Bravo 2016 - Volume 3

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2016

FA L L

/ WINTER

IN THIS ISSUE: BRAVO IS THE ALMOST QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF

BON APPÉTIT MANAGEMENT COMPANY |

Meet Our Be-A-Star Winners

A Member of the Compass Group

PAGE 30

100 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 400 Palo Alto, California 94301 650-798-8000 www.bamco.com

Eat Local Challenge: Bumper Crop Edition PAGE 46

LEARN HOW FOOD CHOICES AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY,

New Persian Culinary Training at Bon Appétit

AND YOUR WELL-BEING AT www.cafebonappetit.com

PAGE 94 16-6375

VOL 3

INDEX

Marylhurst University 61 The Master’s University 32 Medtronic 82, 103 Mentor Graphics 32 Mills College 60, 73, 83 Mount Angel Abbey 19, 28 Nordstrom 90 Oberlin College 70-71 Oregon Museum of Science and Industry 4, 12-13 Oracle 54 Oregon Episcopal School 105 Otis College of Art and Design 36 Otterbein University 51, 68 Overstock.com 22 Oxford College of Emory University 62-63 Porsche 44-45 Reed College 12-13, 28, 32, 57, 88 Regis University 48, 84, 100, 104 Royal Caribbean Cruises 58 Samsung 73 Santa Clara University 50 SAP 61 Savannah College of Art and Design 14-15, 108 Seattle Art Museum 65 Seattle University 4, 43, 110 Santa Fe University of Art and Design 85 St. Olaf College 106 Target 75, 85 The Thacher School 104 Trine University 6 Twitter 29, 61, 99 University of Northwestern – St. Paul 15, 76 University of Pennsylvania 33 University of Portland 50, 84 University of San Francisco 51, 112 University of the Pacific 72, 109 Wabash College 74 Washington University in St. Louis 6, 16-17, 31, 57, 91 Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine 7, 49 Westminster College 33 WhiteWave Foods 74 Willamette University 39, 101 Zulily 49

Abercrombie & Fitch 52, 68 Adidas 105 Adobe 20-21, 56, 59, 78 Alliance Health 106 Amazon.com 33 Art Institute of Chicago 24-25, 55, 81 Averett University 32 Banfield Pet Hospital 83 Beloit College 7, 93 Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel 27, 107 Best Buy 82 Biola University 85 Blizzard Entertainment 89 Brown University 67 Carleton College 91, 92-93 Case Western Reserve University 49, 72, 98 Citrix 42-43 Claremont McKenna College 56 Cleveland Museum of Art 50 Colby College 18, 66, 83 The College of Idaho 55, 75, 80, 85 Colorado College 61, 80, 90 The Commissary 37 Cornish College of the Arts 108 Denison University 27, 55, 76, 83, 107 Eckerd College 5 EF Education First 102 Electronic Arts 29 Emmanuel College 76, 109 Emory University 38 Foundry & Lux 79 Franklin Templeton 73, 76 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 82 Furman University 40-41, 83, 86-87 Genentech 27, 53 George Fox University 5, 54 Google 31, 33, 51, 64, 76 Goucher College 54, 109 Hampshire College 52 The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens 10-11 Institute of American Indian Arts 58 Knox College 97 Lewis & Clark College 12-13, 57, 75

BRAVO WAS PRINTED ON PAPER MADE FROM

100%

RECYCLED FIBER INCLUDING

THIS SAVED...

66 fully grown trees 29,876 gallons water 29 million BTUs energy 2045 pounds solid waste 4490 pounds greenhouse gases

57%

POSTCONSUMER WASTE .

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from fedele

Think Like a Restaurateur

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e’re a restaurant company. At its root, the word “restaurant” comes from the French restaurer, “restore to a former state.” I like the idea that what we do helps people feel restored. Restore that stressed-out student so he can enter the next class ready to learn. Restore the harried engineer so she can return to her desk with the mental space to write complex code. Restore the museum visitors whose eyes have glazed over from all the art or natural beauty, so they can go back and gaze some more.

If guests leave our cafés feeling restored, we’ve made a positive contribution to their day.

In order to restore someone, you’ve got to create a special experience. You’ve got to take the friction out of their transaction with us. Start with a smile and a warm greeting, make sure the café and menu are easy to navigate, move the lines quickly, present the food beautifully — the list goes on. Each step is critical to the experience.

For me, it starts with smell. When you enter a café, you should smell food. Nothing makes me feel more at home than the smell of garlic and onions being sautéed. That was one of the drivers behind our early commitment to exhibition cooking. Our cafés should smell like kitchens, not like an antiseptic factory. I wanted the sound of chopping, not of can openers or microwaves. Lids clanking, the sizzle of food on the grill…those are the sounds of a restaurant.

One of my favorite quotes from the writer, activist, and farmer Wendell Berry is that “eating is an agricultural act.” It’s also a sensual act. A great dining experience takes into account all five senses — seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and of course, tasting. I am not the first to say this, but I believe it passionately.

I know that if we please all five senses, we will create a truly special experience for our guests. I challenge you all today to take a moment and assess your operation through the eyes of a restaurateur. Is your front-of-house team as welcoming as a good maître d’? Is your grab-and-go section as enticing as a gourmet deli, or more like a convenience store’s? Next, stand in the servery with your eyes closed. Do the smells and sounds tell you that you’re in a restaurant? And of course, taste everything. Savor it the way we hope guests will.

Do you feel restored? I hope so. Because that means that they will, too.

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“We give people tremendous freedom in this company, and I try to stay out of the way.”

—B ON A PPÉTIT CEO F EDELE B AUCCIO IN

“The Entrepreneur’s Purpose: How EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award Winners Outperform and Outlast the Competition” A NEW REPORT FROM HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW

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highlights | 2016

VOL 3

IN THIS ISSUE

35 01

From Fedele

26

Celebrating Fall’s Perfect Fruit with Applefest

28

Awards & Recognition

30

The Apex of Cool: Be-A-Star Winners 2016

Think like a restaurateur FEDELE BAUCCIO

04

Bits & Bites Featuring edible cinema, imperfect deliciousness, and more

08

80

Fall/Winter Holiday Celebrations

34

Thank you to our operators for a record sales year 46

Annual Holiday Gift

86

A Haven for Sustainable Agriculture

110

Writing My Own Career in Food

AMANDA WAREHAM

PATRICIA DOZIER

From Michael

MICHAEL BAUCCIO

Events...in Brief

Congratulations to our most outstanding staff and accounts

Share your passion — and your knowledge

23

72

From the Fellows

Talking about Food

MAISIE GANZLER

94

61

CAROLINE FERGUSON

94

Familiar Ingredients, New Flavors

Bon Appétit plucks Main Street Project to receive this year’s annual gift

New Persian Culinary Training at Bon Appétit

JENNY SLAFKOSKY

JENNY SLAFKOSKY

Eat Local Challenge 2016: Bumper Crop Edition

104 Thank You, Bon Appétit

Across the country, Bon Appétit teams incorporate regional surplus crops into their 100 percent local meals

112

Bon Appétit MVPs It’s all in the details, says Dannie Stanton JENNY SLAFKOSKY

ON THE COVER Small plates from Bon Appétit’s new South San Francisco restaurant, Foundry & Lux (page 79)

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Bon Appétit Fellow Caroline Ferguson’s home-made bread

bits & bites OMSI Makes Movie-Going Multi-Sensory

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hen a science museum decides to show a crowd-pleasing movie, you can bet that the accompanying fare will be above the level of simple popcorn. At the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, OR, the Bon Appétit team was excited to join forces with the museum staff for the Edible Cinema series, made possible thanks to a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The quarterly film series combines good food with good fun. Expert chefs curate bite-sized tasting menus with aromas, textures, and tastes that are tailored to specific moments in the featured movies.

A wintry showing of Big Trouble in Little China delighted a sold-out audience. Executive Chef Jie “Kit” Zhu prepared char siu bao (barbecued pork buns), fish sauce wings, tea cookies, and more to correspond with key scenes. The series has been a true team effort, with OMSI’s Senior Event Planner Melony Beaird and Event Planner Sonali Shivdasani serving as Edible Cinema cocreators and lending crucial on-site support. Even Event Sales Coordinator Julia Houha went the extra mile, obtaining her food handler card so she could help out with the series.

Submitted by Seth Raye, General Manager

Breaking Bread Together at Seattle U

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n a recent visit to Seattle University, Bon Appétit Fellow Caroline Ferguson helped the student group Food with Spirit host a screening of the “Air” episode from Michael Pollan’s four-part Netflix documentary series, Cooked. The episode focuses on traditional breadmaking methods from around the world, and describes the difference between wild yeast sourdough bread and commercially produced, fortified, artificially leavened bread — the latter of which researchers hypothesize may be responsible for the recent spike in gluten sensitivity.

Caroline — a Seattle U alumna as well as a former professional baker who specialized in wild yeast sourdough — baked two loaves of bread for the students to snack on during the screening, which were served alongside delicious spinach dip, hummus, tea, and coffee provided by the Bon Appétit team. She also prepared jars of sourdough starter for the students to take home to make bread of their own.

Submitted by Caroline Ferguson, Fellow

Executive Chef Jie “Kit” Zhu and OMSI’s Event Planner Sonali Shivdasani getting ready for Edible Cinema

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Bon Appétit Fellow Maggie Kraft and George Fox alumna Emily Forbes prepare to cook vegetarian soups

George Fox Hosts Plant-Based Soup Class

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A NOSE FOR IMPERFECT DELICIOUSNESS: Eckerd College Executive Chef Andrew Poliquin and Bon Appétit Fellow Claire Kelloway visited the Tampa, FL, distribution center of Weyand’s, a familyrun produce distributor that just started selling their produce through Bon Appétit’s Imperfectly Delicious Produce program. Weyand’s has been working with Georgia/Florida farms to bring on new IDP products for Eckerd College, such as jumbo summer squash, discolored peppers, teeny shredded carrots, and misshapen eggplants like the one pictured.

Submitted by Claire Kelloway, Fellow

hanks to a grant that George Fox University in Newberg, OR, received from Bob’s Red Mill to host cooking classes periodically, Bon Appétit Fellow Maggie Kraft paid a visit to offer some plant-based education. The topic was soups, and her co-instructor was George Fox alumna Emily Forbes, who runs a business called “Love and Plants.” About 20 current students as well as a few more prospective students and parents gathered to watch and learn. George Fox has a pretty fancy setup for these classes: a camera was filming the duo at the table, displaying the images on a big screen behind, so that students could see their hands as they worked.

Emily and Maggie each demonstrated a recipe and also talked about using scraps for homemade stocks and using soups as a “clean-out-your-fridge” tool for vegetables that have seen better days. Maggie also talked about Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork and animal welfare commitments as she chopped and stirred, and how using local, socially and environmentally responsible ingredients was the foundation for the most nourishing soup.

Submitted by Maggie Kraft, Fellow

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bits & bites Trine Plays “Where’s Chef Todd?”

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ver since the Where’s Waldo? book series began delighting readers back in the ’80s, hunting for hidden characters has remained a well-loved pastime.

At Trine University in Angola, IN, General Manager Joe Gentile worked with his University partners to bring his vision of greater lunchtime interactivity to life. He created a life-size cutout of Executive Chef Todd Downs — a familiar face in Whitney Commons Café — and hides it around campus. Every other Thursday, the cutout is positioned in a new spot, and a raucous campuswide search ensues during lunch. Students, faculty, and staff join in the hunt to find the cardboard-chef and snap a selfie. Joe and his team choose a winner from those submitted and offer food-related prizes.

Todd, already well-loved, is now a true campus celebrity!

General Manager Joe Gentile with the twodimensional version of Executive Chef Todd Downs

Submitted by Joe Gentile, General Manager

Student Brice Delph won this search

Getting to Connect with the Team at Wash U

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on Appétit President Michael Bauccio visited Washington University in St. Louis and got to do one of his favorite things — recognize great employees.

Michael spent two days chatting and getting to know the team members better, including Cook Birdie Sanders, who everyone knows simply as “Ms. Birdie.”

She has been working at the campus for 37 years and continues to come in every day to assist the cold production team, which produces the up to 5,000 wraps, salads, and sandwiches needed across the campus to feed the students, faculty, and staff. Among his other activities, Michael presented Catering Server Karensa Malone with her 10-year service award and thanked her for her many years of dedication. He also attended a 10@10 meeting at which he thanked the team for their hard work every day — and especially during the weekend when the client hosted the second Presidential debate (see pages 16-17).

Submitted by Kerri Dietl, Human Resources Manager

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Bon Appétit President Michael Bauccio and Catering Server Karensa Malone

Michael and Ms. Birdie Sanders

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PLANTING A BUG IN THEIR EARS: Bon Appétit Fellow Amanda Wareham coordinates the Campus Farmers Network, a virtual place for student farmers to share resources and knowledge (with recent support for those farming on their corporate campuses). But nothing is better than getting your hands dirty together.

On a visit to Beloit College in Beloit, WI, Amanda joined a group of students for a fall harvest at Beloit Urban Garden (BUG). It was the first time for many at BUG, and they had a blast harvesting okra, beans, arugula, lettuces, zucchini, carrots, radishes, and more! The Bon Appétit team at Beloit College was the grateful buyer of the produce, and the student body the lucky recipients of this hyperlocal bounty.

Submitted by Amanda Wareham, Fellow

SAMPLES — AND AUTOGRAPHS: Every Thursday, Shell Café at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis partners with local farmers and vendors to host a farmers’ market. In late October, Bon Appétiters were invited to participate in a special fall Food Week initiative. The team purchased local vegetables from the vendors, and Executive Chef Brett Newman grilled, diced, and tossed them in local herbs and honey for sampling. Cook Janus Jackson was chosen to offer them to students and enjoy a celebrity moment signing copies of the Bravo issue in which she had recently been featured.

Submitted by Jorge Rama, General Manager

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talking about food | maisie ganzler

Share Your Passion — And Your Knowledge

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n 1963, Julia Child debuted her groundbreaking TV series The French Chef on PBS, and America was soon hooked on watching other people cook. Food Network came along three decades later, cementing — and further stimulating — our ravenous hunger for watching all things culinary. Then, things really snowballed. Celebrity chefs (remember when we could count them on one hand? Emeril, Mario, we’re looking at you) multiplied by the dozens. Food Network overflowed and begot The Cooking Channel. Iron Chef traveled across the Pacific, and the Great British Baking Show crossed the Atlantic. (Somehow I find watching Brits make fancy cakes in a tent very soothing.) Today, the small screen has gotten much, much smaller. According to Adweek, BuzzFeed’s food brand Tasty (known for its warp-speed overhead food video snippets) reaches 500 million people each month.

dice a mirepoix, deglaze a pan, caramelize a skillet filled with tangled, golden onions. Cooking isn’t just a spectator sport. It should be full contact.

And that’s where we come in!

Since we cook from scratch in every café, we’re in a unique position to capitalize on this interest. Guests who enjoy the 200-plus million meals we serve annually care about the very thing we’re experts in. This represents a huge opportunity to delight them in new ways, right where they live and work.

Cooking isn’t just a spectator sport. It should be full contact.

All this watching, viewing, observing…sure, it’s fun, and an entertaining end in itself. But its real impact will come full circle if (and when) those on the other side of the screen — we, the viewers — head into the kitchen, knives sharp, cutting boards ready. When our endless appetite for culinary viewership translates into a sense of empowerment that we, too, can 08 | BRAVO

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Our newly launched Cooking is an Art and a Science series of minipromotions highlights 19 culinary techniques through text and video, teaching guests how to sear meat, brunoise vegetables, and poach eggs like a pro. It’s easy to use and implement, with print and digital collateral that integrates seamlessly with featured menu items in your own cafés.

Guests will marvel at and learn from the things you’re already doing every day.

For hands-on experiences, teaching kitchens at Washington University in St. Louis, Google, LinkedIn, Adobe - San Jose,

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and more, offer interactive, chef-led cooking classes and demos, allowing guests to socialize while learning valuable cooking skills firsthand. Many more cafés offer classes as well: Case Western Reserve University hosts cooking classes teaming up the chef and a registered dietitian; Target taught team members new ways to prepare lesser-known vegetables; and RGA led a demo on how to clean, trim, and utilize a beef tenderloin from a local farm. And that’s just a smattering of what our chefs are offering throughout the country. To inspire even more cooking class fever, we’ll soon release a resource guide to make the process easier.

Kids at a Healthy Kids in the Bon Appétit Kitchen held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cooking is more than a skill and more than a pleasure; it’s also at the core of lifelong health and well-being. For this reason, we like to spread enthusiasm early. Really early. Through the Healthy Kids in the Bon Appétit Kitchen series (page 60) — our nutrition and culinary education program — we empower children to make healthy food choices by transforming our kitchens into hands-on classrooms for kids. Look for a further expansion of this program in 2017.

After all, you’re never too young to learn the joys of cooking.

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The Huntington Launches New Era in Dining

By Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

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nce a Gilded-Age millionaire’s estate, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens now welcomes 750,000 visitors a year to its 120 acres in San Marino, CA. In addition to being a world-class cultural, research, and educational center, The Huntington features five eateries that it has partnered with Bon Appétit and three beloved Los Angeles chefs to oversee — a revolution in dining for this institution. Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken are wellknown for their restaurants The City and Border Grill, as well as for their appearances on Top Chef Masters and The Food Network show Too Hot Tamales, while Kajsa Alger has gained a loyal following for Mud Hen Tavern and Blue Window, her ventures with Susan.

Rose Garden Tea Room: Set within the historic Huntington Rose Garden, the Tea Room offers an elegant and memorable experience inspired by the tradition of English tea service with a distinctive California twist.

“Food is no longer incidental — it is part of our culture. And, according to some, it is everything. We want wonderful, memorable food to be part of the greater Huntington experience,” said Laura Trombley, president of The Huntington.

The opening team was led by District Manager Fabio Soto, Regional Vice President Michael Venckus, Regional Marketing Director Kari Menslage, and General Manager Sarah Geana. Vice President of Image and Style Carrie Buckley and many members of her Regional Operations Support crew transformed the dated venues into lively, welcoming spaces practically overnight, with wall decals and signage inspired by The Huntington’s own culinary artifacts and history and other strategic decor.

“I couldn’t be more excited to bring our focus on sustainability and fresh, seasonally driven local food to The Huntington,” said Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio.

A Bon Appétit team drawn from all over the Southern California region began a series of rolling openings Nov. 2-16 for these five revamped venues: 1919: Named for the year The Huntington was founded,

1919 houses several different dining concepts. The Border Grill taqueria offers Mary Sue and Susan’s signature modern Mexican cuisine, suitable for all ages, plus made-to-order salads, sandwiches, brick-oven flatbread, burgers, and daily specials created by Bon Appétit Executive Chef Marc Powers. The Bar offers sushi (rolls, nigiri, and bowls) by Blue Window plus tempting global small plates and beer, wine, sake, and whimsical craft cocktails inspired by The Huntington’s gardens, art, and literature.

Freshwater Dumpling and Noodle House: In the

Chinese Garden’s Freshwater Pavilion, Kajsa and Susan offer authentic dumplings, noodles, and more drawn from the many regions of China.

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Red Car: This modern coffee bar located at The Huntington’s

entrance offers specialty coffees by Illy, teas, and other hot beverages, along with sodas, Fosselman’s ice cream, baked goods, yogurt parfaits, and freshly made grab-and-go items.

Patio Grill: Created by Susan and Mary Sue, the casual, outdoor Patio Grill offers global-meets-local flavors drawing from the rich culinary heritage of Los Angeles’ many communities.

Thanks to The Huntington’s prominence in Los Angeles’ cultural scene and the fame of these three chefs, the media and public response to this news has been huge. Visitor attendance shot up immediately after opening and remained strong throughout the already busy holiday season.

Starting in the spring, the Bon Appétit team and the chefpartners will begin hosting a series of special events such as dinners by guest chefs and cooking classes for both Huntington members and the public. Hands-on gardening and nutrition education workshops for kids are also in the works.

The Huntington is shaping up to be not only a fantastic dining destination, but a center for culinary programming in addition to its many other cultural offerings.

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The Border Grill taqueria inside 1919

Sushi by Kajsa Alger and Susan Feniger’s Blue Window served at The Bar at 1919

Beloved Los Angeles chefs Kajsa Alger, Mary Sue Milliken, and Susan Feniger at The Huntington

A Border Grill sweet potato and black bean burrito

Susan holds Tek Tek peanut noodles served at Freshwater Dumpling and Noodle House

Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio with Mary Sue and Susan 2 0 1 6 Vo l u m e 3

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OMSI Takes Gingerbread Baking to New Stratosphere Submitted by Grace Wilson, Regional Project Manager

The edible Marscape Superlife featured mutiple miniaturized scenes of work, agriculture, exploration, and domesticity

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astry and architecture have more in common than you might think. Both require creativity mixed with lots of precision, scientific acumen, and patience. That’s why for the first annual Gingerbread Adventure at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, OR, with the theme Space, OMSI decreed that each participating team must consist of a local bakery or restaurant and an architect.

Paired with Soderstrom Architects, the Bon Appétit at OMSI team enlisted two nearby pastry chefs from Lewis & Clark College and Reed College. Regional Project Manager Grace Wilson and Bon Appétit Pastry Chefs Kat Zacher from Lewis & Clark College and Jordan Mason from Reed College worked with Juan Chavez, Hugh Blitzer, Stephanie Doeing, Cheryl Nervez, and Isaac Harris from Soderstrom. They began to discuss a Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired vision of the future, set in space. Drawn to the idea of representing what life might actually look like on Mars, the Architect Hugh Blitzer helps Lewis & Clark Pastry Chef team settled on a Mars landscape constructed and “mad scientist” Kat Zacher in pastry: an edible “Marscape Superlife.”

Armed with gum paste, grand plans, and plenty of gumption, Jordan created miniature models to populate the edible landscape. Teams of astronauts and scientists, a full kitchen hosting a holiday meal, mission control panels and workstations, and even pets in the living quarters came to life on a 1-inch-to-6-foot scale. The crown jewel of the interiors: a greenhouse inside of a half geodesic dome, which was fully stocked with raised beds, gardening implements, and walls of grapes.

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Reed College Pastry Chef Jordan Mason works on the greenhouse inside the geodesic dome

Kat, who became known as the resident mad-scientist pastry chef, tested many different gingerbread and window recipes before settling on an extra-dry, almost sheetrock-like version of gingerbread for the geodesic domes and tunnel. For the series of windows, she dried blue-tinted fruit leather and flipped it over, revealing a glossy and translucent pane through which the colored LED lights could shine.

With children attendees in mind, the chefs also focused on the micro scale: Mini scenes of work, agriculture, exploration, and domesticity dot the landscape and interior spaces, creating a dynamic sculpture full of life and humor. As a nod to the holiday season, mini astronauts examine a gingerbread man found in the dirt of Mars, and snowmen appear, complete with carrot noses and top hats.

Chefs and managers spent countless hours planning, baking, molding, sculpting, painstakingly gluing triangles of gingerbread together, running LED lights through PVC, and gluing hundreds of pounds of jelly beans and candies to anything that would hold still. Their creativity, tenacity, and passion came through in every single detail.

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SCAD’s Sturdy Roots Help Campus Weather Hurricane Matthew Submitted by Lonnie Gilbert, Interim Resident District Manager

ruits don’t grow on trees without help. They’re part of a whole agricultural ecosystem, with often-invisible underground roots offering crucial structural support, as well as beneficial insects such as bees that pollinate.At the universities that Bon Appétit serves, the dining operations bring people together and in times of crisis, steady them. This fall, the strength of these roots at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) was tested like never before, when Hurricane Matthew slammed into the region. All members of the SCAD community both in Savannah, GA, and Atlanta were told to prepare to either shelter-in-place or, in a worse case scenario, to evacuate within 36 hours if need be.

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food and drink. Meanwhile, in Atlanta, the SCAD team began preparing for the influx of 3,000 extra customers heading their way.

Fortunately, the Bon Appétit family recognizes no boundaries, and volunteers from nearby Emory University and Porsche, and as far away as the Art Institute of Chicago arrived to assist. Soon, roundthe-clock meal prep to meet the crushing volume had begun. After a 12-hour journey, the buses arrived, and the students were met with smiles, warm welcomes, and…hot food! In addition to having Grill options available at all hours of the day and night, the Atlanta team prepared 400 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to be delivered to dorms.They also created thousands of boxed hot meals for students sleeping on cots and showering in portable facilities.

The scale of need was huge: a whopping 50,000 bottles of water, juice, and protein shakes, plus hundreds of cases of paper and food products, would be needed as 3,000 students prepared for Hurricane Matthew’s arrival.

Everyone kicked into gear, focusing hard on delivering the best service possible to the students, faculty, and staff during this trying time. The Savannah Bon Appétit team found auxiliary power sources, obtained additional refrigeration, and located supplemental storage areas so they could fill 6,000 individual bags with bottled water and shelf-stable food and drink. The scale of need was huge: a whopping 50,000 bottles of water, juice, and protein shakes, plus hundreds of cases of paper and food products, would be needed as 3,000 students prepared for Hurricane Matthew’s arrival. The storm’s path and predicted severity changed hourly, creating further potential for chaos.

But the roots — the Bon Appétit team — remained solid, even as employees worried about friends and family outside the College.

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Despite the pressure,service far exceeded the basics. The team offered a noteworthy Sunday brunch followed by a spectacular supper buffet on Sunday evening for the entire SCAD community staying in Atlanta.

A very difficult situation turned into an extraordinarily welcoming event.

As buses lined up under a symbolic Georgia peach at two o’clock Tuesday morning, Savannah SCAD students and staff embarked on their return trip, each with another bag of drink and food for the road.

With no detail overlooked in Atlanta, Savannah’s Bon Appétit team simultaneously prepared for their students’ return, with a hot breakfast ready upon arrival. The roots stayed strong, and the tree made it through the storm intact.

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University of Northwestern Student Wajih Kafou, HOYO Owner Miriam Mohamed, and Exhibition Cook Nolan Gilbertson smile after serving a successful lunch

Providing an Unexpected Home for the Holidays at SCAD Savannah At the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA, the academic quarter usually ends before Thanksgiving, so the Bon Appétit team hasn’t had to think about what to serve for Thanksgiving dinner. However, after the devastation of Hurricane Matthew (see story at left), the end of the academic quarter was extended to make up for the lost time. Many were suddenly left facing their first Thanksgiving away from home. SCAD quickly organized an entire day of events, including an early morning fun run, a lunchtime Thanksgiving Feast, and an afternoon dessert social.

The Bon Appétit team sprang into action to support. On Thanksgiving Day, all three of SCAD’s cafés were open for business, serving roughly 2,000 students and their families. In addition to serving traditional Thanksgiving fare, the team went above and beyond to create an all-vegan Thanksgiving offering. The catering department handled the dessert social, creating a delicious spread of red velvet cupcakes, mini pecan pies, mini pumpkin pies, and several other holiday favorites. It was a long and busy day, but every person on the Bon Appétit team happily volunteered to help.

Submitted by Heather Carbone, Marketing Manager

University of Northwestern Supports Local SomaliOwned Business Submitted by Elliott Meier, General Manager

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ou don’t need to speak Somali to appreciate sambusas, fried pastries filled with ground beef, onion, garlic, and spices. At the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, MN, the Bon Appétit team recently collaborated with local Somali-owned food company HOYO, which — in addition to serving sambusas — empowers Somali women through food. (“Hoyo” is the Somali word for“mother.”)

The connection came about when University of Northwestern student Wajih Kafou and Hoyo Co-owner Matthew Glover approached Front of House Manager Charles Kosek to gauge the Bon Appétit team’s interest in helping this small local business. Charles responded enthusiastically: Bon Appétit’s always interested in supporting local food artisans, especially when there’s a social justice aspect.

HOYO makes its sambusas from scratch. The business (coowned by Miriam Mohamed) trains local Somali women not only in the pastries’ preparation but also in food sanitation, packaging, labeling, freezing, and distribution. The ultimate goal is to build a vibrant workforce of Somali women who successfully contribute to the economy and become self-sufficient.

In a show of support (and good taste!), Sous Chef Chad Plotnik purchased over 400 sambusas and served them for lunch alongside basmati rice, grilled vegetables, and green tomato chutney.

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Wash U Keeps Its Cool During Heated Presidential Debate Submitted by April Powell, Director of Operations

The service team for the hospitality tent, which served 3,200 media throughout the day

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f you could feel the intensity at home while watching this year’s presidential debates on TV, you can imagine the intensity of helping to plan and execute the food for the event. Washington University in St. Louis played a prominent role in the national political conversation when it hosted the presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It was the fifth presidential debate ever held at the University, and the third at which the Wash U Bon Appétit team provided the food and catering.

the south end of campus to the delivery point inside the secure perimeter should have taken only five minutes.

However, at times throughout the day, it took up to 45 minutes due to security screens. This presented obvious challenges, but the Bon Appétit team maintained their cool and calm demeanors, adjusted plans when necessary, and continued to provide excellent customer service.

