Mayerlin Arratea, Grill Cook

Visa/Eurest

Ashburn, Va.

Nominator: Ben Bertholf, Director of Dining Services, Eurest

“Mayerlin Arratea has been a valuable member of our Ashburn Visa location since she joined Eurest in 2017. She lives the Eurest values, and a great guest experience starts with her every day. Guests to our marketplace are welcomed by smiles and songs and all leave happier than when they arrived. Mayerlin has recently entered our GULL program and is excelling in her learning. Mayerlin is always looking to continue her growth with Eurest.

Throughout the last year Mayerlin has gone above and beyond to accept new challenges and help cover other stations when others were out. She enjoys creating and providing the best food possible. She creates beautiful and delicious food and draws from her Peruvian heritage to put her twist on certain items. She is always thinking about how to improve processes and food quality.

Her positive attitude and demeanor create a wonderful working environment and excellent food.”

Mashaye Barr, Executive Chef

T. Rowe Price/CulinArt Group

Owings Mills, Md.

Nominator: John Drexel, Vice President, CulinArt Group

“Mashaye Barr cares deeply about the community and city in which she was raised. To that end, Mashaye spends a lot of spare time donating her culinary and other talents to various charities and causes that assist and support the homeless in the city of Baltimore.

When she is not overseeing daily meal production at T. Rowe Price and mentoring her staff, Mashaye is an Active Advising Board Member of DeaconChef Inc., a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve the homeless community in the Greater Baltimore area by providing resources for health, housing and hygiene that will renew hope for better living.

In 2018, Barr started working with DeaconChef Inc. to assist with Christmas service at the War Memorial Plaza in downtown Baltimore. She was then asked to join as an Advising Board Member, and she continues to support logistics for culinary events.

For example, on the day before Christmas Eve 2020, “I came into T. Rowe, managed my unit, and then went out into the field to serve Baltimore City with some of the most amazing chefs,” she says.

Their mission that day was to support the Franciscan Center and DeaconChef, both nonprofit organizations based in Baltimore, in ‘running’ the center’s first-ever ‘Serving ‘Round the Clock’ food marathon. From 8 a.m. Wednesday until 8 a.m. Thursday, the team of roughly 80 volunteers aimed to serve 2,500 meals. They ultimately delivered close to 2,000 meals, which included a Breakfast-Brunch (vegetable frittata, hash, sausage, and sunchokes) and an Overnight Dinner (brisket, BBQ chicken, Cornish hens, and sides). All meals were served at the Franciscan Center of Baltimore.

Barr spent many hours in the kitchen assisting in meal preparation while also providing the logistics and recruiting the chefs from around Baltimore and the D.C. area.

At other times, Barr took on the project of sewing 270-plus homemade face masks and distributing them to local Baltimore frontline workers, local small business restaurants, the Baltimore homeless population and church/charity collections.

Why is charity important to “’Chef ’Shaye,’ as she is known by staff members? ‘Because my family needed the same help in my earlier years,’ she says. ‘I understand what it was like to go to bed hungry. Everyone deserves a meal and to be served with dignity.’”

Stu Baughmiller, Chef

Sunrise Inn

Warren, Ohio

Nominator: David Mahan, Manager

“Chef Stu has been an extraordinary asset to the Company since COVID. He has worked above and beyond the call of duty to help with the operation of the restaurant. Covers call-offs and covers his staff when they are ill.”

Sally Benda, Food Service Worker

Aramark

Cedar Rapids, Ia.

Nominator: Barb Goersch, General Manager

“Serving over 34,000 meals in 2020, Sally is in charge of this enormous ordering and was instrumental in the ease of transition to pandemic operations. Sally has been a leader in the Cedar Rapids market during the entire pandemic and led her team in getting their vaccinations.”

Tom Bille, Foodservice Director

Johnson &Johnson Depuy/Eurest

Raynham, Ma.

Nominator: Tim Mahon, Food Service Director, Eurest

“Not only is Tom a reliable and incredible team member here at Johnson & Johnson Raynham, he also celebrates his 18th year with Eurest.

