Elements Summer 2015 by Compass Group USA

elements A publication from the Business & Industry sector of Compass Group North America

VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 1 | SUMMER 2015

Chefs discover the recipe for success at Eurestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Culinary Academy A fresh new vending alternative: Canteen proudly launches enr.G Compass companies take top honors in Best Concept Awards

CHANGING THE

FUTURE OF FOOD Compass Group partners with pioneering companies to ensure a greener, more sustainable future

The Celebrity Chef Series partners with renowned chefs from around the world to feature their signature recipes, showcase their culinary talents and share their expert culinary advice.

Look for these celebrity chefsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; recipes in your cafĂŠ! For more information, please email Business.Excellence@compass-usa.com.

WELCOME Follow us on Twitter

Welcome to the summer edition of Elements magazine!

hrough our tremendous client

of some of our favorite videos, visit http://

portfolio, Compass Group serves

compassgroupmedia.com/envision2020videos/.

over eight million meals a day in North America. We all get caught

up in our day-to-day business and activities, but we’ve taken a step back and have begun to realize that through sheer scale, we have a tremendous collective opportunity to influence the food industry — and make it better. About a year ago, Rick Post, our COO, challenged us to look out three, five and 10 years from now and consider the future state of foodservice and what it could (and should) look like. Since that moment, our “Envision 2020” strategy has been shaped around how we will continue to grow the business and, more importantly, do the right thing for people, communities and the planet. Over the past year, we have been developing our road map to make Envision 2020 a reality. Simply stated, our goal is to make it easy for our

This issue of Elements highlights the beginning of our 2020 journey, features key strategic partnerships, and showcases the people within our cafés who are leading this culture of change. As always, we also proudly present to you many of the achievements, accolades, accomplishments and success stories that have resulted from our great client and customer relationships. We’ve always said, “It all starts with our people” —

elements Editor-in-Chief

Susie Weintraub Managing Editor

Amanda Brown Cover Photography:

Don Rayner, Jr. Advertising Graphic Design

Ladavius Carson, Vin Panzaca

and this includes not only our associates, but just as importantly our client and customer community. By leveraging our scale and the goodness of people who want to do the right thing, we can

Published by Kaleidoscopic www.kaleidoscopicinc.com Executive Editor/Art Director

Kristin Smith

collectively have a profound, positive and sustainable impact on the foodservice industry. I hope you enjoy this issue of Elements — and more importantly, have a great summer!

clients and customers to do the right thing and

List of contributors

Special thanks to: Business Excellence Canteen Dining Canteen Vending Compass Corporate Communications Compass Group Compass Field System Solutions

to live well and thrive. Amongst many innovative

Eurest

business strategies that drive toward our vision,

FLIK Conference Centers

we have also established strong partnerships with

FLIK International

a few phenomenal companies and organizations

Susie Weintraub

that share our vision and help us to create posi-

Executive Vice President, Strategic Marketing Compass Group North America

tive change in the industry. For a sneak preview

Restaurant Associates Retail Innovations Thompson Hospitality Wolfgang Puck Catering

SUMMER 2015 • elements

Pantry Refresh Services Include: • • • • •

Gourmet coffee Water filtration Specialty, better-for-you snacks Bottled beverages and premium drinks Disposables

Thinking of offering free snacks with your coffee? You’re not alone. Canteen’s Pantry Refresh Services can handle all the details. We deliver convenience, a variety of products and exceptional service to help increase morale and enhance productivity. Let us keep your breakroom well-stocked and running smoothly.

WWW.CANTEEN.COM

SUMMER 2015

Contents

In keeping with its Envison 2020 strategy, Compass Group partners with likeminded companies to bring delicious, affordable, sustainable food and fair practices to the industry.

COVER STORY

CHANGING THE FUTURE OF FOOD

6. APPETIZERS Business and industry updates, including new unit openings, charity/community news, plus awards and honors. Discover what makes Eurest’s newly launched Culinary Academy such a valuable asset for the company and its chef participants.

20. AMY KEISTER: SUSTAINABILITY

Compass Group North America Compass Group North America is the leader in foodservice management and support services. Throughout the U.S. and Canada, Compass Group North America has more than 200,000 associates in 50 states, 10 provinces and two territories. We serve eight million meals a day – from vending and office coffee solutions to restaurants, corporate cafés, schools, arenas, museums, remote sites and more.

Why Compass Group buys canned tuna only from sources using FADfree fishing methods.

Compass Group is… Encompassing With a unique sectorization strategy, Compass Group recognizes that not every customer and client has the same tastes, needs and expectations. This is why we are organized into several different operating companies focused on the individual markets we serve.

22. COMPASS GROUP

34. RECIPES: SIMPLY

This Pfizer LaJolla foodservice director is taking customer service to new heights.

Easy, delicious recipes with a focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins from the kitchens of Simply Puur.

32. COMPASS GROUP

38. DEANNE

ASSOCIATE SPOTLIGHT: BETTY HANLON-DEEVER

ASSOCIATE SPOTLIGHT: BILLY STRYNKOWSKI We proudly reprint an article from The Wall Street Journal, profiling RA’s director of wellness and his role as executive chef of player dining at the U.S. Open.

Compass Group is… Sustainability Compass Group is proud to lead the foodservice industry with groundbreaking policies that champion local farmers and fair trade; reduce the use of antibiotics in chicken, turkey and pork; commit to healthier oceans by purchasing sustainable seafood; support sustainable agriculture and healthy rural economies with the N.C. 10% campaign; focus on social justice; and promote farm animal welfare through 100 percent use of cage-free shell eggs.

PUUR, SIMPLY DELICIOUS

BRANDSTETTER: THE LAST WORD ON WELLNESS Gluten-free: food fashion or health priority? Deanne explains.

Compass Group is… Community Compass Group is committed to the communities in which we live and serve. These commitments have been formally recognized as “Compass in the Community” since 1996. We encourage associates to get involved in our communities and we recognize their community-based efforts and successes each year. A panel of Compass Group judges reviews the community projects and rewards the associates with a monetary donation to the organization of their choice.

SUMMER 2015 • elements

appetizers

NEWS Q&A PEOPLE & PLACES DIVERSITY GREAT SOLUTIONS

Eurest’s Chef’s Tables SPECIAL TABLES SHOWCASE EUREST’S CULINARY TALENTS AND DELICIOUS DISHES ON EARTH DAY — AND EVERY DAY Chefs Dean Rice, Glenn Batten and Jonathan Ivens-Brown at their Earth Table preparing delicious dishes for guests.

FRESH, LOCAL FARE ON EARTH DAY

GLOBAL CHEF SERIES AT WELLS FARGO

Eurest Steelcase Executive

This year, Eurest’s Earth Day

For one week in early June, the

In March, Central Division,

Chef Trevor Hill challenged his

celebration featured Earth Table,

Wells Fargo Minneapolis Eurest

Southwest Region and Great

team to add variety to their café

a Chef’s Table showcase of

team hosted a Global Chef

Lakes Region Eurest accounts

with Chef’s Tables featuring

culinary talents and environ-

Series, inviting five Eurest chefs

pulled together to create a

homemade breads and ethnic

mentally friendly best practices.

to host a Guest Chef’s Table.

Chef’s Table featuring various

offerings of their own creation.

Earth Month featured a Chef’s

Chefs Steph Erickson, Rob

homemade products. The Chef’s

A Mardi Gras theme focused

Table Tour in which Eurest chefs

Michaletz, Keith Elfering, Steph

Table featured spicy nuts, energy

on the French art of charcuterie

showcased their culinary talents

Hendrick and Francisco Vargas

bars, caramel apples, choco-

and beautiful presentation of

and environmentally friendly

each hosted a Chef’s Table for

late-dipped Rice Krispies, assort-

the prepared meats. Chef

practices through quality cuisine

a day, serving delicious entrées

ed hot chocolate mixes, various

Trevor’s menu incorporated

made with fresh, sustainable and

such as Thai basil shrimp, beef

trail mixes and granola bars.

crawfish, andouille sausage and

local ingredients. Vice President

brisket tacos, chicken tosta-

Revenue from the Chef’s Table

saffron paella. Excited Steelcase

of Culinary Development, Chef

dos and also created a Pho

was donated to the Lamb’s Farm,

employees took pictures,

Chris Ivens-Brown, embarked

station. Wells Fargo employees

a suburban Chicago organization

sampled and bought. Success!

on a 12-state tour, and many of

responded enthusiastically

that aids the developmentally

Eurest’s Regional Chefs took

and the promotion generated

disabled. General Manager

mini-tours within their regions,

a 33-percent increase in café

Cindy Altman commented, “We

promoting guest Chef’s Tables

sales and a 6-percent increase in

enjoyed a great day giving back

in their cafés to raise awareness

check average. Commented one

to our community and have been

and boost sales. See photos

customer, “The Thai basil stir fry

invited back for several upcom-

from these events at #eurestea-

was amazing, and a great deal!”

ing events!”

CHARCUTERIE & MARDI GRAS AT STEELCASE

rthmonth and #eurestearthtable on Instagram.

Chef Trevor Hill and his Mardi Gras Charcuterie display.

elements • SUMMER 2015

CHEFS COLLABORATE ON HOMEMADE FAVORITES

Chef’s Tables promote Eurest’s people by featuring their favorite recipes and ingredients. These special stations are created to prepare high-quality restaurant dishes for café guests at excellent price points.

Charity & Community 18th Annual Blue Jean Ball Supports FoodBank of New Jersey Tie-dye, peace signs and classic rock music set the tone for this year’s 18th annual Blue Jean Ball, supporting the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. Compass associates from Eurest, FLIK and Chartwells participated, with Eurest’s American Express NYC Executive Chef Joe Krupka leading the culinary team and Eurest Regional Marketing Manager Kathleen Moschera creating designs to support the theme of “Let the Sun Shine In.” The Blue Jean Ball, the FoodBank’s largest annual fundraiser, even drew participation from Bruce Springsteen, who kindly donated an autographed guitar for the silent auction.

Chef Chris Ivens-Brown on his 12-state Earth Table tour featuring sustainable and fresh local ingredients.

Eurest Joins in Cross-Sector Partnership to Thank Local New Jersey Farmers Eurest, Morrison Senior Living and Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services chefs worked together to host a luncheon for 120 farmers from Cassaday Farms in Monroeville, N.J. The event recognized local New Jersey farmers, as well as farmers across the nation who provide many Compass cafés with local produce. The luncheon featured grilled corn and bleu cheese polenta with skirt steak, grilled brie with roasted red peppers and olives on ciabatta. The event was held as part of Eurest’s “Friend a Farmer” program, tied to Eat Local, an annual campaign promoting awareness of the eat local trend growing across the country.

Eurest Iron Chef Competition Raises Money for Philadelphia Area Charities

CENTER: Chef’s Table featuring homemade favorites from

Southwest, Great Lakes and Central Region chefs. BOTTOM: Chefs Ed Ancewicz and Chris Ivens-Brown.

To raise money for The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Little Sisters of the Poor Holy Family Home, and the Maternal and Child Health Consortium of Chester County, the Johnson & Johnson Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Achievement (HOLA) organized and hosted an Iron Chef Competition. The competition included employees from Pfizer and SAP America, and was held at DePuy Synthes. Three teams led by Eurest executive chefs produced Latin-inspired dishes, featuring secret ingredient, xoconostle, a sour cactus fruit. The Brandywine team, led by Pfizer Campus Chef Dennis Shannon, won with a mole and salsa verde marinated chicken breast over a red bean and rice pilaf. The chefs had a great time, and HOLA at J&J raised $17,565 for the three charities.

SUMMER 2015 • elements

Charity & Community

appetizers

NEWS Q&A PEOPLE & PLACES DIVERSITY GREAT SOLUTIONS

San Diego Fire Storms: When the Heat Was On, Eurest and Canteen Kept Cool and Delivered When San Diego County, Calif., experienced high winds and multiple fires, one of Eurest’s largest San Diego clients, San Diego Gas and Electric (SDGE), activated their Emergency Operations Center and placed the Eurest team on 24-hour service. Later in the week, SDGE asked the team to provide meal support to seven locations in the field. Eurest called Canteen for backup, and Canteen provided additional associates and vehicles. Eurest and Canteen associates worked tirelessly with the SDGE team throughout the week. SDGE District Manager Freddie Stephens said, “Thank you so much for your diligence, hard work and commitment to everyone’s safety and success!”