In addition to catering events for the media, candidates, and VIPs inside the secure perimeter, they also catered several watching parties and VIP events across the rest of campus. Over the course of five days, the team catered more than 240 debate-related activities! This was in addition to regular business as usual in campus dining facilities: an average of 18,000 to 22,000 transactions per day.

Although the Bon Appétiters could thus be considered veterans at catering this event, this particular debate came with new challenges and opportunities. Since the last debate held on campus in 2008, security and safety The commissary production team prepped more than had increased exponentially. A secure 5,000 sandwiches in preparation for Debate Weekend perimeter was set up on campus with a non-scalable fence and multiple security checkpoints manned by Secret Service. Inside the perimeter were media Here’s this large event, broken down by the numbers. The trailers, a hospitality tent sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, and team prepped and produced 4,500 boxed lunches, 5,500 the debate hall. A short trip from the commissary kitchen on sandwiches, 800 pounds of turkey, 400 pounds of roast beef, 16 | BRAVO

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Cook Juanita Bobo-Davis mixes salad during prep

Wash U Hosts Intense Debate — about Street Food!

A record 66.5 million people may have watched the second presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis on television, but in anticipation of the historic event, the university’s Bon Appétit team held a face-off of their own. For four days leading up to the big weekend, two dishes — a traditional candidate and a maverick — went head-to-head at the street food station. Whichever dish sold out first was deemed victorious.

Here’s how the electorate voted. In the battle of a classic slider with cheddar versus a fancy slider with red wine–braised beef, blue cheese, and onions, the classic slider triumphed. But in the buffalo wing versus Thai sticky wings debate, the sticky wings took the crown. On night three, Mexican tacos de alambre competed against a Korean bulgogi version, with the Korean tacos KO-ing the competition. And on the final night, classic arancini delivered the winning blow against the upstart competitor, bacon mac and cheese arancini.

Assistant Vice Chancellor of Operations at Wash U Tara Bone, Director of Operations April Powell, Campus Executive Chef Patrick McElroy, General Manager Bob Marx, and Catering Chef Mike Healy pose for a photo with CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer (center)

Culinary Supervisor Thelonius Lee preps several sheet pans of bacon

Students really got into the spirit, with overall sales at the street food station significantly higher each night (sometimes by a considerable margin) than on a corresponding weeknight during a typical week. The people have spoken!

Submitted by Kristi Baker, Marketing Manager

1,300 pork steaks, 300 gallons of soup, 160 pounds of dry penne pasta, 500 pounds of green beans, 6,000 cookies, 2,500 brownies and assorted dessert bars, and 550 gallons of coffee...brewed from a machine that can only brew seven gallons at a time. To make this happen, the team used six box trucks, two vans, six golf carts, one 60-foot refrigerated tractor trailer, two tons of bagged ice, 50 speed carts, 600 hotel pans, and 10,000 coffee cups.

Thanks to the teamwork and dedication of every single Bon Appétit employee at Washington University in St. Louis, as well as the preparation and planning by the catering and culinary teams, the massive undertaking was a great success.

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OPENING

Colby College Debuts to Rave Reviews Submitted by Marietta Lamarre, General Manager

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t Colby College, a world-class education never tasted so good. The Bon Appétit family recently welcomed the 714-acre central Maine campus into the fold, complementing the college’s collaborative and exploratory curriculum with dining services that nourish eager minds and active bodies.

Colby students can now enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night service, as well as on-campus catering from Bon Appétit. Three all-you-care-to-eat cafés (Dana, Foss, and Robert’s aka Bob’s), two retail locations (The Spa and The Pub), and a grab-and-go service at the Colby Art Museum complete the offerings at the school.

With the opening comes a slew of fresh renovations, including an update to Caporale Lounge, which will offer more menu variety (including hot meals) and new furniture to encourage post-meal studying. A special room has been set aside for those with food allergies. That room’s menu will never include peanuts or tree nuts (the exception will be coconut) as ingredients in the preparation of the menu items. And in the Cotter Union Building, a new teaching kitchen encourages collaboration among Bon Appétiters and students, with cooking classes and demos that will include sushi rolling and how to make soup from scratch, among others.

The Bon Appétit team also added two new stations (bowls and global) to please modern palates, and has expanded a build-your-own smoothie program to now include Foss.

Produce is super-fresh: The campus farm has supplied 3,088 pounds of fruits and vegetables to date — including 922 pounds of cucumbers alone!

Guest feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The student newspaper, The Echo, commissioned an online poll that found that “78.9% of respondents believe that the food at the dining halls has improved under Bon Appetit’s management. Much of this improvement has been attributed to Bon Appetit’s commitment to making dishes from scratch.”

Even admission tour leaders rave about the new food’s quality and freshness. That the Bon Appétit team hosted a Taste of Maine dinner to welcome students to campus and a faculty/staff lobster bake for more than 800 guests generated even more appreciation, leading to great excitement for continued high standards and meals to come.

Don’t call 911 yet — it’s just the lobster bake welcoming Colby students!

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Mount Angel Abbey Celebrates Columbia River Salmon Submitted by Paul Lieggi, Executive Chef/General Manager

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nyone who has enjoyed sustainably caught, wild Pacific salmon can appreciate its rich flavor and impressive health profile. But for the Bon Appétit team at Mount Angel Abbey in St. Benedict, OR, its journey from river to plate is also a story worth telling.

Chinook salmon, a beloved fixture in Northwest cuisine, is a fish steeped in history, culture, and tradition that goes back centuries. Thanks to hard work and collaboration among government, industry, and Native tribes, the salmon stocks on the Columbia River today are strong and healthy.

Bud and Wendy Herrera are among those whose dedication to and reverence for the Chinook has helped the local industry thrive. The Herreras are part of the Umatilla tribe. Their company, Two Rivers Fish Co., is 100 percent Native owned and operated. During salmon season, Bud fishes at night on the scaffolds that lean out over the Columbia River. He uses a hoop net that hangs in the water; when a fish swims into the hoop, it gets tangled in the net and Bud pulls it in and onto the scaffold. He immediately bleeds and guts the fish before placing it into Nano ice to chill quickly. He repeats this process again and again to the tune of 1,000 pounds of fish on a good night.

While Bud fishes, Wendy runs the buying station near Maryhill, WA. Just as Bud respects the salmon using best fishing practices, Wendy demands similar respect from all 60-plus King salmon fillet just before it was sent off to the Good Food Awards in families who fish for her.

San Francisco This respect includes handling each fish correctly: thoroughly bleeding when caught, gutting them immediately, and packing the fish in ice. This reverence is not only ethically and environmentally sound, but also makes for a top-quality fish.

A member of the Umatilla tribe fishing with a hoop net

the kitchen that they submitted a smoked version of it into competition at the 2017 Good Food Awards in San Francisco. (Turn to page 28 for more.)

For optimal results, the team likes to smoke the Columbia River King. The gentle smoke of Pacific Northwest hardwood imparts a delicate flavor, and the smoke-roasting process produces buttery, moist, and tender flesh inside with a burnished copper crust on the exterior. They eschew preservatives, additives, and chemicals and rely only on sea salt and spices to enhance the fish’s natural flavor. This salmon has become a staple in the catering department and on the Mount Angel Abbey guest house’s European breakfast menu.

Happily, the guests enjoy eating it as much as the team enjoys working with it. Winning a Good Food Award is just a bonus!

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Adobe - San Jose Goes Global with the Opening of temPLATES Café Submitted by Emilie Zanger, Food Program Manager

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xperiencing authentic world cuisine at Adobe’s San Jose corporate offices has gotten even easier with the recent opening of temPLATES Café. The launch of the global comfort food concept and adjacent coffee bar — part of Adobe’s Reimagine San Jose sitewide refresh — caps off 12 months of hard work.

The coffee bar

Led by Executive Chef David Boswell, temPLATES offers four stations — Asia, India, Americas, and Europe — that draw inspiration from the namesake geographic region, leaning heavily on locally sourced ingredients. From the Asia station, guests can enjoy wok-tossed stir-fries and noodle dishes, while the India station serves thali plates complete with fresh naan and paratha breads from the tandoori oven and a selection of house-made chutneys. The Europe station features a rotisserie for roasted meats and vegetables, and the Americas station serves familiar American and Latin grill specialties.

The café serves both breakfast and lunch five days a week and is also home to the site’s in-house bakery, led by Pastry Chef Leanne Pomellitto, which supplies pastries, desserts, and soon house-made breads to the entire San Jose site. The temPLATES servery also features an interactive Learning Kitchen where employees can enjoy chef-led cooking classes, team-building events, and demos. The café has fast become a popular gathering place.

Aprons ready for students at the Learning Kitchen

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Pastry Chef Leanne Pomellitto in action

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Adobe - San Francisco Honors Building’s History with Landmark 193 Opening Submitted by Emilie Zanger, Food Program Manager

Sous Chef Douglas Gwosdz serving an Adobe - San Francisco guest

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t’s a been a busy season for Adobe’s Bay Area teams! At Adobe’s San Francisco location, Adobe and Bon Appétit opened Landmark 193 Café, whose name and theme echo the building’s status as a historic landmark.

(It was formerly a warehouse for Baker & Hamilton, a company that sold construction and agricultural tools around the turn of the 20th century.)

The rustic industrial Landmark 193 space

Led by Executive Chef Daniel Williams, Landmark 193 offers a diverse and wide-ranging menu at the café’s eight stations, which include Fire & Water (serving Asian stirfries/noodles and Italian pasta dishes) and Chef ’s Table, a special station that emphasizes chef-driven seasonal specialties. Breakfast and lunch are served five days a week.

The café also features cutting-edge digital menu display technology, built through an in-house partnership with the Adobe Experience Manager team and outside development and design partners Ensemble and Media Objectives.

Landmark 193’s opening was preceded a few months earlier at Adobe - San Francisco by the introduction of Filter, a modern coffee bar that emphasizes a variety of coffee brewing methods. Created in partnership with coffee and tea partner Equator Coffees & Teas, a woman-owned certified B-corporation, Filter has become the go-to meeting place for the Adobe - San Francisco community, as well as the site of several coffee education classes.

Seared sea bass with leeks and black chili oil

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OPENING

Overstock.com’s New State-of-the-Art Headquarters Open in Utah Submitted by Doug Powell, General Manager

Overstock’s O-shaped building

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hen Overstock.com Founder and CEO Patrick Byrne first imagined his company’s new corporate headquarters in Midvale, UT, he wanted it to speak to the fact that “we're for the long term, we're bold, we're proud, we're established," he told the Salt Lake Tribune. From the very shape of the building (round, to echo the“Overstock O” and with central spokes to resemble a peace sign when viewed from the air) to the name “Peace Coliseum,” the project has been a stunning achievement of both form and function.

Overstock.com is known for its high employee-satisfaction scores, and the overall design keeps the health and wellness of its people top of mind. To that end, the list of amenities is impressive: a 9,000-square-foot greenhouse that will grow produce for the café; an onsite clinic, gym, and daycare facility; the centrally located “Nucleus” espresso/juice bar; and a parking garage located a healthy walking distance of 1,500 yards from the building to encourage daily exercise.

Left to right: Accountant Moises Ramirez, Pizzaiola Sabrina Weber, Deli Cook Jordan Byrnes, Entrée Cook Alex Van Wagoner, Salad Bar Cook Stacy Ferguson, General Manager Doug Powell, Cashier Taya Johnson, Executive Chef Nick Lees, Café Manager Brooke Albretsen, Barista Patience Hill, District Manager Ken Dale, Lead Barista Jonathan Gonzalez, Entrée Cook Tony Snow, Sous Chef Phil Greenwood, and Grill Cook Fred Fry

The café is equally state of the art, with many fun tools including a tandoor oven. Executive Chef Nick Lees’ food program further supports the themes of health and wellness.

Dishes like seared halibut with piquillo pepper vinaigrette and local smoked trout salad with Meyer lemon vinaigrette are both flavor-forward and health-promoting.

Utah is a fast-growing region for Bon Appétit. The Overstock.com café is Bon Appétit’s fifth new account to open in Utah in 2016.

Utah’s motto is simply “industry” — but Bon Appétiters can be forgiven for thinking it’s actually “food service industry”!

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from michael | michael bauccio

Thank You to Our Operators for a Record Sales Year

Over the course of our journey, we often conclude the year by reviewing our progress, noting opportunities for improvement and expressing gratitude for the energy and commitment our teams bring to Bon Appétit every day.

We will do this again this year, but I would also like to make an additional connection.

In 2016, we have experienced our greatest growth ever, a record sales year, which placed high demands on our operators and the field, at all levels. The effort, teamwork, and creativity required to do what we have done this year is extraordinary. But there is another aspect to all of this that we do not often talk about, and I want to make that connection now.

business we’ve opened. I am so proud of what I’ve seen, in each and every account. Many of the transitions have been difficult, requiring long hours and our teams spending time away from families. But as always, our folks have not only gotten the job done, they have gone above and beyond. In each new piece of business, you have not only delivered on the promises we’ve made, but have exceeded expectations.

You are the sales force that drives our incredible growth.

The work you do to serve our clients, the excellence we bring, and the promises each of you keep, connect us to our growth in a very specific way. When a prospective customer sees all of this through referrals from our wonderful clients, account tours, meetings with many of you, and tasting the Bon Appétit difference, you are the sales force that drives our incredible growth.

In my travels this past fall, I’ve visited 99% of the new

Without the effort that each of you make in your respective operations, none of the growth we have enjoyed would be possible. Our sales process is anchored by the experience of seeing how we live each promise made and living up to our reputation. It is the reality of witnessing how each of you honor our commitments that retains existing business and creates each new opportunity.

Thank you for all you have contributed to our big year. I am so proud of each and every one of you. In this, as in every year, we ask a lot and you delivered. It is also my hope that I have made clear that it is your effort that assures our success. Together we will continue to connect what you do every day, to winning new business, and creating more opportunities for all.

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Art Institute of Chicago Hosts Gourmet Kick-Off Soirée Submitted by Nicole Nicolas, Marketing Coordinator

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ood festivals are fun affairs, with foodies of all ages converging to enjoy a city’s most creative tastes and sips. One such festival, Chicago Gourmet, showcases 200 nationally recognized fine-dining restaurants during a three-day event at Millennium Park. The Bon Appétit team at the Art Institute of Chicago partnered with Chicago Social magazine for this year’s kickoff party.

Under the direction of Bon Appétit chef/partner Tony Mantuano of Terzo Piano and following the “Food Is Art! Use Your Palate” theme, the Bon Appétit special event catering team collaborated on a variety of unique hors d’oeuvres for the special reception.

Befitting the theme, appetizers were served on brightly colored canvases. The escolar crudo with hibiscus, grapefruit, kumquat, and watermelon radish; Gorgonzola rotolo with smoked pears, brown butter crisp, and strawberry jam; ravioli carbonara filled with pea mousse and pink peppercorn; savory cannoli stuffed with liver mousse, lemon, and candied pistachios; pumpkin-spiced grilled tofu; and more really popped!

Special Event Catering Sous Chef Juan Carlos Valadez upped the wow-factor on the escolar, and Executive Chef Carolina Diaz, Sous Chef Manuel Uribe, and Line Cook Nora Renner collaborated on the Gorgonzola rotolo, inspired by Nora’s love for fruit and cheese boards.

Terzo Piano’s outside-the-box showstopper, a deconstructed ravioli stuffed with crescenza, sheep’s milk ricotta, burrata, and pea shoot purée from Nichols Farm in Marengo, IL, perfectly captured the festival’s Food Is Art theme.

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Escolar crudo with watermelon radish and kumquat

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Catering Sous Chef Juan Carlos Valdez, Catering Chef de Cuisine Charles Haracz, General Manager Juan Millan, and Lead Cook Edwin Cardoso at the Art Institute’s breakfast bash

Bon Appétit cups filled with candy (and some hiding gift cards) line the Museum Café counter at the Art Institute

Art Institute of Chicago Team Celebrates at Breakfast

Pork sopes were topped with espresso balsamic glaze and baked ricotta salata

Why wait until evening when you can have a party at breakfast? The Bon Appétit team at the Art Institute of Chicago kicked off its first Breakfast Bash Celebration, a new monthly employee recognition breakfast that gives the Terzo Piano, Museum Café, Caffé Moderno, and Special Event Catering teams an opportunity to connect and collaborate. The event recognizes the Employee and Safety Champion of the Month and celebrates colleagues’ work anniversaries and birthdays.

Terzo Piano Manager Erika Armenta relished the early morning energy. “The employees loved it!” she said of the event. General Manager Juan Millan made a special appearance in the kitchen, preparing huevos rancheros to everyone’s delight. The Terzo Piano and Special Event culinary teams collaborated on traditional breakfast items such as scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, Mexican eggs, quiche, and French toast.

“I think it’s important to show appreciation for our team because they go above and beyond for us. We wanted to do the same for them,” said Catering Chef de Cuisine Charles Haracz.

As a special treat, attendees at the breakfast each received a Bon Appétit cup filled with sweets. Three lucky employees found gift cards at the bottom of their cups!

Submitted by Nicole Nicolas, Marketing Coordinator

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C E L E B R AT I N G

Fall’s Perfect Fruit Did you know that of the thousands of apple varieties that grow in the United States, just 15 kinds make up 90 percent of what’s available to consumers? Supermarkets opt for apples that are uniform, visually appealing, and travel well.

But locavores know there’s so much more out there. Through the companywide Applefest promotion and home-grown local versions, Bon Appétit teams helped their guests rediscover the diversity of this iconic fruit by sharing apple-inspired dishes and featuring unique local heirlooms and classic favorites.

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The Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel Feast on Homegrown Apples

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he apple doesn’t fall far from the tree… and when the tree is right outside your window, all the better! With many apple varieties growing in an onsite orchard, General Manager/Executive Chef Christian Stephenson and his team at The Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel in Mt. Angel, OR, didn’t have to look far for Applefest inspiration. This year’s apple crop did so well, the fruits resembled clusters of grapes as they hung from the trees! The team’s Applefest dinner featured the crisp, juicy fruits in all their glory: in a roast turkey breast with applestuffed delicata squash, in hard cider from Bauman’s Farm, and in an ice cream and apple cobbler dessert. Mashed potatoes with gravy and green peas rounded out a meal bursting with apple-y goodness.

Submitted by Christian Stephenson, General Manager / Executive Chef

The different apples growing right outside the monastery

Genentech - Oceanside’s Imperfectly Delicious Apples Do Double Duty rapping two promotions into one can be double the fun! Genentech - Oceanside’s produce vendor San Diego Specialty sent Executive Chef/Manager Lasse Fredrik Jensen several cases of beautiful Imperfectly Delicious apples for the team to share with its Oceanside, CA-based guests. The unexpected bounty inspired them to promote the IDP program and Applefest simultaneously. The team’s breakfast menu showcased a creamy caramel apple French toast bake, and at lunch, four stations were transformed into an Applefest extravaganza. Special offerings included Julian apples and butternut squash soup; sage-roast pork with local apple and raisin compote; curried apple chicken and lentil wrap; and roasted apple and bacon pizza. Guests loved the abundance and variety of offerings, with positive feedback flooding in on the dual promotion.

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Denison Bites into EverCrisps and Lots More

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tep aside, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and Pink Lady! Bon Appétiters at Denison University in Granville, OH, invited Ochs Fruit Farm owner and Farm to Fork vendor Dan Ochs to campus to teach students about apple growing. Dan brought several unique varieties of the nearly 100 types of apples he grows at his apple orchard in Lancaster, located just 23 miles from Denison’s campus. Students loved sampling the apples as well as hot mulled apple cider while chatting with Dan about his business. One apple variety has an ancient pedigree — it dates back to the 1600s! — while another, called EverCrisp, is so newly cultivated it was just introduced to the market this year. Farm to Fork vendors like Dan are always such a wealth of knowledge for employees and students alike.

Submitted by Lia Crosby, Sustainability Supervisor

Submitted by Lasse Fredrik Jensen, Executive Chef/ Manager

Sustainability Supervisor Lia Crosby, Farmer Dan Ochs, Café Manager Catherine Stuck, and Sous Chef Megan Block

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g Mt.Angel Abbey’s Smoked Salmon Wins Good Food Award

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aunched in San Francisco in 2012, the Good Food Awards are the first (and so far only) national contest for artisanally and sustainably produced foods. Panels of chefs, restaurateurs, and food journalists evaluate more than 2,000 submissions from all 50 states to choose 200 winners spread across 14 categories, including chocolate, cider, coffee, cheese, and charcuterie. While flavor is the ultimate determinant, all submissions must also meet criteria for responsible food production: “made with good animal husbandry and without the use of artificial ingredients, hormones, synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer or genetically modified ingredients.”

This year, when the Good Food Awards announced a new preserved seafood category and issued a call for entries, Paul Lieggi, Bon Appétit Executive Chef/Manager at Mt. Angel Abbey in St. Benedict, OR, was intrigued. Not only do Paul and his team smoke a lot of locally and sustainably caught seafood for the Abbey’s daily European-style breakfast, Paul and a partner used to own a successful seafood company in Boston, called Up in Smoke! So he decided to

Bon Appétit at Reed Named Employer of the Year by Local Nonprofit

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he Bon Appétit team at Reed College in Portland, OR, was honored to receive the 2016 United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Oregon & SW Washington Recognition Award for Employer of the Year at a fall luncheon. UCP’s mission is to advance the independence, productivity, and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

Director of Operations James Burback and Café Manager Kelly Labenske accepted the award, which is presented to a person or business whose employment practices demonstrate ability, awareness, and inclusion of people with disabilities. James has been working with United Cerebral Palsy for the past two years and has hired several staff members through the organization. The team supports UCP’s mission and looks forward to continuing to promote a spirit of inclusion and diversity.

Submitted by Kelly Labenske, Café Manager

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submit his smoked Columbia River Chinook salmon (caught by the Fish to Fork vendor Two Rivers Fish Co., a local, 100 percent Native owned and operated venture; see page 19).

And he won! “This is going to sound arrogant, but I believe in our product so much that I wasn’t too surprised,” admits Paul. “I kind of knew it was a good product.” On January 20 (a few weeks after this Bravo goes to press), Paul will travel to San Francisco for the Good Food Awards ceremony, where Native American environmentalist, economist, and writer Winona LaDuke will give the keynote, joined by honorary hosts Alice Waters and Nell Newman.

“It’s been a good thing at work, for the staff to see how something we do all the time for the Abbey go all the way to win an award,” says Paul. “I like my team to know they can do great things, they just have to take a chance and go for it.”

Submitted by Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

Left to right: Employment Specialist Ursula Morton, Director of Operations James Burback, and Job Coach Nick Knudsen pose proudly with the award

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Twitter Awarded Golden Safety Glove at Bon Appétit District Summit

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o highlight the importance of safety and to mark each incident-free week, the Bon Appétit team at Twitter in San Francisco hosts a Friday gathering that provides treats such as sweets and ice cream for employees. Recently, the 108-member team assembled to view a safety rap video they’d created and to celebrate their receipt of a Golden Safety Glove Award after a vote by their Bon Appétit peers at Lucasfilm, Uber, Yahoo, and VMware.

District Manager Bob Hart and General Manager Christopher Bifano with the 2016 Excellence in Employment Award

Electronic Arts Honored with 2016 Excellence in Employment Award

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he Bon Appétit team at Electronic Arts in Redwood City, CA, is the proud recipient of the California Disability Services Association’s 2016 Excellence in Employment Award. The award recognizes the team’s partnership with Community Gatepath, a statewide program that expands job opportunities for — and offers support services to — people with disabilities throughout California. Bon Appétit has hired many new parttime people through Gateway to help wash dishes, keep the work space clean, and track inventory. (They are part time in order to spend the rest of their day developing skills through the organization’s Community Access program, where they learn life skills such as managing money and navigating public transportation.) The Electronic Arts team says that these employees’ smiles and friendly attitudes really brighten up the café.

District Manager Bob Hart and General Manager Chris Bifano were thrilled to accept the award at the California Disability Services Association’s annual meeting. Local legislators and government officials were also in attendance at this special event. (For more on Gatepath and its relationship with the Bon Appétiters at Electronic Arts, see “Turning Disabilities into Possibilities at Electronic Arts” in the Spring 2016 issue of Bravo.)

The vote took place during the inaugural meeting of a quarterly safety summit for District Manager Joseph Alfieri’s team. Twitter was chosen based on its comprehensive and innovative safety programming, which includes bi-weekly safety committee meetings in which a representative from every department throughout Twitter food services discusses how best to integrate a culture of safety throughout the workplace.

Assistant General Manager Maria Baker and General Manager Kevin McConvey collaborated on the summit’s agenda, which included presentations by representatives of all participating units. In addition to reviewing safety records, those gathered discussed unit-related safety issues and enjoyed cross-team camaraderie. They even participated in a safety-related obstacle course, where a kitchen was set up with hazards they had to discover and identify.

Twitter wasn’t the summit’s only award-winner.

Skywalker Ranch was also recognized for having zero safety incidents in 2016, and Lucasfilm was voted most improved.

Submitted by Kevin McConvey, General Manager The Bon Appétit Golden Safety Glove Award

Submitted by Bob Hart, District Manager

SAFEIN/SAFEOUT SA F E T Y I S I N YO U R H A N D S

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The Apex of Cool: Bon Appétit’s 2016 Be-A-Star Winners

By Patricia Dozier, Senior Human Resources Director

It was a night of glitz, glamour, and Vegas-style cool at the 2016 Compass Night of Stars at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando, FL. The gala event is the culmination of a two-day celebration for the winners of Bon Appétit’s parent company’s annual BeA-Star program, which honors 118 of the best employees from all sectors across the U.S. and Canada.

This year’s Be-A-Star focus was “Leading the Field,” and 11 of Bon Appétit’s most outstanding representatives from across the nation were honored. In order to qualify to be a winner, each account must meet Be-A-Star’s operations-focused criteria by the deadlines and submit information, photos, and more in order to be considered for selection.

As in previous years, the winners were treated to an all-expensespaid trip to Orlando where they enjoyed two days of fun activities designed to honor the exceptional commitment they’ve made to their work. The winners’ agenda started with an intimate dinner with Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio and President Michael Bauccio at Portobello restaurant, a countrystyle Italian trattoria. The following day, they had a choice of having a luxurious spa treatment at Mandara Spa or a day to play at Universal Studios theme park. Most of our fun-loving winners chose to spend the day at the theme park enjoying rides and lots of laughs before the gala.

The gala’s theme was “Celebrating the Original Cool,” with the music and fashion of the Las Vegas Rat Pack performers like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. inspiring the festivities.

Donning their best ’50s and ’60s vintage-style suits and dresses, this year’s Bon Appétit ABC (Above the Call of Duty) winners came from accounts in education such as Averett University, The Master’s University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Westminster College. Other honorees included team members from Mentor Graphics, Google, Amazon.com, and Sony.

Congratulations to our 2016 Be-A-Star winners who are “leading the field” in their everyday work!

BON APPÉTIT SECTOR FIVE-JEWEL DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AWARD Semira Dizdarevic, Lead Catering Cook WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS

BON APPÉTIT IN THE COMMUNITY SECTOR AWARD Mariah (Hatfield) Bovee, Educational Program Manager GOOGLE

BON APPÉTIT ABC HOURLY WINNERS Clarence Wilson, Dishwasher AVERETT UNIVERSITY

Hermelinda Martinez, Lead Cashier MENTOR GRAPHICS

John Hartman, Utility Worker REED COLLEGE*

Margarita Apud, Line Service THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY*

BON APPÉTIT ABC SALARIED WINNERS Daniel Wideman, Café Manager UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Danielle Custer, Resident District Manager AMAZON.COM

Ryan Leonard, General Manager WESTMINSTER COLLEGE

Samantha Burkett, General Manager

The evening started with the winners walking down a red carpet into a lavishly decorated ballroom where they enjoyed an evening of great food and entertainment that included comedy and music provided by talented Compass employees. The night concluded with an after-party with more entertainment and a chance to dance with their coworkers and leaders.

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SONY

Janelle Bennett, Neighborhood Executive Chef GOOGLE

*unable to attend the national celebration

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BACK ROW, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Clarence Wilson, dishwasher, Averett University; Daniel Wideman, café manager, University of Pennsylvania; Ryan Leonard, general manager, Westminster College; Samantha Burkett, general manager, Sony; Danielle Custer, resident district manager, Amazon.com.

FRONT ROW, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Semira Dizdarevic, lead catering cook, Washington University in St. Louis; Kerri Dietl, human resources manager, Washington University in St. Louis; Fedele Bauccio, Bon Appétit CEO; Hermelinda Martinez, lead cashier, Mentor Graphics; Janelle Bennett, neighborhood executive chef, Google; Mariah (Hatfield) Bovee, educational program manager, Google; Patricia Dozier, Bon Appétit senior human resources director; and Michael Bauccio, Bon Appétit president. [Winners not pictured: John Hartman, utility worker, Reed College; and Margarita Apud, line service, The Master’s University.]