Out of those 18 years, I have worked with Tom for close to 10 of them. From CVS and Boston Scientific to new openings and J&J, Tom has always been such a pivotal part of our region. To cap it off, I had two separate guests compliment Tom within the last few days. One of the compliments came from the J&J director of customer experience, who came through the new Marketplace for the first time since we re-opened. She was ecstatic about not only the sandwich she got but Tom’s overall customer service. We are so very fortunate to have Tom a part of the team. Keep up the great work & thank you!”

Rajiv Chanda, Senior Operations Manager

Compass Group

COMPASS GROUP

“ONE OF THE BEST OPERATIONS MANAGERS IN COMPASS GROUP.”

Jake Cohn, Lead Food Service Worker

LifeWorks Restaurant Group

Virginia

Nominator: Matthew Smythe, Vice President

“Jake has been able to balance his work on site as a leader in our regular LifeWorks operations while dedicating time to volunteer with Hatch Helps, a program within Hatch Kitchen in Richmond, Virginia. Hatch Kitchen is a business that grew out of a need for shared kitchen space that promotes community and growth for those looking to build and sustain a business in the hospitality industry. Their mission is to inspire innovation, enable growth and promote community within the food and beverage industry.

Hatch Helps is an official affiliate of World Central Kitchen; locally, Hatch Helps is providing healthy ready-to-eat meals to the surrounding Richmond communities that have been designated as a USDA food desert, and to provide food and support for the Greater Richmond community that was impacted by COVID-19 in 2020. The program is able to function primarily due to local donations and volunteers.

While our staff continued to work from home, we found ways for our team to volunteer in the community. Jake has become the leader for Hatch Helps and manages a team of eight LifeWorks volunteers to include menu development, requisitions and production. He has embodied what it means to serve with passion and has implemented that passion to deliver on the mission to help heal and feed our local community.

While our staff continued to work from home, we found ways for our team to volunteer in the community. In October 2020, the supervising chef for the program was called back to his position, creating an opening for leadership. Jake stepped right in and has become a key part of the operations. Jake completes a weekly menu from donation items that are on hand as well as providing a requisition list to the director of kitchen operations, Ryan Evans. Jake will plan a two-week menu as he leads the weekly production teams.

‘He’s been a great asset for us, and Hatch Helps wouldn’t be what it is without him,’ Evans says.

To date, the team lead by Jake has volunteered over 644 hours and created over 7,380 meals for Richmond communities in need.

The volunteer efforts from Hatch Helps have recently been featured on Positively Richmond (WRIC ABC 8 News), as well as Richmond Magazine.”

Franklin Calle Crespo, Manager

Johnson &Johnson Depuy/Eurest

Raynham, Ma.

Nominator: Tim Mahon, Food Service Director, Eurest

“Frankie unfortunately lost his Father who lived in Ecuador to COVID in 2020. Due to the pandemic, Frankie was not able to travel and see his dad before he passed away. Fast forward to today and Frankie’s mother is currently battling breast cancer and also lives in Ecuador. It has been a huge strain on Frankie; however, Frankie continues to push through. A couple weeks ago while cooking and talking to co-worker Marcia, Frankie opened up about his family and mother and how he wishes he could get home to see them during this difficult time but can’t due to his current financial situation and timing. Marcia, who has a heart of gold, took matters into her own hands and started a Go Fund Me page for Frankie.

Word started to get around through the site leads, manufacturing and social media. Marcia set the goal of $5,000 and it’s ending up closer to $10,000! Seeing team members, friends, clients, guests and peers come through during these difficult times is truly inspiring and heartwarming. Today at pre-service, Marcia presented Frankie with this incredible news!

The icing on the cake is after so many years of hard work and commitment, Frankie officially became a US Citizen on Wednesday February 24th.

A story like this, not only makes me so very proud of being a part of the Eurest team but shows us that amazing things can happen when people come together!”

