Achim Barrow, senior director of dining services

Morrison Living

Texas

Nominator: Rachel Bell, director of communications, Morrison Living

Reason for Nomination: “When the unexpected snowstorm hit Texas in February 2021, Achim Barrow stepped in to make sure the 700-plus residents he serves were as comfortable as possible. Most live in cottages and high-rise apartments; about 100 residents are in the health center.

The storm hit on top of COVID, which turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. They were already geared up for handling the unexpected and making meals for delivery. But with so many people on the team handling new kinds of challenges at home and distancing requirements at work, the added snow and low temperatures, for many, became a nightmare.

The power and water were completely out. So job one was to prepare coffee for about 400 people, who were already getting cold. They used plate burners with propane tanks and melted ice to boil water for masterfully engineered “pour over” coffee pots. Then they took stock of their resources. Beyond Achim and his assistant, they had three cooks and two servers, way down from the typical 16 to 20. Not surprising, actually, since Achim might be the only Texan who has snow chains for his tires. The people who could come in risked icy streets to walk to work, with the roads being generally impassable. Fortunately, COVID protocols had them making cold meals in advance so they already had a supply of sandwiches and salads that they could queue up for delivery. They worked together, along with volunteers from the beauty salon and a few residents to bag meals and deliver them to cottages and the high rises in the community van.

As the blackout continued and the weather refused to improve, keeping their residents hydrated and warm and the facilities sanitary became the most serious concern. It got even trickier when pipes burst and they had to work in several inches of water.

Getting drinking water was their top priority and their delivery hadn’t made its way to the community because of the roads, so it was time to get creative. First, they contacted the Red Cross and FEMA, who promised water and blankets soon. Achim finally connected with a friend at Anheuser-Busch, who donated 400 cases of water—a real score! That was enough to drop a case at each residence on campus (some would have rather had beer).

When a resident told Achim he didn’t have water to flush his toilet, it hit him that they had a pool full of water! It wasn’t long before the maintenance crew started distributing water to each residence in buckets. When they needed more water to wash dishes and sanitize the kitchen, they handed the chef 15 five-gallon water bottles to fill from his tap at his home. Once he got them back to the community, they schlepped them into the kitchen, poured them into pots and boiled them in small batches on click burners—completing that cycle three times a day (we’ve been wondering about his water bill!). It seemed like whatever they needed, they were able to secure, just in time. With the help of colleagues and outside connections, one way or the other, they got the trucks, the vans, the water and supplies that they needed to keep their residents safe.”

Larry Brooks, director of dining services

Spring Lake Village/Morrison Living

Santa Rosa, Ca.

Nominator: Rachel Bell, director of communications, Morrison Living

Reason for Nomination: “Unexpectedly one night, Morrison Living’s Larry Brooks, director of dining services at Spring Lake Village, received a photo of Glass Fire, a ravaging wildfire, within mere miles of the community. Glass Fire’s relentless blaze gave little warning, allowing only one hour for all staff—many of whom were off-duty—to help evacuate residents from the premises. Dee Ann Hyatt, director of human resources at Spring Lake Village, noted Morrison associates ‘were instrumental in our ability to successfully evacuate upwards of 400 residents from our property and over the following days getting all residents to a safe interim location.’

With the guidance and support from Covia’s leadership, Morrison Living’s team dove right in helping in every way imaginable—ensuring rooms were properly sanitized, residents had medicine and clothing supplies to last a few weeks, and that the quality of food served at the Residence Inn met the dietary needs and standards of evacuated residents.

When Larry Brooks volunteered to drive a bus full of 25 independent residents on a 100-mile bus trek from Santa Rosa to Sacramento—residents needed to find a restroom stop. Before COVID-19, a rest area or gas station would have been ideal, but Larry pulled up to his own house; a space he knew was safe and virus-free.

Many members of the Morrison team traveled back and forth from Spring Lake Village in Santa Rosa to the Residence Inn in Sacramento, assisting in all areas and preparing for their safe return.”

Jordan Dicken, food service manager

LifeWorks Restaurant Group

Lake Mary, Fla.

Nominator: Brisbane Vaillancourt, vice president of operations, LifeWorks Restaurant Group

Reason for Nomination: “Our Lake Mary, Fla., account has been open since the beginning of the COVID lockdown. While many dining operations slowed during the pandemic, Jordan’s location saw an increase in participation. The building retained 220 essential workers who were required to come into the office each day. Jordan was tasked with creating a free boxed breakfast and lunch meal program. She and her team of only four staff members needed to swiftly rethink their traditional flow in the café to ensure a safe place for employees to pick up their food while maintaining COVID protocols. They created a pickup spot that utilized the dining area to ensure social distancing and easy, safe convenience for the guests.

