Philip Borsella, cook

Capital One Wilmington Cafe 802, Capital One, Wilmington, Del.

Nominator: Betsy Bernard, sous chef, Capital One

“Always concerned with guest satisfaction at all times. Phil always does his best to make sure the preparation of his food is of highest quality and he takes his job very seriously. Phil knows that repeat business is what we strive for and a happy guest is our true goal!”

Jeffrey Conner, cook

Nike Air Mi St. Louis/Aramark-Nike

Nominator: Ramarco Ford, food service director, Aramark-Nike St. Louis

“Jeff is a great asset to our operation, we can always count on him to follow through with any task given. Jeff is always thinking ahead and doesn't mind given advise on upcoming events and catering we host. With his 30 plus years of experience in the food industry, it's always great to get his input not only on cooking but ways to keep our food safety a top priority. He has been a big part of our last two 100% safety inspections over the last year.” 

Rosa Guia Cortes, administrative support worker

Aramark

Nominator: Sarah Hernandez-Bravo, chef manager, Aramark 

“Rosa has always been there to guide me, assist me, and take on extra work when we were short handed. Rosa even came in to be our cashier to help us out, so our service staid the same.” 

Dez Embrack, chef

Coca-Cola Atlanta/Flik Hospitality

Nominator: Curtis Brauner, experience manager, Flik Hospitality

“Dez is one of the most recognized associates by customers and endlessly provides the highest level of customer engagement. A quote from a customer, ‘Dez (aka Batman) made THE best omelet I've ever had here!! And it came with a bunch of added requests/instructions from me. THANK YOU Dez.’”

Javier Garcia, executive chef

Mobley Cafe, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, West Lake Village, Cal.

Nominator: Lisa Small, senior coordinator building operations, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

“Our cafe primarily caters to our non-profit staff who are only in the building 2x per week. Javier has to creatively and consistently gone out of his way to engage staff to dine in the cafe with new recipes, hosting a farmers market, meal kits, specialty items during the holidays all in an effort to fulfill staff needs insure his staff job security.”

Casey Gokey, catering supervisor

Eurest

Nominator: Mary Beth Toewe, director of communications, Eurest USA

“Casey Gokey began in the industry in a culinary program in high school and pursued her career with Eurest. She has been with Eurest for the past 6 years, starting as a catering attendant. Two years later she started in her current role of Catering Supervisor and Sous Chef for the past 4 years.

Casey’s passion is learning new things, with the most fulfilling part of her job, trying something different and executing it well, and having our guests appreciate and recognize the hard work that was put into everything.

Eurest has a program for frontline, hourly associates, The Global University of Lifelong Learning, GULL. In 2022 Casey graduated from this 16-week program. GULL’s mission is to provide an inclusive, practical, and credible alternative to tradition forms of education and development for our front-line associates. 

Casey shares that ‘this program has helped me see there is so much more than cooking. The program really inspired me to pursue my career in a different direction.’

Our front-line team members are the face of Eurest and make all the difference in creating a great customer experience. Through GULL we can identify those front-line associates that are ready to take the next step in their career, giving them the opportunity to grow while also building our bench.”

Angela Hall, cook

Nike Air Manufacturing Innovation/Aramark, St. Charles, Mo.

Nominator: Derek Winning, executive chef, Aramark

“Angie is a manager's dream. She is consistent and reliable. She wants to do things the right way and will ask questions in order to achieve this. She never complains and always has a positive attitude, even in the face of adversity. If you show her something one time, she will do that way until told otherwise. She is a great team player and will help anyone that asks her for it. Her attitude rubs off on those around her in the best way. The customers love when she is working because they know she will take care of them. If a customer wants a special request, she will do everything in her power to make it happen. She never seeks attention or glory for her work. I cannot say enough great things about her. She quite literally makes my job easier because of the way she works.” 

Geoff Heath-Smith, head chef

Primco Dene, Christina Lake, Alberta

Nominator: Rod Barr, food truck owner, Meat Street Food Inc.