Dimitri Douglas, Utility

National Institutes of Health/Eurest

Bethesda, Md.

Nominator: Anna Mariani, Marketing Specialist, Eurest

“We in the foodservice industry are familiar with the power of culinary binding agents: eggs, flour, and so on. For Eurest Dining Services at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dimitri Douglas, our utility associate, tops our list for binding everything together: unpacking product deliveries, stocking, dishwashing, deep cleaning, delivering prepared food to guests, etc. He was our go-to guy pre-pandemic, and he’s our go-to guy twofold now. Pre-pandemic, all eight of our NIH campus locations relied on Dimitri—he handled everyone’s requests, no matter the task. If he was expert in the request’s scope, it showed; if someone asked him to do something new, he tried without hesitation, thinking creatively and tapping into his sheer resilience.

At the pandemic’s outset, Dimitri’s role morphed into one of jack of all trades. Throughout the pandemic, the hand he’s dealt continually changes, and his role morphs again and again. And Dimitri adapts—again and again. Here’s a peek at his ever-changing hand: delivering pre-ordered food across campus to ensure the success of our mobile app, setting up and breaking down our outdoor summer barbeques, delivering retail product to and stocking our three open marketplaces, delivering hot food bowls to one marketplace and grill items to another, and serving as a key player in large-scale clean-up efforts as we prepare to further reopen our business. After all that, without complaint, he ends each day in what most consider the unenviable role of pot-washer. Dimitri, though, is our utility extraordinaire—and it shows in the cleanliness of our kitchens and the high scores of our audits.

Here’s Dimitri’s secret to success: he’s at once a one-man show and a quintessential team player. He rises to the occasion, regardless of whether he’s asked. He takes initiative to help others in those rare moments that he’s free, and he feels badly when the opportunity doesn’t arise. Even on the toughest days, Dimitri is positive and upbeat—a walking pandemic morale booster. Amidst the pandemic, our team is closer-knit than ever, in large part thanks to Dimitri. He does everything for everyone everywhere, lifting our collective spirit in the process. Dimitri’s our everyday hero, and it’s his helping hand that binds us.”

Chris Gersch, Chef Manager

Firmenich/Eurest

Plainsboro, N.J.

Nominator: Eric Marks, District Manager, Eurest

“During the pandemic Chris’s Marketplace has never closed. Although population dropped by 50%, we had to lay off 75% of the team at Firmenich. We also implemented mobile and self-check-out technology during the pandemic

Chris and his remaining team never wavered during this time. His and their commitment to taking care of their guests during these unprecedented times needs to be recognized. He has a can-do attitude. His client and customers are huge proponents of Chris and Eurest.”

Edwin Gonzalez, Cook

Aramark

New York, N.Y.

Nominator: Anthony Fuscaldo, General Manager

“The news is always critical, but during a global pandemic, it was absolutely essential. Our New York City client continued to report and broadcast throughout the pandemic and we needed to be there to help them get the job done.

A 15-year veteran of Aramark, Edwin Gonzalez was the cornerstone of this New York operation at the height of the COVID outbreak in an area of the country that for weeks had the highest number of cases nationally.

During the beginning stages of the pandemic, from March to August 2020, Edwin was shuttling boxed meals for our client’s crews from their headquarters across town three times daily, seven days a week.

Edwin would start at 3:00 a.m., set up the deliveries and then deliver them across down. During these critical six months in 2020, he never missed a day and was on time will all deliveries.

The impact of Edwin’s dedication and hard work was also instrumental in us reopening the kitchen to supply box meals to the client team. Since reopening in 2021, we have produced record sales and double-digit profits.”

Clayton Lawrence, District Manager

Eurest Northeast Region

Nominator: Lee Ann DiBiase, Wellness Director

“Clayton is the consummate professional. He is a Northeast district manager and the point person for the CVS Health portfolio. During this year he was responsible for the transition of Aetna marketplaces from Flik to Eurest, a daunting task. His ability to juggle all of the responsibilities of these roles is amazing. In any week you can find Clayton supporting a marketplace, helping to coordinate a video, merchandizing products, even breaking down and closing marketplaces. Clayton's easy manner and respect for all creates a great team atmosphere in his district. We all know he is there to help and provide leadership. It has been a pleasure having the opportunity to work with Clayton on several projects and each time I learn something new.”

