use it well!
We need to chart a new course, and we must approach it with a powerful sense of urgency. As we struggle with these issues, we need to move forward in a positive direction. Failure will only 2 0 1 4 Vo l u m e 2
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The Back Page
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U of the Pacific’s Linda Gets Tsunami of Facebook Love from Students Many Bon Appétit staffers are beloved by guests, but those at education accounts seem to develop a very special bond with their students. There’s no other way to explain how a simple message from one proud Bon Appétiter could have rocketed across Facebook otherwise. On commencement morning, the University of the Pacific’s Office of Communications shared a message that Linda McGlothin, a café supervisor, had sent: Congratulations to all of the graduating class of 2014! My name is Linda, and I work at Davey Café in the library and I want you to know it has been such a privilege and honor to get to know each and every one of you who have become my dear Pacific friends and family members. I want to share with you all my true feelings and observations. You have all touched my heart in your own ways, each different from the other but the results being the same. I think you are collectively the most wonderful group of young people I have ever known, and knowing you has truly been, without a doubt, one of the greatest pleasures of my life. My hope is that if there is anything that I said or did that gave you hope, encouragement, or sent you away with a smile, then take those things with you as tools to do the same for someone else in your life. We at Bon Appétit wish you all the best and thank you for allowing us to serve you. Within a few hours, her expression of gratitude to the Class of ’14 had garnered 580 Likes and close to 60 heartfelt comments from the Pacific community who shared the impact that Linda has had on them and has made at Pacific. “Linda taught me so much while I was at Pacific. A true friend when you need one!” wrote Alicia Valenzuela, while John Sterni called Linda “one of the secret treasures at Pacific!” and Crystal Villanueva said “Linda is freaking amazing!!! She makes studying at the library great with her smile and wonderful attitude!!! I adore her.” Clearly, she was not alone. Submitted by Sia Mohsenzadegan, Resident District Manager
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Café supervisor and Facebook star Linda McGlothin
INDEX Mills College 115 Minnesota History Center 53 Mount St. Mary’s College 89 Musical Instrument Museum 94-95 Nordstrom 43, 103 Oberlin College 13, 32, 102 Oracle - Broomfield 7, 41 Oracle - Burlington 77 Oracle - Redwood Shores 105 Oregon Museum of Science and Industry 37 Pacific Café 49, 98 RA3 Café 96 Reed College 65, 91, 97, 103, 110 Regis University 5, 42, 48, 60, 84, 110 Rio Rancho Café 62 Roger Williams University 33, 98, 104 RS5 Café 35 Santa Clara University 36, 52, 57, 64, 86 Santa Fe University of Art and Design 20 SAS 7, 61 Savannah College of Art and Design 54, 65, 104 Seattle University 36, 48, 55, 106 Soka University 4 St. Edward’s University 72 St. Martin De Porres High School 12 St. Martin’s University 61 St. Mary’s College of Maryland 112 Target 34 TaylorMade 19, 98, 103 Trine University 45, 104, 112 University of La Verne 60 University of Northwestern - St. Paul 61 University of Pennsylvania 10-11 University of Portland 37 University of Redlands 37, 43, 71, 82, 99 University of the Pacific 46 Vanguard University 33, 76, 98 Vivint - Lindon 63 Washington University in St. Louis 6, 28-29, 49, 66-67, 91, 105, 113 Wheaton College 39, 60, 93 Whittier College 104 Willamette University 113
Adobe - Lehi 45 Art Institute of Chicago 4, 37, 99 AT&T Park 74-75 Banfield Pet Hospital 23 Beloit College 21, 69, 91 Best Buy 35 Biola University 81 Bon Appétit Management Company HQ 116 Brocade 99 Buena Vista Café 16-17 Carleton College 56, 63, 87, 106, 117 Case Western Reserve University 35, 80, 85, 97, 114 Claremont McKenna College 56, 91 Cleveland Museum of Art 34, 50-51 College of Idaho 6 Colorado College 47, 63, 102 Denison University 26-27, 62, 115, 116 DePauw University 69 Dominican University 91 Duke University 35, 46, 107 EBC Café 65 Eckerd College 18, 91 Electronic Arts 47 Emmanuel College 73, 96, 105 Flextronics 33 Genentech - South San Francisco 40, 68 George Fox University 106 Georgetown University Law Center 22 Grand Central Café 16-17, 41 Grove City College 83, 97 Hamilton College 44, 108, 114 Hawthorn Farms Café 65 HD1 Café 79 Institute of American Indian Arts 20 Johns Hopkins University 14-15 Jones Farm 5 Café 33, 111 Lafayette College 34, 62, 73, 96, 114 Lawrence University 38 Lesley University 63 Lewis & Clark College 103 Macalester College 7 Market Café and Wine Bar 65 Marymount California University 34 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 62, 109 Medtronic 36 Mentor Graphics 32
BRAVO WAS PRINTED ON PAPER MADE FROM
100%
RECYCLED FIBER INCLUDING
THIS SAVED...
76 fully grown trees 35,215 gallons water 34 million BTUs energy 2,357 pounds solid waste 6,493 pounds greenhouse gases
57%
POST- CONSUMER WASTE .
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2014
LOW CARBON DIET
LOW CARBON DIET DAY 2014 SMOOTHIE DEMOS, LOW CARBON MAKEOVERS, AND MUCH MORE PAGE 30
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: BRAVO IS THE ALMOST QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF
BON APPÉTIT MANAGEMENT COMPANY |
A Member of the Compass Group
Chili Cook-Off Champs
100 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 400 Palo Alto, California 94301 650-798-8000 www.bamco.com
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Food Waste Fighters PAGE 88
LEARN HOW FOOD CHOICES AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY, AND YOUR WELL-BEING AT www.cafebonappetit.com 14-4779
VOL 2