Eurest and Dollar General Raise Money for Special Olympics Eurest partnered with Dollar General, hosting a three-day bake sale to raise money for the Special Olympics. The Eurest Dollar General team members provided all of the baked goods for Dollar General associates. The teams also raised money by hosting a silent auction and organizing a “Pin a Buck on a Chef” day. Southeast Be-A-Star Champion Elyane Wright said, “It was a great way to demonstrate the ‘can-do’ atmosphere while building a stronger team and a great relationship with the client. Congratulations to the team at Dollar General on the funds raised, and we thank you for representing Eurest in such a positive way!”

Chef Helps War Veteran Visit Washington, D.C. Honor Flight helps veterans who lack the physical ability or financial means to visit Washington, D.C., to pay honor to their brothers and sisters who have fallen to war by visiting America’s war memorials. Recently, Eurest Sous Chef Jim Cochran of Peoria, Ill., took the call. An Army veteran himself, Chef Jim raised more than $800 to finance the trip for one of the team’s local war heroes, and in June he accompanied 83-year-old Korean War veteran Lee Kline to Washington, D.C. Honor Foodservice Director Donald Brinker commented, “Thank you, Jim, for giving back to those who have given up so much.”

VISA POP-UP STATION BRINGS A TASTE OF ITALY TO CALIFORNIA The creative fires were burning bright recently at Eurest Visa in Foster City, Calif. They transformed their exhibition station into “Luigi’s Italiano Ristorante,” featuring fresh linguini, made to order, as traditional Italian music played in the background. Participation exceeded expectations, generating 20 to 30 percent more than the station’s average. General Manager Eric Drake commented, “The extra effort is not only driving sales, but also our participation numbers. My goal as GM is not only to increase these areas of our business, but to create a buzz in the towers. We always strive to create the element of surprise in our cafés and that is one reason the customers keep coming back, time and time again.” The team at Visa has created at least six pop ups from French food trucks to traditional Pho bars with the “Pho Yo Belly Bar” pop up.

IAA AND COUNTRY FINANCIAL COOK UP SOME FUN Eurest accounts Illinois Agricultural Association (IAA) and Country Financial recently teamed up with their building’s “Live Well Work Well” committee to create a live cooking show for building employees. The menu featured Webtrition’s fish taco recipe, and the events attracted 70 guests one day and 130 on another! Grill Cook Sean Paul Quehl and Foodservice Director Tom Mendenhall from CAT Aurora served as chefs, and Heartland District Manager Leslie Harding came out to show support for her team.

COMPETITION HEATS UP AT VALERO SAN ANTONIO The Eurest team at the Valero Corporate Office in San Antonio recently hosted their first Big Red Throw Down, drawing a great crowd to the competition between Chefs Harris Esparza and Jim Overby. Southwest Region District Manager Kelly Whitley said, “This event was just a great way to showcase our talent as a company and engage with clients from other units in our district.” Judging on creativity, presentation and flavor was Valero Vice President Al Philippus and KCI client Marlene Parks. In a split decision, Chef Jim won the popular vote and Chef Harris was the winner with the judging panel. The event proved to be an effective sales driver with over 140 portions sold.

LEFT: Chef Jim’ Overby’s big red jelly glazed Korean short rib taco on Navajo Indian fry bread with Gochujang slaw. RIGHT: Chef Harris Esparza’s big red

braised pork bao bun.

elements • SUMMER 2015

Appetizing Apps CAFÉS EXTEND THEIR REACH WITH A NEW MOBILE DINING APPLICATION A free Compass app is giving on-the-go customers access to café menus, hours of operation, nutritional information, daily specials, catering options and special promotions. Customers seeking healthier dining options can view detailed nutrition information for each entrée and search for selections that meet specific dietary requirements. For example, diners seeking vegetarian, vegan, low-calorie or low-sodium fare can choose delicious, healthy items that support their personal wellness goals. Available for both iPhone and Android phones, the app pulls content, data and images from existing café dining websites.

RA Launches La Place at Google NYC It was an exciting summer for Restaurant Associates at Google in New York, N.Y., as they prepared for the launch of their newest café. In August, La Place officially opened the doors and served more than 2,000 guests for their first lunch. La Place, one of the largest restaurant chains in the Netherlands, worked with the Restaurant Associates team to create a unique, marketplace-style café for Google, featuring seasonal fruits and vegetables, breads and pastas made from scratch, and freshly squeezed juices.

In The News Eurest District Manager Ian Keene Eurest District Manager Ian Keene was recently profiled in FoodService Director Magazine’s feature, “People in Foodservice: 30 under 30,” where they chronicled his career and contributions. Senior Director of Marketing for Eurest, Jodi Smith Westwater, spoke proudly of Ian’s active support of Microsoft’s Supported Employment Initiative to employ the developmentally disabled, and the excitement and enthusiasm Ian brings to work every day. Ian also serves as co-chair of the Compass Group Diversity and Inclusion Action Council.

Eurest’s Café Koch According to the Wichita Business Journal, the Eurest café on Koch Industries’ sprawling Wichita, Kan., campus is a favorite meeting place, a great recruiting tool and one of the best restaurants in town. It’s one of the best bargains too, but you have to work for Koch Industries to get a table. Bright and inviting, Café Koch keeps associates on campus for lunch, but it’s the quality of the food that keeps them coming back. Eurest Executive Chef James Watson (pictured) keeps favorites on the menu while rotating in fresh, innovative choices. That innovation keeps things interesting at Café Koch, which serves more than 2,000 lunches a day.

Executive Chef Harris Esparza Eurest Executive Chef Harris Esparza, at Kinetic Concepts, Inc., was recently featured in Edible San Antonio. In the article, Chef Harris talked about Kitchen Pride Mushrooms, a family owned Texas company that grows a wide variety of mushrooms indoors, year-round. The article stated, “Chef Esparza regularly brings local growers to his kitchen to help educate company employees about the importance of good nutrition and local foods. Special kudos to the chef for working so hard to bring local, healthy food to his kitchen at Kinetic Concepts.”

Eurest Cafés at Allianz A Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter visited a Chef’s Table at Eurest Allianz in Minneapolis, Minn., recently to take pictures and talk about the café. What was the news? Allianz had been named one of the best places to work in Minneapolis, and great employee amenities, such as Eurest’s Golden Hills Café and Courtyard Bistro at Allianz, are a big part of the story. Allianz Director of External Communications Sarah Rollin said, “In the middle of lunch rush, the Eurest team was beyond gracious and willing to be photographed by the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s photojournalist. They clearly made a big impression on the reporter.”

SUMMER 2015 • elements

appetizers

NEWS Q&A PEOPLE & PLACES DIVERSITY GREAT SOLUTIONS

ONE HEALTHFUL SNACK AT A TIME Canteen is excited to announce the launch of enr.G, a fresh vending alternative for our clients and customers

esigned to provide snacks and beverages that are good for your mind, body and spirit,

enr.G promises to redefine the vending experience. As the market leader and the sole vending

While enr.G offers choices to help guests live well, it also supports the health and well being of our communities and environment. This year, enr.G will recharge the vending

organization providing self-operated service

industry as it helps to recharge your system. The

across the nation, Canteen is uniquely qualified

initial launch will include a dual-temperature

to deliver this better-for-you selection.

snack and beverage machine, plus a full snack

enr.G offers premium, health promoting selec-

machine. Coming soon, enr.G will include a full-

tions for discerning customers who strive to fuel

glass-front beverage and fresh food machine.

up, be active and live well.

enr.G will be the only bank of machines in the

While the new look of Canteen’s machines will draw customers to enr.G, it’s what’s inside that

industry focused on health and wellness and vending will never look the same again!

will really make a difference. enr.G was created with today’s busy guest in mind. As consumers

enr.G offers premium, healthpromoting selections for discerning customers who strive to fuel up, be active and live well.

multi task and their need for speed has helped to change eating habits, snacks have become meal replacements for more than 45 percent of Americans. Canteen has developed enr.G to offer foods that taste great and meet the demands of today’s busier lifestyle. Vice President of Nutrition and Wellness for Compass Group’s Business

HOW ENR.G SUPPORTS CANTEEN’S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY:

Excellence team, Deanne Brandstetter, noted,

n Whenever possible, we will

and convenient format.”

source delicious, locally produced products n Dual-temperature-zone

machines keep beverages chilled and snacks at room temperature n LED lighting is more energy

efficient than traditional fluorescent lighting n Motion-sensor dimmers help

conserve energy n Energy Star machine ratings

lead in energy efficiency

10 elements • SUMMER 2015

“The variety and convenience offered by enr.G is key. Customers can find snacks and beverages that meet their individual energy needs in a quick enr.G offers snack and beverage selections that are flexible and meet many special dietary needs. Every enr.G selection has been carefully chosen and approved by a team of registered dietitians to feature at least one of the following product

enr.G works great as a stand-alone solution or

attributes: all-natural, organic, gluten-free, vegan,

as a complement to your own branded wellness

kosher, non-GMO and “Choice Plus.”

platform, and will help ensure your team has

An interactive touch screen will allow cus-

wholesome choices to fuel their mind, body and

tomers to search for products by attribute or

spirit. This is the premier wellness vending solu-

category, and will feature nutritional information

tion for hospitals, universities, businesses or retail

on every selection to ensure your choice meets

providers — anywhere the health and well being

customers’ personal and nutritional goals. And

of customers is paramount.

in addition to the focus on the attributes above,

For a productive start to your day, a tasty

Canteen has worked diligently to ensure that

afternoon pick me up, or a protein-rich meal

enr.G selections also include protein-rich foods,

replacement, enr.G is here when you’re ready to

whole grains and limited preservatives.

fuel up, be active and live well!

Quick Bites

FLIK Serves Up Local Fall Fare for Connecticut’s Governor

Times are changing. Welcome to the new normal.

In September, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy addressed employees of Voya Financial, celebrating their rebranding from ING. FLIK partnered with local farms, providing farm-fresh pumpkin brownies, cider, cider donuts and apples to the governor and over 2,000 Voya associates. FLIK Senior Vice President of Culinary, Bill Chodan, noted, “We value our relationship with local suppliers, which allows us to bring the freshest, most sustainable meats, produce and dairy products to our guests.”

Eurest and HOLA Group Present FIFA Game at McNeil The Café at Johnson & Johnson McNeil teamed up with the HOLA Group to make sure associates didn’t miss the USA soccer team face off against Germany. Large-screen TVs were set up throughout the café, and the Eurest team created a menu from the two countries in the competition. The American menu included barbecue ribs, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and fresh, local corn. The German menu featured knockwurst, bratwurst and sauerkraut. The event was a great draw and boosted client participation.

7 Essentials at Apollo Food Service Director John Cantrell at the Apollo Education Group Rev Café in Phoenix, Ariz., showed us a new way to remind the staff of the 7 Essentials of customer service every day, by creating a poster of each essential to display in the kitchen. General Manager Richard Valencia took the idea to the next level by featuring a staff member who exemplifies that promise and a personal quote on each poster. The café at Apollo has seen consistent sales and participation increases as a result of the constant focus on the 7 Essentials.

Eatcomplete Day at Johnson & Johnson

Carbon Foodprint is our solution to lowering the eco impact of our foodservice operations.

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in Raritan, N.J., celebrated its healthy eating initiative, Eatcomplete, by hosting an Eatcomplete Day in the Eurest café. The Eurest team partnered with the on-site wellness team to design the menu around fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Among the most popular items with J&J employees was the mushroom quinoa burger, which is now in the menu rotation at the café.

For more info contact Business.Excellence@compass-usa.com

appetizers

NEWS Q&A PEOPLE & PLACES DIVERSITY GREAT SOLUTIONS

FOOD MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE’S

BEST CONCEPT AWARDS Food Management magazine’s 2014 “Best Concept Awards” have been announced, and Compass companies took top honors in two categories. These annual awards recognize exceptional achievement in categories ranging from foodservice facility design to menu innovation, wellness, special event planning and convenience retailing.