BON APPÉTIT SECTOR FIVE-JEWEL DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AWARD

BON APPÉTIT IN THE COMMUNITY SECTOR AWARD

SEMIRA DIZDAREVIC, Lead Catering Cook, Washington University in St. Louis

MARIAH (HATFIELD) BOVEE Educational Program Manager at Google

Semira has been at Wash U for 18 years and was selected for her participation in the diversity food program as well as for her general leadership. Kerri Dietl, human resources manager at Wash U, says Semira “glows when she talks about cooking food from her heritage of Bosnia.” Guests rave about her dishes, and Semira has also shown tremendous leadership in the cold production kitchen for catering. Kerri says a perfect example of that leadership was how Semira handled herself and coordinated her team for the 100-plus different events held on the Wash U campus for the presidential debate (see page 16). Semira directed temporary employees and staff, including managers, to seamlessly execute what needed to be done, including where food needed to be labeled and stored, and what needed to go out to which event. Semira’s leadership has truly made Wash U shine on the national stage.

Mariah has worked with Bon Appétit for six years. She joined the company as a cook after culinary school and was promoted to sous chef, then café manager.

Thinking that the Bon Appétit at Google food internship program could use a breath of fresh air, Mariah asked if she could help manage it. Sue Sami, human resources director at Google, says “We only had six interns when Mariah took over the Student Program. In two years she has grown the program to between 45 to 50 students at any given time.” Additionally, Mariah has added a high-school internship program during the summer for students interested in culinary and hospitality careers. These students work with Bon Appétit chefs and café managers and get experience in a café setting. At the end of the summer, Mariah hosts a graduation event with a guest speaker for the students and their families. Adds Sue, “Mariah has developed strong partnerships with culinary schools, as well as colleges that offer hospitality programs across the country and even some international schools. Mariah is always looking for ways to maximize these relationships to benefit the students and our program. Mariah and the student program are a very important part of helping us recruit top talent for Bon Appétit at Google.”

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NATIONAL WINNERS - HOURLY CLARENCE WILSON Dishwasher, Averett University

JOHN HARTMAN Utility Worker, Reed College

Clarence first started working at Averett University in 2004, when the account was managed by another food service company. When the account transitioned to Bon Appétit, Clarence stayed on and has continued to be a model employee.

Throughout his career at Averett, he has been recognized by management and his peers as a dedicated and dependable employee with great performance, attendance, and attitude. Mike Moroni, general manager at Averett University, who nominated Clarence for Be-A-Star, says “He seems to genuinely enjoy his job and is one of the linchpins of our utility and catering teams.”

John is recognized by management and his peers as the backbone of Reed College’s operational framework. Since 2007, he has processed and organized all orders and deliveries, making sure they’re fulfilled accurately and stored properly. He’s known for quickly and efficiently communicating with chefs and other team members about any shifts in delivery times or unanticipated changes to orders, which helps keep operations running smoothly. “He clearly likes his work and is a pleasure to work with,” says District Manager Joanne Diehl. “He supports anyone who needs support. If you need him, he’ll be there.” John has regularly helped with café openings in the region, including the recent Banfield opening and the refresh of the Adidas food experiences.

Humble, friendly, and always reliable, John is well-liked by all of his peers at Reed.

HERMELINDA MARTINEZ Lead Cashier, Mentor Graphics Hermelinda (known as Melinda by her colleagues and guests) has worked for Bon Appétit for eight years and is well loved by the guests at Mentor Graphics. “She is the happiest person I have working for me,” General Manager Wes Boese says. “She walks in the door singing every day — she’s that excited and positive.” Melinda’s great attitude doesn’t go unnoticed by guests. Melinda typically helps to run food-cart service twice each day around the Mentor Graphics campus, a journey that’s nine miles round trip.

When she was out of town for a week to receive her Be-A-Star award, the already-busy crew had to cut down from two trips a day to one! When Wes delivered the news to the campus, he braced himself for the possibility of complaints about the week’s limited service, but instead received at least 60 emails from Mentor Graphics employees saying how wonderful Melinda is and how much she deserves this award! “She’s truly one-of-a-kind,” says Wes.

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MARGARITA APUD Line Service, The Master’s University Margarita (aka Maggie) Apud bakes an impressive volume of cakes, cookies, muffins, desserts, and more for The Master’s University students and for special events at the University — and she does it all with a smile. “She’s a very talented baker and works closely with our chef,” says General Manager Leo Reyes. “She’s not afraid of work, and always has a great smile, a can-do attitude, and is very respectful to supervisors, co-workers, and to the students.” Leo says Margarita’s talents and positive, teamfocused work ethic go beyond the bakeshop, too. “If one day we’re short on dishwashers she’ll jump in and help.

You don’t even have to ask her, she just does it. If we need someone at the front of the house she’s there for us — when it comes to customer service she’s one of the best. She’s amazing at what she does.” Leo also notes that Margarita is known among her colleagues for being extremely self-directed when it comes to safety, labeling things, and organizing her station. “We know she’ll get things done, and do it right. We all trust her,” he says.

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NATIONAL WINNERS - SALARIED DANIEL WIDEMAN Café Manager, University of Pennsylvania

RYAN LEONARD General Manager, Westminster College

Daniel has worked with Bon Appétit since 2009 and is recognized by his colleagues as a man you can always count on.

“Daniel is an amazing man, and a gift to work with,” says Steve Scardina, resident district manager at Penn. “He naturally has a generous spirit of being. He is one of the most approachable and whole-hearted people I’ve ever had the good fortune to meet, let alone work with. He is a humble self-learner with a wealth of knowledge, some of which can only be accumulated through longevity, and shares this knowledge daily with everyone he can.” Steve says Daniel’s love for Bon Appétit is clear: He is always the first to volunteer when help is needed, whether it’s to assist his colleagues on the retail team, help other groups such as Penn’s residential or catering teams, or even help out another Bon Appétit account. Daniel’s generosity extends beyond work hours, too. Last winter, a huge snow storm hit, and Daniel came back to campus to drive home those employees who lived too far away to walk home and had no other means of transportation.

Ryan started his career with Compass in 2009, as a student working for Chartwells at the University of Utah, and then moved into Chartwell’s Manager-in-Training program upon graduation. When he completed the program in 2013, he transferred over to Bon Appétit as catering manager at Westminster College, where he was recently promoted to general manager.

According to District Manager Ken Dale, Ryan is the perfect example of a Be-AStar employee because he is a “natural people person who knows virtually everyone on campus by name.” He has established himself as the “go-to” guy for catering in Utah and is involved in almost every large or special event at the other nine Bon Appétit accounts in the state. “He is the first to volunteer to help other units out, both personally and by offering his team as support,” says Ken. Perhaps more importantly, notes Ken, Ryan is eager to learn and is very collaborative — he listens to other managers’ opinions and seeks their counsel when he is unsure about something.

DANIELLE CUSTER, Resident District Manager, Amazon.com

SAMANTHA BURKETT General Manager, Sony

Danielle had an impressive culinary career before joining Bon Appétit 13 years ago. She was a chef at acclaimed restaurants in Seattle and Dallas, earning recognition as one of America’s best new chefs from Food & Wine magazine in 1998 and as a “Rising Star Chef” by the James Beard Foundation in 1999. At Bon Appétit, Danielle moved from the kitchen to the front of the house, working as the General Manager for TASTE at the Seattle Art Museum. While in Seattle she also launched Monte Cristo, a Bon Appétit-supported food truck, and received acclaim for her menu of delicious gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches. In her current role as Resident District Manager at Amazon.com, Danielle has used her uncommon combination of both back- and front-of-house experience to help develop several custom concepts for Amazon. She also continues to maintain deep relationships with local farmers, ranchers, and wineries.

“Sam is an amazing can-do individual who puts the interests of her direct reports, peers, guests, and clients above her own,” says Regional Vice President Rob Kvitek.

“She is a humble, highly capable professional with a high-energy, positive approach that is infectious to all who come in contact with her. All of these attributes lead to high employee morale and great customer service.

She has built great credibility with her clients for executing at a high level against all odds.” Rob notes that since joining Bon Appétit in 2012, Samantha has risen through the ranks and has a deep understanding of Bon Appétit’s culture and values. She started at Cisco, moved to Genentech, and is now the general manager at Sony. “All the customers at Sony know her by name and she is highly regarded by the whole community there,” notes Bridgeen Keys, district manager. Sam

is always up for helping out with new account openings, special events, and supporting her peers any way she can. She recently assisted Vice President of Image and Style Carrie Buckley’s merchandising team with the University of Chicago opening.

“She is a shining example of a most valuable team player — like a Navy SEAL, you can drop her into almost any situation and she gets results,” summarizes Rob. JANELLE BENNETT Neighborhood Executive Chef, Google Janelle joined Bon Appétit in 2012 and is currently the executive chef at Google’s Kitchen Sync, where she oversees a wellness-focused food program and also regularly hosts classes in the café’s state-of-the-art teaching kitchen.

She was integral in the creation and implementation of the many custom food experiences at Google’s Tech Corners — Sriracha, Spoon, and Brgr, just to name a few. In addition to contributing creativity and hard work to Google’s food programs, she also worked as opening chef for WilliamsSonoma. Now back at Google, Janelle is recognized as not only an integral part of Google’s culture, but also of Bon Appétit’s. Those nominating her cite that her commitment to delicious, creative food is unparalleled, as is her commitment to Bon Appétit’s core values, such as Farm to Fork.

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Bon Appétit Plucks Main Street Project to Receive Annual Gift Submitted by Jenny Slafkosky, Writer/Editor

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he Bon Appétit team at headquarters in Palo Alto, CA, couldn’t stop singing a new tune around the holidays: “Four calling birds, three French hens...and chickens under hazelnut trees!”

They were inspired by senior leadership's decision to choose the Main Street Project in Northfield, MN, to be the recipient of the company’s annual holiday gift in honor of our clients, in lieu of physical tokens of appreciation. Previous recipients have included the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), FoodCorps, the Agriculature and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), and the Farmer-Veteran Coalition.

Thanks to the Main Street Project, chicken production in rural Minnesota is getting a makeover.

For 10 years, Main Street has created pathways out of poverty for rural Latino immigrants in low-wage jobs. In 2010, the project began developing a new model for the humane production of free-range poultry, designed to be accessible to limited-resource farmers and immigrants aspiring to be farmers. The production model integrates perennial crops (hazelnuts and elderberries) into the system to create natural habitats for the birds and maximize system efficiency.

Over the past six years, Main Street has worked with their trainees to develop prototype facilities and a program-specific curriculum that includes hands-on poultry production experience and business planning.

The trainees have already raised and sold more than 45,000 birds locally, some to Bon Appétit cafés as a Farm to Fork vendor. After field testing the production model for six years, the project is ready to scale up by developing a 40-acre demonstration farm to support expanded training programs for aspiring immigrant and new farmers.

Funds donated to the Main Street Project will go toward building production units (chicken coops) dedicated to helping graduates of the advanced training program. The coops will be available to trainees rentfree for three years, which is the amount of time believed to be needed to establish a credit history and personal savings account (with modest matching funds) and to hone the technical and financial skills these farmers need to be successful on their own.

We hope you’ll find the stories of some of the Main Street Project’s trainees as inspiring as we do.

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New Flock, New Perspective

Janet graduated from the Main Street Project’s Agripreneur Training Program in 2015 and is now raising her first flock. She values the fact that by producing chickens in a responsible way, she is bringing healthy food to the table for her family and the community.

The Start of a New Venture

Taide, shown here at her graduation with Training Manager Bob and two of her children, has not only raised two flocks alongside her husband Eru but has played a role in outreach, inviting others to consider poultry production as an option for employment. She was not able to produce this year due to the limited availability of coops, so this gift of additional coops will provide an opportunity for this family to restart their business.

Learning and Sharing

Javier (left) has been with the Main Street Project since 2014 and has raised nine flocks. The availability of a new coop where he can begin to establish himself as a more independent producer will give him the stability he needs to grow his own operation.

Jose (right) is in his first year of production in the Main Street Project Incubator Program. He has past experience in raising poultry and graduated from the Agripreneur Training Program last fall.

Jose is now raising his third flock and involving his son in the work as a way to earn money for college tuition. With Javier, he has also made practical suggestions from his experience that have helped improve flock care.

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OPENING

Otis Welcomes New Cafés Along with Newly Residential Students Submitted by Kari Menslage, Regional Marketing Director

Students enjoying the café

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entennials are a big milestone, and the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles will soon be celebrating its 100th birthday after just one more turn of the calendar, in September 2018. The first independent art school in Southern California, Otis recently underwent a major transition from a commuter-focused school to a residential campus. This transition included construction of a brand new facility combining student housing, classrooms, and Elaine’s, the now Bon Appétit–run dining hall. In addition to Elaine’s, the Bon Appétit team also runs Otis Café, featuring local favorite Groundwork Coffee. The hardworking team includes 25 student employees.

Seven brand new stations, including ovens, grill, herbivore, salad, deli, kettles, and grab and go serve 650 daily meals to the 200 residential mealplan students, staff, and visitors. District Manager Bob Rall worked with Vice President for Administrative and Financial Services William Schaeffer — a long-term client from William’s time at California Institute of the Arts — as well as Vice President for Student Success and Dean of Student Affairs Laura Kiralla on a two-year collaboration that covered everything from concept to design to breaking ground, all the way through the recent opening.

Several innovative marketing initiatives supported the launch, including a 50 Things to Love about Your Café e-blast series, a print newsletter called From Scratch introducing Bon Appétit and providing café information, a Just Ask Campaign (in which Bon Appétiters wear buttons inviting guests to ask questions), daily electronic Menu Mail, and two large-screen digital signage displays.

Students, faculty, and staff at Otis are thrilled with the huge variety of new options, with the bibimbap bowls and the grill and ovens stations in particular garnering enthusiastic raves.The positive feedback extends to the sustainable eco-clamshells takeout program and to a guest chef event featuring Executive Chef Usanee Pistole from The Master’s University. Her Korean food was a special highlight!

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The Southern California sunshine makes eating outside a year-round activity

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The Commissary Fills Up Open Kitchen Series with Guest Chefs

By Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

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he Commissary’s new Executive Chef Rogelio Garcia has launched the Open Kitchen dinner series, in which guest chefs prepare a four-course prix fixe focused on a single ingredient. Named for the award-winning San Francisco restaurant’s airy open kitchen and held the first Monday of the month, the series allows Rogelio to invite industry veterans he has long admired, along with younger chefs, in order “to expose the new generation to different styles and techniques that will hopefully inspire them to learn and grow.”

Farmers and purveyors are also featured guests.

Executive Chef Rogelio Garcia’s saffron-infused whitefish caviar pasta, which was served on a plate with rocks wafting dry ice to evoke The Commissary’s foggy Presidio home

Open Kitchen | Caviar Menu 1ST COURSE Roland Passot / La Folie House-smoked salmon loin with Kaluga or California white sturgeon caviar, cured egg-yolk vinaigrette, and crispy sunchokes

The first Open Kitchen dinner featured pumpkin in four mind-blowingly different courses prepared by Curtis Di Fede, chef-owner of Miminashi, an izakaya-style Japanese restaurant in Napa; Andrew Wiseheart, chef-owner of Contigo and Chicon in Austin, TX; Rodney Wages, chef-owner of R.T.B. Fillmore; and Rogelio.

At the second Open Kitchen dinner, Roland Passot from La Folie and Brett Schaublin from Redd Wood joined Rogelio and The Commissary’s Executive Pastry Chef Kristi Gauslow for a decadent menu focused on caviar. Bon Appétit’s chef-partner Traci Des Jardins, who heads the food program for the Presidio, also came to join in the fun. California Caviar supplied the caviar, and the company’s founder and CEO, Deborah Keane, was on hand to discuss the sustainable production of this delicacy. Several members of the media attended, and the open kitchen was packed with chefs and their sous chefs plating while chatting with guests.

2ND COURSE Rogelio Garcia / The Commissary Saffron-infused whitefish caviar with crème frâiche and espelette angel-hair pasta 3RD COURSE Brett Schaublin / Redd Wood Prime New York strip, caviar, smoked horseradish crème fraîche, pearl onion, and light beef broth 4TH COURSE Kristi Gauslow / The Commissary Maple panna cotta, tapioca, whiskey infused trout roe, and yuzu

FRONT ROW:

California Caviar CEO Deborah Keane, The Commissary Executive Chef Rogelio Garcia, Redd Wood Executive Chef Brett Schaublin, award-winning chef Traci Des Jardins, La Folie Executive Chef Roland Passot, and The Commissary Sous Chef Eddie Zerpa, with the rest of the team behind the Open Kitchen | Caviar dinner

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Emory Revamps Training Programs with Creative, Interactive Themes Submitted by Valencia Jackson, Marketing Manager

Human Resources Director Maritza Diaz preps the human resources station

or all their value, orientation and training programs can sometimes feel routine. Happily, at Emory University in Atlanta, a new, creative approach to leadership development, food safety education, and customer service infused a week’s worth of training with a playful spirit of adventure.

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with one another while learning about the policies and procedures vital to their jobs.

The week began with a Food Safety Summit designed around a “travel the world of food safety” theme.At Dobbs Market, the 345 Emory Dining employees were issued mysterious travel passports, which could be stamped at each food safety “destination” (or station) they visited. Stations included taking temperatures, cleaning and sanitizing, hand hygiene savvy, station setup, using time as a control, and storage practices. Team members traveled as a group with a group leader/tour guide. At the end of the trip (training), each took the ServSafe Food Handler assessment and recited the Emory Dining food safety pledge. Director of Quality Assurance Bukola Babatunde raved about the new interactive approach, praising employees’ ability “to gather a great deal of information and retain it.”

The focus turned one last time, to the professional development of Emory’s dining managers and directors.

Kellie kept the interactive activities flowing, first with a cross-unit get-to-know-you exercise, in which managers learned more about the people Campus Executive Chef Michelle Reuter and Residential Executive outside their regular work Chef Robert Lynn groups. (All managers and directors had to give Kellie five facts about themselves that no one knows, which were compiled into a list of questions everyone had to figure out the answers to.) A Pictionary-style drawing game followed, underscoring the importance of clear communication, and a final build-the-tallest-dried-spaghettiand-marshmallow tower game put the Bon Appétiters’ teamwork skills to prime use.

The following week, the theme shifted to employee orientation — with the emphasis on interactivity and engagement still strong.

Resident District Manager Kellie Piper and Marketing Director Daniela Smallwood led team members once again to Dobbs Market, where dining stations were transformed into a“funhouse” complete with games and prizes. Stations included human resources policies; marketing, sustainability, and nutrition education; safety; and culinary. All were hosted by the experts in each topic and used a team-building approach to help employees bond 38 | BRAVO

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Cox Hall Cook John Wilson,affectionately known as“Pasta John,” is a fan of the new approach.“This was the most fun I have had at an employee orientation ever!” he said.

Overall, the week’s activities all proved how effective — and enjoyable! — laughter and outside-the-box thinking can be when it comes to educating team members and improving their knowledge and skills.

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Willamette Students Go Gleaning to Help the Needy Submitted by Maggie Kraft, Fellow

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on Appétit chefs and their guests are no strangers to donating excess edible food — by 2018, the company has committed that 80% of its campuses will be Food Recovery Verified, regularly donating food to those in need. At Willamette University in Salem, OR, students began a Food Recovery Network (FRN) chapter in 2014 and meet daily to package and deliver leftovers to a local homeless shelter. But what about the food that never makes it to the café in the first place?

Across America, 6 billion pounds of produce are wasted on farms, sent to a landfill or plowed under in the fields. Bon Appétit has been a leader in pioneering efforts to reduce that number, through programs such as Imperfectly Delicious Produce, which turns“cosmetically challenged” produce into servable food. The company also partnered with the national, student-run Food Recovery Network to develop a Guide to Gleaning for college students — the first-ever guide of its kind.

Gleaning refers to the ancient practice of collecting unharvested produce from farms, but today, gleaning goes beyond the farm.

Gleaners collect excess fresh foods from farms, gardens, farmers’ markets, grocers, restaurants, state and county fairs, and other food-based institutions and businesses and donate the food to the hungry and food insecure.

Gleaning represents a new frontier for students and community members interested in preventing food waste.Currently,more than 25 campuses across the country are using the Guide to Gleaning in their communities.

On a blustery Saturday morning not long ago, Bon Appétit Fellow Maggie Kraft was joined by Willamette students for a gleaning mission at a neglected apple orchard in Molalla, OR. The group worked with a local gleaning organization called Salem Harvest, a food waste–education nonprofit that has been gleaning all around the Willamette Valley since 2010 and has established relationships with farmers and businesses. Executive Director Elise Bauman met them at A Quiet Place,a spiritual sanctuary in Molalla with an unused organic apple orchard on the property. Salem Harvest provided the pick bins, ladders, and other tools, and after a quick safety lesson, they set to work harvesting apples from 12 trees on site.

As they picked and snacked on apples — with occasional exclama-

Students picking apples using ladders supplied by Salem Harvest

tions “This one is delicious! Try this tree!” ringing across the orchard — they commented on how ridiculous it was that these perfectly good apples would normally go to waste.They spoke with Elise about setting up an annual trip with FRN students.

Two hours later, the group had collected every apple within reach and filled the pick bins with nearly 800 pounds of apples to send to Marion-Polk Food Share, the largest food bank in the area.

Oregon has the highest rates of childhood hunger in the nation and Marion-Polk Food Share ensures that produce Salem Harvest collects goes to those who need it most. Although Salem Harvest allows gleaners to bring produce home, the students took only what they believed they would use that week.

Gleaning may only save a tiny portion of food waste nationally to date, but gleaning accomplishes so much more — bringing communities together and connecting them with their local farmers, while exposing consumers to the rigors of harvest and farm work.

Perhaps as cosmetically challenged produce gains steam,and as gleaners enjoy their“ugly produce” at home and their experiences with friends, consumer expectations of what constitutes perfect produce will begin to shift — and stores will begin stocking those misshapen peaches or peppers.

Willamette students Evan Dilly ’19, Ethan Frank ’20, and Iris Dowd ’17 (president of the campus Food Recovery Network chapter) with the almost 800 pounds of apples they picked

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OPENING

The Furman Dining opening team

Furman Debut Is Sweet as Tupelo Honey Submitted by Jennifer McGann, Regional Marketing Manager

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ear that? It’s a new leaf turning over as Bon Appétiters inaugurate a new culinary chapter on Furman University’s Greenville, SC, campus.

The Bon Appétit team now operates Furman Dining, which includes the residential Daniel Dining Hall serving an average of 900 guests per meal per day. Popular dishes include fried chicken, spicy okra, and house-made, Southern-inspired pickles (including pickled watermelon rind!). A retail hub called the PalaDen features Maru (a sushi bar) as well as Grinders, which offers made-to-order sandwiches and specials. Chick-fil-A and Moe’s Southwest Grill fill out the space, while an outpost of Einstein’s Bagels operates elsewhere on campus.

Bon Appétit at Furman also boasts the first collegiate outpost of the wildly popular Tupelo Honey Café, an iconic eatery whose Asheville, NC, flagship debuted to great acclaim back in 2000.

Tupelo Honey at The Paddock (on the site of a former Furman restaurant called The Paddock) offers an array of Southern and Appalachian classics with creative twists. Menu items — all made from scratch — include fried green tomatoes, warm pimento cheese, Appalachian Johnny cakes, and Southern fried chicken BLT, as well as an all-day brunch menu.

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The Bon Appétit team’s robust catering arm will service the many weddings that take place on beautiful Swan Lake and under the Furman Bell Tower. And never underestimate the popularity of a well-loved hot dog cart! The team ran a contest to help re-christen the cart formerly known as the Wandering Pony, and the winning name, FU Cart (pronounced foo cart)

Furman’s Daniel Dining Hall

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Bon Appétiters Have Fun with Little Furman Kids

Piazza Cook Kevin Crenshaw with Little Furman pizza makers

Furman University's Child Development Center, known on-site as Little Furman, is a special place on campus for children ages 3 to 5. In operation for 40 years, the school even saw current Director and Kindergarten Teacher Meredith Burton attend as a child.

The Little Furman kids have been enjoying megadoses of fun with the new Bon Appétit team. Over the summer, they got a chance to bake with Executive Chef Chris Harris and Piazza Cook Kevin Crenshaw. The children enjoyed from-scratch pizzas, and before they left, they were given a hat and apron to take home so they could continue practicing their pizza-making skills in style.

Another great day included s’mores and hayrides by the lake, as well as face painting and a visit from a few of their favorite Disney characters. For some of the 25 participants, this was their first s’mores experience. Happily, they were in great hands with Chris teaching them his tried and true s’moresmaking techniques. The kids’ sticky little hands and cute messy faces were testament to their enthusiastic participation and the fun they had outdoors.

Submitted by Ashley Green, Retail Supervisor & Marketing Coordinator

Executive Chef Chris Harris gives s’mores tips

submitted by student Jacob Rabinovitch, was chosen by Furman Director of Auxiliary Services Becky Vuksta and the Dining Committee from more than 40 entries. Jacob received a gift certificate to Tupelo Honey as his prize.

The Bon Appétit team is settling in nicely. Resident District Manager Michael Brownlee, Executive Chef Chris Harris, and Student Fellow Celia Castellano, recently spoke to a group of faculty and special guests (including Greenville Mayor Knox White) about Bon Appétit’s sustainability initiatives.“You did a great job, and now have a solid group of faculty advocates that you can utilize to help share your story and collaborate with moving forward,” wrote Weston Dripps, executive director of Furman’s David E. Shi Center for Sustainability and associate professor of earth and environmental sciences.“Very glad to have Bon Appétit here on campus, and excited to work with you all on ongoing and new sustainability efforts.”

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Citrix - Raleigh Fêtes Chef-Author Sara Foster Submitted by Bill Allen, Catering Director

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ookstore signings can be great, but for today’s high-profile chefs-turned-authors, hosting a signing in a busy café that allows fans to taste a new cookbook’s offerings can really spread the word.

Such was the case recently when the Bon Appétit team at Dillon’s Café at Citrix - Raleigh in Raleigh, NC, had the pleasure of hosting a lunchtime book signing for Sara Foster and her new book, Foster’s Market Favorites 25th Anniversary Collection.

Sara, a former chef for Martha Stewart’s catering company, opened Foster’s Market eatery and retail store in Durham, NC, in 1990. Her award-winning first cookbook helped put her not just on the culinary map but the literary map as well.

The newer anniversary collection continues her tradition of celebrating soulful yet simple, seasonally inspired cooking, combining classic favorites with modern sensibilities.

In honor of Sara’s visit, General Manager Joseph Dowe and Executive Chef Toby Pace scaled up several recipes from the book to serve Dillon’s many lunch diners. Book buyers sampled sun-dried tomato spread with almonds on crostini, and Sara’s New York crumb cake and coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate quickly sold out. Almost half of the café diners flocked to the comfort station, which featured Sara’s spicy meatballs in everyday marinara recipe made with local First Hand Foods beef and pork.

New York crumb cake

Dillon’s Café operated at capacity and enjoyed near-record sales for the day. After selling out of books, Toby offered Sara a dinner to go. The following morning, Sara emailed him her thanks, and Toby was really touched that this renowned chef and author complimented his skill at adapting recipes written for a six-person yield to those that could successfully feed more than 150, all while maintaining a perfect balance of flavors.

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Citrix - Raleigh’s Colorful Nutrition Initiative Brightens Month

Bon Appétit Fellow Caroline Ferguson with all the to-go containers used by Seattle U students in one Cherry Street Market lunch period

Many have heard that “eating a rainbow” promotes good health, but not everyone understands why. The Bon Appétit team at Citrix in Raleigh, NC, took the opportunity to strengthen and expand the message during a recent Food for Your Well-Being Eat a Rainbow–themed month at Dillon’s Café.

Focusing on the salad bar and the comfort, grill, and oven stations, they highlighted the broad range of colorful fruits and vegetables and their corresponding phytonutrients. A large whiteboard at the café entrance cheerfully explained that eating a rainbow of deeply hued produce helps support immunity, prevent chronic disease, and may even increase longevity. Guests appreciated the messaging, but the real hope was that the Bon Appétiters would be inspired to reinforce the concepts in their daily interactions.

Catering Director Bill Allen also created flashcards of the eight food color groups and their associated health benefits to review with the team at pre-meal 10@10s. Later in the month, Salad Bar Prep Cook Allie Mercado took the reins and offered fun facts related to the featured items. For example: Did you know that radishes are part of the cabbage family and may help clear sinuses and soothe scratchy throats? Or that red bell peppers have twice the vitamin C and nine times the beta-carotene as green ones? Or that avocados are known as nature’s butter?

The month-long initiative both educated and inspired. By the end, the café team was quite able to impart this valuable knowledge to their guests on a one-on-one basis in casual conversation.