“Chef Geoff has brought fine dining to camps in Northern Alberta and British Columbia. He has brought new items to camp food with a tremendous following from employees who live in these camps. His commitment to providing a premium product with financial restraints shows it can be done. His dedication to feeding people has also been paralleled by his weight loss of 180 lbs. A star who should be recognized.” 

Gwenett Joseph, executive chef

JPMC, Jersey City, N.J. 

Nominator: Elsira Tapia, FSD, JPMORGAN 

“An example of a hard working leader who goes above all to run her kitchen but also making sure her associates are taken care of.” 

Eduardo Labra, lead cook

BVT AirMI/Aramark-Lifeworks

Nominator: Finise Swartz, food service director, Aramark-Lifeworks

“Eddie is a great team player! He goes above and beyond in making sure operation is at its best. He always has a positive attitude at work even in challenging situations, continues to be very supportive to his team and always strives for growth.” 

Shanique Lewin, chef manager

Eurest, Somerville, N.J.

Nominator: Mary Beth Toewe, director of communications, Eurest USA

“Shanique Lewin was recently recognized for all of her hard work, first at a Sous Chef and next as Chef Manager. It was her incredible work opening a new coffee bar and then adjusting the service levels as the population increased which led to her recent promotion leading the Marketplace in Somerville. Shanique has made a tremendous impact leading the team to a 5-star food safety rating followed by a PERFECT DOH inspection. 

Shanique began her career in foodservice in healthcare, where she worked as a Patient Service Manager and was promoted to Executive Chef after 2 years. She started with Compass Group in February 2020 as the Executive Chef at the Somerville location, in NJ. She has been in her current role as Chef Manager for about 10 months.

Shanique shares, ‘My passion is traveling and experiencing different cuisines and cultures around the world. My greatest inspiration is my family and I love doing caterings, this allows me to be creative and have fun with food. Our guests in Somerville are very engaged and fun. They adore our team, and we work on numerous promotions and events each month, keeping it fresh and exciting in the Marketplace.’”

Josue Lopez, chef manager

Siemens/Eurest

Nominator: Mary Beth Toewe, director of communications, Eurest USA

“Josue Lopez was recently recognized for his role change becoming the Chef Manager at our Marketplace in Flanders, NJ when the Chef Manager left with no notice. Since recently accepting the position, he has elevated the culinary program and learned the back-office programs with ease. His engagement and willingness to do whatever is necessary for our business, is so important in delivering a great guest experience. 

Josue started out in restaurants when in high school, He’s been with Eurest for 10 years, starting out as a salad bar prep, in his current role of Chef Manager for a little over 2 months.

His passion is cooking, and his inspiration is to learn new things, acquiring new skills and teaching others the same way he was inspired. A great guest experience starts with the first impression. He loves to always have something new in the Marketplace to get his guests excited.”

Robert "Mel" Melvin, lead cook 

Ocean Spray/NEXDINE Hospitality

Nominator: Crystal Wright, executive creative director, NEXDINE Hospitality

“Robert ‘Mel’ Melvin has worked for NEXDINE for 11 years. During the Pandemic, Ocean Spray was shut down twice for periods of 4 to 8 months, but Mel kept up with his voluntary duties of the past 10 years. Mel donates up to 25 hours a month to the Plainville Cemetery in Marshfield. Mel has been taking care of the cemetery grounds using his own gas and landscaping equipment. Mel was recently awarded the Korean War Vets Association Citation for his continued work at the cemetery and $250 yearly to help with his efforts along with the citation. Mel was also featured in the local newspaper and news for his volunteer efforts.” 

Adriana Mendoza, food service worker

Comcast Inova/Compass Group-FLIK

Nominator: Jeanna Pelliccia, district resident manager, Compass Group

“Adriana goes out of her way to help in all areas in and out of the business. She will go wherever she is needed whenever she is needs. She has Assisted FLIK with Compass and Fidelity and 2 FISD units in the same year. She has been with the company since 2017 and all the customers know her by name. She is a single mom of 3.”