BEST OF SHOW: RESTAURANT ASSOCIATES Restaurant Associates took Food Management magazine’s “Best of Show” honor this year for several concepts that could easily have won in their individual categories. In the article, Food Management recalled RA’s history as one of the companies that helped establish New York’s reputation as a first-class restaurant town with world-renowned venues like Four Seasons, Brasserie and Trattoria, but the focus of the article was on RA’s success in onsite dining, and the innovative concepts they have brought to their corporate, government, education, and fine arts clients. “Today, RA continues to focus on

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE CONCEPT: COMPASS GROUP AT MICROSOFT This year, with the help of Compass Group, Microsoft was recognized as the winner of the Best Customer Service Concept category. In an article titled, “Your Cash is No Good Here,” the publication showcased the cashierless payment and ordering Executive Chef Deirdre Devoy with the sustainable catch of the day.

system found in cafés throughout the Microsoft campus. The article stated, “The 100% cashierless/

particular customer base. These innova-

cashless ordering and payment system imple-

tions have won a string of FM Best Concept

mented at half a dozen cafés on the Microsoft

Awards over the past decade.”

campus in Redmond, WA, accomplishes a number

The concepts that have gotten Food

of customer service goals. It is highly convenient,

‘delivering hospitality excellence to premier

Management’s attention recently include

it reduces crowding and wait times, it seamlessly

clients,’ per the motto on its logo,” Food

Super Salads, Bird, Bulgogi and RA Kitch-

accommodates the kind of customized and made-

Management stated. “Part of that hospitality

en, but with a goal of eight to 10 new

to-order menu selections customers prefer, and

excellence is a steady flow of innovative

concepts a year, and a relentless focus on

it offers an appealingly high tech one-stop-shop

concepts based on a skillful assimilation of

quality and execution, there’s no doubt

solution for those ultra-tech-savvy diners.”

the latest culinary trends, balanced by an

that RA will be receiving many more

eye for the tastes and preferences of each

accolades for future innovations.

Since the article came out, Microsoft and Compass Group have also partnered to roll out a remote ordering tool at all cashierless cafés, enabling customers to pre-order from their phones and computers.

Created by Executive Chef Michael Guh, the Bulgogi Korean BBQ concept is just one of several fresh new concepts launched by Restaurant Associates this year.

12 elements • SUMMER 2015

AWARDS&HONORS

Exclusive Joint Partnership:

Culinary Institute of America and Restaurant Associates The Culinary Institute of America, which is known for setting the standard for excellence in professional culinary education, has formed a strategic partnership with Restaurant Associates, the premier foodservice company in the country, to outsource its student dining at the Hyde Park, N.Y., campus. This partnership is a first for the CIA, and promises to be a dining experience second-to-none. The newest dining center, scheduled to open

diner selections in the western suburbs of

June of 2015 and nicknamed “The Egg” in

the Philadelphia region, with OpenTable

reference to its oval design, will take the notion

ratings ranging from 4.5 to 4.6 out of 5

of student dining to a new level. It will include

overall. The restaurant also received Diners

a serpentine-shaped, high-volume production

Choice awards in the following categories:

kitchen. The Market café will feature made-to-order

Bravo, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,

Best Overall, Best Service, Best Ambience,

concepts, including global offerings, house-roasted

received an OpenTable Diners’ Choice

Contemporary American, Great for Lunch.

deli selections, farm-to-table salads, pastries made

RESTAURANT ASSOCIATES pBravo

Restaurant Wins OpenTable Award award in January. The award is based on

The 1906 Restaurant was also a featured

from the on-site bakery and premium coffees. There

diners rating the restaurant as one of the

story in the Kennett Square Dish, a local

will also be a produce market, where students can

best. Diners’ Choice lists give top-voted

foodie website.

purchase fresh ingredients to prepare their own

restaurants great visibility on OpenTable

A review of the garden-to-table efforts

meals, and a pop-up kitchen for advanced classes

and draw new diners to winning restau-

put forth by the team at The 1906 Restau-

that will change each semester. The state-of-the-

rants. The monthly list is featured online

rant at Longwood Gardens recognizes the

art facility is currently under construction and is an

and in “insider” emails to diners near the

creative work the RA team has been doing.

extension of the existing student recreation center.

restaurant’s location. Congratulations to

The review has been posted to several

This project is part of a long-term goal of the CIA to

Gregg Fontecchio and Executive Chef

sites and pushed to other media outlets.

create a true gathering place for its students.

Tim Partridge!

Congratulations to The 1906 team!

Met Museum and Longwood Gardens Receive Prestigious TripAdvisor Awards In its first year to be reviewed by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest Internet travel site, Restaurant Associates Met Museum won the prestigious Certificate of Excellence award based upon feedback from guests of the Members Dining Room. Restaurant Associates also received the Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor for The 1906 Restaurant at Longwood Gardens. Accolades are not new to The 1906 Restaurant.

“To be able to partner with an institute with the caliber of the CIA is such an incredible opportunity

EUREST q Eurest

EA Tiburon Receives Sharkie Award The Eurest team at Electronic Arts Tiburon has been given the Sharkie Award for outstanding performance in 2013. This award is particularly meaningful because the nominees are chosen based upon feedback from the EA employees they serve

for Restaurant Associates,” said Dick Cattani, CEO of Restaurant Associates. “The CIA works with world famous restaurateurs, renowned chefs, and foodservice companies from all over the world. To have been chosen from this impressive group is, for our team, a dream come true. In addition, hundreds and hundreds of our culinary and management team members within the Compass family are CIA graduates, and a number of them will be involved with this project.”

every day. In a letter to the team, EA Vice President Daryl Holt, wrote, “We greatly appreciate all of the support and customer service you and your team in the café have given to our employees here at the Studio. The Tiburon Café Team from Eurest did a great job last year for the studio, and it has not gone unnoticed.”

It is consistently recognized as one of the top-10 diner selections in the western Philadelphia suburbs, and has received Diner’s Choice awards in several categories.

2014: The Year of Longwood Gardens In addition to winning a TripAdvisor Award of Excellence, The 1906 Restaurant is consistently recognized as one of the top-10

Restaurant Associates’ dining center, nicknamed “The Egg,” will be the first-ever outsourced dining operation on a Culinary Institute of America campus.

SUMMER 2015 • elements

appetizers

NEWS Q&A PEOPLE & PLACES DIVERSITY GREAT SOLUTIONS

EUREST UNIT GRAND RE-OPENING

National Institutes of Health Eurest introduces pioneering food and nutrition concept “Balance Kitchen” at the NIH’s newly renovated ACRF Café

urest at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethes-

“The National Institutes of Health’s mission is to improve

da, Md., recently introduced a

the health of the nation and the

pioneering food and nutrition

world through its medical research.

concept called “Balance Kitchen”

Balance Kitchen directly supports

in their ACRF Café. Designed

that mission by providing the

to foster and promote worksite

ability to make educated choices

health and sustainability, Eurest

by our staff, patients and visitors,”

launched the concept at its grand

said John M. Crawford, director of

re-opening of the newly renovated

Food Services and Concessions

ACRF Café on September 15.

Programs at NIH. “It’s the right

Balance Kitchen includes daily

concept in the right place and

and weekly “Sensible Selections”

allows the consumer to package

“We have over 1,200 guests

tion platform, “Webtrition.” With

— better-for-you options offered

a meal in such a way as to show

come through our café every day,

the touch of a finger, guests know

throughout the café. Collaborat-

the total impact on their dietary

and we want to ensure we provide

how a meal will impact their daily

ing with NIH’s health and wellness

requirement.”

a balance between delicious and

nutritional goals.

goals and demographic profile,

At the grand re-opening,

to compose healthful meals.

healthful food and beverage

synced with Eurest’s online nutri-

Along with nutrition and con-

Eurest at NIH offers health-pro-

customers loved the renovations,

choices that please everyone,” said

venience, sourcing and sustain-

moting foods at all service points,

overwhelming freshness of the

Andy Tzortzinis, Eurest marketing

ability will be top priorities. As the

with a bountiful variety of fresh,

café and variety of Sensible Se-

and communications manager.

program evolves, customers will

local and sustainable menu items.

lections highlighted in green. The

More than delicious, healthy

see the selection of sustainable

Customers will still be able to

delectable better-for-you Bolo-

food, Balance Kitchen engages

foods offered by the ACRF Café

find their traditional favorites, but

gnese on the ‘crEATe’ station, with

customers through mobile tech-

grow. These selections will include

better-for-you options will be po-

whole-wheat penne and spaghetti,

nology, and connects guests with

fair-trade organic coffee and sus-

sitioned front and center to tempt

was a big hit among customers.

nutritional information about the

tainably grown produce, meat

them to make healthy choices.

The new marketing and choice ar-

menu items offered. Three iPad

and dairy. This food will be full of

chitecture of Balance Kitchen pro-

tablet kiosks, located just inside

flavor while reducing the cafe’s

vided visual cues to prompt guests

the main entrance of the café, are

carbon footprint.

KEY FEATURES OF BALANCE KITCHEN: n

“Balance Kitchen” is a Compass Group concept that supports

customers’ health and wellness goals by promoting and measuring healthy and sustainable lifestyle behaviors.

14 elements • SUMMER 2015

Fresh, local and healthpromoting food offerings

Nutrition labeling

Nutrition kiosks

30% – 50% of all menu items meet FIT criteria

Every menu item is strictly controlled through the Webtrition program

Better-for-you sides with steamed vegetables and whole grains

n Better-for-you

snacking choices n

75% of all beverages meet FIT criteria

EUREST NEW UNIT OPENING

Rustle + Roux Gourmet café opens in the heart of Chicago’s West Loop

n June 2014, Rustle+Roux Café at The Franklin in Chicago, Ill., opened to a bustling breakfast and lunchtime crowd. The gourmet café features seven kitchens in one location. It caters to the

Windy City Loop crowd with illy coffee, Fabio Viviani’s Mercato by Fabio concept and Mercadito Hospitality’s Mexican cuisine. These are in addition to four Eurest stations run by Executive Chef Benjamin Browning. Chef Fabio Viviani (pictured below) was on hand to pass out samples and sign copies of his latest cookbook, as were members of the Mercadito team. Joining regular guests were Chicago food bloggers and the media, including Crain’s Chicago Business. Guests were treated to samples, raffle prizes and a live band. The café, headed by General Manager Kurt Lefler, is already exceeding expectations, and Catering Manager Breana Miller is creating unique menus for tenants and for other office buildings in the neighborhood.

SUMMER 2015 • elements

appetizers

TOP: FLIK participates in the weekly farmers market at BCBS Tennessee. BOTTOM: Bird’s eye view of FLIK’s rooftop spread at Flushing House.

NEWS Q&A PEOPLE & PLACES DIVERSITY GREAT SOLUTIONS

Fresh, Fabulous Food From FLIK “Jazz Up In The Sky”at Flushing House

Focus on Wellness at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

In September, a group of legendary jazz

Wellness is front and center at BlueCross BlueShield of

musicians brought their love and concern for

Tennessee (BCBST) in Chattanooga, Tenn. By work-

the elderly to the rooftop of Flushing House in

ing closely with BCBST wellness administrators, FLIK

Queens, N.Y., enjoying fabulous food provided

promotes wellness outside of the walls of the café. From

by FLIK as a bonus. “Jazz Up In The Sky” was a

the coffee bar, known as “Perks,” to the satellite location

fundraiser for Flushing House, New York state’s

at the bottom of BCBST’s infamous hill, FLIK’s wellness

largest nonprofit, independent-living retire-

philosophy reaches BCBST employees wherever they

ment community. Headlining the evening was

are. FLIK partners with local farmers to provide in-house

Grammy award-winner Hernan Romero. Other

farmers markets to employees, to ensure they don’t have

performers included the Michael Feinberg

to go far to bring home local, nutritious foods to their

Quartet and the Isamu McGregor Trio. Guests

families. Quarterly nutritional “Lunch and Learns” and

enjoyed a gourmet dinner prepared by Chefs

healthy cooking demos are also provided regularly. FLIK

Matt Ferris and Mohamed Turay, served

and BCBST reach out to the community together through

alongside spectacular views of New York City’s

involvement with the American Heart Association and

panoramic skyline.

the Chattanooga Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

opportunity. The center

topped off with a Middle

reach non-users beyond

coming back and the

offers rooms for lectures,

Eastern-style wellness

the café, which is excellent

catering at Trustmark fun

When the Center for

receptions and seated

lunch from Eurest’s Meet-

for large campuses.”

and exciting. As Trustmark

Civil and Human

dinners to accommodate

ing Well menus.

client, Pam Boero, stated,

Rights opened in Atlanta,

from 30 to 1,000 guests in

“There is a lot of creativity,

a beautiful, historical and

spaces for corporate, social

artistic atmosphere.