Submitted by Bill Allen, Catering Director Prep Cook Allie Mercado presents nutritional values and fun facts on produce featured at the salad bar

Seattle U Students Weigh the Waste Submitted by Caroline Ferguson, Fellow

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eigh the Waste events are always eye-opening for students. Bon Appétit Fellow Caroline Ferguson teamed up with Lauren Keyes and Mara Orenstein, two students from Seattle University’s food justice club Food with Spirit, to weigh all of the waste produced during one Wednesday’s lunch service in Cherry Street Market.

They decided to separate the food waste from the compostable to-go ware, which has become unsustainably popular with students eating in the café. They tracked 6 pounds of recycling, 66 pounds of food waste, 27 pounds of disposable ware, and — to their surprise — only 2 pounds of landfill waste! They also collected nearly 200 compostable to-go containers that had been used to eat lunch in the café.

Students asked lots of good questions about what the team was doing, and many were surprised to hear that everything on their tray could be composted! Quite a few marveled at how many togo containers were collected in a stack. The Seattle U team later published the numbers on social media, and Seattle University’s student newspaper wrote an article. Hopefully more students will opt for reusable china and think twice before piling it high with food they aren’t able to finish.

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OPENING

Restaurant 917 overlooks the Porsche Experience Center’s 3.2-mile driver development track

Thai curry clams with baby squid, chorizo, Thai basil, rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), grilled ciabatta, and tom kha broth

Restaurant 917 Starts Its Engine at Porsche Experience Center in L.A.

By Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

or months, rush-hour commuters crawling along on the 405freewayinSouthLosAngelesweretormentedbythe sight of gorgeous Porsches racing up a parallel stretch of track at 100-plus miles per hour just next to them.But as of mid-November’s grandopening,drivingenthusiastsandadrenaline junkies in L.A. — and from all over America — can now get behind the wheel at the Porsche Experience Center (PEC) and floor one of these exquisite machines. And then afterward, they can head to Restaurant 917 for an equally unforgettable lunch or dinner.

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Located on the second level of the PEC, with stunning views of the 3.2-miledriverdevelopmenttrack,Restaurant917’s sleekandmodern setting echoes Porsche’s world-class design aesthetic. The name and decor were inspired by the legendary 917 race car.

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ful compositions. Formerly the executive chef for the Restaurant at The Getty Center, Matt’s facility with fresh, locally caught fish and other seafood complements his mastery of more traditional steak, chicken, and pork offerings, which he tends to balance with a bright vegetable accompaniment. 917’s general manager is Jerry Perez, who has worked with legendary Michelin-starred chefs Jacques Maximin in Nice and New York’s Eric Ripert and David Bouley. Executive Sous Chef Anita Lau, Pastry Chef Eunbee Lee, and Senior Catering Manager Elizabeth Wallmark round out the team.

Restaurant 917 has a private dining room with a balcony overlooking the track, for special celebrations and meetings. It’s so appealing a venue, in fact, that 917 was almost fully booked with private events through the New Year.

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A “Well-Oiled Machine” Executive Chef Matt Lee and his team were put to the test when the Porsche Experience Center had its grand opening. More than 550 Porsche executives and dealership owners, Los Angeles VIPs (including the mayor of Carson), and automotive media mingled with Hollywood celebrities for a huge, high-profile party. Among the event highlights: classic and unusual Porsches, multiple catering stations and bars, a 40-minute stunt driving show with laser track lights, massive screens for closeups, and an epic fireworks ending. On the catering menu, Matt was particularly proud of the tuna poke (and the custom box he designed for it — see below) and the seared scallops with truffle celeriac purée, apple relish, and smoked bacon crumble served on scallop shells with river rocks and seaweed.

Everything went without a hitch. “Tuesday night was an incredible success and definitely one for the books!” wrote PEC Manager Jennifer Nicole Malacarne, in an email to the team. “You delivered flawlessly. It was great to have familiar faces all around executing like a solid and well-oiled machine. We were put to the test and there was no doubt you all rose to the occasion to show what we are all about at the PEC LA. …This team has wowed, dazzled, and surprised not only our [Porsche] colleagues but our customers, and that is the true test that this team always delivers on the premium Porsche experience we set out to achieve. WE DID IT!” Porsche brought in several special edition cars like this half-Lego one for the grand opening

Restaurant 917 Executive Chef Matt Lee

Executive Chef Matt Lee designed and had these special appetizer boxes built to mimic the drawers at the Porsche retail shop; the straps are made out of actual Porsche seatbelts sourced from Germany

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EAT LOCAL CHALLENGE 2016:

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N O I T I D E P O R C R PE B

egun in 2005, Bon Appétit’s annual Eat Local Challenge is a day we all look forward to, in which everyone in the company gets to share our passion for local food with our guests. It’s a time for our chefs to highlight their day-to-day relationships with local farmers (located within a 150-mile radius) — and to remind everyone what seasonal bounties surround them, no matter where in America they live. To keep things fun (and actually challenging) for our many veteran locavores, we sometimes throw in a twist, such as local seafood or, this year: bumper crops.

Many a backyard gardener is familiar with the experience of patiently spending months tending just a few zucchini plants, say, only to suddenly end up with more squash than they can feasibly consume. These unexpectedly large harvests, or bumper crops, may occur for a variety of reasons, such as favorable weather conditions or inaccurate crop yield projections. But while backyard gardeners have the option of giving away produce to eager family and friends, farmers who end up with a bumper crop of zukes are at the mercy of variety-hunting consumers. With more zucchini available than consumers actually want to eat, perfectly edible produce can go to waste or leave a farmer in the red.

Bon Appétit chefs get those desperate calls frequently and try to help out their farmers — purchasing a truckload of basil, for example, and transforming it into pesto, infused oils, and more. This year, they got to show off their skills and encourage guests to fight food waste. The challenge: incorporate one local bumper crop into their standard 100 percent local meal (sourced within 150 miles of the café, except for salt) for Eat Local Challenge plus at least two other entrées. Read on to hear about how Bon Appétit teams around the country creatively showed off their bumper crop chops: 2 0 1 6 Vo l u m e 3

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Regis University students and staff really got into the #ftw theme

...“ONE IN A MELON” #FTW at Regis University, Denver

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he Regis University team generated widespread interest in Eat Local Challenge this year, thanks to a popular watermelon theme and support from Regis’s Auxiliary and Business Services AVP Susan Layton and Communications and Project Coordinator Julia Flatz.

Wearing event-specific T-shirts, students snapped pictures and shared selfies to social media, spreading awareness and excitement via a trio of hashtags: #ftw (not the usual “for the win,” but “for the watermelon”!), #RUEatingLocal, and #thisisregis.

General Manager Letina Matheny-Leix and her team showcased plenty of local produce. Greens, squash, and more from Golden Acre Farm and Groundwork Denver lent decorative color and were available for purchase at a farmstand. And in a special melon tasting, students and staff could Golden Acre Farm’s Jason Plotkin and Regis Executive Chef Glenn sample different varieties Babcock from the two farms. When it came to entrées, Executive Chef Glenn Babcock’s paprika-rubbed Coloradocaught tilapia with Olathe corn pudding, watermelon salsa, and green beans was a favorite, rivaling the scrumptious baked chicken breast with Sangiovese wine reduction, house-made spaetzle, braised mushrooms with butternut squash and leeks, sautéed kale, 48 | BRAVO

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sage–brown butter sauce, and watermelon pickle. The tasty watermelon fritter with cider reduction glaze finished the meal well, highlighting the signature ingredient.

“Eating local not only provides me with the fresh food my body needs, but it also supports the local economy by allowing farmers to sell their food and create a sustainable lifestyle for themselves and others,” said Regis University senior Fermin Venzor, showing off how fully he’d absorbed the message. This year’s Eat Local Challenge was truly “one in a melon!”

Submitted by Letina Matheny-Leix, General Manager

Regis Provost Janet Houser, Bon Appétit General Manager Letina MathenyLeix, Regis Senior VP and CFO Salvador Aceves, and Regis Auxiliary and Business Services AVP Susan Layton got into the #ftw spirit

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...THIS SPUD’S FOR YOU at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland

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n the day of Eat Local Challenge, farmers who provide everything from beef to produce gathered across six Case Western Reserve University cafés to show off their crops and talk to students and faculty about all they do to supply Bon Appétiters with outstanding ingredients.

Yukon Gold potatoes from Veggie Valley Farm in Sandyville, OH, starred as this year’s featured bumper crop. Veggie Valley’s owners, Ed and Betty Frank, used to have to transport their vegetables to 10 to 15 locations each week. But after Regional Vice President Randy DeMers and District Manager Dan Farrell met them at a local farmers’ market, the Bon Appétit team started purchasing all of their potatoes. This spud’s for you, Veggie Valley!

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FROM SPECIAL TO STAPLE: In addition to the beautiful produce pictured here, the team at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine’s Shell Café served “a good ol’ fashioned picnic plate” with local roast chicken, pork-infused smashed potatoes, and cucumber-watermelon salad. Guests loved the Eat Local Challenge offerings so much that they were featured several times on the menu afterward.

Submitted by Jorge Rama, General Manager

Submitted by Amanda Mass, Marketing Manager

Resident District Manager Jim O’Brien, Chef/Manager Victor Lane, and Veggie Valley Farm Owner Betty Frank Chef/Manager Victor Lane with a Case Western Reserve University student and her 100 percent local plate

...WE’VE GOT THE BEET at Zulily, Seattle

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he Zulily team celebrated their third Eat Local Challenge by grooving to the bumper-crop beet. Caruso Farms’ beets appeared several times: in a pickled red beet salad with bacon, Bibb lettuce, and champagne vinaigrette; in a chioggia beet and field green salad; and in a roasted preparation with Beeworks Farm honey. There was even a golden beet borscht with Samish Bay Greek yogurt and Viva Farms dill. Guests also adored the salmon with beurre bleu.

Submitted by Kris McLean, General Manager The Zulily team on Eat Local Challenge Day

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PEAS, PLEASE: Sous Chef Ray Volis, Executive Sous Chef Mauricio Vallejo, and Executive Chef Mike Brinkmann of Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA, turned a bumper crop of Mann's Ranch sugar snap peas into a star accompaniment. Seared Monterey Bay rock cod topped with Riverdog Farm heirloom tomato relish and Rue & Forsman Ranch brown rice completed the meal. They also gave away Frog Hollow Farm emerald plums, all in celebration of the Eat Local Challenge.

Submitted by Kaitlyn Futch, Marketing Specialist

…ELC AND IDP TEAM UP at University of Portland, Portland, OR

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art of the reasoning behind the special “bumper crop edition” of Eat Local Challenge was to encourage guests to think about fighting food waste by rescuing produce that might otherwise go to waste — which also happens to be the mission behind Bon Appétit Management Company’s Imperfectly Delicious Produce (IDP) program. Waste Programs Manager Claire Cummings visited the University of Portland on Eat Local Challenge Day to share information about IDP through a produce display and a clever photo booth. Students and faculty loved posing for glamour shots with the “imperfect” produce.

Students showing their love for Imperfectly Delicious Produce in Waste Programs Manager Claire Cummings’s photo booth

Executive Chef James Green was serving up IDP on the menu (baked local salmon with Napa cabbage, roasted IDP potatoes, and golden beet salad garnished with radish and green onions) alongside the rest of the Eat Local Challenge dishes. Every ingredient at the global station met the ELC criteria, with most sourced from within 60 miles! Other menu highlights included pork shoulder from Tails & Trotters, pear and peach chutney from A & J Orchards, fingerling potatoes from Polar Farms, tomatoes from Sauvie Island Organics, and seasoning from Jacobsen Salt. Pears from A & J Orchards were featured as the bumper crop.

Submitted by Kelly Vosberg, Café Supervisor

The University of Portland team had googly-eyed fun bringing the featured IDP produce items to life

SPECIAL EXHIBIT AT PROVENANCE: Even some of Bon Appétit’s museum restaurants join in on Eat Local Challenge! Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art served charred carrot salad with pineapple sage brown butter, apple cider vinaigrette, toasted walnuts, honey goat cheese, and mâche. All ingredients for this and the soup du jour were sourced from within 150 miles.

Submitted by Ann Walczak, General Manager

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SHELLEBRATING ELC DAY AT GOOGLE - PORTLAND: Eat Local Challenge Day is such a beloved Bon Appétit Management Company tradition that even teams without a full kitchen will find a way to participate. Google - Portland General Manager Anne Weil reached out to Cambia Health Solutions Chef/Manager Ethan Davidsohn for help, and Ethan provided the ingredients for an Oregon fisherman's stew. Anne steamed clams and mussels in white wine, adding fennel, fingerlings, cipollini onions, and salted lemon-balm butter.

All ingredients were locally grown, made, or harvested. Needless to say, Google employees came back for seconds.

Submitted by Anne Weil, General Manager

…BAY AREA’S FINEST at University of San Francisco, San Francisco

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an Francisco can be a tough crowd to impress — Bay Area residents are used to eating the finest local bounty at most restaurants. Even students at the University of San Francisco get to enjoy hyper-fresh produce from local farms...in many cases the same ones that serve the fine-dining establishments!

Executive Chef Joe DeBono and his team highlighted those relationships on Eat Local Challenge Day, through bumper crops from three different farms from around Northern California.

Guests enjoyed samples of patty pans from Happy Boy Farms, located a few hours’ drive away in California’s central coast. Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery in Sonoma makes both feta and white cheddar with the extra goat milk left over once their traditional cheese varietals are made. Redwood Hill’s Cher Winkler once again returned to campus for Eat Local Challenge Day to offer samples while educating students about the cheese-making process.

Meanwhile, the area where the Sacramento River meets the San Francisco Bay creates fertile farmland known as the Delta, which provides some of the finest produce in the country year-round. Longtime Farm to Fork supplier Roscoe Zuckerman of Zuckerman Family Farm sent Delta-grown apples that Joe offered in multiple forms — in salads paired with Redwood cheeses and Zuckerman potatoes, as well as shaved raw over a brie and arugula pizza and also puréed with honey and mint for aguas frescas. Representing her fourth-generation farming family, Katie Zuckerman offered apple samples at the tapas bar during lunch service. It was her first time visiting the café, and the team was glad to host yet another member of the Zuckerman family in this annual celebration of local farms.

It was a huge success and a fun day for all involved. “I admire how hard you all work, and how thoughtfully you all cook,” one guest said. It’s sentiments like those that make Joe and his team extremely grateful and proud.

Submitted by Joe DeBono, Executive Chef

PAPRIKA PEPPERS SHAKE UP OTTERBEIN’S ELC: Used to shaking paprika from a spice jar? The Bon Appétit team at Otterbein University in Westerville, OH, had fun showing just how flavorful fresh paprika peppers can be, featuring paprika as the Eat Local Challenge bumper crop in everything from chutney to hummus to a pizza topped with paprika pepper poppers! From left to right, Chef/ Manager Mukesh Kumar, Executive Chef Martin Brennan, Baker Jim Eddingfield, and Lead Server Ann Tongkhanon pose behind their peppery bumper crop.

Submitted by Jennifer McGann, Regional Marketing Manager

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Hampshire students enjoying their Eat Local Challenge meal

...CARNIVAL SQUASH AND APPLES at Hampshire College, Amherst, MA

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ampshire College Executive Chef Michael Boucher and Sous Chef Jamil Asad found a way to use local bumper crops of carnival squash and apples in at least one dish at each station, with three stations comprising 100 percent local offerings.

Dishes included cider-brined pork loin with carnival squash, with both the pork and squash sourced from Hampshire Farm Center just half a mile away. Carlson Orchard supplied the cider for the brine and fruit for an apple hash. A vegan meal starring Hampshire Farm Center and Four Star Farms showcased carnival squash stuffed with wheat berries, heirloom beets, and fennel. And an autumn salad bar was all-local, too, with arugula, frisĂŠe, red leaf lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, herbs, and carnival squash. Even the house-made roasted tomato vinaigrette was all local: The canola oil came from Full Sun Company of Middlebury, VT. Submitted by Jessica Santillo, Front of the House Supervisor Carnival squash

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH STRIKES VEGETABLE GOLD: It’s sunny in here! Executive Chef Allen Gross and General Manager Jay Trainer of Abercrombie & Fitch in New Albany, OH, brightened up their dish of New Creation Farms pork belly with gold-toned potato, pumpkin, and butternut squash relish. Vendors Vegetable Basket Farm and Veggie Valley Farm supplied the colorful produce.

Submitted by Jennifer McGann, Regional Marketing Manager

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Baker Jerry Hermsen shows Café Supervisor Isabel Valadez how wheat berries are ground into flour using the countertop mill at Genentech’s Local Bread pop-up table

...HYPERLOCAL BREAD at Genentech, South San Francisco, CA

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ven hardcore bread bakers don’t usually grow their own yeast and mill their own flour. The Bon Appétit team at Genentech - South San Francisco decided to “rise” to the Eat Local Challenge by showing guests not only how they make bread completely from scratch every day in the Building 35 café, but also how flour is made.

Cook Tina Strahlem carries a tray of fresh bread from the ovens to the table in preparation for the Eat Local Challenge celebration

Several months ago, the team purchased a countertop grain mill to process wheat berries into flour onsite. They then began experimenting with different types of wheat berries, lending new flavor notes to the house-milled flour used in the café’s bread and rolls. On Eat Local Challenge Day, they shared what they’d learned at a pop-up table complete with a countertop mill so guests could see the milling process firsthand. Bread samples meant guests could taste the freshly milled wheat’s unique character themselves.

In order to keep with the 100 percent local theme, the team sourced wheat berries from Eatwell Farm in Dixon, CA. Even the yeast that jumpstarted the bread had a local pedigree: It was created using ALBA Organics potatoes!

Every element of the bread was therefore truly local. Guests appreciated how these hyperlocal ingredients create delicious baked goods every day.

Submitted by Katherine Lachman, Marketing Manager

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GADZUKES!:

Pastry Chef Ani Baghoomian showed off an impressively large tiger zucchini from Oracle’s campus garden in Santa Clara, CA.

Submitted by Cara Brechler, Marketing Director

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NUTS FOR BUTTERNUT SQUASH: The culinary team at George Fox University in Newberg, OR, showed off curvaceous butternut squash as their bumper crop in a menu highlighting a dozen local farms, including Cal Farms butternut squash roasted and served alongside Columbia River salmon cakes and Mustard Seed Farms zucchini over Mount Angel wild rice. Students enjoyed learning all the different places from which their food comes.

Submitted by Brett Harvey, Board Manager

...AND (FOOD) JUSTICE FOR ALL at Goucher College, Towson, MD

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s a part of the Eat Local Challenge, Goucher’s Bon Appétit team and new Sustainability Director Matt Harmin co-hosted a Food Justice Panel featuring prominent leaders of the Baltimore food movement. Panelists included the No Boundaries Coalition’s Tiffany Welch, the Black Yield Institute’s Eric Jackson, Baltimore’s Food Policy Director Holly Freishtat, and Licking Creek Bend Farm’s Mike Tabor (a Bon Appétit Farm to Fork stalwart).

Woodberry Kitchen’s Chef Spike Gjerde rounded out the impressive group.

Matt moderated the discussion, which covered tough issues like the difference between food access and food sovereignty, how to pair food access with cooking education, and strategies for resolving racial health disparities in Baltimore. Far-ranging perspectives revealed the importance of approaching food sovereignty — defined as “the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and the right of communities to define their own food and agriculture systems” — from many angles.

The takeaways were many. First, that food access is more complex than simply bringing affordable produce to underserved communities. Second, that addressing health disparities and bringing democracy to our diets requires a multipronged, cooperative approach. And third, that no matter what your vantage point (producer, policymaker, educator, activist, or food service company), everyone has a role to play in creating a more just and healthful food system.

After the discussion, attendees headed to Stimson Dining Hall to enjoy an all-local dinner.

Menu highlights included zucchini and fresh herb bisque, Maryland cream of crab soup, a Maryland oyster bar, and entrées of prime rib, pork medallion with apple compote, and cioppino in a broth prepared with local tomatoes.

Submitted by Claire Kelloway, Fellow 54 | BRAVO

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Food justice panelists (left to right) Farmer Mike Tabor, Chef Spike Gjerde, Food Policy Director Holly Freishtat, and Black Yield Institute Director Eric Jackson

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Servery Attendant Hector Ayala, Servery Attendant Julio Ramirez, Cashier Tracey Smith, Pastry Cook Anthony Luis, Lead Cook Ernesto Munoz, Line Cook Willam Herron, Line Cook Alfie Winsfield, Purchasing and Receiving Joey Woodall, Line Cook and Safety Champ Nadia Zapata, Purchasing and Receiving James Tambah, and Museum Café Chef Susan Schoon

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...CORN IS KING at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago

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ccording to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 15.2 billion bushels of corn will be harvested this year, earning the golden kernels true bumper-crop status! The Museum Café at the Art Institute of Chicago met Bon Appétit’s 2016 Eat Local Challenge by creating a local dish of grilled bicolor corn with shishito pepper pistou and Marisa sheep milk cheese. Nichol’s Farm in Marengo, IL, and Carr Valley Dairy Farm in Middleton, WI, supplied stellar produce.

“Bumper crops are important because the overflow produce is not always sold to grocery stores and the public,” said Museum Café Chef Susan Schoon. “We have the opportunity to use these items so they don’t get wasted.”

Bicolor corn with shishito pepper pistou and Marisa sheep milk cheese

In addition to the special corn dish, Susan, Lead Cook Ernesto Munoz, and the culinary team created a pickled farm-bean salad with four types of beans, red mustard shoots, and a raspberry reduction with apple cider vinegar. The brick oven station served Brussels sprouts and other fresh produce from Windy City Farm, Garwood Farm, Heritage Prairie Farm, and Grassland Farm.

Susan encouraged her team to incorporate bumper crops into as many dishes as possible. She truly believes that doing so helps local farmers become more profitable, which in turn creates a healthier economy. Sometimes, more of a good thing really is just better!

...PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY, AND...BASIL? at The College of Idaho, Caldwell, ID

Submitted by Nicole Nicolas, Marketing Coordinator

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t The College of Idaho, Sous Chef Jackie Beavers put together an amazing local menu overflowing with herbs, this region’s bumper crop superstar. From Purple Sage Farms parsley on the potatoes to opal basil on the white-bean pomodoro to the rosemary au jus on the roast turkey, special herb varieties lent uncommon flavor and fragrance to the wide-ranging menu. Even the beverage went herbal: Pineapple-mint and pear aguas frescas provided cooling refreshment.

The menu was such a hit, students are already excited about next year’s Eat Local Challenge Day! Submitted by Crystal Rideau, General Manager Tamara Sloviaczek, owner of Purple Sage Farms, which supplied the herbs for Eat Local Challenge

ACORNY JOKE TELLING: Did you hear the one about the squash? Local squash can be seriously delicious, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to cook. At Denison University in Granville, OH, Executive Chef Jonathan O’Carroll, Huffman Lunch Cook Sierra Noblick, and AM Supervisor Tiffany Knight share a laugh while prepping a bumper crop of acorn squash from Farm to Fork vendor Bird's Haven Farms.

Submitted by Lia Crosby, Sustainability Supervisor

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...BUTTERY APPLES at Adobe - Lehi, UT

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ith autumn apples at their peak, picking a favorite variety can be a (literal) toss-up. Fortunately for Executive Chef Ted Mathesius of Utah-based Adobe - Lehi, juggling apples comes naturally. Nearby hydroponic Snuck Farm supplies 75 percent of the café’s greens and herbs, plus assorted seasonal fruits and vegetables. For this year’s Eat Local Challenge, Ted and his team made a Jonathan Gold apple butter for pork chops, with local honey and spirits from High West Distillery…also local!

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Adobe-Lehi Executive Chef Ted Mathesius had fun with Utah apples for Eat Local Challenge

Submitted by Ted Mathesius, Executive Chef

Farmer Nic Romano offers VR Green Farms strawberries

…BERRY LOCAL PRIDE at Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA

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t Claremont McKenna College, farmer Nic Romano (founder of VR Green Farms in Temecula, CA) chatted with students as he offered samples of local strawberries. He even drizzled them with honey sourced from nearby wild mountain flowers.

Submitted by Jennifer Carbajal, General Manager

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...YOU CAN RING THAT MEXIBELL at Reed College, Portland, OR

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he Bon Appétit team at Reed College was thrilled when vendor Golden Lake Farm outside of Salem, OR, offered 200 pounds of MexiBells for this year’s Eat Local Challenge. Though they resemble sweet bell peppers, MexiBells have a touch of chili-like heat. Every lunch item that day incorporated the colorful peppers.

Senior Jossalyn Holbert said the Eat Local Challenge meal is always her favorite one at Reed: “I grew up in a family that did a lot of farming, and it is so awesome to see our dining choices focus on the importance of buying from local growers.”

Executive Chef Matt Talavera and Executive Sous Chef Jesse Fairman appreciated the importance of the event as well. Matt is new to the Reed team, so this year’s Challenge is his first on-campus special event.

“We are spoiled here,” he said of the Willamette Valley’s riches. “We have so much to choose from and draw from. It is almost unfair!”

Executive Chef Matthew Talavera and Executive Sous Chef Jesse Fairman pick a peck of MexiBell peppers

Submitted by James Burback, Director of Operations

...DOUBLING THE GOAL at Washington University in St. Louis, MO

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ashington University’s Executive Chef Patrick McElroy posed his own Eat Local challenge to his team: He asked them to purchase more local product than ever before, not only for the day of the event, but for the entire week. His goal? Use two tons of local produce!

Operations Manager Dan Sprauer, Maggie's Manager Katie O'Connnor, and General Manager Mac Lary get ready for ELC Day

...SQUASHING THE COMPETITION at Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR

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ewis & Clark College’s fertile Willamette Valley location offers an abundance of Farm to Fork vendors from which to choose. For Eat Local Challenge Day, Fields Dining Executive Chef Scott Clagett featured beef from Laney Farms; vegetables from Millennium, Sauvie Island Organics, and Polar Farms; olive oil from Oregon Olive Mills; and salt from Jacobsen Salt Co. Pastry Chef Katharine Zachar’s zucchini cake with lemon glaze and green tomato-pear compote used all local grains, eggs, and produce.

And the team delivered. In fact, during a single week, they purchased and used a whopping 8,440 pounds of local product, sourcing produce, dairy, and meat from more than 25 local vendors and farmers. Their haul elevated everyday dishes and ELC-specific specials, including shaved sunchoke salad with ancient greens; horseradish roasted brisket with crowder peas, okra and cabbage; and braised pork cheeks with an eggplant, squash, and tomato gratin. The entire buffet at Ibby’s Bistro was 100 percent local!

Submitted by Kristi Baker, Marketing Manager

Students and staff loved the meal and were pleased to learn just how many Farm to Fork vendors contribute local ingredients to their meals year-round.

Submitted by Bonnie Von Zange, Dining Room Manager

Chef de Cuisine Jon Lowe preps local beets for Ibby’s Bistro

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Royal Caribbean Executive Chef Blas Baldepina with fresh, local okra

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ST. OLAF WELCOMES SPRING WIND: St. Olaf Board Manager Randy Clay invited special guests Andrew Ehrnmann and Betsy Allister, who jointly operate Spring Wind Farm. The farmers supplied the Northfield, MN, college with this year’s bumper crop of peppers, which roasted up beautifully, delighting everyone with their flavor and color (especially at the tortilla station!).

Submitted by Jill Metz, Catering Director

...GOING FOR A TROPICAL CRUISE at Royal Caribbean, Miami

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here’s no better way to expand your guests’ horizons than to introduce them to tempting (and less common) local produce offerings. At Royal Caribbean headquarters in Miami, Executive Chef Blas Baldepina did just that, shining a bright light on boniato (sometimes called Cuban sweet potatoes), mamey (a sweet, creamy tropical fruit that is grown locally and in the Caribbean), guava, passionfruit, and even okra.

Representatives from vendor J&C Tropicals of Homestead, FL, joined in the Eat Local Challenge fun with a mini-farmstand.

Blas and the Bon Appétit team prepared a special menu featuring Providence Cattle Company’s braised beef; vaca frita (a classic Cuban beef dish); and Florida Fresh Meat chicken breast with dragon fruit and guava salsa. In addition to the dragon fruit and guava, J&C also provided product for a sour citrus orange sauce, coconut fried okra, roasted mamey and sweet potato, Roma tomato–braised okra, and mashed calabazas.

Vendor R. Pontano shared the limelight, too, supplying produce for a side of garlic-roasted squash blossoms.

Submitted by Paul Kern, Catering Manager

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IAIA GETS ALL CHOKED UP: Whether you call them sunchokes or Jerusalem artichokes, there’s no denying the appeal of this popular member of the sunflower family. General Manager Guido Lambelet of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM, even grows them in his own garden. (Last year, he donated 80 pounds of sunchokes he’d foraged from the neighborhood to the Santa Fe Food Depot.) This year, Navajo grandmother Toni Olver gave Guido and the Bon Appétit team these versatile tubers, which they used in an Espanola Valley Farm green chili bisque, a big hit during IAIA’s Eat Local Challenge celebration.