Baylie Nice, food service manager 

Lifeworks/Aramark at Nike WHQ

Nominator: Brian Scarbrough, general manager, Lifeworks/Aramark

“Baylie's dedication to the team is unparalleled. She consistently shows amazing leadership and ways to better our teams efficiency. She has been vital to our teams internal success and in making our client, Nike, happy with our services.” 

Tahiri (Sophie) Orsi Rodriguez, pantry coordinator

Comcast Dry Creek/Compass Group-FLIK

Nominator: Jeanna Pelliccia, district resident manager, Compass Group

“She goes above and beyond. She maintains 18 breakrooms and 1 offsite daily. She bakes customized cakes, pies, breads, desserts and serves on the frontline every day. She is always helping with special events and gives her extra time.”

Krystal Palos, food service manager 

Lifeworks at Nike/Aramark

Nominator: Jason ZIarnik, district manager, Lifeworks/Aramark

“Krystal consistently goes above and beyond to support other sites on campus. Her enthusiasm and work ethic is infectious.” 

Miguel Quinteros, food service worker

Corporate Chefs, McLean, Va.

Nominator: Susan Krynicki, food service director, Corporate Chefs

“Miguel has been employed with Corporate Chefs for more than 17 years. Has a passion for cooking, always smiling. Throughout the pandemic, Miguel was up at 3:30am and came to work everyday. At first, only cooking for a few, however things changed quickly. With return to office, and complimentary service Miguel cooked more than 60,000 meals from scratch last year. Born in Bolivia, and coming to the states as a teen, Miguel learned to cook and started with Corporate Chefs shortly thereafter. In fact, he was cooking at the same location, when he earned his citizenship in 2018. His warm smile, passion for food make Miguel a very popular person to visit for lunch.” 

Rafael Rodriguez, executive chef

Stryker Arroyo/Eurest

Nominator: Mary Beth Toewe, director of communications, Eurest USA

“Chef Rafael Rodriguez’s passion shines through when he is preparing a catering event for a client, or an individual meal for each guest.

Rafael was recognized recently as having shown great ownership, leadership and professionalism supporting two districts in Puerto Rico. Rafael was instrumental in the execution of a Business Plan of one of our largest clients in Puerto Rico, assisting with VIP catering events, new program implementations, vendor management and all operational activities.

Rafael is also a star in his own right, performing on camera live demonstrating a great recipe through our Teaching Kitchen format.

He started in the kitchen at the age of 16 working with friends of the family in a small café and a few years later began studying culinary arts. He is now 27 years in the kitchen!

Making a meal an experience is what inspires Rafael. He loves serving great food in the comfort of an office environment while giving a restaurant experience. It’s like taking something simple and making it spectacular!

‘It is very fulfilling to see our guests happy and confident with what we serve them. It feels amazing when they are willing to eat what the chef recommends because of the confidence in what we do,’ says Rafael

Rafael is a family guy, a BBQ freak with a few charcoal grills, smoker and broiler, always trying to become a Pit Master one day! He is very passionate about food and is working on a personal project writing a recipe book and creating a YouTube channel named #lomejorparalosmios (the best to my people) to include his all-time favorite family recipes.”

Shawn Rodriguez, chef

Gartner Irving Cafeteria/Flik Hospitality

Nominator: Curtis Brauner, experience manager, Flik Hospitality

“Shawn is one of the most recognized associates by customers and endlessly provides the highest level of customer engagement.

A quote from a customer, ‘Shawn was very nice to us and the food was fantastic. I always love coming into the office to experience his wonderful hospitality. He is fantastic and the food is very amazing, as well as his attention to detail.’”