Nigel Palmer and

Ga., in June 2014, offering

Once again, Eurest’s

and conference events,

People & Places

it named Wolfgang Puck as its exclusive catering

The Eurest team at Bank of America

Dennis Ferry wowed their

both food and presenta-

in Jacksonville, Fla.,

guests with their quarterly

tion wise. We are lucky to

The BP Houston

recently launched a

catering fair. The August

have them!”

Eurest team recently

street food cart. The cart

2014 event was based on

partnered with Eurest Ser-

features signature menu

a farmers market theme

provider. This is a great

vices and CBRE for a day of

items, including Bahn

and featured dishes made

honor for WPC; the Center

safety, including a full safe-

Mi sandwiches, gyros,

with fresh, local ingredi-

for Civil and Human Rights

ty training schedule. Eurest

kebabs and much more,

ents such as buffalo corn

shares powerful stories of

at BP explained how food

all of which are available

and quinoa sliders and a

individuals and the civil

safety comes first, through

on Webtrition. Marketing

selection of house-made

and human rights move-

QA, the Crisis Hotline, Red

Manager Jamie Cevelo,

desserts and beverages.

ments of the world. But

Alerts and the BuySmart

said, “The goal of the cart

Each quarter the theme

it is also a great business

Help Line. The event was

was to provide a way to

varies to keep the guests

16 elements • SUMMER 2015

Quick Bites

Eurest Supports U.S. Open Golf Event at Pinehurst No. 9 Club “What happens when you get an urgent call to cater 59 events in one week with just six weeks’ notice? You take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with a ‘can do’ attitude, and just do it,” IBM Regional Vice President Dennis Weinerman said. And that’s what the Eurest National Accounts team did to support the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament in Pinehurst, N.C. The event was a great success and the Eurest team received rave reviews. “Dennis and his team were amazing to work with and I will certainly consider Eurest in the future for hospitality,” commented Joe Walter, vice president of client services at 54 Sports.

Cashier’s Table Brings Value to the Café Every week, the Eurest team at CVS Caremark in Scottsdale, Ariz., creates an original Chef’s Table featuring dishes from different cooks. In an effort to get cashiers involved too, Chef Manager Aaron Caulk created a Cashier’s Table, and asked lead cashier Karla Hernandez to create a fun, “better-for-you” breakfast option. Karla’s recipe idea was a virgin blood orange Bloody Mary, served in real glasses instead of plastic cups. Chef Aaron said he and Karla would continue to use Webtrition to find Cashier’s Table ideas. “I learned that every employee is not only a cashier, or a cook, or a dishwasher, but someone with great potential. We just need to give them a chance.”

FLIK Serves Yiddish Cuisine at Kronos The FLIK team at Kronos in Chelmsford, Mass., took culinary advice from employee Rob Steinberg and his family to enrich the café meal traditions during Jewish holidays. For Passover, Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, Rob brought his Jewish family’s culture-honored recipes to the table. Thanks to Rob and his family, unique desserts such as kugel and briskets are now part of the Jewish holiday offerings at all three Kronos locations, as guests line up to enjoy their special Jewish traditions served by FLIK. A special thanks to Rob and his family for partnering with FLIK café.

play games

stay updated

earn rewards

ENROLL IN THE NEW LOYALTY BASED EDINE APP TODAY! CUSTOMERS CAN USE VIRTUAL FREQUENCY CARDS, GET THE LATEST CAFÉ NEWS AND SO MUCH MORE. send feedback

GET STARTED TODAY!

available now in the app store and google play store.

appetizers

NEWS Q&A PEOPLE & PLACES DIVERSITY GREAT SOLUTIONS

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS:

Culinary Academy Eurest employees sharpen their skills under newly launched training program

hen Chris Ivens-Brown developed Eurest’s breakthrough continuing education program, the Culinary Academy, he had some specific goals in mind. This Eurest executive chef wanted to drive innovation by delivering a consistently excellent culinary experience. This program delivers that and more. The Culinary Academy takes Eurest’s culinary leaders and best practices to associates in the field, improving the product, the guest experience, and the working lives of Eurest associates. The program builds a sense of ownership that is so important to delivering the finest quality and service. It helps create new leaders in the business. Much more than continuing education, the Culinary Academy is a recruiting and retention tool that helps Eurest attract top talent and make them even better. GREAT TEACHERS, IMPORTANT LEARNING The faculty of the Culinary Academy was carefully selected from the Eurest culinary team, with each team member focusing on an area of personal expertise. And while cooking is at the center of the academic plate, the curriculum is about the whole business, including customer service and satisfaction, food financials and more. The goal of the Culinary Academy is to implement and reinforce existing

18 elements • SUMMER 2015

standards while creating excellence, ownership and leadership across the business. The Culinary Academy includes a Station School to train hourly associates in the set-up and operation of culinary stations, and will soon include a Master Class. But the heart of the Culinary Academy is the Chef Academy. These two-day sessions for salaried chefs include extensive training in culinary skills, wellness and nutrition, and food financials. Each class is 3.5 hours, with time split between presentations, testing and practical, hands-on application. “Our chefs do these techniques every day in our cafés, but when we walk them through and reinforce every single detail, it helps them see the bigger picture for consistency, quality and skill,” noted Chris Ivens-Brown. Each month, two consecutive courses are held simultaneously in six different cities across the country. 15 pre-qualified, salaried chefs in each of those areas meet at a centralized location/account for two days from 3–6/6:30 p.m. For their convenience, associates’ locations don’t change. Instead, trainers rotate cities, bringing their expertise to Eurest associates. Each of the six-month sessions trains 90 chefs. The trainers then move on to six different cities, to train new associates. Rotating cities every six months allows the Chef Academy to reach multiple markets and to provide training to 180 salaried chefs each year.

QUALIFYING FOR THE ACADEMY A pre-assessment is required for entry into the program. Applicants who achieve a qualifying score on the online exam, which is based on the E-Culinary Experience, and Eurest-specific content from the study manual, may advance to the Culinary Academy.

CULINARY ACADEMY MAIN OBJECTIVES n

Promote the best practices of Eurest standards

Create opportunities for Eurest’s business owners to exchange their experience and skills

Build and retain teams

Reinforce great training at Eurest

Allow trainers to have a thorough, inside look at Eurest locations

Provide training on skills to reduce food cost, promote regional cuisine, make nutritional signage, promote Eurest’s retail offerings to the maximum

HONING CHEFS’ SKILLS

Foodservice Equipment & Supplies Magazine Features

Microsoft Café Remodels Microsoft Cafés 9 and H in Redmond, Wash., were recently featured in Foodservice Equipment & Supplies (FES) magazine for their focus on continuous improvement. FES magazine’s Contributing Editor Donna Boss, wrote, “Competing for the best and brightest employees in the technology universe, Microsoft continuously builds and remodels cafés to drive participation, introduce meaningful technology into the customer experience, drive guest satisfaction and enhance customer convenience through improvements, such as reducing queue times.” The article continues to describe

culinary process is crucial to the success

how Microsoft has added 15 cafés to

of our food program. We must recruit

their many campuses across the globe

chefs who want to work in this type of

in the past nine years, continuing to

environment.”

upgrade the dining operations as part

Each with a unique theme, Cafés 9 and

of their consistent renovations. They aim

H have seen check average, satisfaction

to maintain a focus on improving the

and participation increases since the big

customer experience through the use

renovation. Café 9’s design theme has an

of technology.

“East meets West” feel. Here, the anchor

Eurest at Microsoft Cafés 9 and H

station, Pacific Rim Kitchen, features

underwent much-deserved renovations

double-sided Asian cooking. Café H has

due to their age. Through the remodel,

been redesigned into an Italian market

Microsoft hoped to drive participation

and its anchor station, Mangia Italia,

and satisfaction by adding technology

features Italian-style cooking.

to the customer experience, along with

Both cafés now have the technology

other needed improvements. To top it

to make a 100-percent cashless and

off, architects were brought in to each

cashierless café possible. Customers can

café to create anchor themes, finishes,

use touch-screen systems to select and

art, seating and décor, while the Com-

pay for their food, creating a simple, fast

pass Group at Microsoft team created

and user-friendly way to order lunch! In

menus and station setups that would

addition to the new and improved check-

highlight the food quality, variety and

out systems, the cafés received updated

exhibition cooking. Eurest Executive Chef

lighting and sound systems, as well as

Craig Tarrant, said, “Transparency of the

other restored stations.

CORE CLASSES OF THE

CHEF ACADEMY Fish Cookery

Wellness

Butchery

Stocks, Sauces and Soups

Knife Skills Grains and Legumes Egg Cookery Pasta Handling Yield Analysis

Basic Cooking Methods Dough/Pastry

Regional Menus

SUMMER 2015 • elements

Environment SUSTAINABILITY

Amy Keister

Compass Group Vice President, Business Excellence

CATCHING TUNA THE HARD WAY T

he easy way to catch tuna is called a FAD, or Fish Aggregating Device. It’s a fad we won’t follow at Compass Group. FADs are the latest trend in fish trawling. Made up of tracking buoys and bamboo rafts, FADs attract a wide variety of sea creatures along with the tuna they target, including sharks and sea turtles. Unfortunately, once they’ve been lured into this manufactured “ecosystem,” the giant nets cast by the fishing crews catch everything in the

FAD. Only the tuna is kept. Most of the rest dies as a by-product of the tuna harvest; the collateral damage of the fishing industry. That’s the easy way to catch tuna, and the cheap way if you don’t consider the long-term costs to the environment. But we do. At Compass, we prefer to do things the right way, so we are very proud to announce our commitment to buy canned tuna only from sources using FAD-free methods. That commitment will cover over 1.9 million pounds

SEAFOOD WATCH BLUE RIBBON TASK FORCE CHEFS

of skipjack. That’s a lot of tuna salad. And it’s a lot of impact on the ocean’s ecosystem. The International Seafood Sustainability (ISS) Foundation reports that FAD-free tuna fishing (purse seine netting) generates at least 40 percent less by-product than FAD fishing techniques. That’s 760,000 pounds of marine life, much of which is on the edge of extinction, saved in the production of our 1.9 million pounds of tuna! We didn’t invent this alternative technique. Our partners at Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch championed it, but it’s one of the many healthy choices we make at Compass Group through our landmark purchasing policy to remove

all unsustainable seafood from our menus. When guests dine at Compass cafés, they enjoy seafood that is sourced responsibly, with minimal impact on the health of our oceans. Even if that means doing things the hard way. Compass Group is a proud partner of the Seafood Watch Blue Ribbon Task Force, which plays an important role in the sustainable seafood movement, and whose 20 leading chefs and culinarians make it their mission to promote sustainable seafood use in our cafés across the country. Chefs Rick Moonen and Chris Ivens-Brown developed sustainable seafood recipes, which were featured in Compass Group’s National Seafood Month promotion in September. e

“At Compass, we prefer to do things the right way, so we are very proud to announce our commitment to buy canned tuna only from sources using FAD-free methods.”

20 elements • SUMMER 2015

One healthful snack at a time

fuel up

be active

live well

All Natural • Organic • Gluten Free • Vegan • Kosher Non-GMO • Choice Plus WWW.CANTEEN.COM

Compass Group ASSOCIATE SPOTLIGHT

Betty Hanlon-Deever Better known as “the queen of hospitality,” Betty has customer service down to a science. This Pfizer La Jolla foodservice director tracks the details about her customers’ preferences — and delights by delivering them. She was April’s “FSD of the Month” in FoodService Director magazine. Read her story here.

Photo by Michael H. I. Shiue

SERVING HOSPITALITY By Megan Warmouth, reprinted with permission of FoodService Director/CSP Business Media

“When I think of Betty, I think of hospitality,” says Jerry Neverman, district manager for Compass Group. “When you go into her dining center, it’s like she’s inviting you into her home.”