Submitted by Guido Lambelet, General Manager

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Adobe - San Jose Pulls Out All the Local Stops

By Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

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hen Bon Appétit Management Company’s foragers plan their Eat Local Challenge menus, they tend to go all out — all local, that is! Adobe - San Jose Executive Chef Brian West was no exception.

Brian, who is Northern California’s regional forager; David Boswell, executive chef for Adobe - San Jose’s temPLATES Café; and temPLATES Café Chef John Carlson featured multiple bumper crops and more than a dozen all-local dishes in the various cafés at the software company’s sprawling urban campus in downtown San Jose, CA. They incorporated produce from the roof garden beds as well as the vegetable garden on another level, and invited organic rice grower Andrew Brutlag from Rue & Forsman in Olivehurst, CA, to show guests the different types of rice that he grows, and what rice looks like at different stages in its life cycle. Tim DeCaminada from Vince’s Shellfish was also on hand.

David Boswell, executive chef for Adobe - San Jose’s temPLATES Café, and Brian West, Adobe - San Jose executive chef, in one of the on-site gardens

Brian and David also played host to a group of hungry guests from Bon Appétit’s headquarters, who particularly enjoyed the grilled Passmore Ranch delicata squash with Rue & Forsman brown rice, charred ALBA Organics chicories, blistered ALBA cherry tomatoes,Adoberice grower Andrew grown sage, California Olive Organic Brutlag showed guests what rice Ranch extra-virgin oil, and looks like at different stages in its life cycle Giusto’s salt. Ever the ELC overachiever, Brian of course found local salt — Giusto's natural sea salt is harvested from the San Francisco Bay.

Monterey Bay calamari with Comanche Creek baby heirloom tomatoes; Mohr Fry Farm Christmas lima beans; Iacopi Farms butter beans; Riverdog Farms mixed gypsy peppers; charred Adobe bay leaf, basil, and kaffir lime leaves; California Olive Ranch extra-virgin oil, and Monterey Bay sea salt

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Healthy Kids in the Bon Appétit Kitchen Hits the Road Submitted by Hannah Schmunk, Manager of Food Education for Children

ooking is a powerful teaching tool. It’s interactive, engaging, and of course, deliciously rewarding. For decades, Bon Appétit Management Company chefs on corporate and university campuses have held cooking classes, showing adults everything from how to put together a simple, healthy salad dressing to how to roll sushi or make tamales. In 2015, the company launched the Outdoor Classroom for Kids in the Garden at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Since then, more than 5,000 children from Boys & Girls Clubs, the YMCA, and other Bay Area groups have been introduced to the vibrant flavors and textures of garden-fresh produce in an interactive social setting. And starting last summer and continuing through the fall, Bon Appétit began taking a blend of these two programs on the road.

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Healthy Kids in the Bon Appétit Kitchen, the company’s new nutrition and culinary education program, was created with the goal of empowering elementary school–age children to make healthy food choices for themselves and their communities.“Seeing the program in action at AT&T Park just grabbed my heart,” said Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio, who worked with the San Francisco Giants to bring the Outdoor Classroom for Kids to life. “We’re really making a difference. Extending this program to reach more children just fits into what we’re trying to do as a company — to change our food system.”

Manager of Food Education for Children Hannah Schmunk, who launched the Garden at AT&T Park program, trained the four Bon Appétit Fellows (plus ex-Fellow turned Waste Programs Manager Claire Cummings) in the curriculum she developed. Armed with plastic cutting boards, kid-safe knives, and adorable aprons, the members of this enthusiastic group have worked with the on-site chef and his or her culinary team to cohost a two-hour program for the children of the host client’s employees or kids from local community organizations (such as Boys & Girls Clubs).

The hands-on lessons in gardening, healthy eating, and cooking have helped participants become more comfortable trying new foods, which can begin shifting their taste preferences toward fruits and vegetables. They learn the importance of “eating a rainbow” every day, and how easy it can be to transform whole fruits and vegetables into a healthy meal. By learning about the connection between what they eat and the ability to do what they enjoy, they go home with a newfound power to make better choices for their health.

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At Mills College in Oakland, CA, Manager of Food Education for Children Hannah Schmunk sent the kids on a scavenger hunt for the fruits and vegetables growing on the farm, while Executive Chef Andrew Tescher offered them tastes of tomatillos and pears and helped them cook farm tacos and fall fruit kebabs.

They all enjoyed the fruits of their labor atop picnic blankets under the sun.

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At Twitter in San Francisco, Executive Chef Martin Levinson prepared a variety of veggie chips for the kids to taste (zucchini, beets, kale), as a healthy alternative to the nutrition-free potato chips kids know and love. Then they got busy preparing tacos with a salsa they also put together, and for dessert, colorful fruit kebabs with a cinnamon yogurt dip. Waste Programs Manager Claire Cummings led an extra-credit composting lesson. There were many glowing Tweets and photos, and this from one of the Twitter parents: “That was the best cooking class and educational session I have seen in a long time.

The team was SO good with the kids, it was organized, delicious and fun!”

Children of Marylhurst University faculty joined those of Bon Appétit staff from neighboring Portland, OR, location Mentor Graphics for a fun class with Hannah, Executive Chef Jennifer Pack, and Bon Appétit Fellows, Maggie Kraft (far left) and Caroline Ferguson (far right) both former pastry chefs.

At SAP in Palo Alto, CA, executive-chef-turned-General-Manager Melissa Miller (pictured) led a group of energetic kids of employees on a scavenger hunt in the SAP Kitchen Garden. She helped the kids harvest a variety of ingredients, which they then got to use as pizza toppings. It didn’t take long for the kids to feel right at home in the garden — some were even climbing into the beds to pick the ripest fruits and vegetables! Then they went into the servery, where they made veggie pizzas and Melissa’s team cooked them in the pizza ovens.

Bon Appétit Fellow Maggie Kraft helped Executive Chef Ed Clark and Sous Chef Jackie Lovecchio host a group of children of faculty and staff of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO (her alma mater). The adults were very impressed by the pupils’ concentration when chopping their fruit for the smoothie — some were even julienning their produce! Here, this tiny chef shows off her tacos.

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Oxford College of Emory Co-Hosts Farm to Table Dinner… Squared Submitted by Samantha Lenard, Community Partnerships Coordinator

ccording to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, more than 15.8 million American households suffered some form of food insecurity in 2015. Efforts to shed light on this issue of national importance have therefore become ever more urgent. Recently, the Bon Appétit team at Oxford College of Emory University collaborated with Georgia-based nonprofit Action Ministries to host Farm to Table Squared, a dinner to raise awareness of childhood hunger in Newton County, GA. The event served a dual purpose: bringing the community together through local food and raising money for the nonprofit’s SuperPack program, which provides packs of food for school-age children who face food insecurity on the weekends.

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Oxford Organic Farm, Crystal Organic Farm, and Burge Organic Farm (produce).

Farmers and producers participated in a farmer meet-and-greet as hors d’oeuvres were served, talking to the close to 200 guests about their farms, products, and CSA subscriptions.The farmers stayed to enjoy dinner with guests from the community.

Students and staff of Oxford College of Emory also played a special role in the event.Samantha worked with Volunteer Oxford to recruit students to help with decorations, set-up, and table service. Oxford’s volunteers joined students from Newton County’s local public schools and Girl Scout troops to lend hands-on assistance and also had an opportunity to learn about food insecurity in their community. Members of Oxapella, Oxford’s a capella group, sang during the fundraiser, and Oxford College’s Dean Douglas Hicks provided welcoming remarks.

After the event, Regional Director of Action Ministries Tamara Richardson wrote to the team to express her gratitude.“My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your support and passion for the cause…to help end childhood hunger in our community! Last night was delicious, beautifully set, with a wonderful sense of community — just a pleasure to be a part of! Duke and Staff….absolutely AMAZING!”The Oxford team is already excited to plan a reprise for next year.

Catering Manager Natallia Mazol (second from right) with Oxford College student volunteers

Executive Chef Duke Walsh first heard about the event from the team’s food recovery partners at the Covington United Methodist Church. Soon, Duke and Community Partnership Coordinator Samantha Lenard joined the event planning committee to spearhead the dinner’s execution.

As event advisors and culinary directors, Duke and Samantha sourced as much donated food as possible from local partners to maximize the funds that would directly benefit the SuperPack program. They achieved huge success: Local providers donated 100 percent of the meats, produce, grains, and bread for the dinner. Many of the donated items came from Oxford College’s Farm to Fork partners, including Riverview Farm (pork and grits), Harrison Family Farms (locally crafted salad dressing), and 62 | BRAVO

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Jason Hall, assistant general manager; Rodger Brunson, customer service manager; Duke Walsh, executive chef, Michael Murphy, sous chef; Jvon Clarke, baker; J. Paul Keiser, general manager; Daniela Smallwood, marketing director; Jamesha Minor, assistant baker; Jessica Belcher, prep cook; and Bridget Smalls, supervisor

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Oxford’s Campus Farm Is Young But Mighty Submitted by Caroline Ferguson, Fellow

W Oxford Farm’s Daniel Parson looking for mushrooms

Daniel and Farm Apprentice Ruth Geiger packing vegetables

hen students at Oxford College bite into a fresh carrot or radish, there’s a good chance it was grown in their own backyard in Oxford, GA.

Oxford is a satellite campus of Emory University, about 40 miles southeast of the main campus in Atlanta, where freshmen and sophomores can have a small-school experience before finishing out their four years at the much-larger university. In 2011, the school received a donation of about 11 acres of land, which made its debut as the new campus farm in autumn 2014.

Bon Appétit Fellow Caroline Ferguson visited Oxford Farm near its second birthday in September 2016. It’s currently overseen by Daniel Parson, a longtime organic farmer and recipient of the Georgia Organics Land Steward of the Year Award, and farm apprentice Ruth Geiger. The farm is tended with the help of students, many of whom volunteer on the farm as part of their curriculum.

Daniel told Caroline how he maintains the farm’s soil health organically by rotating crops from season to season. Each crop has a different impact on the soil, and growing the same thing every year — commonly known as “monocropping,” it’s the standard practice in industrial agriculture — can lead to soil erosion and decreased fertility. In between growing row crops like root vegetables or peppers, Daniel plants crops like buckwheat to attract pollinators or legumes to restore the soil’s nitrogen.

Bon Appétit Fellow Caroline Ferguson and Community Partnerships Coordinator Samantha Lenard prepping mustard greens for CSA boxes

Oxford Farm’s vegetables have proven popular at Emory’s weekly farmers’ market, but that’s not all that grows there. In a rare patch of shade, mushrooms were sprouting from a pile of logs that Daniel inoculated with shiitake mycelium. Nearby, beehives were humming with activity — the farm’s CSA subscribers are occasionally treated to a jar of honey.

Not only has Oxford Farm benefitted students, it’s also valuable to the surrounding community. Many Newton County residents have no stores with fresh fruits and vegetables for miles around.

Over half of the restaurants in the area sell fast food, and healthy options can be hard to come by. One of Oxford Farm’s goals is to become a resource to the surrounding community, making organic produce more widely available and educating future farmers.

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Recent Managers in Training graduate Dan King (checked shirt) surrounded by the Google Hangout Café team

Bon Appétit Launches Managers in Training Program Submitted by Melody Presumido, Human Resources Manager

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alling future managers! The corporate office at Bon Appétit has now graduated the first classes of its Managers in Training (MIT) program.

Among the first class of 2016 were Chris Bowen and Dan King, who are now working as managers. Chris began the 12-week MIT program this summer at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He graduated from the program in August and was assigned to Grove City College in Grove City, PA, as a manager.

Dan was assigned to the team at Google for training and is now an assistant café manager at the Google Hangout Café.

The MIT program offers developmental and leadership opportunities for those seeking entry-level management and supervisory positions such as sous chef, café manager, and catering manager.

Trainees have an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the company while growing their careers.

“Actively seek out feedback throughout the entire training program and not just at the end,”Dan advises future MITs.“Some supervisors will be surprised at first, but they will appreciate your willingness to grow and develop. Just make sure that you are willing to take that feedback and apply it.”

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titled Recent College Graduates,High Potential Hourly,and Early in Career. Each track follows a different approach based on where the candidate is in his or her career. Upon graduation, MITs must be willing to relocate.

Regional vice presidents, district managers, and members of human resources worked in concert to select the training locations, which in addition to Google and Case Western Reserve University include VMware and SAP in Palo Alto, CA; Reed College in Portland, OR; Brocade in San Jose, CA; The Getty Center in Los Angeles; and Target HQ in Minneapolis, with other locations possibly coming soon. A total of 25 MITs will participate in the program in 2017, with five MITs per class.

Chris offered the following advice: “Rely on your intuition and trust your relationships with the people around you. Let those relationships grow stronger through the knowledge and expertise that you are not familiar with, guiding your own personal growth.”

To learn more about the MIT program, contact Melody Presumido at Melody.Presumido@cafebonappetit.com.

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TASTE Café Reopens After Makeover

By Bonnie Powell, Director of Communications

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ASTE Café at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) reopened this fall following a makeover from full-service restaurant into a more casual and streamlined setting with counter service.

The chic new look, designed by Seattle-based architecture and interior design firm Mesher Shing McNutt, includes a lounge area, a more intimate dining layout, and artwork curated by SAM integrated throughout. The service model and approachable menu aims to appeal to both museum-goers as well as to locals who live and work in the area.

TASTE’s classic tomato soup with basil oil and brioche crouton

Whimsical cookies inspired by artists’ palettes

“Cooking with high-quality and locally sourced ingredients has always been a top priority at TASTE. The new menu is just as ingredientdriven as before, but streamlined so guests can choose to have a quick bite or enjoy a leisurely lunch with a glass of wine,” said Executive Chef Josie Urbick.

The new menu will continue to be updated monthly with seasonally driven hearty soups, salads, and inventive sandwiches and flatbreads, including many vegetarian or vegan options. The new layout, which includes moveable screens and a bar, and the updated hours allow the space to be available for a wider range of private events for groups of all sizes.

The space’s combination of different textures and patterns, almost all in white, creates a neutral canvas for the artwork, while an inviting lounge with colored chairs located along the window provides a pop of color

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Where There’s a Mill, There’s a Way: Reviving Maine’s Grain Economy Submitted by Claire Kelloway, Fellow

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ou would never guess that an old jail would make for an ideal site for a grain mill.

But the abandoned Skowhegan prison has proven to be the perfect place for Maine Grains, a certified organic mill in Central Maine — and a new addition to Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork roster. The jail’s many floors make it easier to vertically integrate all steps of the milling process.Tubes carry grain through the floors and ceilings, moving from attic storage, to dehulling machines, to cleaning tubes, to the milling stone. The easily cleaned concrete walls dampen the sound of noisy machinery.

Even the prison’s old kitchen has been turned into a farm-to-table café featuring scrumptious local grains. The space perfectly embodies cofounder Amber Lambke’s goal when she started Maine Grains: revitalizing Central Maine economies through existing community assets.

Bon Appétit Fellow Claire Kelloway visited Maine Grains a few months ago while enrolling local vendors into the Farm to Fork program for the new Bon Appétit cafés at Colby College in Waterville, ME. As a “mill city” native (she’s from Minneapolis), she was anxious to see a certified organic mill that served local producers. Small local mills, like many intermediary food processors, are a rare breed.

In fact it was this very lack of local mills that inspired Amber to open Maine Grains. Amber had cofounded a nonprofit called the Maine Grain Alliance, which hosts an annual Kneading Conference. This coalition of businesses and nonprofits seek to revive regional grain economies as a form of rural development.

Through their meetings and research, the Maine Grain Alliance kept pointing to a dire need for more local processing facilities, especially in central Maine. But no one had proposed to actually start one — until Amber thought, Why not me?

It took Amber and her business partner Michael Scholz five years to grow the Maine Grains mill from an idea to a brick-andmortar facility. They opened in 2012 with only two supplying farms. Now they work with over 24 certified organic growers, 90 percent of which are from Maine. Last year they processed 360 tons of grain, and this year they are on track to do 700 tons and growing.

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Amber explained,“and while 700 acres of organic grain may seem like a lot, that’s nothing compared to all the acres of conventional.

We process in a year what a large miller does in a day. And organic grain still only represents one-tenth of 1 percent of all grain produced in the U.S.” Maine Grains currently processes a wide variety of cereals, including wheat, oats, buckwheat, spelt, rye, corn, red fife wheat, barley, and yellow peas. The facility’s centerpiece is a wood-covered Austrian mill that grinds grains between two 4-foot-wide millstones. Amber was attracted to the simple technology, which mills more slowly to keep the grain cool and maintain more nutrients.

The wooden design also makes for quieter production.

Maine Grains shares Bon Appétit’s commitment to fresh smallbatch creations.They mill everything to order. Unlike other flours, their products have a shorter six-month shelf life: Amber believes grains should be treated like produce, best enjoyed as close as possible to when they were harvested for optimum flavor and nutrition.

Colby students should feel proud to be enjoying such a high-quality product in their baked goods, from a business that’s making a real impact in the central Maine food system.

Maine Grains cofounder Amber Lambke with the millstones

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Brown University Celebrates New Culinary Partnership Submitted by Ty Paup, Director of Culinary Operations

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ith its rich history as the seventh oldest college in the United States — and an Ivy League school at that — Brown University is clearly doing many things right. And as its frequent appearance on Best Campus Food lists attests, food is among the areas in which it has always shone. But just as students are taught to push boundaries in pursuing excellence, this Providence, RI–based institution decided to up the ante even further as it recently welcomed Bon Appétit as its new food service partner. A primary focus for the new partnership is helping Brown Dining employees grow and develop their professional skills. The small Bon Appétit team is also working with Brown Dining to expand the sustainable, seasonally focused food program and to enhance the menu offerings at retail locations and within the catering program.

Founded in 1764, Brown draws 6,200 undergraduates, 2,000 graduate students, and 490 medical students from all 50 states and 115 countries to its vibrant urban campus. To begin, the new Bon Appétit partnership has focused their efforts on breakfast, lunch, and dinner service at Sharpe Refectory and Verney-Woolley, Brown’s two large, all youcare-to-eat locations, and have recently begun to turn their attention to the 11 retail cafés as well. All told, the team expects to serve 2.4 million meals at Brown this year!

The first set of renovations to the Sharpe Refectory, completed over the summer, included adding new serving lines and refreshing the menu’s overall presentation. A second renovation phase that was completed over the winter break included expanding the café into the dining room with a new salad bar, pizza station, and deli.

The Brown community has warmly welcomed the changes.

Students have been particularly vocal about praising the many vegan and vegetarian options and have been overheard exclaiming,“I love the food!” and “Everything looks so pretty!”

Bon Appétiters are thrilled with the feedback and their new place in this prestigious, diverse academic landscape.

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Southeast-Midwest Regional Meeting Hits the Road Submitted by Jennifer McGann, Regional Marketing Manager

eventy-five leaders from the Southeast-Midwest region gathered for two and a half days this fall in central Ohio to discuss the State of the Region. The theme was “Comfort Breeds Complacency — How to Avoid Complacency Creep.” District Manager Bryan Bruin and Regional Human Resources Manager Holly Melonas served as emcees, setting the stage for lively discussions and fun, interactive presentations.

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General Manager Amanda Dewitt, Executive Chef Martin Brennan, and their talented team hosted an opening reception and dinner at Otterbein University in Westerville, OH. Otterbein’s Vice President of Student Affairs Robert Gatti, a Bon Appétit partner for 12 years, kicked off the event with a warm welcome.

designed to promote positivity in everyday life. That evening, the group travelled to Denison University in Granville, where General Manager Paul Mixa, Executive Chef Jonathan O’ Carroll, and the Denison team treated those gathered to fantastic hospitality and another impressive meal.

The evening’s highlight came when Denison University’s Vice President of Finance and Management David English discussed the college’s collaboration with — and appreciation for — Bon Appétit. (To read the full speech, see box.)

On the regional meeting’s final day, the group headed to State Auto in Columbus, with presentations and activities about nutrition, marketing, and safety. Sessions addressed key topics like disrupting the marketplace, creating new (and good) habits, and keeping employees and guests safe. Chef/ Manager Dylan Brandt and his team prepared breakfast and lunch for those gathered.

Attendees departed for home invigorated and inspired, filled with a sense of camaraderie and plenty of excitement for the upcoming year.

Lunch at the Abercrombie & Fitch stop

A fun way to eat your breakfast

The following day, the group met at Abercrombie & Fitch headquarters for a day of reflection and collaboration. The agenda included several interactive activities, including an HR Informational Quiz (conducted by iPhone app!) and a Get to Know Your Region’s Accounts competition. After Abercrombie’s Head of Global Concept and Brand Development Kyle Boettcher delivered an inspiring presentation, General Manager Jay Trainer, Executive Chef Allen Gross, and their Bon Appétit team served a seasonal plated lunch.

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‘YOU ARE OUR PARTNER IN THIS’ TRANSCRIPT OF DENISON UNIVERSITY’S VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT DAVID ENGLISH’S SPEECH AT THE BON APPÉTIT REGIONAL MEETING:

Denison is a residential liberal arts college with 2,200 students. We prepare our graduates for lives of professional, personal, and civic success. To do that we start with incredible, discerning students, wonderful facilities, and an exceptional faculty. We also place a deliberate emphasis on ensuring that our students cultivate relationships — learning and growing outside the classroom.

You are our partner in this.

Denison Executive Chef Jon O’Carroll and Abercrombie & Fitch General Manager Jay Trainer catching up

From the press release when Bon Appétit was chosen to be our dining partner: “Bon Appétit was selected from among four of the best providers in higher education dining services because of a commitment to local foods, scratch cooking, and healthy, high-quality food.” Of all the things we could have said in that press release, we chose this. I’m repeating it because these qualities are important to our students, to our continuing relationship — and to what you do every day. Here are three reasons why these values count: First, we admit students who are smart, capable, and increasingly sophisticated; they have options for where they can enroll. At a simple level, they live here, and we need to be attractive to them as a residence. At the next level, we want them to enjoy our dining services and eat on campus. When they eat with their peers, establish relationships, and connect over meals, they come to see this as home. Eating together is one of the many ways our students bond with each other.

Second, we want students who understand that they are part of a larger world, and that issues are interconnected — simple, isolated problems are few. Thinking about issues like food security, sustainability, and the issues around successfully implementing “Farm to Fork” are key to the development of our students. And conceptual development is one of the key things students get from close communities like Denison. Let me add that Denison is the largest, or at least one of the largest, farm-to-fork dining operations in the United States, thanks to the efforts of our students and your colleagues.

Dinner at Denison included a wholegrain “garden”

Human Resources Manager Holly Melonas presents Andrews University General Manager Mark Daniles with his Get to Know Your Accounts award

Third, I think it’s valuable that our students know that what you do is creative artwork. Apples, flour, spices, sugar, I can turn these into a sticky, burnt mess, worth less than the ingredients. You — any of you — can turn them into something so good that people elbow their way to have seconds. Turning produce into healthy food, preparing it so that it is different and appealing — that takes care, attention to detail, and pride. These are lessons we’ve all learned as professionals. They are lessons you demonstrate in your kitchens.

They are lessons that we at Denison work to reinforce in our students. And they are what we need from our partners.

As a college CFO, give me the cost of something and I’ll tell you that it’s too expensive — you give me a number, I’ll reflexively say it’s too high. But we do understand that what you do and how you do it is important — and that “value” doesn’t always mean “cheap.” Value is when you get what you pay for.

The environment you help us create for our students, the lessons you demonstrate through your work — these are valuable.

On behalf of Denison, for helping us attract, connect with, model for our students: Thank you.

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Oberlin College Food Recovery Program Has a Big Impact Submitted by Wayne Wood, General Manager

uccessfully implementing change takes time — and the efforts of a village. Thanks to the efforts of Bon Appétit Café Chef Tom Nemeth and a whole lot of dedicated folks at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH, the campus now has a thriving food recovery program.

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The College’s Stevenson Hall dining room delivers excess food — that formerly went to waste — to Oberlin Community Center, where it benefits Oberlin Community Services. This responsive community organization provides direct assistance and outreach services to Oberlin and Southern Lorain County, OH, residents seeking help in meeting basic needs.

the food, making the program a truly collaborative effort.

With help from Tom and his fellow Bon Appétiters (both employees and student workers) dedicated to food recovery, Jennifer and her committee routinely transport the meals. “I am so pleased to be able to work with Bon Appétit,” Jennifer said. “Chef Tom is wonderful to work with. His staff is knowledgeable about food safety and dedicated when it comes to packaging and assisting us in readying the food for transport.

And I’ve noticed smiles all around once the product gets to the Community Center. People really love the food!”

“I’ve noticed smiles all around once the product gets to the Community Center.

People really love Bon Appétit food!”

Tom and Oberlin College Student Volunteer Worker Jennifer Krakower worked together to implement the program, which aligns closely with the Bon Appétit’s food recovery mission: to keep food out of landfills and to fight hunger.

Tom and Bon Appétit Student Job Coordinator Tiffany Gould have trained Oberlin College's 75 full-time kitchen staff and 229 student staff members on food recovery procedures, including food safety, sanitation, and recordkeeping.

Oberlin College work-study students and over 100 community volunteers play a key role in recovering and distributing

Tom adds that students have been excited to pitch in and help with food recovery. “Students are quick to lend a helping hand when they learn of this worthy effort,” says Tom. “Students at Oberlin are forward-thinkers and often want to be part of grassroots organizational efforts to tackle social issues, and this is right up their alley.” Plans are now underway to expand food recovery efforts to two other dining halls as the college approaches its spring semester. Given the strong progress to date, the program’s continued forward motion seems all but certain.

Local Food a Home Run at Oberlin’s World Series Viewing Parties Between Cleveland and Chicago sits the small town of Oberlin, OH, with a world-class college and conservatory that often draws students from those two big cities (as well as much farther afield). With both cities battling for the 2016 World Series title, crowds filled the Bon Appétit–hosted viewing parties in Dascomb, Oberlin’s late-night café.

Big screens and speakers from the college’s audio visual department provided a great viewing experience, and menus featuring New Creation Farm hot dogs and hamburgers, soft pretzels, wings, and French fries kept fans well-fed. (Free treats like popcorn and cotton candy raised spirits even further.) The best-of-seven series kept Bon Appétiters on their toes. As the championship games stretched out to the final night, fans kept filling the Dascomb booths. Ultimately, the team with the longest title drought — Chicago — won the hard-fought battle. It wasn’t easy to pick a favorite team, though, as both big cities are home to multiple Bon Appétit clients!

Submitted by Eric Pecherkiewicz, Dietitian and Marketing Manager

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CafĂŠ Chef Tom Nemeth and Student Job Coordinator Tiffany Gould with food ready for donation

Oberlin student Le'Priya White regularly volunteers for Food Recovery Committee to transport the food safely and efficiently

Students showed up to Dascomb CafĂŠ to watch the World Series and cheer the Chicago Cubs to their first championship in over 100 years

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Executive Chef Marco Alvarado preparing the lobster bisque and arugula-apple salad

events in brief Case Western Reserve Pits Desserts Head-to-Head

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lection 2016 induced quite a bit of anxiety in most of America — so kudos to those Bon Appétit teams that created fun, relaxing events during the campaign season.

Students at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland could de-stress while enjoying a bit of competitive (but mostly relaxing!) election-themed fun thanks to Dueling Desserts, an event hosted in Leutner and Fribley Dining Halls.

Each location featured bright red and blue signs and table decor, inviting guests to vote for their favorite dessert. The competition drummed up plenty of excitement. A large crowd started gathering in Leutner even before set-up was complete. In all, 200 students cast votes for their favorite desserts. The Leutner winner — a roasted-apple tartlet with vanilla bean ice cream, house-made caramel corn, and made-to-order candied almonds — narrowly bested the pineapple upside-down cake with citrus Chantilly cream, toasted coconut, and brown-sugar caramel. Fribley’s winner was the mini crème brûlée cheesecake topped with fine sugar and local blueberry compote. It beat out a s’more with chocolate ganache, despite the fact that the marshmallows were torched live.

One student posted a photo of his dessert on Instagram with the caption, “This was the vote I was excited for.”

Mission accomplished!

Submitted by Amanda Mass, Marketing Manager

Chef/Manager Roger Smith at Leutner with some pineapple upside-down cakes

U of the Pacific Extends Hospitality to Myanmar Dignitaries

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hough all guests are special, visits from foreign dignitaries offer unique opportunities to practice even greater hospitality. Recently, Bon Appétiters at University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, prepared lunch and dinner for members of the University of Pacific Board of Regents, members of the Chan family (alumni and donors to the university), and visiting dignitaries from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma).

The group toured the Stockton and San Francisco campuses, seeking new ways to improve academics and health education in Myanmar.

The dinner menu featured passed hors d'oeuvres, lobster-mushroom bisque, shaved apple and arugula with candied walnuts and Gravenstein apple mignonette, pork osso buco, and Yukon Gold potato gratin. Dessert was passion fruit crème brûlée with raspberry accents.

A special lunch the following day featured Asian herbed rice with bay shrimp, chicken yakitori on skewers, and sautéed snow peas.