Paul Listenberger, Food Service Director

LifeWorks Restaurant Group

St. Charles, Mo.

Nominator: Travis Judah, General Manager

“Paul’s site has been open through the pandemic and has been short staffed for most of the duration. This site is open seven days a week and for almost 20 hours a day. Paul has never complained and has just pushed through the daily issues.

Paul has created an open communication relationship with the client and works days, nights and weekends when needed to support with staffing challenges. In partnership with Chef Earl Nicholson, they do whatever it takes to get the job done and keep the clients happy. Also, they received a 100 on the St. Charles County health inspection in March 2021.

Even though Paul is 2,000 miles away from our account management team at our client’s world headquarters in Oregon, he is making an impact through his leadership. He has set an example with his professionalism and creative ideas to engage their guests during these times of restrictions. Paul is a strong leader who manages courageously and has a “can do” attitude that helps his team through the highs and the lows.

Additionally, Paul and Chef Earl handle their business on their own with little support needed from the staff team. Currently, they serve about 700 guests a day as well as multiple clients.

As Food Service Director, Paul oversees the entire location, which is a satellite location from WHQ. He is responsible for the financials, client engagement, on-site employment relation issues, audits, hiring, training, safety, forecasting, QBR work, labor, watching food cost and ensuring COVID-19 protocols and safety standards are followed.

Paul is remote from our account management team at our client’s world headquarters in Oregon, since his location is based in St. Charles, Missouri. He and Chef Earl have instilled trust that they will get the job done without additional on-site help. They’ve been fully operational throughout the pandemic, with free food for all guests and still excelling while facing numerous challenges.

Edith Morales, Cook

Micron Technology/Eurest

Virginia

Nominator: Adam Hughes, Food Service Director, Eurest

“Edith is the team member that everyone wishes they can have! She is here every day with a positive attitude and a work ethic like no other! She knows and can do any and every job in the marketplace. As soon as her daily responsibilities are done, she is moving on to help the next person or working on a task that needs to get done.

The customers love Edith and the food she makes. She has Micron people from other sites that will come in to seek out what Edith has made for the day and when she makes her papusas, we will have customers come in on their days off to get some!

There aren’t enough words to say how great and special Edith is how much she means to the Marketplace at Micron. All I know is the Marketplace at Micron would not be the same with Edith!”

Edward (Earl) Nicholson, Executive Chef

LifeWorks Restaurant Group

St. Charles, Mo.

Nominator: Travis Judah, General Manager

“Chef Earl’s site has been open throughout the pandemic and has been short staffed for most of the duration. This site is open seven days a week and for almost 20 hours a day. Chef Earl has never complained and has just pushed through the daily issues. Also, he delivers outstanding food and always tailors to the consumers’ needs.

Chef Earl has created an open communication relationship with the client and works days, nights and weekends when needed to support with staffing challenges. He also flipped menus back and forth to client’s request. Additionally, he worked an entire weekend to ensure that SOPs were being met when they were requested to do a special event. In partnership with Food Service Director Paul Listenberger, they do whatever it takes to get the job done and keep the clients happy. Also, they received a 100 on the St. Charles County health inspection in March 2021.

Although Chef Earl is 2,000 miles away from our account management team at our client’s world headquarters in Oregon, his leadership can be seen and felt by our account management team at our client’s world headquarters in Oregon. Chef Earl is an extremely strong leader and has a way of using his words to inspire his team through the toughest of times. He is professional, reliable and responsible, while at the same time creating an atmosphere that his associates love to return to every day.

Additionally, Chef Earl and Paul Listenberger handle their business on their own with little support needed from the account management team. Currently, they serve about 700 guests a day, as well as multiple clients.