22 elements • SUMMER 2015

After working for more than 30 years in commercial foodservice, Betty Hanlon-Deever discovered what she called the “best-kept secret” of the industry when she moved to corporate foodservice. She joined the Compass corporate dining team and was placed at Pfizer, in La Jolla, Calif., “six glorious years ago.” Since then, Hanlon-Deever has not only revamped the dining and catering programs, but has impressed her guests, her client, her employers and employees with her ability to provide more than just a satisfying meal but a complete experience. Service with a smile “When I think of Betty, I think of hospitality,” says Jerry Neverman, district manager for Compass Group. “When you go into her dining center, it’s like she’s inviting you into her home.” For Hanlon-Deever, good customer service is simply about knowing her customers — their names, their birthdays, what they like and don’t like and recognizing that their time in her café is “their half hour of a vacation, so let’s make it exciting, let’s give them the experience we love,” she says. “She brings customer service to just a whole new level,” says Nancy Stephenson, conference services supervisor for Jones Lang LaSalle Amer-

icas Inc., the facilities management company at Pfizer La Jolla. “She’s just the mother hen that has to take care of everybody, and she does. It’s amazing her rapport with people. It’s just very special.” Of the more than 900 employees on the Pfizer campus, “she probably knows all of them,” Stephenson adds. “For [some of] the site leaders, she knows what type of coffee they have, so she’ll have it in their office every morning. The littlest things go so far with people, and she knows that.” It’s this focus on customer service that keeps her guests coming back. “Even the people that come from other sites, they’ll go home and say, ‘we don’t get this in Pearl River, we don’t get this in New York,’ so they’re always wowed,” Stephenson says. “There was one colleague who’s on the leadership team, and [at Betty’s] Salaried Employee of the Year award celebration said, ‘I eat in this café every day and I can’t say that I did that before Betty.’ People love her and they definitely feel the customer service and [are] so appreciated here.” Shortly after Hanlon-Deever began at Pfizer, the company requested that the department provide healthier food options and increase sustainability measures, which required the foodservice program to be modified — and Hanlon-Deever more than delivered. “Betty really took the lead for Compass here,” explains Muizz Hasham, area director for Jones Lang LaSalle at Pfizer La Jolla. “She was able to

completely turn the foodservice model around and really provide healthier options and more local ingredients, more regional items that were procured from local farmers … to the point that we got so many favorable responses from our client [and] from our customers, and not only at this facility, but other facilities of Pfizer. They actually are very complimentary, saying the level of the food and the level of the staff and the personal interaction [Betty] provides is really beyond what other facilities are experiencing. It really became a flagship store for Pfizer and for Compass to look at the model in its entirety. Betty was really instrumental in changing that type of offering for the Pfizer account.”

got exactly what their needs are.” Through her attention to detail and service, Hanlon-Deever has been able to keep the bulk of catering on campus. “A lot of our executive admin staff are really engaged in sourcing and catering, and that’s a very tough group, and rightfully so, because they want the best for their bosses and their guests,” Hasham explains. “There’s a lot of confidence in Betty taking that and providing them exactly what their needs are. That requires a lot of partnership and trust and proven performance on Betty’s part. They have an open ticket, they can call anyone else and they choose to stay with Betty. The level of the food is absolutely fantastic here.”

Sticking to sustainability By increasing the amount of local products served, starting farmers’ markets where Pfizer employees can purchase local produce from the café for home use, establishing a juice bar and inviting local vendors to campus to meet guests and share information about their products, Hanlon-Deever has brought health and sustainability front and center, while adding revenue streams. “One of the things that we are proud of is our salad bar,” Hanlon-Deever explains. “There were a lot of canned items when I started, and now we have over 18 items on the bar, all fresh, all sourced from local farmers within a 250-mile radius.” With the goals of both Pfizer and Compass in mind, “She’s very conscious in making sure whatever products she is actually sourcing are sustainable, eco-friendly and actually supporting the site goals,” Hasham says. “There are a lot of benefits to having these third parties come in to the site and promoting their products. It creates more of a community environment and people enjoy that as well. We’re supporting local businesses in town, and that’s something that Pfizer really wants to make sure they are also part of. Betty is instrumental in our vendor programs that she brings on site as well and makes sure that [the programs meet] the site goals at large.” Hanlon-Deever’s impact also is felt beyond the café. She incorporates the same standards of customer service and quality into the company’s catering program. Hanlon-Deever exceeds catering expectations, Hasham says. “Even if it’s a boxed lunch — a boxed lunch is now a gourmet sandwich, not just a sandwich put together — all the way to fine china and silverware and a full-on prime rib dinner served to executives,” he says. “It’s the full spectrum. She’s able to really, really enable the customer to feel like, yep, she’s

Employee relations With virtually zero employee turnover of her nine-person staff during her tenure, Hanlon-Deever is a proven successful manager. “I believe that the reason I don’t have turnover is because I treat my crew as family. I know all about them. I’m tough on them but fair. I listen to them as much as I communicate,” she says. In addition to supporting her employees, Hanlon-Deever has implemented reward, promotion, team-building and employee recognition programs. For example, for one week in April, the staff will play the Egg Game, where a plastic golden egg containing at least a $50 prize is hidden among a basket of plastic eggs containing T-shirts, candy or movie tickets. Each day before service, the employee who correctly answers a work-related question selects an egg. “They look forward to this week of answering questions and winning prizes,” Hanlon-Deever explains. “She’s really kind of more of a mother figure to these folks,” Hasham says. “She’s really protective of her staff. She takes care of them, of course, [but] she demands the best out of them. The staff is very happy as well. They will go above and beyond. She puts them on a growth development plan and provides them with opportunities, whether it’s here or at another account. She looks out for her people. That’s not easy to do as a manager. It really comes from within.” e

ACCOMPLISHMENTS BETTY HANLON-DEEVER has enhanced the foodservice department at Pfizer LaJolla by:

MAINTAINING a high standard of customer service that has defined the program and keeps guests on campus

IMPLEMENTING client-requested health initiatives, including locally sourced produce, farmers markets and a juicing station

SUPPORTING and recognizing her team, resulting in low turnover

“I believe that the reason I don’t have turnover is because I treat my crew as family. I know all about them. I’m tough on them but fair. I listen to them as much as I communicate.” –Betty Hanlon-Deever

SUMMER 2015 • elements

COMPASS GROUP’S ENVISON 2020

CHANGING THE

FUTURE FOOD —

OF —

Pioneering Companies Come Together to Create Sustainable Solutions BY AMANDA BROWN

he food service industry faces a variety of challenges for the future of food, many of which are global. Compass Group believes that these challenges can be turned into opportunities by combining resources and partnering with innovative, forward-thinking companies. A new philosophy is emerging as attention surges towards the growing trend of social responsibility and expanding partnerships among pioneering companies. More and more people are thinking innovatively in order to create betterfor-you foods and sustainable growth in the food service industry, changing the way we eat, think and buy. Compass Group is at the forefront of this movement, making it easy to live well and thrive. They have both the theoretical and practical skills to make things happen. They are driven by these challenges and are bringing a new, efficient approach to the innovation process. Consider the realities that are leading to this change. Compass contracts with over 500 manu-

24 elements • SUMMER 2015

facturers, vendors and suppliers within the U.S. alone. Overall revenue reached $17 billion while serving over four billion meals in 2014. They have also increased healthy eating options by more than 48 percent since 2011. With that said, by contracting and partnering with forward-thinking companies who share the same food philosophy, Compass has the leveraging power to cultivate change in food products, manufacturing and supply chains, and can influence millions of consumers in the way they eat and dine, helping them adopt a more balanced lifestyle. However, what does the future of foodservice look like? How can we affect cultural changes that benefit all people? These challenges require sustainable solutions and are a priority focus for Compass Group within their interdisciplinary profile — to lead with food. By partnering with companies who think with and live by the same philosophies, Compass Group can and will find new ways to create the resources required for intuitive commercialization

ENVISION 2020 COMPASS GROUP

COMPASS GROUP’S 2020 STRATEGY Compass Group’s 2020 strategy is to create methods that promote the voices of visionaries and partner with companies that have a hunger for identifying the challenges in the areas of food, environment and health, as well as the gumption to do something about it.

SUMMER 2015 • elements

A REFRESHING CHANGE: (bottom left, top center) Founder’s Deli on the Qualcomm San Diego campus. Through the “Cafe

Refresh” program, Compass Group and Qualcomm revived an old café space and created an East Coast-style deli. It now serves as a high-quality deli option that has become an inviting destination where employees relax and collaborate.

STEELCASE CREATES AN ESCAPE-WORTHY ENVIRONMENT Diners are beckoned into an inviting café oasis. These relaxing yet energizing dining environments allow employees to escape the daily grind. Steelcase, instrumental in Compass Group café designs, has always been synonymous with creating comfortable, high-quality furnishings. But in addition to intelligent design, Steelcase is developing tomorrow’s products today, including integrating sustainable, recyclable materials whenever possible.

26 elements • SUMMER 2015

that works and fits into the lifestyles of the people they serve and beyond. There is an identified need to actively create conditions for entrepreneurs, companies and customers to work together and move from idea to innovation, from action to results and, ultimately, to change. The National Restaurant Association’s food consumption statistics show that 60 percent of consumers say they are more likely to pick a restaurant that offers menu items that were grown or raised in an organic or environmentally friendly way. And, 69 percent of consumers say they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers locally produced food items. Compass Group’s 2020 strategy is to create methods that promote the voices of visionaries and partner with companies that have a hunger for identifying the challenges in the areas of food, environment and health, as well as the gumption to do something about it. By promoting collaboration and inspiring innovation with the companies they partner with, Compass Group is creating environments where people want to be. Cafés across the U.S. are being refreshed and remodeled to incorporate not only more modern and upscale décor, but local, sustainable, healthful and beneficial foods. They do this by putting innovation at the forefront of everything they do, by sourcing the best ingredi-

The organic garden on the Qualcomm San Diego campus produces a variety of herbs and vegetables including kale, arugula, peppers and tomatoes.

ents responsibly and by making health and safety a way of life. Compass aims to make a positive difference to the communities and environments in which they operate. The paradigm is shifting to encourage healthy eating and active living. More consumers are demanding it and Compass is complying. Having a responsible supply chain is important for Compass to deliver quality food service to consumers. Manufacturers such as Hampton Creek, Steelcase, and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers are just a few companies that Compass partners with who produce foods that are better for you, the environment and for the agri-workers. Companies like Qualcomm are clients who demand these changes from Compass as their foodservice provider. HIGH-TECH AND HEALTH-MINDED AT QUALCOMM Billions, maybe a trillion times a day. That’s how often people around the world touch something made by Qualcomm. Founded in 1985, Qualcomm is best known for its revolutionary wireless technologies that are integrated into smartphones, computers and high-tech equipment used by everyone from the general public to high-profile companies, military and government agencies. But there’s no doubt that Qualcomm is bringing positive change to more

ENVISION 2020 COMPASS GROUP

There is more to this innovative company than building worldwide communications and inventing mobile technology breakthroughs. And that’s what makes Qualcomm an ideal partner for Eurest, Compass Group’s business and industry sector.

