Stephanie Clay, FSD

Jerome Idaho County Jail/Summit

Nominator: Barry Goold, director of operations, Summit

“Stephanie Clay not only runs her own kitchen in Jerome Idaho, but she helps out with all of Idaho, Washington and Oregon on interviews and hiring.”

Barbara Fee, FSD

Nez Perce County (Idaho) Jail/Summit.

Nominator: Barry Goold, director of operations, Summit

“Barb’s kitchen is the perfect example of what Summit represents. She is committed to excellence in all areas of her kitchen.”

Juan Iturbe, catering manager

Kellogg West Conference Center and Hotel, Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, Inc.

Nominator: Aaron Neilson, director of hospitality, Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, Inc.

“Our hospitality services staff, like so many food service operations across the country, were not immune to the impacts of the pandemic as 96% of our staff were furloughed, which reduced us to 25 from 650 in March 2020. Prior to the pandemic, Juan managed catering out of our retail division and had grown that business significantly during that period.

During the pandemic, Juan worked with the remaining team serving the nutritional needs of the handful of students who had nowhere to go when the stay-at-home order came down. Juan developed strong relationships with the Basic Needs Community on our campus, was instrumental in significantly expanding our take-home turkey dinners program for Thanksgiving and introduced a Holiday Ham take-home dinner for the Christmas holiday. The touchless drive-through pick-up system he created ensured the safety of his team and the safety of our customers in a quick, seamless process.

His introduction of a dinner donation option and connection with the campus Basic Needs group fed 237 families at no cost to them over the holidays and generated much-needed revenue for the company. 

In February 2021 our campus was fortunate to host a mass vaccination site. With a mere 72-hour notice, Juan and his team were able to set up a feeding program for the essential workers at the remote site and delivered nearly 1,000 high-quality meals per day to the site for over 11 weeks. The vaccination site was a blessing, as it allowed us to return a number of staff who had been furloughed due to the pandemic.

Juan is indeed an Unsung Hero!”

Stephanie Mello, banquet supervisor

Honey Creek Resort/Delaware North, N.Y.

Nominator: Alex Beltran, executive chef, Delaware North

“Stephanie always goes out of her way for each group we have in-house, whether it is a wedding of 350 or a small banquet of 20. Stephanie always makes sure every guest is taken care of to the smallest detail. She gives each contact her personal cell so they can reach her at any time for their event. If they want something we do not have, she does her best to make sure we get what they want. She always makes sure the photographers and DJ get their own meals for weddings, plus makes separate meals for bride and groom for late night. She tries to make everyone's experience a great one. We also do a weeklong fishing trip for disabled veterans, and she has come to those on her own time after her shift to hang out and socialize with these heroes who have been injured fighting for our liberties.

She always in a good mood and positive to lead her staff and set example of the standard we want all our employees to be like.”

Christopher Pulling, executive chef

Wisconsin Center District/Levy

Nominator: Bernhard Trivalos, culinary chef, Levy-WCD District

“Chef is the hardest working chef that I ever had the pleasure to work with. He has a very kindred soul.”

Gary Thomas, senior traveling corporate executive chef

Miami/Shipboard, Royal Caribbean International

Nominator: Ivy Nevares, senior technical writer, Royal Caribbean International

“A 13-year career veteran at Royal Caribbean International, Senior Corporate Executive Chef Gary is responsible for overseeing the world’s largest culinary operation at sea. 

He leads the brand’s culinary teams, setting standards of excellence onboard by mentoring the 7,000-strong culinary crew throughout the 25-vessel fleet. He is also responsible for newbuild ships, leading training in all the galleys and assisting with their designs, in addition to all the operational complexities that come with leading the team. This year, he’s responsible for the culinary operation of the 40 new restaurants that will soon debut on the world’s largest cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas, including Royal Caribbean’s latest concept: The Mason Jar Southern Restaurant & Bar.

And when the global pandemic set in, Chef Gary further answered the call of duty by serving as acting culinary director, helping the company navigate the cruise industry’s most severe crisis to date. He worked closely with shoreside leaders and healthcare experts to ensure the health and safety of guests and crew alike. Sensing the challenges ahead, he called on his best executive chefs to create a culinary taskforce to provide the fleet additional support during its healthy return to service, all while facing worldwide procurement issues head-on around the clock. He also created the Culinary Academy at Sea during this time—Royal’s first in-house certified culinary training program recognized by the Bahamas Maritime Authority and the Maritime Labor Convention. 

Chef Gary’s passion and reverence for his profession is reflected in the strength of the teams he leads. An ardent advocate for ethics, inclusion and career advancement, he plays a significant role in improving ship life for more than 75 different nationalities. He knows his teams by name and skill set and is a firm believer in building bridges to bring people together.