Joshua Smith, assistant director

Universal Orlando Team Member Dining, Universal Orlando Resort 

Nominator: Amy Horrocks, project manager, Universal Orlando Resort

“Team Members who support others Team Members in my opinion are kind of the unsung heroes of larger corporations. With that, Josh supports 300+ Team Members who run the locations who provide to our internal work force. A lot of people think that in Team Member dining are not supporting the Guest, but, their jobs are harder because they are cooking for their own peers and partners. Josh daily, not only supports on the business side which I believe is the easier part of Foods management, but he supports the "people" piece of the role that gets overlooked. Not only does he support a good culinary experience, but he ensures that his team has fun doing it. He inspired his cooks to develop their own recipes - so on a rotating basis each of his cooks creates a dish that is featured every Thursday. What sets Josh apart is that he cares for those he supports, I think it is time he receives the recognition for supporting in one of the most Thankless areas of our parks.” 

Maria Taborda, cook

BASF-Florham Park/Flik Hospitality

Nominator: Curtis Brauner, experience manager, Flik Hospitality

“Maria is one of the most recognized associates by customers and endlessly provides the highest level of customer engagement. A quote from a customer, ‘Well... Maria is one of the few things I missed about the office during the pandemic, so she always deserves recognition. But I specifically wanted to express my appreciation for the chef in the cafe. The food has always been good, but recently it's gotten REALLY good. They had made your own acai bowls today that completely made my day! Plus, the food they're putting out for catering events is next-level.’”

Mercedes Torres, cashier

Johnson Hall/Eurest

Nominator: Mary Beth Toewe, director of communications, Eurest USA

“Mercedes Torres is our George Street plant-whisperer! She lovingly tends to the Farm Shelf plants, prunes, and harvests the crops, and even talks to the plants while she works! Her care and attention are reflected in how bountiful the herbs and plants grow. Her harvest will be included in many recipes throughout the Marketplace, fresh Kale, featured in Mediterranean Kale Salad with Marinated Chicken, the herbs will go into soups and sauces, and the red lettuce will enhance a sandwich from the deli.

Mercedes also knits and sews in her spare time, creating adorable outfits for her dogs, and even knitted pink scarves for the entire George Street team for Breast cancer awareness month. 

Mercedes has been with Eurest for 12 years, working on the New Brunswick, NJ campus for 4 years. 

She is a valuable member of our team, and our guests enjoy chatting with her when they come to the Marketplace.” 

Alberto Vegher, executive chef

Eurest

Nominator: Mary Beth Toewe, director of communications, Eurest USA

“Alberto was recently recognized for his work as the Manager at the Lincoln Marketplace that Eurest recently took over. He has done a tremendous job taking ownership and building relationships with our guests and clients since the transition from another Marketplace. Sales are increasing steadily, and he has shown his commitment to the Eurest standards while creating memorable experiences in the Marketplace and was recently recognized by the Sr. Client for his dedication and hospitality mindset. 

Alberto joined Eurest after more than 20 years in the hotel and restaurant business. He has been with Eurest for about 5 years, starting as an Executive Chef, now in his current position for about 7 months. 

Alberto shares that ‘My passion is and always has been, making sure our guests have a great experience. it is not just the food, but also making sure they feel welcome and taking care of. It starts with a warm welcome and a smile. I care a lot about what I do, and I want our guests to have a great experience. It doesn’t matter if they buy a bag of chips or the special of the week. If they're happy to come in the Marketplace for their daily needs, we exchange a few words about their day, as simple as asking how the weekend at home was or how the kids are doing. Showing them we care about what we do, but also that we care about them. If they come in day after day and they feel happy and taking care of that really makes my day.’”

Jenan Williams, general manager

Carnival Cruise Line/FLIK

Nominator: Francisca Canela, cafe manager, FLIK

“Jenan has been working pretty much throughout the entire time we were shut down during pandemic minus two weeks. She worked alone for a few months. The executives were still coming in the office and she was there to provide that service. She goes above and beyond and then some in all she does.”