than connectivity and computing. Headquartered in sunny San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm’s facilities spread over several campuses where employees enjoy state-ofthe-art labs, well-equipped fitness centers and recreational facilities such as swimming, tennis, basketball and volleyball. They make every effort to provide an environment that makes employees’ jobs inspiring and enjoyable. To cultivate inspiration and excitement that flows freely, this forward-thinking company has placed nutrition for its employees front and center. Qualcomm is also behind Compass’ movement to help its employees live well and thrive. They understand that an environment conducive to generating innovation requires on-site health-promoting cafés (seven main cafés and three quick-eat locations with one more being built) along with their fitness and health centers to produce a stronger work force of inventors, strategic thinkers and business leaders. Compass Group’s Eurest has incorporated tangible changes into Qualcomm’s campus restaurants, including scratch-made cooking and uniquely designed cafés that simulate restaurants instead of employee cafeterias. To set the stage, Qualcomm steals the show when it comes to health and wellness practices that truly benefit their workforce. Employees participate in a variety of programs, including semi-annual health awareness campaigns such as World Health Day, preventative health screenings and health-awareness challenges, while incorporating their own innovative technologies into the script. It is the small, positive changes that add up to measurable and sustainable health gains over time. The 19 locations of 24/7 fitness centers and twice-per-week mobile health spa offered to Qualcomm employees are just a couple of those small changes that will make a big difference. In line with Qualcomm’s five core elements of health — eating well, being active, sleeping well, taking time to reflect and practicing prevention — Eurest plays an influential part to keep employees well-fed, healthy and active. Eurest chefs and dietitians bring an educational

component centered on healthy eating and cooking to their employees by hosting seminars on the benefits of eating healthier and classes and cooking demonstrations to teach healthier cooking techniques throughout the year. Eurest’s celebrity chefs have also made appearances at the cafés, including world-renowned Chef Fabio Viviani, Chef Martin Yan and Chef Jet Tila. Qualcomm also grows its own organic garden where fresh-picked herbs and produce, such as kale, cilantro, arugula, peppers and tomatoes, are harvested by Eurest chefs weekly and are sent directly to the cafés to feature in their menus. The garden is growing, and fruit trees will be integrated into the harvest next year. The company is also committed to buying sustainably and locally whenever possible. For example, they require that meat does not contain routine antibiotics, that milk and yogurt is free of rBGH, and that seafood is caught sustainably. Recipes that include these core ingredients can be seen at any of the once-per-week Chef’s Tables managed by a Eurest Chef, where restaurant-style dishes are assembled to order by the chef in front of café guests. This is a unique way to engage guests, showcase creativity and culinary skills, and provide an opportunity for guest interaction. Qualcomm employees have shown great interest during Chef and Culinary Director Kurt Pfister’s cooking demonstration around the “Eating Healthy With Diabetes” Chef’s Table. Founder’s Deli, featuring tasty house-roasted meats, signature soups, salads and sandwiches, is another example of the destination dining Eurest at Qualcomm strives to facilitate. With its signature look and feel, Founder’s Deli, named after Qualcomm founders, is an upscale deli that is differentiated from all other cafés around the campus. Customers order and are seated, then the food is delivered directly to them at the table, providing personal customer service. Through its “Café Refresh” program, Eurest and Qualcomm have redesigned a comfortable, collaborative dining space where Qualcomm employees go to eat, not by default, but because it is their café of choice. Since February when the revamped café opened, the new Founder’s

Food

Community

Ownership

Storytelling

SUMMER 2015 • elements

ENVISION 2020 COMPASS GROUP

“We are extremely enthusiastic about this new relationship. Compass Group has a very talented group of people who are passionate about making food better for everyone. Our goal continues to be to make it easier for regular people to make better food choices, and we’re thrilled to have partners with the same goal in mind.” – Josh Tetrick CEO, Hampton Creek

Deli environment is conducive to not only eating together but also meeting together and creating life balance. The Café Refresh of Founder’s Deli has been a huge hit. Creating a culinary culture and mindset to “be the best,” Qualcomm is not only concerned about their employees, but their employees’ families. At the new facility at Pac Center, the company encourages meal times with spouses and offers on-site family picnics in the park-like settings hosted by one of the four main on-site cafés. Those employees who are too excited and engaged in their tech inventions to sit down and eat are offered on-the-run lunches and dinners with the Outtakes delivery program to ensure a nutrient-filled day. Dinner is also served for employees who are working late. In addition to improving the quality of distinctive food delivery for its employees, Qualcomm wants to create positive cultural changes and develop sustainable food solutions. The food choices must satisfy the palates of a diverse population of associates and their families who are literally from all over the world. Diners make special requests for menu additions, so it’s not surprising to see everything from Pho, gnocchi, Asian fare and Indian-inspired cuisine as options. They hunger for choices that remind them of their homes. The general public is also welcome to dine in the company’s cafés. Integrating technology with food, Qualcomm introduced Eurest’s new eDine app and has adopted over 630 users around campus since mid-January. The eDine app is a customer-facing loyalty app with games, news and rewards features. Qualcomm shares the Compass Group vision of inspirational goals and philosophies about

corporate social responsibilities. They share the vision to explore great innovation by daring to ask “what if?” With its commitment to innovation and changing the way its employees live and eat, Qualcomm makes a perfect business partner for Compass Group to forge light years ahead within the food industry. AN INDUSTRY-SHAPING, EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH HAMPTON CREEK Hampton Creek is rethinking food production and Compass Group is helping to forge the way. In early 2014 when Hampton Creek declared, “Doing the right thing for our bodies and for the world should be affordable and delicious,” it caught Compass Group’s attention. This philosophy aligns with their 2020 strategy for partnering with such pioneering companies who understand the need for change. Hampton Creek’s technology focuses on finding new plant-based ingredients that provide high-quality, better-for-you solutions for food consumption, and is touted for solving intensive agricultural issues and making healthier products. On January 28, 2015, Compass Group and Hampton Creek signed an exclusive, industry-shaping agreement built around the belief that good food, both for the body and the environment, should be widely accessible and delicious. This means that Hampton Creek will provide exclusive products and targeted product development for all Compass Group accounts, and in some cases become the sole provider in specific categories. The partnership also includes other industry firsts. Hampton Creek will partner exclusively

HAMPTON CREEK: HUNGRY TO BRING HEALTHY, AFFORDABLE FOOD TO EVERYONE

JOSH TETRICK CEO and founder

With the mission of bringing healthier, affordable food to everyone, Hampton Creek is on a fast track to success. They were named one of Entrepreneur magazine’s 100 Brilliant Companies and one of CNBC’s Top 50 Disruptors. Bill Gates called Hampton Creek, “One of the three companies shaping the future of food.” Hampton Creek CEO Josh Tetrick was

28 elements • SUMMER 2015

named to Inc. magazine’s “35 Under 35” list of leading entrepreneurs. Based in San Francisco, Calif., Hampton Creek is a technology company pioneering in food. This company has built a unique platform that enables the production of healthier food at a lower cost, starting with a safe and sustainable substitute for the conventional chicken egg.

As CEO and founder Josh Tetrick says, “We live in a time where the unhealthy choice is dirt cheap and convenient. And the healthy choice is pricey and inconvenient. When my Dad walks the grocery aisles to buy mayo or chocolatechip cookies or eggs, the inputs that make them possible often come from bizarrely unhealthy places… Solving a problem means

actually solving the problem for most people — not just the folks that can afford to pay $5.99 for organic eggs.” Their first product, Just Mayo, is already distributed through Safeway, Dollar Tree, Whole Foods, Shoprite, Kroger, Costco and more than 600 natural channel stores in America. Now, look for their latest healthy treat, Just Cookies, at your local grocer.

Hampton Creek team members, pictured left to right: Josh Tetrick (CEO/Founder), Kara Ricciardi (Associate Food Technologist), Julie Ucceli (Associate Food Technologist), Susan Thiell (Associate Product Developer), Shweta Rao (Director, Bakery Innovation) and Swetha Mahadevan (Food Scientist).

with Compass Group to further expand its company vision across Asia. This exclusivity, coupled with Compass Group’s $18 billion of food purchases, will give Hampton Creek the leverage to change the conventional approach to procurement and distribution. A PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE, ONE BITE AT A TIME We have created a world where the convenience factor far outweighs healthy food choices. We risk obesity, heart disease and digestion issues by consuming foods with unknown ingredients, as manufacturers are producing foods that are known to contribute to health problems because they are cheaper and more convenient. Most food are laden with sweeteners, salts, artificial flavors, factory-created fats, colorings, additives, preservatives and chemicals that alter texture. While there are over 400,000 plant species in the world, only 8 percent of them have been explored for applicability in food. Josh Tetrick, CEO and founder of Hampton Creek, has pioneered food technology that focuses on finding new ways of utilizing plants in food production. This technology is affecting change in agriculture, environmental sustainability and water usage. Hampton Creek is indexing the world’s plants and developing ways to use them as alter-

Just Cookies from Hampton Creek contain all-natural ingredients, without eggs or dairy products. Varieties include: chocolate chip, sugar, oatmeal raisin and peanut butter.

natives for ingredients that are better, healthier solutions for food consumption. For instance, Hampton Creek’s data scientists are actively examining proteins from hundreds of thousands of plants to learn what combinations could form the equivalent of a chicken’s egg. Hampton Creek’s first product was a plantbased, eggless mayonnaise called Just Mayo. This revolutionary and delicious breakthrough resulted in other products being developed without the use of eggs. Their Just Cookie Dough is also eggless and can be baked or eaten right out of the jar. There’s also Scramble, which is a plantbased product that can be thrown into a pan and scrambled like a chicken egg, but tastes better. What’s next you ask? Dressings, mixes and pastas to name a few. By developing products without eggs and dairy ingredients, which require intensive animal agriculture to produce, we bypass the need for animal products, reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the environment and ultimately help to slow down climate change. Plus by using plant bases, we can see and experience the difference one product can make in our world. It’s no wonder Compass Group chose Hampton Creek to help them pave the way towards bringing the world to a better, healthier and more sustainable future.

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT! Hampton Creek and Compass Group are jointly creating digital platforms such as smart phone apps that enable customers to customize their meals according to their individual lifestyle and dietary goals. These enterprise platforms will also assess purchases and wellness trends.

SUMMER 2015 • elements

ENVISION 2020 COMPASS GROUP

FRUITFUL AGREEMENT:

Jon Esformes, CEO of Pacific Tomato Growers, and Lucas Benitez, of the CIW, sign the original Fair Food Agreement. Afterward, 90 percent of Florida tomato growers signed on and implemented the Fair Food Program to improve working conditions for farm workers.

30 elements • SUMMER 2015

ADVOCATING FOR FAIR FOOD WITH INDUSTRY-CHANGING RESULTS When Compass Group stands firm on a particular matter, you’d better believe it commands the attention of the food service industry. Taking on, and advocating for, the proper treatment of human beings in the food supply chain is what brought on the partnership with the Coalition of the Immokalee Workers (CIW). After visiting the tomato farms in Florida in 2009 and realizing the appalling abuse and working conditions endured by workers, it was agreed that it would be a mountain on which Compass Group would fight. Partnering with the CIW came easily in order to guarantee that both the growers and the workers received the benefits of a fairer agricultural industry. CIW is an organization of more than 4,000 farm workers in the Florida region and is the source of 95 percent of all U.S.-grown tomatoes eaten by Americans from October to June. The CIW was formed in 1993 to represent Immokalee harvesters and to combat poor working conditions in the industry. The imbalance of power between the workers and growers had resulted in unacceptable working conditions, including sub-poverty wages, wage theft and, in the worst cases, an environment of fear and abuse. While CIW enjoyed some early successes in their efforts to improve the plight of these workers, a major breakthrough came when they went to the business end of the supply chain and approached the buyers of their products. As CIW organizer Gerardo Reyes-Chavez says, “In order to bring the entire industry to the table, we reframed the question. We started to think about where these tomatoes are going. Who is making profit from them? And what is the role of the retail industry in all of this?” That thinking led CIW to the fast food, retail and food service industries, where the majority of the tomatoes are purchased and used. Jumping into action, Compass Group gladly agreed to increase the price paid for tomatoes by 1.5 cents per pound, with the majority of the increase going directly to workers. Other retailers and fast food companies followed suit. Attached to those increases were agreements about workers’ rights, and along with the price increases, came better pay for the workers, better working conditions, and the right to organize and address workplace issues. The growers agreed to a Code of Conduct, which guarantees fair and safe labor

benefits and conditions and agreed to auditing by the Fair Food Standards Council. The agreement was a huge step forward in Immokalee workers’ rights and the start of a fruitful partnership between Compass Group and the CIW. Since 2009, the campaign has combined creative, on-the-ground actions with cutting-edge organizational structures to win Fair Food Agreements with 12 well-known, multi-billion dollar food retailers. The New York Times recognized the CIW as “a model for agriculture across the U.S. If anybody is going to lead the way and teach people how it’s done, it’s them,” and added, “The tomato fields of Immokalee are probably the best working environments in American agriculture, going from worst to best.” Compass Group is proud to be a part of these groundbreaking moments, but the battle is not over. Other retail giants are joining Compass Group and the Fair Food Program to expand to crops beyond just tomatoes. WATCH AS ENVISION 2020 UNFOLDS Whether it is fighting alongside CIW for agricultural workers’ rights, helping high-tech Qualcomm employees realize healthier and more balanced lifestyles, or backing better-foryou cookie and food company Hampton Creek, Compass Group is committed to making a difference. Compass Group’s partnerships with these companies — whose philosophies about increased sustainability and delivering excellence are in line with our own — can and will change the future of food. e

LIFTING WAGES: Immokalee farm workers are now paid an additional 1.5 cents per pound of tomatoes harvested, thanks to a partnership between Compass Group and the CIW to improve wages and working conditions.