After the visit, the team received a glowing note of thanks from Manager of Presidential Events and Protocol Lynnie Lechich, who extended her compliments broadly to the many individuals who contributed their time, skill, and professionalism. She mentioned Catering Chef Aaron Stoeger, Executive Sous Chef Christian Alexander, and Director of Catering Christine Giordani in particular. Catering Operations Supervisor Anna Carlson also played a crucial role, as did Executive Chef Marco Alvarado. “Many, many thanks for a job well done from Bon Appétit!” she wrote.

Submitted by Sia Mohsenzadegan, Resident District Manager, and Christine Giordani, Director of Catering

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Mills Welcomes 14th President with Large-Scale Feast

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he inauguration of a new president is a major event — for a country or for a college. In late September, Mills College in Oakland, CA, celebrated the arrival of new president, Elizabeth L. Hillman, the 14th leader in the college’s 164-year history, and the Bon Appétit team was proud to play a key role in marking the occasion, by hosting an outdoor lunch to the entire Mills community.

With more than 15,000 guests in attendance, visiting managers from nearby accounts — General Manager Harvey Smith and Supervisor Antonio Davila at William Jessup University; General Manager Jason Landau, Catering Chef Jaime Dominguez, and Catering Director Dannie Stanton at University of San Francisco; Sous Chef Meliza Calderon and Cook Dayra Garcia Barrera at KKR; Catering Director Danielle LaClair and Catering Supervisor Amanda NeilsonGalloway at PayPal; and Lead Cook Sean Swihart at Informatica — generously lent their support to help make this celebratory event go off without a hitch.

Local bakery Spirit Cakes supplied their popular red velvet and chocolate chip Bundt cakes

The light menu, featuring vegan avocado hummus sandwiches and crisp lemonade, was perfectly suited to the warm weather and al fresco seating. Fresh flowers and fruit carts showcasing local apples and pears enhanced the decor, and baskets of blankets were sprinkled throughout the field so guests could enjoy their meal picnic-style under the clear, blue sky.

Sweets from local bakery vendor Spirit Cakes included the always-popular red velvet and chocolate chip super-mini Bundt cakes.

The picnic welcomed President Hillman in classic Mills style: with warmth and a spirit of true community.

Submitted by Arianna Contreras, Catering Manager

Samsung Gets Down to Its Roots

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POKE SERA, QUE SERA: Over the course of two days, Executive Chef Gerard Darian at Franklin Templeton Investments in San Mateo, CA, swapped out the regular deli bar offerings for poke with a vast array of accompaniments. “We decided to change things up and give our guests more variety,” he said.

The team sold more than 100 poke orders on both days, and guests are eagerly clamoring that the poke bar make a return appearance.

Submitted by Jeremiah Han, General Manager

hough most people have heard of ginger, turmeric, and beets, a lot fewer have sampled their juices.

For guests at the Samsung Café in Mountain View, CA, that recently changed when Executive Chef Aleksander Voronin led a Nourish Your Body and Mind cooking demo and Root of Nutrition pop-up. These initiatives, part of the Samsung team’s recent Health & Wellness Fair, featured a juice tasting and an opportunity for Aleksander to share his cooking and nutrition know-how with curious guests.

Submitted by Cory van Kempen, General Manager

Executive Chef Aleksander Voronin with ginger, beet, and turmeric juice at the Samsung Health & Wellness Fair

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Wabash Fundraiser Takes to the Stage

Cooks Taylor Wilson, Josh Manker, and Travis Felix; Baker Christian Cummins; Crossroads Café Chef/Manager Karla Hoyos; and Sous Chef Laura Fornari

undraisers with food are not uncommon, but Bon Appétiters at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN, took the concept to a crowd-pleasing level by adding an element of theater: a live cooking demo! The Bon Appétit team joined forces with longtime Wabash professors Rick Warner and Bill Doemel at the second annual Dining with Chefs event, a dinner benefiting the Dr. Mary Ludwig Montgomery County Free Clinic.

Since the clinic opened in 2013, nearly 3,000 medical and dental visits have been performed there, thanks in no small part to the fundraiser that helps support its operations.

The dinner included an onstage demo of the entire menu, from appetizers to dessert. Wabash College Executive Chef Jason Anderson, Sous Chef Laura Fornari, Guest Chef/Professor Rick Warner, Chef Lali Hess (from local catering company the Juniper Spoon), and Chef/Manager Karla Hoyos of Bon Appétit at Crossroads Café “performed” the meal’s preparation for the gathered guests. Sous Chef Exar Matute Calderon of DePauw University and Baker Natalie Hathaway of Crossroads Café also lent crucial support.

Crossroads Café Chef/Manager Karla Hoyos before the event

The menu featured bacon-infused rillettes, butternut squash ravioli with sage cream sauce, gazpacho refresher shooters, seared local beef medallions with local roasted corn and potato hash, and Huber Generations wine demi-glace and shallot garnish. A dessert of flourless sachertorte with minted goat cheese cream capped the meal.

Rick and Bill offered rave reviews for the successful event. Rick emailed General Manager Mary Jo Arthur a note that read: “Once again, Bon Appétit has proven to be a fantastic asset for the College and our community.” Bill agreed, adding: “I still can’t find my socks — your staff knocked them off.”

Submitted by Mary Jo Arthur, General Manager

WhiteWave Foods Scores Big with Tailgating Buffet

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ike! Bon Appétiters at WhiteWave Café in Broomfield, CO, celebrated the start of the champion Denver Broncos football season with a kickoff buffet featuring tailgating favorites. From buffalo wings and Philly-style cheesesteaks to meatball sliders and housemade pretzels, eager fans ushered in the 2016 pigskin season in true American style.

Submitted by Kerrin Wilson, Café Supervisor 74 | BRAVO

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Local clown Leapin' Louie lassoing a student

College of Idaho Harnesses the Power of Pink

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Lewis & Clark Carnival Cottons to the Merriment

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ou don’t have to be a child to love a carnival. Lewis & Clark College students — and the Bon Appétit team — showed that during Carnival Night in the Fields Dining Room at the Portland, OR, university.

he Bon Appétit team at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, ID, joined forces with West Valley Medical Center for the annual Power of Pink Night barbecue and rodeo. The Power of Pink Night, at which Caldwell Night Rodeo participants wear pink to promote breast cancer awareness, raises crucial funds to provide free mammograms to screen local women who are uninsured, underinsured, or underserved. The Bon Appétit team set up pink-colored centerpieces and linens and provided pulled pork sliders, hot dogs, and veggie dogs for the barbecue. Thanks to this effort, hundreds of Treasure Valley women are able to obtain free screenings. Good fun and good food help support a very good cause indeed.

Submitted by Crystal Rideau, General Manager

The Bon Appétit carnival menu featured corn dogs, a totcho (Tater tot nacho!) bar, and a custom caramel popcorn bar with assorted toppings. There was even a cotton candy machine working overtime throughout service. The bakery team got in on the fun, too, offering glazed root beer cookies topped with colorful sprinkles.

As guests enjoyed the festive treats, Leapin' Louie, a local clown and performer (who dazzled while on stilts), entertained carnival-goers with his unique act in the dining room.

Submitted by Bonnie Von Zange, Dining Room Manager Guests enjoying dinner

Target Honors Veterans and Families at Private Film Screening

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ilms entertain, yes, but they also inform, move, and inspire. Target hosted a private film screening at its Minneapolis headquarters for 2016 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and their families. The film, Hacksaw Ridge, tells the true story of one of our country’s veterans serving our nation during a time of war and conflict.

Target Plaza Commons was transformed into a movie theater for the screening. The Bon Appétit team served fresh popped popcorn, warm pretzels, chips and salsa, assorted candy, and local apples and caramel sauce as a special fall-inspired treat. After the film, actor Luke Bracey participated in a Q&A with audience members. The powerful film, which moved many audience members to tears, gave veterans and their families an opportunity to experience the emotional event together.

Submitted by Kathy Vik, Operations Manager 2 0 1 6 Vo l u m e 3

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events in brief University of Northwestern Pops Up with Candied Apple Whimsy

Google - Portland Gets to Know Its Chocolate and Beer

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tudents, faculty, and staff at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, MN, delighted in a recent Candied Apple Pop-Up in a Box. Under the direction of Sous Chef Chad Plotnik and Pantry Cook Emily Juelich, guests chose among McIntosh, Granny Smith, and Cortland apples. And then the customizing fun began!

With toppings such as caramel, white and dark chocolate, marshmallow, cheesecake, Oreo cookies, peanuts, and M&M's, each apple slice became a vehicle of culinary whimsy.

Submitted by Elliott Meier, General Manager

Denison Students Say Grazie for Italian Pop-Up

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tudents love having a new dining experience that doesn’t require them to leave campus. The Bon Appétit team at Curtis Café at Denison University in Granville, OH, successfully hosted an Italian pop-up restaurant during the dark winter months. Executive Chef Jonathan O'Carroll and Curtis Chef/Manager Megan Block created an enticing menu featuring local butternut squash pasta with sage-infused brown-butter sauce and caprese salad with VanScoy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, balsamic reduction, olive oil, and fried-green tomato croutons as appetizers. For the entrée course, guests could choose from Chianti-braised New Creation Farm short ribs with wild mushroom risotto and local roasted vegetables; chicken saltimbocca with house-made marinara, toasted orzo, and sautéed local green beans; or acorn squash filled with wild rice blended with dried cranberries, local greens, and roasted vegetables. Dessert was tiramisu. (Made-withoutgluten-containing-ingredients and vegan options were available.)

he food program at the Portland, OR, Google office strives to introduce its Oregon-based employees to companies that are doing things to improve our world, starting at the table. Recently, representatives from Tony's Chocolonely came to talk about how their slave-free chocolate developed from a dream into reality. Most large-scale chocolate producers turn a blind eye to how their cacao is sourced, but Tony's exposed the untold story of slavery in the industry. Tony's success at creating world-class chocolate while eschewing slave labor and paying its employees a fair wage has made both producers and consumers better educated and more aware. Google - Portland now stocks this chocolate exclusively at the office.

The Googlers were also given the opportunity to get to know their beer better, too! General Manager Anne Weil accompanied a select group of attendees on a visit to Grixsen Brewery in southeast Portland. There, the brewmasters explained how the six-month-old brewery got its start, how it grew into a large-scale operation, and how the creative chemistry behind the beers impacts their production. They even got to sip some samples, including some of Grixsen's unreleased beer straight from the barrel.

While no food was involved in the brewery tour, the event was closely aligned to those values Bon Appétiters hold dear. The brewery uses local hops and orders them frequently, ensuring maximum freshness.

In a city teeming with microbreweries, visitors were inspired by the brewmasters' story and the quality of their exceptional product.

Submitted by Anne Weil, General Manager

A display table, complete with linens, candles, decorations, and a copy of the special menu, was staged by the entrance of Curtis Café to promote the event, along with table tent inserts. Reservations were required. Students enjoyed and appreciated the special event, and many murmurings of “grazie” were heard.

Submitted by Catherine Stuck, Curtis Café Manager Denison University students enjoying the Italian pop-up restaurant at Curtis Café 76 | BRAVO

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Touring Grixsen Brewery in southeast Portland

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The dessert station gets an assist from an assortment of toy trucks

Dump Trucks in the Dining Area? At Emmanuel, They’re Fitting!

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mmanuel College in Boston has bid farewell to the Julie Hall residence hall.

To mark the transition from the old building to a new, 18-story facility that will soon take its place in 2018, the Bon Appétit team celebrated with a construction-themed event complete with toy backhoes, diggers, and dump trucks positioned throughout the room. Dump trucks “dumped” dinner rolls onto the buffet. They also served as centerpieces in lieu of vases — and held colorful fall flowers. At the dessert station, backhoes pushed piles of dark chocolate. Once constructed, the new building will house apartment-style living spaces, lounge areas with city views, and new campus dining options.

Submitted by Robin Fortado, General Manager

Franklin Templeton Brings Fine Dining to the Boardroom

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t Franklin Templeton Investments in San Mateo, CA, a recent three-day forum opened with a special dinner for Franklin Templeton’s CIO, CEO, vice presidents, and the heads of the firm’s investment teams. The Bon Appétit team was honored to be entrusted with catering such a high-profile meal.

Catering Coordinator Genesis Alvarez, Catering Attendant Kyle Graham, Executive Chef Gerard Darian, and Sous Chef Marco Garcia transformed a conference room into a fine dining environment using a fall color scheme — complete with china, floral arrangements, and a full bar. Passed appetizers were followed by a salad of Little Gems with beets, candied pecans, and citrus vinaigrette. A choice of three entrées came next: herb-crusted lamb chops with roasted rosemary potatoes, sautéed chard, and mint chimichurri sauce; sea bass fillet with sticky rice, sake steamed bok choy, and candied shiitakes; and roasted chicken breast with potato gratin, cipollini onions, and baby carrots. A side of asparagus and goat cheese strudel and a dessert duo completed the elegant offerings.

Submitted by Jeremiah Han, General Manager

ABOVE:

Sea bass fillet with sticky rice, sake steamed bok choy, and candied shiitakes

RIGHT:

Triple chocolate mousse cake and miniature raspberry tart

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Adobe - San Jose Gets Hands-On with Team-Building Events Submitted by Emilie Zanger, Marketing Manager

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mployees at Adobe’s San Jose corporate office have a brand new way to engage with their Bon Appétit culinary team — and each other. During the latter half of 2016, the site’s catering team, led by Director of Catering Ashlee Valletta Baksa, Executive Chef Brian West, Catering Sous Chef Ahmad Williams, and Catering Admin Gloria Rios, hosted a series of popular private teambuilding classes for business groups within the Adobe community. These events combine chef-led demos, hands-on instruction, and in some cases, a full sit-down meal afterward, featuring dishes the class prepared so participants can taste the fruits of their labor. Tables are set up familystyle to promote collaboration and the “casual collisions” prized by Adobe’s corporate culture.

The pasta-making class set-up included three ravioli fillings

The class themes have ranged all over the globe, including sushi, handmade pasta, Vietnamese spring rolls, salsa, pizza, and even an overthe-top Korean class that included hands-on kimchi-making. Class sizes have ranged from 8 to 60 participants, with themes tailored to each group.

Members of Adobe's Global Workplace Experience team enjoy a kimchi demo from Catering Sous Chef Ahmad Williams as Bon Appétit Executive Chef Brian West and Adobe Executive Chef Mirit Cohen watch

Most of the team-building events have been held in Palettes, the Napa Valley farmers’ market–themed café that opened at Adobe - San Jose in January 2016. To streamline the class experience, cooking stations are pre-set with the necessary tools and pre-measured ingredients. Brian and his team speak to the art and history of each featured dish and emphasize the importance of preparing meals using local, seasonal ingredients. In addition, groups may opt to include a take-home item for an additional charge. Examples include class-specific tools such as sushi-rolling mats or pasta-cutting wheels.

The team-building program was developed in partnership with Adobe Executive Chef Mirit Cohen as part of Adobe’s Learning Kitchen program. This program is currently in pilot mode in San Jose and Lehi, UT, with plans to roll out across Adobe’s four Bon Appétit–run sites in 2017.

The program aims to extend Adobe’s empowering food culture beyond its walls. By offering culinary education, the culinary team can inspire and empower Adobe employees, even when they’re not on campus.

Bon Appétit Executive Chef Brian West and Adobe Director of Real Estate Strategy and Planning Scott Ekman lead a pasta-making class

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C E L E B R AT I O N S FROM ROSH HASHANAH TO THANKSGIVING, BON APPÉTIT TEAMS LOVE PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS TO HELP GUESTS FEEL FESTIVE AND WELL-FED

The College of Idaho Sweetens the Jewish New Year

Colorado College’s Oktoberfest Goes All-Out Authentic

The Jewish new year, called Rosh Hashanah (literally, “head of the year”), is a time of great celebration for those who observe it. Marking the seventh month of the Jewish calendar, Tishri, the holiday offers families time to gather, reflect, and pray.

From drying leaves to crisp pines, autumn has a telltale scent. At Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO, it means one thing: Oktoberfest is coming! Bon Appétit Cook Sieglende Fortenberry, a beloved campus figure who oversees the day care and a faculty lounge, contributed culinary inspiration from her native Germany to Bon Appétiters in the Rastall kitchen. Born and raised in Nuremberg, Sieglende designed an authentic German menu that earned wide raves from faculty, staff, and students. Highlights included pork schnitzel with German potato salad and red cabbage, and freshly baked pretzels with sweet and tangy mustard.

House-made German gingerbread cookies, called lebkuchen — which the team baked in giant heart shapes — provided a sweet and spicy finale. With setup assistance from members of the campus German House, the authentic meal added traditional flair to an always festive fall event.

In September, Bon Appétiters helped the Jewish community at The College of Idaho in Caldwell, ID, enjoy Rosh Hashanah traditions, serving iced honey cake and apples dipped in honey, both evoking a sweet year to come. Students also partook in some friendly competition over the lunch hour as they engaged in the traditional practice of blowing the shofar, a hollowed-out ram’s horn.

Submitted by Crystal Rideau, General Manager

Submitted by Derek Hanson, Director of Operations

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Members of the German House tabling for the Oktoberfest event

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DIWALI

Art Institute Celebrates Diwali, the Festival of Lights, in Style Submitted by Nicole Nicolas, Marketing Coordinator

Chettinaud chicken with basmati rice, roasted haricots vert, carrots, cabbage, onion, and potato curry

Five-spice daiquiri with dehydrated citrus

The Art Institute held its fifth annual Diwali celebration in Griffin Court

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hen a guest is moved to send flowers to an event’s culinary team as a gesture of deep gratitude, that event must have been extra-special! Director of Communications Bonnie Powell recently received an urgent call from a woman who said she was standing in a Chicago flower shop and needed to know the full names of two Bon Appétiters at the Art Institute of Chicago so she could send them flowers to thank them for the 5th Annual Diwali Gala they’d just hosted for the Asian Department: Chef de Cuisine Charles Haracz and Internal Catering Manager Alicia Faulkner.

“She gushed about how much research they put into the event, how wonderful they were to work with, how off the charts the event was,” Bonnie reports.

With brightly colored decorations, Griffin Court transformed into a Festival of Lights as guests enjoyed South Indian-inspired food and cocktails. Charles pushed himself to experiment with bold Indian spices when creating the menu. He toasted whole cardamom, cumin, and coriander before grinding them to bring forth more intense flavors and aromas. The catering team did extensive research as well, visiting highly regarded Indian restaurants in Chicago to steep themselves more fully in the South Indian culinary experience.

Guests enjoyed aromatic spices in dishes such as coconut beet chips with cumin, cilantro, and coriander and in a cashew and golden raisin chutney. The Dogma Group’s guest mixologists even worked Indian spices into the featured cocktails, like a Five Spice Daiquiri. Lead Pastry Cook Bobby Steckline and his team made a caramelized banana tarte tatin with cardamom and Chantilly cream, which also won raves.

Even Charles added that it was one of the best desserts he’s ever had at Bon Appétit.

“I’m very proud of what they accomplished Saturday night,” Diane Weinberg, a donor to the Asian Art Department at the Art Institute, said of the team. “They nailed it. I had South Indians coming up to me saying how authentic and wonderful the food was.”

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HALLOWEEN

Bon Appétiters Let the Gourd Times Roll in Carving Contest Submitted by Norris Mei, Digital Content Manager

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very year, the marketing and communications team at Bon Appétit HQ is wowed by all the amazing, unique pumpkins they see Bon Appétiters posting on social media. And thus the first annual Bon Appétit companywide pumpkin carving contest was born! It’s clear that a lot of fun was had by all of the participants. Local managers chose one finalist in each category to submit to a panel of judges at HQ. It was a close count for some categories, but we think you’ll agree the winners (who each received a $50 Amazon.com gift card) showed unsquashable spirit!

SCARIEST: Prep Cook Virginia Sanchez Pineda carved up this macabre pumpkin scene for Best Buy Headquarters in Richfield, MN — and she had some fierce competition from the rest of the Best Buy team!

CUTEST: Lead Line Cook Billie Blue created this cute (and a little bit scary) pumpkin prison and its terrified inhabitant at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle 82 | BRAVO

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MOST CREATIVE: Grill Cook Mary Stafki creatively carved at least a dozen pumpkins to create this serpent at the Medtronic Energy Component Center in Brooklyn Center, MN

BEST NON-CARVED: Catering Lead Ben Nagy created this elaborate Jack-in-the-box display with sparkling Dia de Los Muertos skull design for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

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FALL/WINTER HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

HAPPY HALLOWEEN CAMPERS: In line with

A Wizard-Worthy Halloween for Muggles at Colby College It’s a Colby tradition to celebrate Halloween with what the campus calls a Great Hall Night at Foss Hall. Foss has a dining room with Old World charm — soaring ceilings bedecked with banners and long communal tables — that’s reminiscent of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts.

So, the Bon Appétit team decided to cast some spells and make some Halloween magic. Costumed students flocked to Foss from all over the Waterville, ME, campus to enjoy a meal of Harry Potter-inspired dishes such as cheese flobberworms, hippogriff droppings, barbecued basilisk, butter beer, and more.

the theme chosen by the party-planning team at Banfield Pet Hospital in Vancouver, WA, for the company’s trickor-treating event for family and friends, the Bon Appétiters transformed the Bistro into a summer camp, complete with counselors, craft tables, and campfires made of colorful paper. The cozy campground was a popular stop for the more than 100 children who came to see this year’s Halloween creations.

Submitted by Lacey Marsolek, General Manager

Submitted by Marietta Lamarre, General Manager

Farm to Fork Halloween at Denison University The Bon Appétit team at Denison University in Granville, OH, hosted a student pumpkin carving contest at Huffman Dining Hall, featuring pumpkins from Farm to Fork vendor Bird's Haven Farms. All student participants received a gallon of apple cider from another Farm to Fork vendor, Ochs Fruit Farm. Students voted for their favorite pumpkin throughout the course of the weekend preceding Halloween; the lucky winner received a $25 dining gift card.

Submitted by Lia Crosby, Sustainability Supervisor

MILLIONS OF SMILES AT MILLS: Creatively dressed students and faculty gathered at Mills College’s Founders Commons in Oakland, CA, for Bon Appétit’s pumpkin carving contest.

College President Elizabeth Hillman and her children even stopped by to enjoy the spook-tacular evening! Here, Cashier Estrella Diaz (Mermaid Man), Prep Cook Man Ying (Spider Woman), General Manager Crystal Chun Wong (a waffle), Cashier Ricky Nunez (Wilfred), Tea Shop Supervisor Evelynn Aponte (cat) and cashiers Hannah Hi and Cindy Liu get ready for the event.

Shredded Frankenstein and Icy Bell Towers at Furman University The students at Furman University in Greenville, SC, enjoyed Bon Appétit's Halloween so much that they flooded the Internet with social media posts and pictures! The staff came up with creepy menu items such as “Shredded Frankenstein” (green spinach pasta tossed with roasted kale with olives, feta, and sundried tomatoes) and “Bat Wings” (Japanese-style black chicken wings). The bakery was transformed into Candy Land with house-made baked goods and caramel apples, and Lead Cooks Terry McLees and Cole Simmons carved a phenomenal ice sculpture of Furman’s Bell Tower.

Submitted by Ashley Green, Retail Supervisor & Marketing Coordinator

Submitted by Arianna Contreras, Catering Manager 2 0 1 6 Vo l u m e 3

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THANKSGIVING

Regis Hosts “Big Table Event” Submitted by Larisa Gavrilyuk, Office Manager

Regis students lining up for the Big Table Thanksgiving buffet

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egis University’s first ever“Big Table” event doubled as the school’s Thanksgiving celebration and something "more than a meal" — pairing thoughtful discussion of crucial topics of the day with delicious food prepared by Bon Appétit. During the 2.5-hour feast a few days before Thanksgiving, more than 700 students, staff, and faculty (up from the usual guest count of 400 or so) gathered to discuss a variety of topics, from gratitude to the future of the University.

Each table had its own discussion topic, and volunteers from several departments led the discussion. It was a meeting of minds and a communal breaking of bread, The Bon Appétit team made a big effort to make this day a success, transforming the café into an extravagant dining hall with beautiful flowers and decor. Executive Chef Glenn Babcock and his team put together an elegant and extensive holiday menu that included local turkey and Farm Promise ham, gravy, sourdough stuffing, and many traditional side dishes. They also served samples of holiday pies and desserts, full sizes of which were available for purchase. Guests could also buy a pie to donate, and Bon Appétit donated those along with all excess edible food from the day to the Denver Rescue Mission.

It was a day of nourishment for the mind, body, and community, which resulted in happy students, faculty, and staff, and high praise for the Bon Appétit team. “The food was spectacular — and the setting was its equal!” said Robert Blust, vice president for enrollment management.

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GIVING BACK IN PORTLAND: Here, University of Portland General Manager Kirk Mustain, Operations Manager Tamee Flanagan, and student organizers Emma Covert and Michael Gallagher — as well as more than 20 additional student volunteers — spent the cold rainy morning organizing and delivering early Thanksgiving meals. This year marked the university’s fourth annual Spirit of Giving event. The Bon Appétit team partnered with local nonprofit BridgeTown Inc. and students from the University of Portland to contribute to feeding more than 1,000 people in North Portland. The students donated 9,000 meal points, which allowed Bon Appétit to purchase and prepare 2,600 pounds of turkey, plus traditional Thanksgiving accoutrements (including pies), and assemble 175 family-size meals that they delivered shortly before Thanksgiving. It was a great day of community between the students and Bon Appétit team.

Submitted by Kelly Vosberg, Café Supervisor

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FALL/WINTER HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS TREATS TO GO IN IDAHO: The Bon Appétit team at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, ID, hosted their annual holiday pie sale featuring a traditional pumpkin pie and a salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake made from scratch (as always!)

by Sous Chef Jackie Beavers and Baker Tammy Allred. All orders were accompanied by the team’s irresistible doublechocolate toffee cookie mix in a jar.

Submitted by Crystal Rideau, General Manager

CELEBRITY CARVERS TALK TURKEY AT BIOLA: The Thanksgiving dinner at Biola University in La Mirada, CA, is such a favorite among members of the campus community, with students starting to line up at 3:30 p.m. to be first in line when doors open an hour later! This year the café served a traditional menu to 1,800 guests. Each year, Biola University executive staff and guests volunteer to be Celebrity Carvers, serving students turkey and lots of good cheer from the carving station. Biola President Barry Corey and his wife, Paula, took a turn, as did Bon Appétit Senior Vice President Cary Wheeland and Biola Vice President of Financial Affairs Michael Pierce.

Target Goes Healthy for Thanksgiving with Cooking Class The Bon Appétit team at Target’s North Campus in Brooklyn Park, MN was determined to prove that it’s possible to enjoy the holidays without needing a new, bigger wardrobe afterward. Target’s Health and WellBeing Committee invited Bon Appétit to host a cooking class focused on a healthy and safe Thanksgiving.

Armed with the information that the average American consumes more than 3,000 calories on Thanksgiving (50 percent more than they need), the team knew they’d have some interesting advice on alternatives to overindulgence.

The class focused on recipes for classic Thanksgiving fare, made healthier with a few simple substitutions and techniques from Bon Appétit’s stealth health toolbox, such as creating fresh, from-scratch mashed potatoes that are lower in sodium than the storebought boxed version. To prove that healthy cooking doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor, participants were challenged to taste two versions of each dish, an indulgent and a healthier version. Most class attendees could not tell the difference between the "healthier" and not-sohealthy versions!

“It was a wonderful class with great suggestions,” said participant Beverly Radin. “I can't wait to make that green bean casserole.”

Submitted by Salvatore Rosa, General Manager

Submitted by Roxanne Thomas, Bookkeeper

Target Executive Chef Lyle Schoenthaler shares easy ways to healthy up traditional Thanksgiving dishes

Upholding the Thanksgiving Tradition at SFUAD Bon Appétit has served the Santa Fe University of Art and Design campus in Santa Fe, NM, for many years, and students have come to depend on the special Thanksgiving dinner a week before the actual holiday.

Faculty and staff serve the dinner to the students, making the meal a community event that’s special for all who participate.

This year, students enjoyed sage-roasted turkey with turkey gravy, maple-baked ham, or vegan baked stuffed acorn squash

with caramelized apples, apricots, and wild rice. These crowd-pleasing mains were served with mashed White Mountain potatoes, candied yams, vegan roasted butternut squash and turnips, sauteéd green beans amandine, vegan sage stuffing, house-made cranberry sauce, and warm rolls. Each year, students line up for this highly anticipated event.

Submitted by Melody Lambelet, General Manager

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from the fellows | amanda wareham, fellow

A Haven for Sustainable Agriculture

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et just north of the idyllic Furman Lake, an extremely nutrient-dense lake with countless turtles, mallards, and black and white swans milling about, is Furman University’s farm in Greenville, SC. I visited the farm in late fall, yet the sun still glared down onto the water and left the air above hazy with evaporation as I marched over from the Trone Student Center.