In just two days the team transformed from traditional paid service to free food pick up, creating exciting menus that incorporated both hot and cold food programs. While Jordan has no chef on site, she did not back down from challenging herself to provide great offerings for her guests. These boxed meals were not your average continental breakfasts and deli sandwiches for lunch. Total meals served per day increased from 235 to 335. Now, after a year of our free food program, Lake Mary has produced and provided 117,513 boxed meals!

Not only did Jordan rise to the challenge of serving more guests with her small team, she also stepped up to begin assisting the marketing manager to create robust programs for our national sites. Jordan helped to create marketing programs and collateral for Women’s History Month and is working on programs for Asian American Heritage Month and Pride Month. Her ability to seamlessly flex between her operational duties and her newfound marketing duties has truly impressed our entire team. We admire her hard work and dedication to the greater team and our clients.

Jordan’s efforts have impacted overall customer participation and satisfaction within our Lake Mary account. She has also positively impacted her employees, constantly championing for their growth and development. She has one employee who is currently using Aramark’s Frontline Education Program. This employee was the first of two within our broader business to utilize this great program. Jordan is also now impacting our national sites through her efforts by helping the marketing team to push out programs that have received a lot of positive client feedback.”

Monica Henderson, cafe supervisor

Ascension Sacred Heart Bay/TouchPoint Support Services

Panama City, Fla.

Nominator: Ramona Bonny, director of dining services, Ascension Sacred Heart Bay

Reason for Nomination: “Monica gave her personal cell phone number to an elderly gentleman who has been coming to the Garden Cafe for over 10 years. Since he is not allowed in the hospital at this time, he calls Monica daily to place a to-go order off our menu. Monica reads off the menu items, takes down his order, gets it together and packaged and then meets him at the ER entrance to deliver the food to him at 11 a.m. sharp. She has been doing this for our ‘VIP’ for over a year now each weekday.”

Talibah Jones, foodservice worker

Adelphi University/Chartwells Higher Education

Garden City, N.Y.

Nominator: Taylor Ferraro, marketing manager, Chartwells Higher Ed, Compass Group

Reason for Nomination: “Despite having a hearing impairment, Talibah established herself as the real deal here at Adelphi University—a hard worker with an eagerness to learn and grow. Starting as a utility worker in 2013, Talibah has paved her own way as part of the Adelphi Dining team. Once the management team saw her potential, she was quickly pulled from the back of the house, trained extensively with the management staff and a new position was created that she could excel in. First, her role consisted of re-stocking items inside our University Center, which generates $4 million in revenue each year. She quickly learned that an empty shelf is a lost sale and made sure that all shelves were stocked with beverages and grab-and-go items for students, and expiration dates were checked daily. As the management team realized she could handle more tasks, her responsibilities grew and she started taking inventory of the UC beverage coolers. To no one’s surprise, she mastered that task quickly and was then given more satellites to oversee. Today, Talibah is responsible for stocking, transporting and completing inventories for all of our open satellite units across campus.

As we returned this fall after the pandemic and knew that we had to figure out a way to get our students in quarantine their meals, Talibah once again stepped up to the plate. Three times a day, meals get delivered to the quarantine residence halls and Talibah oversees all of that. She is responsible for transporting the meals, making sure that the correct meal gets to the correct residence hall and coordinates with the RHD on duty. At the start of the spring semester, Adelphi implemented mandatory testing for associates on campus. Talibah took it upon herself to assist all of our disabled associates with getting tested. She transports the associates to and from the testing location and makes sure to answer any and all questions they may have about the process.

It’s clear that Talibah takes ownership and pride in the work that she does, making sure that no tasks go uncompleted before moving on to the next one. In total, she has delivered over 300 meals for our students in quarantine and continues to be someone our associates look up to. She’s taken it upon herself to assist employees with arranging transportation to and from work. No matter what obstacle comes along, Talibah steps up to the plate.”

Thida and Abdul Kaadar, cashier and utility

Texas Christian University/Sodexo

Ft. Worth, Texas

Nominator: Swati Bharathi, marketing director, Sodexo at Texas Christian University

Reason for Nomination: “During the snowstorm in Fort Worth in February, Thida and Abdul, a married couple, were severely affected. Their home was flooded from pipe bursts and they had no heat in almost zero-degree weather. Our team provided them with food and supplies, but they only took a few days off to gather their belongings and came to work immediately to help the team out while the campus was closed. Employees were not required to be at work during this time since public transportation was shut down. Their story is quite amazing even prior to the snowstorm. Thida and Abdul came to Sodexo at TCU from Myanmar during the still ongoing Myanmar Civil War. They have overcome so many challenges and continue to show pride in the work they do with a smile on their faces. Our team cannot thank their efforts enough through this challenging time as they get their home rebuilt.”