Compass Group & Case Case Study Study SUSTAINABILITY

New Compass Program Rescues Produce and Reduces Waste The consumer desire for perfect-looking produce often results in cosmetically flawed produce going to waste. Buyers will rummage through a display of apples looking for the perfect one. Misshapen produce and even the slightest surface blemish can deter consumers. During harvest, farm crews are trained to pick produce that is the “ideal” size and has minimal flaws. The “cosmetically challenged” product is often left in the field, sent to compost or landfill. A beautiful head of romaine lettuce that didn’t quite grow as tall as the others is left to deteriorate. At repacking and processing plants, items that don’t meet the size requirements for specific retail packs are also discarded. Unfortunately, there are few opportunities for farmers and distributors to sell produce that is not Grade A. Loss of the product not only affects the financial stability of the farmer but also has significant impact on the environment. Water used to grow the produce and the energy used to transport the crops is essentially wasted. Potentially even more detrimental to the environment is the fact that landfilling these items leads to the emission of methane, which is 20 times more potent as a heat-trapping gas than carbon dioxide. A group of passionate Compass chefs recognized the problem and decided that they wanted to be part of the solution. Imperfectly Delicious Produce Chef Jim Chapman from Eurest at Visa is a champion (IDP) was born out of the desire to of the IDP program. change our purchasing practices for the better. Through this program, Compass and Foodbuy are working closely with our farmers and distributors to rescue produce that would typically be forgotten. Eurest Executive Chef at Visa, Jim Chapman, said, “We have been participating in the Imperfectly Delicious program every week since it started. We use six to eight cases a week of a product that may have been left in the field and it is all fresh and local. It feels good to our client, our staff and to me as chef to be doing something good for the local farmers.” At Compass, we are passionate about finding a home for everything that is good and edible.

Compass Group Case Study

ASSOCIATE SPOTLIGHT

Billy Strynkowski Chef Billy Strynkowski wears many hats in his role as RA’s Director of Wellness. When he’s executive chef of player dining at the U.S. Open in Flushing, N.Y., Billy never takes off his toque. For three solid weeks, he is at the beck and call of every tennis player on site, and he oversees the new “Balance Kitchen” concept, which is in its second year at the U.S. Open. Chef Billy was recently featured in the “NY Food” section of The Wall Street Journal for his role at the U.S. Open. We’re so proud, we had to reprint the entire article!

BILLY STRYNKOWSKI, EXECUTIVE CHEF OF PLAYER DINING AT THE U.S. OPEN U.S. Open Chef Oversees Thousands of Meals a Day in the Early Going By Sophia Hollander

“Mr. Strynkowski passes out his cellphone number to players and their retinues, who text him at all hours. He promises to get them anything, as long as they file the request at least 12 hours in advance.”

32 elements • SUMMER 2015

It must have been the rice. As Chef Billy Strynkowski strode through the player dining room at the U.S. Open one afternoon, an athlete approached. “We won,” the player said, clapping Mr. Strynkowski on the shoulder. “Tomorrow, more rice!” “They come to feel like I’m a good-luck charm,” said the jovial 52-year-old chef with a smile. In recent years, food has grown as a focus for the world’s top tennis players. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic’s well-publicized switch to gluten-free dining, which coincided with the Serbian’s ascent to the number-one ranking in the world, helped propel nutrition to the forefront of many players’ minds, U.S. Open officials said. Last year, officials undertook a $350,000 renovation of the players’ dining room and hired hospitality firm Restaurant Associates to oversee

their food, led by Mr. Strynkowski. “We started seeing players focused more than ever on the foods they were eating and bringing their own dieticians with them,” said Danny Zausner, chief operating officer at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Despite high food ratings in player surveys, Mr. Zausner said, “we felt it was an opportunity to re-evaluate the food.” The player dining service feeds as many as 4,000 meals a day, with that number dropping as the tournament progresses. The food was perfectly fine before, said U.S. player Sam Querrey, just “a little more bland.” “You’d just have a pasta station and a sandwich station, you could get a Gatorade and a water,” said Mr. Querrey, who advanced to the tournament’s third round on Thursday. This year, he has eaten salmon-and-avocado sushi every day, he said. Drink options range from fruit and vegetable smoothies to coconut water. Under Mr. Strynkowski’s direction, cheese pizzas have been replaced by a series of wholewheat flatbreads with toppings like peaches and heirloom tomatoes.

Coffee was once made in vats. Now it is brewed “like baristas would be doing at Starbucks, “ said Mr. Zausner. And, he added, “Until someone tells us that kale is unhealthy, kale is in everything that we serve or at least it seems that way.” The spacious dining room attracts players at all hours and features soaring ceilings and muted earth tones. Mounted iPads offer detailed nutrition information on all the dishes. Mr. Strynkowski was well-suited to helm the transition, officials said. He spent 11 years as executive chef for Cooking Light magazine and serves as director of culinary wellness for hospitality firm Restaurant Associates when he’s not at the U.S. Open. His personality also made him a good fit, said Mr. Zausner. Mr. Strynkowski passes out his cell-phone number to players and their retinues, who text him at all hours. He promises to get them anything, as long as they file the request at least 12 hours in advance. “If he could, he would do individual dining for every single player on the tour,” Mr. Zausner said. “I’m not sure the man knows how to say ‘no.’ ” That has resulted in his dashing into a ShopRite grocery store on his way home from work to pick up a jar of canned cranberry sauce for one player; sourcing local striped bass or bluefish (“a lot of them hear that Long Island” has it) or tracking down almond milk. “Twelve hours and I’ll get them basically anything in the world,” he said. Mr. Strynkowski was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn. When he was 12, his family moved to Rockland County and Mr. Strynkowski still resides there today. By the time he was eight years old, he said, he was running home from school to experiment in the kitchen — often to his family’s dismay. “Always making a mess. Always getting yelled at,” he recalled with a sheepish smile. “Anything that was in the refrigerator somehow made it into a pan or a blender.” That kind of curiosity has led Mr. Strynkowski to patent several cooking-related inventions over the past several years, including the “Better Batter Beater” — a battery-operated hand mixer — and the “Roasting Laurel,” a flexible piece of silicone that helps lift meat up out of its own fat when roasting. His family has another name for his active mind. “We call it undiagnosed A.D.D.,” said his 22-year-old son, Austin, referring to attention-deficit disorder. “Everything is an adventure

with that guy.” Like the time Mr. Strynkowski called his son from Seattle. As it turned out, he had been craving a particular sandwich made in the city — so he hopped on a plane. He said, “ ‘I had a lot of paperwork to do; I figured I’d fly to Seattle, do my paperwork on the plane, eat the sandwich and then go home,’” Austin said. “ ‘I’m like are you kidding me, dude?’ “ Mr. Strynkowski’s latest invention — a new kind of spatula — came to him while he was playing golf in Ireland, he said. “Your mind is constantly rolling,” he said. His days at the U.S. Open start by 6 a.m. and end after dark. It is a relentless few weeks, he noted, with no days off. He must wrangle a team of chefs pulled from across the company’s kitchens, including Google, GOOGL -1.72% the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Credit Suisse. CSGN. VX -0.66% Rain delays can create an instant swarm. An ingredient’s sudden popularity can create a crisis, as gallons of pesto or grilled chicken suddenly disappear. In other words, it is enough of a challenge to fully engage his restless mind. “The funny thing about being a chef is you please people you don’t know, so it’s kind of an odd profession,” he said. “I like to think that we’re temporary artists for people that you don’t know.” e

TOP-SEEDED NUTRIENTS:

U.S. Open players devour Billy’s “better-for-you” dishes. Key ingredients include vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables.

BILLY STRYNKOWSKI’S ACE FUEL FOR CHAMPS THE RECOVERY SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS

U.S. OPEN RECIPE

1 cup chocolate soy milk

In the early evening or after a

1 ripe banana

long match, most competitors stop by The Players Lounge at

1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter

the U.S. Open Tennis Champi-

2 ounces crushed ice

onship to catch up with friends

2 ounces coconut water

and opponents. You’ll find most

1 teaspoon chocolate syrup

of them drinking the Recovery Smoothie, which prepares them for upcoming matches or practice workouts. Professional athletes love the way this smoothie tastes. Delicious flavors, combined with

DIRECTIONS Place all ingredients into the top of blender, blend till smooth. Serve immediately.

great nutritional value, make Billy’s concoction a Grand Slam.

SUMMER 2015 • elements

Try these delicious recipes from Simply Puur and discover why going with the grain has never tasted better. IN TODAY’S WORLD, for many of us, instant-gratification mentalities far outweigh our desire to get something done right. So, it’s fairly safe to say that we sometimes forget to think about what we eat before it lands in our mouths. Over the past half century, the fast-food industry has ruled the roost, serving up artificial and processed food, dominating the marketplace and participating in degrading our health and our environment. We don’t all want fast food, though. There are those of us who want it done right, we want it to be delicious and to be good for our environment, but we want it immediately and we don’t want to have to think about it. We realize that buying locally is important and we’ve heard that incorporating more whole grains into our diet will provide us with necessary nutrients and may even help us to avoid heart disease. So, we tell ourselves that if we go to a local farmers market to buy our tomatoes and choose whole grain bread over white, we’re all set. The problem is, once we get our locally grown and sustainable ingredients home, we may not know how to prepare them or have the time to figure it out. Compass Group has set out to solve this problem by envisioning a very different fu-

34 elements • SUMMER 2015

ture for food and for this industry. One that is significantly set apart and that celebrates fresh, local, and sometimes imperfect food. Compass Group believes that food should be pure and fresh, and feels a responsibility to provide its customers with an experience that fuels bodies and minds and satisfies palates. The company strives to make it simple for people to live well and thrive. It’s all in the name. The Simply Puur concept delivers responsibly (and in most cases, locally) sourced ingredients, an abundance of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, and incorporates lean proteins, whole grains and ingredients that promote well-being. You’ll be hard pressed to find unnecessary additives and artificial ingredients on a Simply Puur menu. Compass keeps it deliciously simple in a Puur space. Speaking of space, Puur is providing customers with more than just sustainable food. Today, customers want more. More than just great-tasting food that’s good for them and the planet, they want an experience. They want a place where they can come to relax with a meal and take a break, collaborate with coworkers or even work alone. They want the all-in-one; the home-away-fromhome. Puur is the destination that fuels their performance, in and out of the office. It can

be considered a “third place,” which means that it’s not home, but it certainly doesn’t feel like work. It’s simple, really. Compass Group has created a small café environment with comfortable seating that entices customers to relax and regroup. And hey, while they’re visiting, they can enjoy the clean and minimally processed foods! That is the Puur focus after all; to expand whole grains offerings, focus on made-from-scratch, plant-based and globally-inspired cooking and to menu consciously. Compass Group wants to spread the awareness that it DOES provide instant gratification…but it’s clean, sustainable and natural. The goal is to do the hard work in sustainability so that our customers don’t have to. Food is even wrapped in raw, natural, Simply Puur-branded boxes. The company provides a way for its customers to better their lifestyles and the environment simply by dining at a Simply Puur café. A place built with sustainability practices in mind; a space that delivers authenticity, not just in food but also in the design. Compass Group is excited to witness Simply Puur menus being used across the country. To get that started, we’ve provided a few of them here. Enjoy, and go with the grain! e

elements

t KALE,

WINTER SUMMER 2015 2015 RECIPES RECIPES A TASTE SIMPLY OF CALIFORNIA PUUR FAVORITES

AVOCADO, DOUBLE QUINOA WITH LEMON DIJON VINAIGRETTE Serves 4

t CHICKPEA

Ingredients – Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

Method 1. Combine all the vinaigrette ingre-

Ingredients – Chickpea and Date Stew

3½ cups lemon juice, fresh

dients together in a bowl and whisk

2 cups yellow onions, diced

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

well. Set aside.