The first sign of Furman Farm was a solar panel that rotates to maximize energy capture depending on the time of day and a loft where beehives were visible. Once I passed the student houses, built in the style of cabins, the farm opened up into planted rows of vegetables, all on just 1/4 acre.

Looking forward to sharing the resources of the Campus Farmers Network, which I coordinate as part of my job as a Bon Appétit Fellow, I met up with student farmers and Farm Manager Bruce Adams to spend a few hours working on the farm. Bruce’s position is full-time, and he serves as a guide for student volunteers and student workers, whether they’re seasoned campus farmers or have never set foot on a farm. Students at Furman Farm can take leadership roles through the Shi Center, Furman’s Sustainability Office. The farm almost looks like a beautiful backyard garden of the Shi Center. South of the farm are the cooperative living spaces for Shi Center Fellows. These fellows are undergraduate students at Furman with a special interest in sustainability, who have opted to live in cooperative housing and participate in community programming and a sustainability-related internship.

From the summer and through to the end of October, the farm struggled with an aggressively hot sun that left parched soil and seedlings in its wake. Several crops needed to be replanted — a time-consuming and expensive task for a small farm. Many other farmers in the area, Bruce told me, had been forced to cut their losses and give up on whole crops. I spent my time there incorporating compost into soil in one row, and tilling to prepare the soil for a new planting.

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The Furman Farm

Bruce is himself a fourth-generation farmer. He farms a piece of land in Pumpkintown, SC — an apt name for a small farming town, if I’ve ever heard one!

The new Bon Appétit team at Furman is working with Bruce to create a CSA for Shi Center Fellows, so that they can have fresh farm produce in stocked CSA boxes to cook in their kitchens. The goal is that the Fellows will receive an increasingly immersive learning experience in sustainable living, from CSA shares harvested in their own backyard to the sustainable meals served in the café.

The Furman Farm is a wonderful example of a livingIearning laboratory on campus, from the learning opportunities the Furman Farm offers to Shi Center Fellows and student volunteers, to the beautiful produce it provides for the whole student body in the Bon Appétit café. As a Campus Farmers coordinator, I can’t express just how excited I am to see campus farms thriving and expanding to new campuses across the nation! I can’t wait to hear more about what Furman Farm achieves going forward.

Furman Farm Manager Bruce Adams is a fourth-generation family farmer, who keeps pigs, sheep, and chickens, and grows a variety of vegetables in Pumpkintown, SC

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Good to the Last Sip: Visiting Caffé Vita in Portland, OR Submitted by Caroline Ferguson, Fellow

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very cup of coffee that the student baristas at Café Circo, part of Reed College in Portland, OR, serve up has something in common: they were all made from beans roasted by Nicholas DiBacco.

Raw coffee seeds (more often known as beans)

The café’s staff had the chance to meet the man behind the brew a few months ago, accompanied by Bon Appétit Fellow Caroline Ferguson on a tour and coffee cupping at the Seattle-based coffee company’s Portland roastery. After touring the café space and the gorgeous drum roaster that Nicholas uses in his work, the group got to taste four of Caffé Vita’s singleorigin and blended coffees, from their chocolatey and rich signature blend, Del Sol, to a spicy single-origin Sumatra Gayo River.

Tasting coffee at Caffé Vita is far from a simple sip. Nicholas had them inhale the fragrance of the ground beans — or coffee seeds,their more accurate name – and invited them to share any adjectives that sprang to mind.

He then poured water over the beans, allowing them a few minutes to “bloom” before tapping into the top layer of beans with a spoon to release each cup’s aromatic steam.It was fascinating to observe how much the water had changed the fragrance of the beans!

After many minutes of smelling, it was finally time to taste the coffee.

Nicholas gently skimmed the beans from each cup with two spoons — a technique they had never seen before! — and walked them through proper tasting, slurping from clean spoons to aerate the coffee as much as possible. While they tasted, Nicholas told them more about himself and his work as a roaster,how he is mindful of the four elements at play in his work: the earth that produced the coffee, the water that is used to wash the beans and brew each cup, the fire that roasts the beans, and the air that moves through the drum roaster. Nicholas’s passion for his vocation really impressed the group.

Finally, as they took their last few sips, Nicholas and Assistant Café Manager Lisa Fujino told us about the company’s sustainability mission.

While Caffé Vita does not require Fair Trade certification, which they feel can be sometimes prohibitively expensive for small farmers to achieve, they focus on farm-direct relationships: their representatives must visit each farm they source from at least once per harvest season. Just as all the coffee they source must taste exceptional, their growers must also be committed to business practices that are healthy for the community and for the planet.

Thanks to Nicholas, Lisa, and the rest of the Caffé Vita team, Café Circo’s student baristas now feel that every cup of coffee they’re pouring is good for the planet and for the community — right down to the last slurp.

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Caffé Vita’s Nicholas DiBacco explains to Reed student baristas how to properly taste coffee

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OPENING

Creating an Epic Dining Experience for Blizzard Entertainment Submitted by Kari Menslage, Regional Marketing Director

Regional Executive Chef Peter Alfaro two-hand sautéeing

amers, take note! Bon Appétit’s Southern California team recently opened a brand new café for Blizzard Entertainment, the developers of such world-renowned video and online games as World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Starcraft, Heroes of the Storm, and Hearthstone. According to the company’s mission statement, Blizzard is“dedicated to creating the most epic entertainment experiences...ever.” The Bon Appétit team thus knew that they had to bring their A game to feed this group of ultra-creative animators and programmers. Luckily, Bon Appétit’s core values are a good match for Blizzard’s, which include a deep commitment to quality, fair play, thinking globally, leading responsibly, and learning and growing, among others.

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Webb Design, a food-service design company based in Anaheim, CA, contributed to the creation of a reimagined café space on Blizzard’s Irvine, CA campus, which includes the workspace for the creators of not only the video games, but also Blizzard’s action figures, novels, comic, manga, board games, apparel, and trading card games. Life-size versions of Blizzard characters are dotted around the spaces. The 2,500 employees are served by a café, nine micro-markets, and 32 coffee pantries, with a Starbucks slated to open in 2017. Café stations include a carvery featuring Executive Chef Eric Morgan’s seasonal entrées; an oven station serving pizza by the slice, flatbreads, and other baked items; a Farm to Fork salad bar; a grill with daily specials based on California-style cuisine; a made-to-order deli; a global station with weekly rotating specials; and a house-made soup station. In addition to creating a customized café experience for Blizzard, the Bon Appétit team partnered with Blizzard’s wellness team to create a wellness club card to support employees’ wellness goals.

Grilled kabocha squash with sage brown butter

On opening day in mid-December, the Bon Appétit team served approximately 300 Blizzard employees for both breakfast and dinner, and nearly 1,000 for lunch. The café was buzzing with excitement. Exclamations from Blizzard employees such as: “I can’t choose...I want to eat everything!” and “That salad bar is amazing!” were overheard.

Another exclaimed, “After a summer of food trucks, this is like HEAVEN!” Guests weren’t the only ones pleased. “Working with Bon Appétit has been such a unique opportunity for us and we could not be more pleased to have them here on the Blizzard campus,” said Suzanne Navarro, campus services manager at Blizzard. “I’m confident our opening day success is simply a precursor to the amazing road ahead of us. A huge thank you goes out to all our Bon Appétit staff and the opening team!”

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BACK TO SCHOOL Festive cookies from Nordstrom’s back-toschool rally

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Colorado College Interns Seed Interest in Gardening

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uring Colorado College’s New Student Orientation, student garden interns Emma Brachtenbach and Kelsi Anderson greeted incoming freshmen and their parents with a table displaying colorful produce gleaned from the summer harvest. The interns welcomed the chance to educate and inspire newcomers to the campus by chatting with them about the garden. Even better, the Bon Appétit team used all of the products from that table on the salad bar throughout the week.

Bon Appétiters provide the student garden with an annual subsidy to jumpstart their planting efforts. The gardeners, in turn, provide the team with produce for most of the summer and early school year. To keep things organized, the gardeners submit invoices, and the team keeps a running tally of expenditures. It’s a cost-effective way to support extra-local food and an important hands-on education for the students.

Submitted by Derek Hanson, Director of Operations

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Nordstrom Ups the School Spirit Ante

ou don’t have to be a student — or work directly with them — to love back-to-school season! The Bon Appétit team at Nordstrom’s Seattle headquarters recently catered a large back-to-school-themed rally.

The playful menu included shortbread cookies in three shapes — apples, pencils, and school buses — from local favorite Little Rae’s Bakery, small milk cartons from vendor Smith Brothers Farms, and even juice boxes.

But they didn’t stop there. They even dressed the part, donning cheer uniforms, varsity letter jackets, athletic jerseys, and other school uniforms. Guests’ eyes really lit up when they were served the elementary school lunch staples. This rally, part of a quarterly series at Nordstrom, was a special pleasure for both the team and the guests they served. Now that’s school spirit!

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Farm Interns Kelsi Anderson and Emma Brachtenbach

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Wash U Meets the Parents (and New Students!) ew rituals generate more excitement — or stronger appetites! — than Washington University in St. Louis’s Move-In Weekend. Over four days, the Bon Appétit team welcomed and fed approximately 1,800 new students and their families.

Carleton sophomore Jean La Fontaine enjoying a cookie from the Bon Appétit welcome table

In anticipation of the strong demand, the Bon Appétit team created two additional stations to serve offsite lines: the outdoor barbecue station serving burgers, turkey burgers, and black bean burgers, and the global station serving lamb carnitas tacos with spicy cauliflower salad and refried beans.

Tables were set up for local partners to hand out samples and chat with students and parents. Participating partners included Serendipity Ice Cream, Sia’s Italian Ice, Reinneck Ranch Salsa, Windcrest Yogurt, Wenneman’s, and Double Star Farms.

The long weekend went off without a hitch, and despite the intensity and volume of the work, the team enjoyed the satisfaction that comes with observing an important ritual with professionalism and enthusiasm.

Carleton Welcomes Class of ’20 with Special Picnic and Ceremonial Frisbee Toss

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articipating in campus traditions offers new students a profound sense of belonging. In that spirit, 570 new “Carls” at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, enjoyed a special picnic to mark their entrance into the Carleton community. Before eating, though, they took part in an important initiation ceremony: the annual Frisbee toss.

Submitted by Kristi Baker, Marketing Manager

Every new Carl receives an official Frisbee designed especially for their class. Students then stand around the Bald Spot (a grassy expanse in the middle of campus) and throw their Frisbee toward a flag in the center of the field. The timeless tradition serves a social function, too, helping students meet other members of their class. Everyone collects a Frisbee that isn’t their own that they must return by the end of the first week of classes.

Following the toss, the students dined together picnicstyle. The Bon Appétit team prepared picnic favorites, including burgers (both veggie and beef) and an array of fresh salads.

The team at the Bear's Den during 10@10 on Move-In Day

Submitted by Jerrilyn Goldberg, Student Sustainability Manager

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Emory Warmly Welcomes New Freshman Class

Delicious, healthy salad options at Emory’s Freshman Orientation

reshman orientation is a time of major transition, so the more welcoming hands on deck, the better. During Emory’s Freshman Orientation, Bon Appétiters at the Atlanta, GA, campus showcased the diversity of the university’s culinary offerings, serving roasted corn and heirloom tomato salad, mixed kale and napa cabbage salad with blueberries, vegan baked beans, grilled vegetables, beef burgers, veggie burgers, house-smoked pork shoulder, Kosher options, and plenty more. In addition, marketing, sustainability, and nutrition team members worked alongside their University partners, co-hosting a table about meal plans, kitchen principles, nutrition guidelines, COR icons, and several of Bon Appétit’s sustainability and Fair Trade initiatives.

The week’s schedule was packed and at times tiring, yes, but the opportunity to help students understand their new food environment was well worth the time spent!

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Carleton Fêtes Its 150th Birthday in Grand Style Submitted by Katie McKenna, General Manager

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sesquicentennial is not only fun to spell, it’s exciting to celebrate! Carleton College in Northfield, MN, marked its 150th anniversary this fall with several festive gatherings, including Parents’ Weekend, Alumni Council, and many athletic events. Beloved radio celebrity Garrison Keillor presented the Convocation.

The Bon Appétit team went all out in support. For a community celebration downtown, Pastry Chef Richard Hays created a replica of Willis Hall, Carleton’s oldest campus building. At a reception for the campus community following convocation, the menu included Belgian endive with crab salad, chive, and arugula; Shepherd's Way goat cheese and pea purée with pea tendrils and Parmesan; roasted red pepper tart with micro cilantro; and additional appetizers, plus dessert.

Campus trustees and 100 of their guests enjoyed an elegant dinner in a tent next to the president’s home. The Bon Appétit team prepared an elaborate menu featuring mint-infused lamb rack with honey-cumin baby carrots and braised fingerling potatoes, and pumpkin gnocchi with garlic-walnut sauce. Celebrants enjoyed lime cheesecake to close out the evening’s festivities.

“From the cupcakes (and that stunning Willis Hall cake!) on Bridget Square to the all-campus reception and special dinner at Nutting House to the historical menu items in the dining hall, the staff went above and beyond to create a special and celebratory atmosphere,” wrote Carleton President Steven G. Poskanzer in a note to General Manager Katie McKenna. “I am so pleased with the events of the entire weekend and your role in helping to create such a successful celebration.”

Executive Chef Britton Good with the replica of Willis Hall flanked by On-Call Catering Attendant Samantha Behr and Catering Captains Blaine Olivero and Teffaney Behr

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Carleton Cuts Waste by Adopting Reusable Plates Creative collaborations are a valuable tool, especially with a task as large as protecting the environment.

The Bon Appétit team at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, joined forces with Students Organized for the Protection of the Environment (SOPE) to implement a switch from compostable plates in Sayles Café to reusable ones.

Under this new policy all items ordered “for here” at the student center will be placed on washable, melamine plates. Based on the program’s initial success, a whopping 6,500 compostable plates may be removed each week from the waste stream if the numbers continue as predicted.

Some history: Last spring, SOPE proposed replacing compostable “to-go” containers in Sayles Café with reusable ones. General Manager Katie McKenna and her team were receptive to the idea but suggested it might be overly ambitious as a starting point. They proposed starting first with replacing the plates in the Sayles Café. SOPE readily agreed. The group helped by educating students about where to put their plates and underscored the importance of the initiative.

SOPE members even created marketing materials to serve as subtle but effective reminders.

Though the effort is still in its infancy, it already shows great promise, with students responding respectfully.

This single initiative shows the true power of collaboration and the impact students and their Bon Appétit partners can have on the environment when they work together.

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Students Launch Food Recovery at Beloit College Submitted by Amanda Wareham, Fellow

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hile visiting Beloit College in Beloit, WI, Bon Appétit Fellow Amanda Wareham had a chance to jump right in with a group of engaged students as they began recovering food from the kitchen at Beloit. Josie Hirsch ’18 is currently heading the program with the help of volunteers ranging from Bon Appétit student workers to members of serviceoriented Greek organizations across campus. Amanda joined Executive Chef Michael Downey for a safety training, where students learned proper hand-washing technique, how to properly wear (and when to replace) their gloves, and other useful and necessary strategies for doing due diligence to make sure that safe and nutritious food is donated to their local non-profit.

While Amanda was on campus, the new group of Food Recovery Network students participated in their first-ever recovery, and she was excited to have the chance to help.

They recovered over 50 pounds of protein-dense dishes, including chicken breast for Caritas, a Beloit food shelf.

Submitted by Eric Tallman ’17

Beloit’s new FRN chapter has its foundation in the Sustainability Office at Beloit. A student worker will be appointed annually to work on food recovery as part of the student work position. This institutionalization of food recovery should help the FRN chapter remain continuous — something that’s crucial in colleges and universities, where students cycle through every four years.

Bon Appétit Student Manager Calvin Phan ’17 holding a Sayles Café reusable plate on Halloween

Students Josie Hirsch ’18 and Hannah Yee ’19 head the food recovery program at Beloit

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At each Persian culinary training the chefs work together to make approximately 30 recipes, which they then present and enjoy together

Familiar Ingredients, New Flavors: New Persian Culinary Training at Bon Appétit Submitted by Jenny Slafkosky, Writer/Editor

ose petals and mint. Saffron and cardamom.

Pomegranates, citrus, pistachios, and almonds. These are just some of the signature flavors in Persian cooking, an ancient, highly refined cuisine that has influenced Indian, Middle Eastern, Moroccan, and Turkish cuisines.

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ous culinary career which has included being a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef; a guest chef at the James Beard House; and recognition in publications such as Food & Wine, Saveur, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. (This year, Hoss sold The Fly Trap in order to focus on other projects.)

As complex and essential as Persian cooking is, Jim Dodge, Bon Appétit’s director of specialty culinary programs, knew a formal training program for Bon Appétit’s chefs would be well-received.

Jim has conducted regional culinary trainings for 10 years on topics that range from healthy cooking (in collaboration with Bon Appétit’s wellness team and chef Raghavan Iyer) to authentic Chinese culinary techniques (in collaboration with chef Jet Tila).

Ancient roots, modern techniques

For this training, Jim teamed up with Hoss Zaré, the acclaimed chef/owner of Zaré at the Fly Trap in San Francisco, to develop a comprehensive historical and hands-on culinary training program that would introduce our chefs to the nuanced flavor profiles and techniques of Persian cuisine. Hoss, a native of Iran who immigrated to San Francisco in 1986, received rave reviews at his eponymous restaurant and has had an illustri-

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At its height, the ancient Persian Empire (circa 550 to 330 B.C.) covered territory that includes what is now Iran, as well as parts of Iraq, Macedonia, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Central Asia. The roots of the cuisine took hold in home kitchens and variations were based on what ingredients were available regionally.According to Jim, an important aspect of this training was for Hoss to show Bon Appétit’s chefs how to take the traditional methods of Persian home cooking and adapt them for a professional kitchen environment: to determine which dishes could be made partially in advance and finished for service; which dishes lend themselves to higher end catering events; and which would need special equipment to execute properly.

The chef-participants at the Persian culinary training session held at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, with Chef Hoss Zaré (fourth from left) and Jim Dodge (second from right, seated)

For Timothy Green, the sous chef at University of Portland who helped to host the training in the

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Koo koo sabzi, a Persian vegetable frittata

region, thinking on his feet when it came to equipment was critical. “At one point, Chef Hoss asked me if we had a pizza stone for the manakish [a flatbread]. I told him, `No, but we do have a wood-fired pizza oven. Would you like me to fire it up?’ His eyes lit up, a huge grin spread across his face, and he said, `Oh, yes please!’ The manakish turned out perfect.”

Familiar ingredients, new flavors

Each training starts with an overview of the day, a short discussion of the historical context of the cuisine (augmented by a more robust training manual that each chef receives),and a sensory tour of the particular cuisine’s pantry.The host account orders ingredients and prepares mise en place for all the recipes, which can sometimes be a challenge. Some ingredients from the Persian pantry can be hard to find in the U.S., such as dried yogurt (kashk); sour, unripe green grapes (ghureh); and dried black limes (limu omani).

Hoss suggests substitutions but warns that some of these alternations mean the final dish isn’t going to be authentic — something that Jim says they encourage chefs to divulge to their clients.

David Boswell, executive chef at Adobe - San Jose, who attended one of the training sessions, enjoyed being introduced to some new ingredients, particularly the sour grapes. “I found them to have a greater depth of flavor, and they made the dolma more interesting,” he says.

Roasted whole lemons

som water. “If you don’t create the right balance, those floral tones are so pronounced that people think they’re eating perfume,” says Jim. The power of collaboration

The chefs gather into teams and collectively prepare about 30 different recipes from the more than 80 included in the training manual.The true exploration is the hands-on experience of cooking and tasting the dishes in a collaborative environment with other chefs.“These trainings are one of the few times all the chefs in a region are together at the same time and the exchange of ideas is vitally important,” says Jim.“It’s also an opportunity to make a mistake in a more comfortable environment. We actually like people to make mistakes, because we have Hoss there to provide a solution or make a correction.”

James Green, executive chef at University of Portland, agrees that the direct connection with the expert chef and the camaraderie among the chefs and cooks at the training is an invaluable teaching tool.“If you’ve got a culinary staff member who’s not used to working with a room full of more experienced chefs, learning that you can keep up with them gives you a sense of validation of your skill set. It builds confidence.”

While some ingredients in the Persian pantry are new to chefs, many — cumin, dill, citrus — are familiar. However, Jim notes the balance of flavors particular to Persian cuisine is still new territory to many chefs.

“In Persian cuisine, they use a tremendous amount of fresh herbs in their recipes, I mean almost a handful in each dish,” says Jim. “I’ve had some chefs say `Wait, that’s too much!’ But that’s the authentic flavor profile.”

The other element that’s very unusual to chefs with European culinary training is how many floral components there are in Persian cuisine: rose petals, rose water, saffron, and orange blos-

Luis Ayala, sous chef at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and David Boswell, executive chef at Adobe - San Jose

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Mirza ghasemi, an eggplant and tomato dish that’s served with bread

Chefs Bond Over Dolmas in Portland Submitted by Grace Wilson, Regional Project Manager

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Jesse Fairman, sous chef at Reed College, preparing a rich and

ersian food isn’t spicy, it is spice-full. A dish has a 50- spice-full crowd-pleasing dish. piece orchestra of spices, and you control the arrangement and melody.” Chef Hoss Zaré presented this eloquent vision of the principles of Persian cooking culture to a team of Portland-area chefs during the first Persian cuisine training, held at the University of Portland. After an introduction to the spices and herbs, Hoss shared a family recipe for dolmas (a dish he later revealed brought his parents together). He spoke about the food communities he was raised in, how women would get together to roll dolmas for all the families, and end up spending the day chatting and sharing while they carefully folded lentils, rice, and lamb into grape leaf pillows.

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After each group presented their three dishes, the team sat down to a staggeringly large and delicious meal, just as Persian food should be — full of love, shared with many, and deeply satisfying.

Chef Hoss Zaré with Marylhurst Executive Chef Jennifer Pack

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Knox College Builds a Gingerbread Art Center Replica Written by Brea Cunningham, Visual Media Coordinator and Megan Scott, Vice President for Communications

The Whitcomb Gingerbread Art Center

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of the decorations.All of the pieces (from a whopping seven trays hen the Knox College Office of Communiof gingerbread) were stenciled, cut, and glued onto a foam core cations wanted to commemorate one of the base. (Luckily, the gingerbread came away with few cracks!) most important events of 2016 on the Baker Miranda Stewart created two types of icing: one to serve Galesburg, IL-based campus — the dedication as the glue to attach the gingerbread walls to of the new Dick & Joan Whitcomb Art the base and another for adhering decoraCenter — they did so in a decidedly uncontions to the exterior and filling seams. ventional way: with a gingerbread house like no other. Dedicated in October 2016 — The Knox team tapped into the creative and set to open in January 2017 — the and artistic juices of faculty, staff, and Whitcomb Art Center is a state-of-the-art students when completing the structural mixed-materials building that supports replica. Thanks to more than seven quarts Knox’s commitment to sustainable construcof buttercream, one quart of royal icing, tion. The College’s vision was to create a Knox Student Celina Dietzel ’17 helps with 250 gumdrops, 145 candy bricks, 72 gingingerbread version that would be just as building the structure gersnap cookie roof tiles, 22 pretzel sticks, painstakingly crafted as the building itself. one pound of chocolate rocks, three dozen brownies, and one bag of mini-marshmallows, the Whitcomb Gingerbread Art Lake | Flato, the architectural firm that designed the Whitcomb Center came to life. A time-lapse video of the entire construcArt Center, provided detailed, scale-model plans with which to tion process was filmed by the Knox VideoCorps (Visual create stencils for cutting the gingerbread, as well as for the foamMedia Coordinator Brea Cunningham and student videoracore base that gave the structure added stability. The communiphers Tristan Yi and Aidan Croft) and shared with the Knox cations team then asked Bon Appétit’s Executive Chef Jason College community. (This, too, was a replica: a time-lapse Crouch and General Manager Diane Welker to serve as the “general contractors.” video had been created for the physical building as well!) See it online at www.knox.edu/gingerbread.

When constructing a gingerbread building of this size, it’s tricky to make sure the edible glue and the walls can support the weight Photos: Brea Cunningham

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Tomlinson Marketplace at Case Western Reopens After Complete Remodel Submitted by Jennifer McGann, Regional Marketing Manager

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he newly remodeled Tomlinson Marketplace at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland opened in late August after a long-awaited renovation. The new space has abundant natural light and is more open, making it even more welcoming to guests. The Marketplace still offers existing stations like Fire Grill and Local Taco, but it also features two new stations: CLE Table, a comforts-style station (featuring traditional Cleveland favorites such as hand-rolled pierogies and Polish Boy sandwiches, prepared with ingredients sourced from Case Farms), as well as a new station dedicated to Performance Bowls.

Performance Bowls is a new concept for Case. It allows guests to “re-frame their plate of mind” by building their own bowl with a base of greens, colorful vegetables, and whole grains with a lean animal- or plant-based protein to top it off. Bowls may be served cold, or their contents may be quickly sautéed.

This new station pushes plants to the center of the plate, creating a healthier and more sustainable meal option. Even better, each bowl comes with a complimentary agua fresca!

The Bon Appétit team even collaborated with the University to source a special “Case Blue” bowl specifically for this station.

All stations were busy the first week, with Performance Bowls and the Fire Grill enjoying special popularity. (Fire Grill’s bánh mì is a particular favorite!) The portabellomushroom-and-beet tacos with Cotija cheese on the Local Taco station have also moved quickly. Overall, guests have been wowed by the space’s clean, updated look — and its new 65-inch HDTV digital menu boards. Offering breakfast and lunch service at Tomlinson from Monday through Friday, Chef/Manager David Whiteside and his team do over 600 daily covers. In all, 500 guests submitted comment cards during the first week of service, and 95 percent of the comments were positive!

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Tomlinson Marketplace at Case Western’s Performance Bowls team: Cook Shannon Hardnick, Kitchen Supervisor William Fadely, General Manager Alan Zido, and Chef/Manager David Whiteside

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Twitter Trades 140 Characters for Five-Course Cooking Class Submitted by Kevin McConvey, General Manager

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witter’s Executive Chef Martin Levison was thrilled when a member of the engineering team asked whether the account could host a cooking class. Martin loved the idea and started planning one immediately, looping in General Manager Kevin McConvey as the program took shape.

Martin envisioned a full, hands-on class in which 30 participants would prepare five courses. Kevin hesitated initially, concerned by the large scope and the potential safety issues for a group that size, but Martin had thought things through. He planned to break the large class into four- or five-person groups, with each group responsible for one course.The class would culminate in a full, family-style meal. It was a great plan! Though Twitter’s Bon Appétit team had led classes in the past, this would be the first to include so many courses.

When class day arrived, Martin, Chef de Cuisine Brett Villarmia, Café Manager Doug Ambrose, Chef de Cuisine Esther Paek, Hourly Kitchen Supervisor Edgar Moreno, and Cook Malaysia Alcorn set up a station for each of the five courses. They had plenty of knives, aprons, cut gloves, towels, and ingredients organized and ready.

After participants filed in, Martin carefully reviewed Bon Appétit's safety rules, emphasizing the importance of using cut gloves and communicating with one another, citing “corner,” “hot,” “behind,” and “sharp” as examples. (There’s a reason Twitter is the local Bon Appétit champion; see page 29.) Class members then broke into groups and set to cooking.

Each group had a fantastic time learning how to make pasta, how to break down a chicken and a whole fish, and how to ensure molten lava cake keeps its gooey center — tweeting quips and photos all the while.The biggest attraction was the pasta sheeter: each class member was determined to make the longest pasta noodle ever!

After two hours of prep and cooking, class members gathered around a large table to enjoy the bountiful meal and discuss what they learned. The evening’s recipes — which had been compiled into a booklet for them to take home — included beet dip, hummus, and baba ghanoush as appetizers; house-made tagliatelle with pickled mushrooms and tomato ragu as a pasta course; roast chicken with shallot sherry sauce and Mt. Lassen trout with brown butter and seared Fuji apples as the two entrées; and the chocolate molten lava cake for dessert.

The teaching crew worked hard to pull it all off but their efforts paid off. Class members left both happy and full, armed with new culinary knowledge they could put to use back home.

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Regis and Sister Gardens Cultivate Bond at Harvest Celebration Submitted by Glenn Babcock, Executive Chef

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ver the last year, Bon Appétiters at Regis University in Denver have cultivated deep bonds with Groundwork Denver’s Sister Gardens and Greenhouse. The not-for-profit farm supplies fresh produce to the community (considered by many to be a food desert) with a“pay what you will” farmstand. It also provides job training and employment to low-income youth in Denver.

The Bon Appétit at Regis team’s booth was busy, with enough food for four stations

Sister Gardens, located just across the street from the Regis campus, also supplies the Regis cafés with fresh vegetables. Thanks to this symbiotic relationship, Groundwork Denver has grown its plot from a quarter acre to three and has cultivated an 8,000-seed hydroponic greenhouse.