Terance Jadhad Lee, general manager of retail operations

Faculty Student Association at Stony Brook Hospital

Stony Brook, N.Y.

Nominator: Angela Agnello, director of marketing & communications, Faculty Student Association at Stony Brook University and Hospital

Reason for Nomination: “Terance Jadhad Lee has been in the food service industry for almost twenty years. He has devoted his entire career to hospitality. He earned his Culinary Arts Professional certification at the Essex County Vocational School, where he mastered the areas of institutional food service, culinary arts, hospitality, baking and pastry making. This training gave him hands-on experience working in full-service restaurants, commercial bake shops, professional table service, front-of-the-house management, banquet and catering services and expertise in industry standards, safety and quality workmanship.

Currently, Mr. Lee works for the Faculty Student Association (FSA) at Stony Brook University Hospital as the general manager of retail operations, managing all aspects of patient, guest, visitor and employee foodservice operations. These venues include a restaurant cafeteria for employees and visitors as well as retail locations such as Convenience at the Brook, Jamba Juice, Starbucks, Panera Bread and the gift shop.

Mr. Lee is being nominated as an extraordinary frontline individual for Food Management’s Foodservice Hero 2021 award because he has gone to extraordinary lengths during the pandemic by going beyond the call of duty to serve patients, employees and visitors, making their day better every chance he gets.

At the beginning of March 2020, as many restaurants encountered supply chain shortages, Lee quickly prepared by creating new menus and developing backup plans in case certain ingredients or orders did not arrive on time. He boosted the inventory and met with the facilities team, loading dock staff at Stony Brook Hospital and food suppliers EBP and US Foods to secure multiple tractor trailers at the loading docks. The facilities team provided a special hookup for his electrical needs at the loading dock for the refrigerator and freezer trucks and two dry storage trucks for paper supplies and supplements. Lee was able to avoid supply chain interruptions and continually provide 98% of the food needed as well as all of the paper supplies. He maintained those trucks at the loading dock for four to five months.

With healthcare staff working long hours, it is sometimes difficult to go to the grocery store to stock up on pantry items and grocery essentials for home. Terance helped to launch a mini market just for healthcare workers so they could stop in before they leave for the day to pick up milk, bread, eggs, ready-to-eat meals, pasta, sauce, rice, fresh-sliced cold cuts, cereal, paper towels and other dry and perishable grocery items. His idea for the mini market was to increase morale and make it easier for healthcare workers so that after a long day at work, they don’t have to worry about one more thing when trying to get the basics for their families. The mini market has since grown into a full-service grocery store at the hospital where they not only offer grocery essentials but grab and go meals and noodle bowls.

During the pandemic, Lee maintained staff and adjusted schedules, always pitching in so that others could have time off to spend with their families. During the time period when the executive chef had left, Lee worked as a chef to ensure every COVID patient had their special meals. He worked closely with the hospital dietitian/assistant director of food and retail services at the height of the pandemic to customize up to six smaller meals per day for about six-hundred patients, seven days a week. Lee’s heart is in the right place. He always ensures that Stony Brook Hospital patients receive the best care and meals to nurture their recovery.

Terance Lee motivates his staff to work together. During the pandemic, he redeployed staff to other areas to assist with food production, prep work, meal train distribution, cleaning, sanitation and safety to keep up morale and enable employees to keep their hours and remain employed with their health insurance.

He stepped up in the time of need, making do with minimal resources and found creative solutions to complex problems. Lee put together exquisite holiday meal packages for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day so that hospital staff and frontline workers could enjoy a special multicourse meal that they could order in advance and pick up on their way home. Recently, he organized a weekly farmers’ market inside the convenience store so that local farmers and vendors could connect with employees to purchase local produce and products during their lunch break.

There were some challenges that Lee encountered, yet he still kept all retail services running smoothly. Foodservice employees are essential workers and there was a time when some of the foodservice employees were afraid to come to work because they themselves or someone in their home had underlying medical conditions and they took family medical leave for a time period. Other employees had to remain home to homeschool their children. Some staff were diagnosed with COVID-19 but contract tracing showed it was not contracted from their work environment. One employee passed away due to COVID-19. During these trying times, Lee was there every day filling in wherever needed, showing his love and appreciation for both patients and employees.