1 tablespoon garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon salt, kosher

2. Rinse quinoa by submerging in

1 tablespoon ginger root, minced

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

water and then strain in a fine mesh

2 teaspoons cumin seed

strainer.

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons oregano, fresh, chopped

3. Take 4 teaspoons of the quinoa

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

10 tablespoons olive oil

(make more while you are at it) and place in a small skillet. Over medium

1½ teaspoons smoked paprika

heat, toast for about 10-15 minutes,

1½ cups crushed tomatoes, no added salt

2 teaspoons honey

stirring often, do not burn. Quinoa

Ingredients – Cooked Quinoa

should be a rich dark brown color

3/4 cup red quinoa, dry (separated)

with a nice crunch.

2½ cups water

4. Take the remaining quinoa and place in a pot with the water. Bring

Ingredients – Salad

to a boil, lower heat and cover and

2 quarts baby kale

simmer for 15 minutes. Remove

1½ cup romaine lettuce, chopped

from heat and let steam for 5 more

2 cups spinach, baby

minutes. Fluff and chill.

½ cup cauliflower florets, sliced thin

Toss the salad ingredients (except

½ cup broccoli florets, sliced thin

lemon wedges) and place in a bowl.

2 avocados, peeled, cubed

5. Add the cooked quinoa and ½

4 lemon wedges

cup of vinaigrette. Toss well and garnish with sprinkle of toasted quinoa and lemon wedges. Chef’s note: rinsing quinoa will rid it of its bitter flavor.

DATE TAGINE WITH HERBED BULGUR AND HARISSA BROTH Serves 6

3 cups garbanzo beans, canned, drained, rinsed 1 cup pitted dates, chopped 3/4 cup water 1 tablespoon olive oil ¼ cup lemon juice, fresh ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 3/4 cup pitted dates, chopped ½ cup cilantro, fresh, chopped

Ingredients – Herbed Bulgur 2 cups bulgur wheat 3½ cups water ¼ cup olive oil ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄ teaspoon ground black pepper 3 tablespoons parsley, fresh, chopped

Delicious and simply satisfying, this baby kale salad tossed with cooked quinoa, avocado and sprinkled with quinoa crunch packs 12 grams of protein per serving!

3 tablespoons mint bunch, fresh, chopped

Ingredients – Harissa Broth ¼ cup vegetable broth 1 tablespoon harissa paste ½ teaspoon salt, kosher 3/4 teaspoon brown sugar

Method – Chickpea and Date Stew 1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook 10 minutes, until starting to brown. Stir in garlic, ginger and spices. Sauté for 30 seconds. 2. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, dates (leave in large chunks, cut in half) and water. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes. 3. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve garnished with cilantro and chopped dates.

Method – Herbed Bulgur 1. Toast bulgur in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add water, bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff, drizzle in olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper; stir in parsley and mint.

Method – Harissa Broth 1. Heat vegetable broth, season with harissa paste, salt and brown sugar.

Plating Scoop 1 cup herbed bulgur into center of a shallow bowl, top with 1 cup stew, drizzle ¼ cup broth. Garnish with 1 tablespoon chopped dates.

SUMMER 2015 • elements

QUINOA HASH, POACHED EGG AND ROMESCO SAUCE WITH ALMONDS Serves 6 ⁄ cup onions, fresh, chopped

Ingredients – Romesco Sauce With Almonds

2 red bell peppers

1 dried ancho chile

2 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons parsley, fresh, chopped

3/4 cup tomatoes, whole, peeled, canned, drained

3/4 teaspoon minced garlic cloves ⁄ teaspoon kosher salt ⁄ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ cup almonds, slivered

Method – Romesco Sauce

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1. Place red bell peppers in a 450°F oven or under a broiler or on a hot

Ingredients – Maple Turkey Mushroom Sausage

grill to blister the skin. Place in a bowl

4 ounces turkey, ground, dark and breast

the peppers. Set aside. Note: bottled,

⁄ cup mushrooms, button, finely chopped

as a substitute.

¼ teaspoon garlic, minced

2. Lightly toast dried ancho chiles on

boiling water or steamer until tender.

a dry, hot skillet. Remove stems and

Plating

Set aside until ready to cook. Cook

seeds. Set aside.

Poach eggs just before serving.

quinoa according to package direc-

3. Place whole garlic cloves in a pot

Onto each plate/bowl smear

tions and set aside.

with olive oil and low simmer until

2 tablespoons of Romesco sauce on

2. Drizzle oil in a hot skillet/pan

garlic is soft and golden brown.

the bottom, toward the edge. Spoon

and add onions and sausage mix.

4. Place all ingredients into a blender

1 cup hash in the center and top with

Cook stirring to break up the meat

and puree until smooth. Best served

1 each poached egg.

for 1 minute. Add the garlic and the

at room temperature.

Chef’s note: to poach eggs, bring

cooked, chilled root vegetables.

water seasoned with vinegar, apple

Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring

Method – Maple Turkey Mushroom Sausage

cider or distilled (about 2 tablespoons

only occasionally to allow some

per 2 quarts of water), to a very gentle

browning of the vegetables. Cook

simmer. Crack an egg into a small

1. Mix together sausage ingredients

for about 10-15 minutes, stirring

bowl and then gently pour the egg

and set aside.

occasionally.

into the water. Gently stir the water

3. Add cooked quinoa and season

in a circle so the whites fold in. Leave

Method – Quinoa Hash

with salt and freshly ground black pep-

alone until whites are set and the yolk

1. Cook the three root vegetables in

per. Stir in parsley just prior to service.

is cooked but still runny.

1⁄ teaspoon poultry seasoning ⁄ teaspoon fennel seeds, ground

⁄ teaspoon salt kosher

⁄ teaspoon ground black pepper

⁄ teaspoon red crushed pepper

1 teaspoon maple syrup

Ingredients – Hash ½ cup rutabagas, fresh, peeled, 3/4” cubes ½ cup Yukon Gold potatoes, 3/4” cubes ½ cup sweet potatoes, fresh, peeled, 3/4” cubes 1 ⁄ cups red quinoa, cooked 13

4 teaspoons olive oil

covered until cool. Peel and deseed pre-roasted red peppers may be used

SMOKY CHILI-CRUSTED CHICKEN Serves 6

Ingredients

Method

2½ teaspoons smoked paprika

1. Mix together spices and oil.

1½ teaspoons chili powder

Clean chicken of excess fat.

¾ teaspoon cumin, ground

2. Mix together seasoning, oil and

¾ teaspoon coriander, ground

chicken thighs, marinate overnight.

1½ teaspoons brown sugar

Pan sear on a hot skillet and finish in

¾ teaspoon salt, kosher

a 350°F oven until cooked through,

3 tablespoons olive oil

about 15 minutes.

1½ pounds chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, trimmed

3. Slice and serve.

Serving suggestion: serve Smoky Chili-Crusted Chicken over Farro pilaf or chop up for tacos.

36 elements • SUMMER 2015

elements

WINTER SUMMER 2015 2015 RECIPES RECIPES A TASTE SIMPLY OF CALIFORNIA PUUR FAVORITES

HONEY’D WALNUTS WITH A TOUCH OF CAYENNE t Yields 1 cup

Ingredients

2. When reduced by half, remove

3 tablespoons honey

from heat and add the walnuts, salt

1 cup walnut halves and pieces

and cayenne. Return to low heat and

⁄ teaspoon kosher salt

stir quickly and carefully; caramelizing

⁄ teaspoon cayenne pepper

and toasting the nuts. Be careful not to

18 18

Honey’d Walnuts are great on salads or in granola mixes.

burn the honey.

Method

3. Pour coated nuts onto a pan, and

1. Put honey in a small saucepan (large

when cooled, break up the nuts with

enough to hold the walnuts but small

your hands.

enough so that the honey is not too

Chef’s note: Other nuts may be

thin) and caramelize over medium-low

candied with this recipe. The honey is

heat. This will take about 5 to 10

very hot so use caution when stirring.

minutes. As it simmers, the water will

Keep in a cool dry storage, moisture

evaporate and the color will deepen.

will ‘melt’ the candied honey but it will still taste good.

SMOKED SALMON, DILL AND CAPER YOGURT PARFAIT t Serves 6

Ingredients 3 cups Greek yogurt, fat free 4 teaspoons capers, drained, chopped, fine ¼ cup dill, fresh, chopped 4 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh 1 cup English cucumbers, diced 4 slices lemon 1 cup smoked salmon 2 slices rye bread, toasted

Method – Salsa Fresca 1. Mix Greek yogurt with capers, fresh dill and lemon juice. 2. Place ¾ cup yogurt into a parfait cup and top with ¼ cup diced cucumbers and ¼ cup chopped smoked salmon. Garnish with a slice of lemon and ½ slice of toasted rye bread.

JUST MAYO CHIPOTLE POTATO SALAD t Serves 6-8

Ingredients 2¼ pounds medium red skin potato, unpeeled, cut into ¼-inch-thick dice or chunk 6 slices thick bacon, diced small ½ cup red onion, diced small ¼ cup celery, diced small ½ teaspoon black pepper 3/4 to 1 cup Just Mayo Chipotle ¼ cup green onion, sliced thinly

Method 1. Steam or boil potatoes until tip of knife easily pierces center of slices, about 10 minutes. Once tender, spread evenly on a sheet pan and let cool. 2. Sauté diced bacon in large skillet over medium heat until brown, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Let bacon cool, then remove from paper towel. 3. In a large mixing bowl, add potatoes, red onion, celery, black pepper, bacon and Just Mayo Chipotle. Gen-

Eggless, cholesterol-free, and as delicious as traditional mayonnaise, Just Mayo from Compass Group partner Hampton Creek can be used to create an endless variety of tasty summer salads.

tly mix, garnish with green onions. Chill and serve.

Simply Puur features fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, and incorporates lean proteins, whole grains and ingredients that promote well-being.

SUMMER 2015 • elements

The Final Word ON WELLNESS

“Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley that is important to the taste and texture of baked goods.”

Deanne Brandstetter

Compass Group Vice President, Nutrition and Wellness

GLUTEN-FREE I

t’s America’s fastest growing special diet request and one of the least understood. America is demanding “Gluten-Free,” so if you’re in the foodservice business, it’s a good idea to know what gluten is and why it’s important. WHAT IS GLUTEN? Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley that is important to the taste and texture of baked goods. It is found in a wide variety of foods, so the first question is should you avoid it? If you have celiac disease, the answer is definitely yes because gluten can damage your intestines. With growing awareness of celiac disease, more glutenfree foods have come to market, and many people without celiac disease have begun following a gluten-free diet. Some have nonceliac-related gluten intolerance. Others simply believe a glutenfree diet will improve their health, increase their energy or help with weight loss. Are they right? We don’t know for sure. Evidence of the benefits of a

38 elements • SUMMER 2015

Food Fashion or Health Priority?

LOOK FOR THE LABEL Compass cafés offer menu items that have been prepared without gluten-containing ingredients.

gluten-free diet varies. But simply removing gluten is no guarantee of health, and may even deny you foods that are important to a balanced, nutritious diet. WHAT DOES THE FDA SAY? As of August 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires any food claiming to be gluten-free (or “without gluten,” “no gluten” or “free of gluten”) to have a gluten content of less than 20 parts per million. While this standard was created for

packaged foods, the FDA expects restaurants and other foodservice establishments to comply as well. GLUTEN-FREE FOODSERVICE Can you meet this high standard in your café? It’s not simple. Breads, rolls and cereals made from wheat, rye or barley are easy to identify, but gluten can be hidden in salad dressings, sauces and condiments. Products made from oats, for example, can contain gluten if

not processed separately from grain products containing gluten. Our kitchens, where we prepare foods for all our customers, present many opportunities for cross-contact. For example, a rice flour-breaded chicken tender is not gluten free when cooked in a fryer that cooked regular chicken tenders. WE CAN HELP With safety as a top priority, two years ago Compass Group developed the Avoiding Gluten? program to address these issues. It’s a combination of extensive training, culinary innovation and customer education to help our customers make safe food choices in our cafés. As a result, we are able to identify and offer foods prepared without gluten ingredients in our cafés and catering programs. Even our 2bU vending program offers quick access to gluten-free items on the go. Avoiding Gluten? can be implemented at different levels, making it flexible enough to meet the needs of each of our cafés and their customers. e