In late fall, Groundwork Denver — which partners with lowerincome communities to improve the physical environment and promote health and well-being — held its popular Harvest Celebration at Sister Gardens. The Harvest celebration served as an ideal opportunity to show goodwill and repay a recent kindness. When Executive Chef Glenn Babcock needed produce for the 100 percent local meal he planned for Eat Local Challenge Day (see page 48), Farm Manager Fatuma Emmad really came through, filling in gaps in the menu. Glenn wanted to return the favor and was proud to do so by having his team support the Harvest Celebration.

The festive event — a fundraiser, with proceeds directly benefiting the nonprofit farm — featured live music, local craft beer and coffee, a pie-baking contest, and plenty of globally inspired food.

Groundwork Denver asked the Bon Appétit team to help out with a food station, but the team stepped up and prepared food for four stations! They were also able to showcase Sister Gardens’ produce in a variety of ways. Highlights included pizza (using their tomatoes and basil), Korean kalbi short-rib lettuce wraps (using their garden Bibb lettuce), Vietnamese-style spring rolls (pickling a variety of their vegetables and using their fresh herbs); Lebanese baba ghanoush (using garden eggplants); and tacos 100 | BRAVO

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(using delicata squash and cuerno del toro peppers).

The team also helped Groundwork with logistics, menu writing, coordinating farm volunteers, and procuring donations. (Peak to Plains was a hero for coming through on local Callicrate beef short ribs and pork shoulder.) “We are appreciative to all of our sponsors who made the event possible, but exceptionally thankful for the time you donated to help organize the menu, food supplies, our volunteers and our food service,” wrote Groundwork Denver Executive Director Wendy Hawthorne in a note afterward.

With 500 guests enjoying the festivities and the proceeds benefiting such a good cause, the event was more than a celebration. It was a testament to the power of community partnerships.

Regis Donors Feast on Colorado Specialties At Regis University’s annual Donor Reception, Executive Chef Glenn Babcock and Catering Supervisor James Norman treated 165 highprofile guests to a custom menu featuring Colorado-themed specialties. With Legacy Farms beef rib eye, Parmesan-and-herb–encrusted rack of lamb lollipops, and grand assortments of cured meats and local cheeses, the special event wowed guests.

The Regis catering team worked with the University Advancement team to plan the party.

“Everyone thought it was perfect!” glowed University Advancement Director of Stewardship Tricia Hamilton in a letter to the team. “We provided the right setting for quality contacts between donors and Regis. It was a warm, inviting setting with great food and drink.”

Feedback from guests and board members, she added, was overShredded jackfruit tamale bites whelmingly positive.

Submitted by Adrianne Barnhart, Director of Catering

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Willamette Discovers Local Source for Ancient Food Submitted by Chris Linn, Director of Dining Services

Bags of quinoa ready for market

Operations Manager Andre Uribe checks out Willamette Valley Quinoa’s crop

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hough quinoa’s status as a superfood feels thoroughly modern, this ancient whole grain (actually a seed!) has a long history in the Andean highlands where it originated. Traditionally grown in places where maize was unable to thrive, quinoa — along with kaniwa and kiwicha (two other ancient Incan staples) — played a vital role in the agriculture and cuisine of South America’s volcanic spine. Though it gradually fell out of favor and was replaced by European cereal grains, quinoa has recently returned full force. Today, it’s widely prized as a high-protein powerhouse, one that’s especially valuable to those who follow gluten-free diets.

Five Bon Appétiters at Willamette University in Salem, OR, were thrilled to have an opportunity to learn more about quinoa during a visit to Willamette Valley Quinoa. This family farm grows, processes, packages, and markets quinoa under the mischievous tagline, “the uncontroversial quinoa,” in reference to the brouhaha over whether world demand for South American quinoa is making it unaffordable for the people in the regions that grow it. Executive Chef Josh Green discovered the farm, which is located just minutes from campus.

The day of the visit, the Bon Appétit team (including Director of Dining Services Chris Linn, Operations Manager Andre Uribe, Sous Chef Chris Jones, and Bon Appétit Executive Chef Micah Cavolo) headed east from downtown Salem toward the

flats between Oregon’s capital city and the foothills of the Cascades. As they drove slowly through the countryside, they noticed a strange field across a barbed-wire fence. They knew it wasn’t squash; it definitely wasn’t corn. They had found Kevin Schurter’s quinoa field! They pulled into the gravel driveway and were greeted warmly by Kevin himself.

The tour revealed a truly unique operation: acres upon acres of minimally irrigated stalky plants topped with unruly clusters of developing grains, and a tiny room where the entire harvest is processed, cleaned, weighed out, and bagged. Kevin told stories about the successes, failures, and lessons learned during his six years of experimenting with different quinoa varieties and cultivation methods.

Willamette Valley Quinoa’s crop has since found a home at Willamette University and other local accounts. Students and guests alike enjoy the nourishing qualities of this fine product in everything from composed salads to griddle cakes. At the Opening Days festivities, Kevin’s quinoa even made its way into the welcome dinner served to more than 900 incoming freshmen, their families, and the university’s returning athletes. Josh and his team take special pride in offering this popular ancient food grown right in their neighborhood.

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OPENING

EF Education First Opens New Campus in San Diego Submitted by Molly Glover, General Manager

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stablished in 1965 with the mission “opening the world through education,” EF Education First (EF) is a leading international education company.

Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, EF now has programs in 107 countries and has helped millions of students travel the world to explore new destinations and cultures, learn a language, or earn an academic degree. (Fun fact: EF continues to serve as the official language training provider to the Olympic Games.)

This globetrotting company recently opened its newest campus, in San Diego, CA, and partnered with Bon Appétit Management Company to feed the up to 700 students who live in residence, plus many more living in the area. The building has been alive with chatter and energy from the moment the doors opened —about the great food, of course, but also about the yoga studio/gym, soccer field, swimming pool, and volleyball court, too.

The EF opening team by the school pool

Bon Appétit was given the honor of managing CRAVE Kitchen — the name of EF’s internal brand for all its cafés worldwide. A meal plan is included with student tuition, so Bon Appétit feeds almost every student at some point in the day, averaging approximately 1,200 meals a day during the week when breakfast, lunch, and dinner are offered, dropping to 800 on weekends for brunch and dinner.

With a student body hailing from more than 40 countries, EF has given the culinary team an opportunity to really flex their culinary skills in a variety of global cuisines. They are also mixing in a lot of “American classics,” to welcome the students to the country whose culture they’ve chosen to immerse themselves in.

Tikka masala and kofta seem to be as popular as hamburgers and macaroni and cheese!

Opening EF has been an amazing learning experience for the Bon Appétiters. With the opening under their belt, they are excited to begin collaborating with students to include more of their “grandma’s recipes” into the menus and to keep on strengthening Bon Appétit’s fourth location in San Diego.

EF’s grand opening catered event featured small plates, sliders, salads, plus an oyster bar and an array of delicious treats, including EF cookies

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Medtronic Guests Get Creative with Haute Dogs Submitted by Elizabeth Bergquist, Assistant General Manager

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hen it comes to a breadth of toppings, ice cream tends to have all the fun. No longer! The Bon Appétit team at Medtronic in Minneapolis, MN, changed things up and gave hot dogs some major topping love. At their Haute Dog Grill Out and Contest promotion, more than 40 toppings were available for guests to create their own Haute Dog. There was even a contest to choose the top dog: Winners earned bragging rights, a $10 café gift card, and glory when their Haute Dog was featured the following week in the café.

Caterer Barb Kusterman and Lead Caterer Harriet Pedersen oversee Medtronic’s impressive array of hot dog toppings

Assistant General Manager Elizabeth Bergquist came up with the creative concept. She and her team promoted the event through café signage, though since past grill-out promotions had already proved popular, they already had a leg up in terms of generating interest.

On the contest entry form, guests were asked to list the toppings they chose and to name their creation. Toppings included pineapple, French onion dip, mint, steak sauce, crumbled potato chips, cream cheese, and many, many more.

In all, 127 guests bought hot dogs that day, with 20 of them entering the contest. The Bon Appétit team served as judges, voting on which Haute Dog they would most like to eat. The winner? Medtronic employee Amanda Schmidt’s Coney Island Chili Dog, topped with chili, cheese, onions, and potato chips. Other strong contenders included the Báhn Mì Dog with spicy mayo, cucumber, and carrot slices topped with mint, and the Island Dog with pineapple, cilantro, and jalapeño.

Medtronic employee Amanda Schmidt poses next to a sign for her winning Coney Island Chili Dog

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Thank You, Bon Appétit

We miss a lot of things about Thacher, but I think we miss the food you make for us every day more than ANYTHING ELSE!

…for PLAYING A KEY ROLE IN IMPROVING HEALTH, Regis University, Denver

…for a MENU THAT ENTICES FARAWAY FACULTY, The Thacher School, Ojai, CA

General Manager Letina Matheny-Leix received a letter of true gratitude from Chris Bourg, a term instructor in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages who was newly diagnosed with diabetes:

Most Thacher faculty members live on campus with their families and eat a majority of their meals in the dining hall.

Each year, though, Thacher grants a yearlong sabbatical to a teacher. General Manager Richard Maxwell received the following note from faculty member Aaron Snyder, who is spending his sabbatical year in Spain with his wife, Theana, and their children — and it really made his day.

To Letina and the Bon Appétit team at Regis: When I found out I was diabetic a few months ago, I consulted a dietitian and learned I would have to drastically change my diet. Eating at home was easier, but meals away from home were a problem. I more or less gave up eating out as most restaurants didn’t have choices or portions suitable for me.

When classes resumed this fall, I found the one place I could eat well away from home: at the Regis cafeteria! Every day, I find an appetizing variety of lean meats, fish, veggies, and salads. All the healthy choices have made it much easier and more pleasant to stay on a proper diet.

That diet has been so successful that my diabetes is now well under control. Meanwhile, I have lost 30 pounds, my cholesterol and blood pressure are both way down, and I am feeling better than I have in years.

Richard, Over dinner tonight, Theana was missing home and said, “It was really sad. Today, I got the email for…”

I interrupted her. “The menu for the dining hall?”

“Yes! I wanted it so badly!”

We both had the same thought. We miss a lot of things about Thacher, but I think we miss the food you make for us every day more than ANYTHING ELSE! All the best to you and the rest of our Bon Appétit friends in the kitchen. We always appreciate you, but now more than ever!

Aaron and Theana

The healthy and tasty food you serve is playing an important part in my recovery, and I want to thank everyone at Bon Appétit for the great job you do!

Chris Bourg

Every day, I find an appetizing variety of lean meats, fish, veggies, and salads. All the healthy choices have made it much easier and more pleasant to stay on a proper diet.

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Considering how delicious the food in Spain is, that’s high praise indeed!

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…for ALWAYS DELIVERING 110% AND A QUICK TURNAROUND, Adidas, Portland, OR

Catering Supervisor Quincie Gist received this appreciative email from an executive assistant during Adidas’s busy preline season: I cannot thank you and Monica [Front of House Lead Monica Diego] enough for everything you've done in the last two days….

You went above and beyond for us, and I'm not sure that I can effectively express how much it means to me. I know it's your "job," but you and Monica have always delivered 110% — on time with incredible presentation and with such a positive attitude. Just wanted to give you both a huge THANK YOU and let you know how much you're appreciated. Even something as simple as having a couple of coffee setups and a fruit assortment really sets the tone.... Please know that your work is going a LONG way.

I'll stop going on now, but please know how important you two are to us!!!

Returning from vacation, Adidas Chef/Manager Jon Arionus was extremely pleased to receive the following feedback from Apparel Developer Taylor Westly. He couldn’t be more proud of how well the Bon Appétiters on his catering team, including Catering Supervisor Quincie Gist and Monica, performed in his absence.

Hi Jon, I wanted to send you an email to pass on some feedback regarding your team. I used to work in events and understand how difficult it is to receive a food and beverage request on a Thursday night for the following Monday. Your team made it super easy.

The event turned out awesome, and everything was set up and ready on time. We had a great variety of options for food and beverage, especially for such a quick turnaround. Everyone had a great time. Anyway, wanted to pass on some positive feedback from an attendee/client perspective. My sincere appreciation for making this happen.

You went above and beyond for us, and I'm not sure that I can effectively express how much it means to me.

…for YOUR ATTENTIVENESS TO OUR INTERNATIONAL GUESTS, Oregon Episcopal School, Portland, OR

General Manager Kelly Cowing received this letter of gratitude for a luncheon and reception she and her team catered for a visiting delegation from Morocco: Many, many thanks to you and your team for putting together such a lovely and welcoming luncheon for our guests from the American Academy of Casablanca. They were incredibly appreciative of the warm welcome — and so much of that was due to your attention. The AAC delegation felt supported, engaged, and stimulated as they looked for ideas and perspectives they could take with them. The mint tea reception at the end of the day pushed the afternoon over the top, and they truly felt valued and celebrated. Thank you for helping us to hit just the right note!

Best, Chris Schuck Associate Head of School

Thank you again!

Taylor Westly Moroccan tea with Deb Walsh, dean of students

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Thank You, Bon Appétit

…for CONNECTING PEOPLE AND BEING DIFFERENT, Alliance Health, South Jordan, UT

...for BEING SO COMPASSIONATE, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN

Chef/Manager Tate Barfuss smiled when he received the following email with a subject line reading “Seriously — so fantastic — ya'll make my job easier”:

Board Manager Randy Clay received this touching letter from a grateful student who was comforted by the Bon Appétit team at St. Olaf:

Hello Chef, Your team makes my job easier. I have appreciated getting to know your group, and you make recruiting folks to Alliance Health a win/win. On the taste and customer service side, I personally noticed a difference in your operation compared to other corporate kitchens where I have worked.

So, I decided I’d just check out the Bon Appétit website. True to their marketing, cooking is an intimate experience, so of course this resonates with me. I love that you all are connecting people!

I see this in action every day! I typically see zero to very little care for the details, totally overlooked in our busy, isolated, corporate, grey, and ho-hum daily grind. Thank you for being different.

[W]hatever you are doing, it’s working. You all provide a quality product worth coming back for, and I am a raving fan!

Jacquie West Sr. Corporate Recruiter

You all provide a quality product worth coming back for, and I am a raving fan!

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…for A THOUGHTFUL LUNCHEON, The Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel, Mt. Angel, OR

The Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel, a very tight-knit community, recently experienced a painful loss when one of the Sisters passed away. But as always, food became a way to celebrate those bonds of community in loving memory of the departed. The small, five-person Bon Appétit team (two of whom are part-time) typically serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner to 75 guests daily. In memory of Sister Antoinette, nearly 200 guests gathered for lunch to pay their respects.

After the recent funeral, Assistant Prioress Sister Dorothy expressed her gratitude in this handwritten note to General Manager / Executive Chef Christian Stephenson and his team:

Your kindness and smile and warmth literally make our days, and definitely made mine.

…for KINDNESS AND BEING WHO YOU ARE, Denison University, Granville, OH

Curtis Dining Hall Cashier Lynne Gleckler and the rest of the Bon Appétit team at Denison received a public letter of appreciation from a grateful student in an unusual way — on the front page of the student-run daily: It is with the deepest gratitude that I say thank you. Thank you all for being who you are. Your kindness and smile and warmth literally make our days, and definitely made mine. And that doesn’t just go for the staff that swipe us in. The jokes you guys tell, or that one time I had to do a “happy dance” really do impact us in a positive way. It takes us away from whatever it is that stresses us out and reminds us to just forget and be silly and laugh and not to worry.

Christian and his team also received this card following an Oblate retreat, which brought them more than 35 extra guests per meal

You are all beautiful people, and thank you for everything that you do for us. We really do appreciate it.

Sincerely, One of many grateful students

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Thank You, Bon Appétit …for TRANSFORMING OUR DAYS FOR THE BETTER, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle

This wonderful unsolicited thankyou was presented by Cornish students to General Manager Shannon Wilson, who forwarded it to the Cornish client, Diane Hager, who said she “got goosebumps reading this card!” Shannon and her team felt the same way.

...for THANKSGIVING CHOCOLATE PIE, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA

At the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the Bon Appétit team has offered a Hugs from Home package for a couple of years now. They market the packages to the parents at orientations and via the dining social media streams, but recently SCAD has begun advertising on the SCAD Parent Facebook page. Sales have increased, and many parents have told the team how much their students love getting the packages. Marketing Manager Heather Carbone received this note from the parent of a child who wasn't able to make it home for Thanksgiving; she asked for an item outside of the standard offerings, and they gladly accommodated her.

I want to take a moment to thank Heather Carbone and the staff of Bon Appétit for making this wonderful chocolate pie for my daughter for Thanksgiving. Being from upstate New York, it was not easy to get her home for Thanksgiving. I was feeling bad she might miss out on her favorite part, chocolate pie for dessert. I contacted Heather and she was just amazing, making arrangements for this pie for her. My daughter picked it up today and was totally surprised and so happy. She plans on sharing it with a few friends who are still in Savannah.

Thank you, Heather and the staff of Bon Appétit!

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Many thanks, Christine and Marco, for making my job fun, helping me plan my menus, and for executing perfect meals!!! ...for EXECUTING PERFECT MEALS, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA

The Bon Appétit team at University of the Pacific was recently entrusted with a dinner in honor of Stockton civic leaders Fritz and Phyllis Grupe, held at the home of President Pam Eibeck and her husband, Bill Jeffrey. Director of Catering Christine Giordani and Executive Chef Marco Alvarado were pleased to receive this note: President Eibeck expressed to me how wonderful the halibut dinner was that you created for the Grupes, and she has now shared the personal note from them with us. I do not deserve all the credit for planning. It truly starts with Christine. One of my favorite parts of my job are my menu meetings with Christine. These meetings usually make us both very hungry!

Many thanks, Christine and Marco, for making my job fun, helping me plan my menus, and for executing perfect meals!!!

Lynnie Lechich Manager, Presidential Events and Protocol And not only that, but President Eibeck also sent them a personal thank you, including the card that she received from the Grupes, praising the lobster bisque and the chocolate molten lava cake with sliced poached pears!

… for TAKING THE SUSTAINABILITY CONVERSATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL, Goucher College, Towson, MD

Following a recent Food Justice event they helped organize, Resident District Manager Norman Zwagil and Goucher College Sustainability Coordinator Matthew Harmin received great feedback from Assistant Vice President for Student Success Emily Perl: Thanks so much for your partnership in making this happen…

[Assistant Provost for Limited-Residency Graduate Programs] Tiffany Espinosa had a great Facebook post about the event. I couldn’t say it any better, so I’m quoting here from her post: ‘Community engagement, the role of development, farmers, local government and access through local businesses. This is what we are training our students for, to help shape solutions from a variety of different angles so that we can have healthy people, communities, and local economies!’

Thank you, thank you, thank you to both of you and any other organizers who may have assisted you. This event has definitely taken the sustainability conversation at Goucher to a new level.

This event has definitely taken the sustainability conversation at Goucher to a new level.

… for MAKING US LAUGH AND SMILE, Emmanuel College, Boston

General Manager Robin Fortado was delighted to receive the following note from two Resident Assistants at Emmanuel: Thank you for always preparing our meals during RA Training.

Also, the cooking staff never fails to make us laugh and smile. It’s easy to feel like family when talking to the staff. We are thankful for your services.

Love, The RAs (Mary Beth and Joy) 2 0 1 6 Vo l u m e 3

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from the fellows | caroline ferguson, fellow

Researching a story about Seattle Urban Honey, a network of backyard apiaries throughout the Puget Sound region

Writing My Own Career in Food

S

ince childhood, food has been what I think about, how I express my creativity, and how I care for the people I love. Growing up in a close-knit community on Bainbridge Island, WA, I was surrounded by natural beauty. As a child, I’d pick herbs from the garden and look for shellfish on the beach. Both felt as normal as a trip to the grocery store. Summer meant slow family meals under the Douglas firs, and the start of blackberry season might as well have been a national holiday. I read cookbooks before bed and, in my teens, became my family’s primary cook.

Still, when I started college at Seattle University — where the high quality of the food by Bon Appétit Management Company had been a factor in my choice — I decided to study education, fearing that much of what I loved about cooking would be lost if I pursued the grueling life of a chef.

At the same time, I began to learn more about industrial agriculture. It troubled me that food — a source of nourishment, community, and creativity in my own life — seemed to be harming the earth. But I wasn’t sure what I could do about it.

During my first quarter of college, I sat in on an editorial meeting of the college newspaper. By winter I was a staff writer. When I had my first opportunity to write about food, my hand shot up so fast to claim the story I nearly whacked another writer in the face.

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As I moved up the ranks from writer to editor to manager to editor-in-chief, I expanded the paper’s food coverage significantly. I started a biweekly online column covering food issues relevant to college students: cooking advice; sustainability and seasonality; food insecurity; intersections of food, race and class; foraging tips; and much more. We also started a campuswide beat system, which put me in regular contact with Seattle University’s Bon Appétit team as I kept current on food news.

My interest in food flourished. I participated in a weeklong service immersion program, volunteering on local farms and touring the Elwha River’s watershed reconstruction. I did a stint with the Nature Consortium, teaching children in Seattle’s Yesler Terrace neighborhood to cook and grow their own food. And I took an internship at Seattle Met Magazine, working primarily in their local food department. After six months, the food editor and I created a new internship position so I could continue to explore my interest in agriculturerelated issues.

By the time I graduated in 2015, I knew that I wanted to enact positive change in the food industry, but I wasn’t sure how. So I took my savings and decamped to the south of France to WWOOF on a permaculture sheep farm. When I returned, I took a job at Amandine Bakeshop, a brand-new patisserie just blocks from Seattle University. I worked under

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Visiting a slaughterhouse for a story

chef Sara Naftaly, who, along with her husband Bruce, had been an early champion of Seattle’s farm-to-table movement.

I learned classic French pastry techniques, developing an interest in wild yeast sourdough, and also handled food recovery, donating leftover pastries to the Salvation Army and the women’s emergency shelter.

When I learned about Bon Appétit’s Fellows program, it felt like the destination I’d been wandering toward for years.

Meanwhile, I continued to grow my food writing career. I maintained an online column for RENDER, a feminist food and culture magazine based out of Portland, and wrote cookbook previews for Seattle Met. I became a regular contributor to Edible Seattle, doing farm tours and writing long-form features celebrating the Pacific Northwest’s farmers and food producers.

Recently, I wrote a feature about the negative impact of slaughterhouse consolidation on the region’s small-scale meat producers.

When I learned about Bon Appétit’s Fellows program, it felt like the destination I’d been wandering toward for years.

How fortunate that I could finally integrate my background in education, my interest in sustainable and local food, and my love of writing and research into one position, bringing everything full circle. I’m so excited to be working for a company that understands that sharing meals together should be as good for the planet as it is for our spirits.

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Bon Appétit MVPs

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It’s All in the Details, Says Dannie Stanton Submitted by Jenny Slafkosky, Writer/Editor

U

niversity of San Francisco Director of Catering Dannie Stanton is quick to smile. Strolling across the bustling floor of the Market Café, clad in a vibrant button-down shirt and dashing newsboy hat, he exudes a sense of stylish calm and good cheer. Considering that he’s responsible for overseeing between 15 to 30 events per day at this high-volume Bon Appétit location, his easy demeanor is remarkable.

With 24 years of experience at Bon Appétit, Dannie is no stranger to the art of catering with style and efficiency — a skill set that he’s learned on the job. In 1992, Dannie started at Stanford University as a busboy, just as Bon Appétit was coming onto campus. His father’s career as a cook had inspired Dannie, so he decided to get his foot in the door. He kept his eyes open for opportunities to learn on the job. On one particularly busy day, long lines were forming at the cash registers, so Dannie jumped in to help. “My boss said, `I didn’t know you knew how to work the register,’ and I said, ‘I mean, it’s not rocket science, man,’” laughs Dannie.

Impressed by Dannie’s initiative, his boss quickly promoted him to cashier, and then, within the year, to supervisor.

While Dannie enjoyed interacting with customers, he still wanted something a little bit more challenging. Dannie asked his boss if he could work in catering once or twice a week in addition to his regular duties. Thanks to this firsthand experience, when Dannie saw a job posting for a catering manager position, he got it. “My first catering director was Carrie Buckley [now Bon Appétit’s vice president of image and style],” he says with a smile.“She took me under her wing. I learned a lot from her, and I just enjoyed the work.”

Dannie also got the opportunity to meet CEO Fedele Bauccio, whose leadership style influenced him early and has been part of the reason he’s stayed at Bon Appétit so long. “Fedele is very passionate about the company, and he cares about the employees,” he says.“It’s a family company.”

“He was always inquisitive, and he worked so hard all the time,” says Fedele, recalling his first impressions of Dannie. Now, after 24 years, Fedele says“Clients love him because he’s always got a smile on his face.He’s not afraid to dress up and look the part at the front of the house — his suits are amazing! — but he’s also not afraid to take the garbage out. He literally does it all.”

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CEO Fedele Bauccio greets University of San Francisco Director of Catering Dannie Stanton before a large-scale catering event

At USF, where he has been for four years, Dannie is happy to have the opportunity to mentor his staff members, just as he was mentored early in his career.

“I’m building a team that’s passionate about what we do as a company,”he says.“I always tell people to be passionate at what you do, and you will get somewhere. Take pride into your work.”

When it comes to mentoring staff, Dannie leads by example.

“You’ve got to be organized and efficient, and you have to have an eye for catering,” he says.“If you don’t have an eye for the details — making sure you have the right cocktail napkins, forks on the buffet, those little things — it affects the experience. It’s a big deal.”

Funnily enough, even when Dannie’s not at work, he spends his time bringing people together for events. “I’m the guy in the family that takes over the parties,” he says.“I like to be the host.”

Dannie says the values of Bon Appétit as a company, the passion of the people, and the creative freedom his job allows has kept him doing what he loves for 24 years. Here’s hoping we have his talents for 24 more!

The Bon Appétit MVPs column will profile longtime Bon Appétit employees who have worked with the company for 5 years or more and are nominated by senior leadership. These exemplary employees have helped shape our culture and values through their creativity and commitment to their work.

INDEX

Marylhurst University 61 The Master’s University 32 Medtronic 82, 103 Mentor Graphics 32 Mills College 60, 73, 83 Mount Angel Abbey 19, 28 Nordstrom 90 Oberlin College 70-71 Oregon Museum of Science and Industry 4, 12-13 Oracle 54 Oregon Episcopal School 105 Otis College of Art and Design 36 Otterbein University 51, 68 Overstock.com 22 Oxford College of Emory University 62-63 Porsche 44-45 Reed College 12-13, 28, 32, 57, 88 Regis University 48, 84, 100, 104 Royal Caribbean Cruises 58 Samsung 73 Santa Clara University 50 SAP 61 Savannah College of Art and Design 14-15, 108 Seattle Art Museum 65 Seattle University 4, 43, 110 Santa Fe University of Art and Design 85 St. Olaf College 106 Target 75, 85 The Thacher School 104 Trine University 6 Twitter 29, 61, 99 University of Northwestern – St. Paul 15, 76 University of Pennsylvania 33 University of Portland 50, 84 University of San Francisco 51, 112 University of the Pacific 72, 109 Wabash College 74 Washington University in St. Louis 6, 16-17, 31, 57, 91 Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine 7, 49 Westminster College 33 WhiteWave Foods 74 Willamette University 39, 101 Zulily 49

Abercrombie & Fitch 52, 68 Adidas 105 Adobe 20-21, 56, 59, 78 Alliance Health 106 Amazon.com 33 Art Institute of Chicago 24-25, 55, 81 Averett University 32 Banfield Pet Hospital 83 Beloit College 7, 93 Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel 27, 107 Best Buy 82 Biola University 85 Blizzard Entertainment 89 Brown University 67 Carleton College 91, 92-93 Case Western Reserve University 49, 72, 98 Citrix 42-43 Claremont McKenna College 56 Cleveland Museum of Art 50 Colby College 18, 66, 83 The College of Idaho 55, 75, 80, 85 Colorado College 61, 80, 90 The Commissary 37 Cornish College of the Arts 108 Denison University 27, 55, 76, 83, 107 Eckerd College 5 EF Education First 102 Electronic Arts 29 Emmanuel College 76, 109 Emory University 38 Foundry & Lux 79 Franklin Templeton 73, 76 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 82 Furman University 40-41, 83, 86-87 Genentech 27, 53 George Fox University 5, 54 Google 31, 33, 51, 64, 76 Goucher College 54, 109 Hampshire College 52 The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens 10-11 Institute of American Indian Arts 58 Knox College 97 Lewis & Clark College 12-13, 57, 75

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2016

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IN THIS ISSUE: BRAVO IS THE ALMOST QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF

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Meet Our Be-A-Star Winners

A Member of the Compass Group

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Eat Local Challenge: Bumper Crop Edition PAGE 46

LEARN HOW FOOD CHOICES AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY,

New Persian Culinary Training at Bon Appétit

AND YOUR WELL-BEING AT www.cafebonappetit.com

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