Chef Earl is remote from our account management team at our client’s world headquarters in Oregon since his location is based in St. Charles, Missouri. Along with Paul Listenberger, they have instilled trust that they will get the job done without additional on-site help. They’ve been fully operational throughout the pandemic with free food for all guests and still excelling while facing numerous challenges.

In addition, one of the clients wanted to pass on his compliments to Chef Earl. He said: ‘Lunch was delicious, especially the cauliflower steak.’”

Jessica Palmeri, General Manager

Melbourne Orlando International Airport/Metz Culinary Management

Nominator: Maureen Metz, EVP, Metz Culinary Management

“With sales plummeting during the initial months of the pandemic in airports and many airport concessionaire across the country temporarily halting their operations, Jessica stepped up to provide continued service to our airport partner, often times working in an hourly role to ensure the operation ran smoothly.”

Vince Poole, Chef

Eurest

Orlando, Fla.

Nominator: Mary Alice Tharp, District Manager

“Vince is an extraordinarily talented chef who has been with Eurest for over six years in various capacities and locations. From chef tables and deli to catering, grill and large catered events, he is always the first to volunteer not only with ideas but much of the workload. Vince is always positive and sees each and every task through with a smile and overly excited attitude that all his peers relish. Vince is a graduate of the Eurest Culinary Academy and has won over many clients and customers with his chef tables. Vince deserves to be recognized and all accolades that go along with it!”

Paula Popma, Grill Cook

Aramark Business Dining

Minnesota

Nominator: Derek Salazar, District Manager

“Paula Popma has worked with Aramark since June 2020. Paula started her position in the middle of a global pandemic and has embraced all the twists and turns of the past year with a smile. Paula brings positive energy to work every day and goes above and beyond to take care of the customers. If you listen while she’s cooking at the Grill, you’ll hear her singing along with the music in the Café!”

Stephanie Pruitt, Foodservice worker

2400 Marketplace/Eurest

Charlotte, N.C.

Nominator: Erin Lamberti, Food Service Director, Eurest

“Stephanie has truly amazed us during COVID. I could not have asked for a for a better hourly associate to partner with during this time. Stephanie never complains about going the extra mile, whether it is supporting our corporate account with offsite catering or the district with any needs in the account, such as staff coverage, openings, culinary, etc.

She is a jack of all trades and has held positions—without question—of barista, catering attendant, culinary prep, cashier, line cook and assistant manager. She has supported Morrisons, Canteen, 3M, TIAA and 24Hundred during these trying times.

Stephanie is an example of consistently delivering superior service. Beyond being a hero, she is definitely an extraordinary frontline associate!”

Danny Santiago, Food Supervisor

Sodexo

New Jersey

Nominator: Emmanuel Bouan, VPO - Global Strategic Account Director

“Danny was the calm in the storm. He never let his service to the guests slip. His attention to detail was an enormous part of why our operation was successful with all the COVID protocols. He is unselfish in his attitude on a professional and personal level.”

Jose Santiago, Foodservice Director

J&J San Lorenzo/Eurest

Nominator: Jennifer Sanchez, Resident District Manager, Eurest

“Jose was recognized by the J&J client due to his efforts for always providing a great service despite the site limitations and challenges.

A few words to describe Jose: Dedicated, Available, Patient, Example and Develop Winning Teams!”

Joseph Tate, Foodservice worker

Blue Cross Blue Shield/Eurest

Durham, N.C.

Nominator: Michael Mahony, Executive Chef

“Since day one Joseph has gone the extra mile to ensure guest satisfaction. Whether it was a simple box lunch catering that he set up to look like an Architect Structure Presentation or a Board of Directors High End Event, positive feedback was always sent my way after the events. Joseph has never said no when asked to perform a task, no matter what position it is or which Marketplace it would be at. Joseph is an extraordinary associate and I believe it's natural for him to perform at a high level.”

Gaudencio Vasquez, Prep Cook

TIAA/Eurest

Charlotte, N.C.

Nominator: Hannah Grutza, Manager, Eurest

“The entire management team would like to nominate Gaudencio Vasquez at 19505. Since the pandemic happened, he has gotten to work more one on one with our executive sous chef, Marisa Chesley, and his quality of food has improved immensely. He is truly a team player and helps in every way possible, from taking out the trash to working a station when someone is out. He is excellent about following the recipes and asking for feedback on his food taste and presentation. He is definitely a staple in our kitchen, and we are all very grateful to have him here!”

Jason Wallace, Executive Chef

Lowe's/Eurest

Mooresville, N.C.

Nominator: Rory Meyers, General Manager, Eurest

“Jason has been the textbook definition of a professional since the beginning of the pandemic. Early on at the start of the pandemic, Lowe’s had set up a seven-day-a-week Command Center here supporting the various departments and stores nationwide, and Jason essentially was here with them providing great meals. He even said to me that his intention was making sure they were well fed with an ever evolving menu to help keep their morale high considering the extraordinary task they were facing, but also because they were away from their families as the rest of the world was locked down.

As time has passed until this point Jason has continued to be innovative with his menus, creating  an outdoor BBQ series last summer that helped make it feel somewhat normal for the Lowe’s team. He featured a different holiday dish daily during the month of December that highlighted cultures from around the world, and a Mardi Gras themed menu that guests still are talking about.

But what really stands out is Jason’s commitment to our team and his work ethic. Due to our staffing levels dropping to basically a line cook and himself, Jason has become the chef, line cook, prep cook, kitchen steward and dishwasher. And, throughout this whole time, Jason continues to maintain above par sanitation, cleanliness and organizational standards, all while smiling under his mask.”

Bianca Williams, Lead Cook

Aramark

Chicago

Nominator: Jason Borah, Food Service Director

“Bianca’s commitment to her community is unparalleled and exemplifies Aramark’s ideals of community engagement. Whether at work or away, she is actively engaged in community building for the betterment of all.

In the Community:

• Volunteer leader of organized marches against violence in the City of Chicago.

• Her group, Organizers for Change (OFC), hosted community givebacks every weekend during this period, providing food, clothes, baby products, and resources for the community.

• Bianca and OFC partnered with the U.S. Census to encourage those from neighborhoods with low participation to be counted in the census.

• During periods of unrest in the city, her OFC team reached out to provide a delivery/errand service for the elderly who could not get access to medicine or food on their own.

• Bianca led OFC in collecting donations to provide food and groceries for households whose children were impacted by school closures.

• Bianca personally launched a business called Millennials with Purpose Inc. Her business seeks to educate the millennial generation on investing, finances, land banking, forex, budgeting, debt management and maintaining good health.

At Work:

• Bianca brings creative collaboration. She is a South Chicago native who worked at her account with an incumbent provider prior to joining the Aramark team. She really understands what the guests want in terms of service, product mix, menu development, and culinary spotlight.

• Bianca is an engaged leader. Whether she is drawing from her wealth of experience to teach a team member new skills or using her infectious sense of humor and demeanor to lighten the mood, she is always demonstrating her leadership abilities to create a more cohesive and engaged team.

• Bianca displays reliable honesty. From sharing best SAFE practices to calling out areas of improvement, you can always be assured that she will be sharing her authentic and meaningful feedback as well as offering solutions to make our operation run as efficiently as possible.

Bianca sets the bar high for the team in civic responsibility and helps to align co-workers with groups where they can participate and make a difference in their community, including Aramark ERGs.

With Bianca on staff, we have forged a stronger connection with our client. Over the last five months, Bianca has helped increase sales week over week by over 30%. Through targeted outreach, she has driven a sales increase of almost 15% through driving additional visits and average check in the last 90 days.

Bianca is responsible for day-to-day culinary operations at our client’s Chicago assembly plant. Her huge smile and thoughtful creativity extend across the entire district, though. Daily, she prepares food onsite and oversees the culinary program for her account, including compliance, ordering, and inventory. Bianca also has direct oversight of food service employees.”