While managing the retail venues, Lee has been working with the construction staff and vendors on a $5.5 million renovation bringing major modernization to the main restaurant area with a live action station, new salad bar, pizza station and bakery area as well as an updated hot serving line. Lee helped launch a grand opening for the Mediterranean Nation retail store in August 2020 to provide heart-healthy meals such as Greek salads, hummus and rice bowls, gyros and shawarma.

Terance Lee is always out on the floor greeting healthcare workers, assessing the daily situation and encouraging and showing appreciation for the entire dining team. He has brought positive changes to the Stony Brook Hospital dining program including providing guest chefs, pop-up events, healthy choices, farmers’ markets and holiday menu specials for pickup to provide greater variety, better value and fresh, high-quality standards to exceed the expectations of everyone at Stony Brook Hospital.”

Becky Manalac, patient services manager

Sentara Norfolk General Hospital/Morrison Healthcare

Norfolk, Va.

Nominator: Stefanie Herbert, communications specialist, Morrison Healthcare

Reason for Nomination: “When Becky Manalac, a Morrison Healthcare patient services manager, heard that a patient was going to have an impromptu wedding in the hospital, she did all that she could to make it special. Sadly, the patient was set to be taken off life support that evening, but she had always dreamed of marrying the love of her life. Becky was moved by her patient’s wish and immediately got to work. She bought red roses, a wedding cake and had her culinary team members prepare a delicious meal that included bacon-wrapped filets. Becky also created a space for the patient’s family to gather and watch the intimate ceremony. Becky truly went above and beyond to give a patient the touching experience they deserved.”

Marcia Mathews, catering captain

J&J Depuy/Eurest

Raynham, Ma.

Nominator: Tim Mahon, food service director, Eurest

Reason for Nomination: “I wanted to share a pretty amazing and inspirational story about a couple of team members here in Raynham. Marcia Matthews and Franklin Calle Crespo are two of the most sincere, hardest working people I have had the pleasure of working with in my career.

Marcia actually received a hero award a few weeks ago for going above and beyond; however, this chapter to the story really puts it over the top and shows why Marcia is a hero in every sense of the word.

Frankie and Marcia have started working closely since we opened the new Marketplace and Frankie has even begun cross-training Marcia on the grill station.

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 of 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 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!

(Marcia is on the left in the photo.)

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.”

Jennifer Minichiello, director of dining services,

Brentwood School/CulinArt Group

Los Angeles

Nominator: James Pond, communications manager, CulinArt Group

Reason for Nomination: “When Brentwood School in Los Angeles undertook the task of feeding homeless veterans encamped in a nearby hospital parking lot, Jennifer Minichiello rose to the challenge. She commandeered the production of 1,000 meals per week to be delivered to veterans sheltering in place on local VA campus and another 1,000 meals per week donated to the local Meals on Wheels chapter. Jennifer also assists in packaging meals to be delivered to the homes of the veterans’ families. This just scratches the surface of Jennifer’s commitment to helping others. Throughout her career, Jennifer has maintained a give-back approach to providing food services by volunteering and serving the homeless community. As life would have it, Jennifer also endured a serious medical issue with a family member during the pandemic. As a testament to her fortitude, Jennifer never wavered throughout the ordeal and continues to put forth a monumental effort with the support of her team.

‘Our school’s kitchen staff is currently a tiny crew led by Jennifer,’ says Gennifer Yoshimaru, assistant head of school, ‘but they are “cooking with gas,” figuratively and literally. Their daily efforts on behalf of our school to bring healthy and delicious sustenance to those who cannot provide it for themselves is making a significant difference.’”

John Nason, university sanitarian, Rutgers Dining Services

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

New Brunswick, N.J.

Nominator: Joe Charette, executive director of dining services, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Reason for Nomination: “As university sanitarian, John Nason’s role is to oversee food safety procedures from time of procurement through delivery, preparation and presentation of food to the Rutgers community.

John has been in this role for over 34 years and thanks to his diligence and aptitude with the foodservice system, Rutgers has not had a food-borne illness outbreak throughout his tenure. That is no small feat for a university that serves 6.7 million meals a year!

During this past year, John’s true ‘hero-esque’ qualities were on display. As university sanitarian, he went way beyond his job description to go through all the closed dining operations, daily, to pull needed food for the dining operations that were open. John’s efforts aided in saving precious financial resources for Rutgers Dining Services by securing and delivering the food Dining Services already had on hand. However, more important was the care John directed towards our most vulnerable students living in quarantine and isolation (Q and I). John delivered Q and I meals every day, even in a snowstorm through unplowed roads and parking lots, right to the doors of our students. While most of the university was working remotely in the safety and security of their homes, John put himself at risk to make sure our students who could not leave their residences were fed.”

Modesto Robledo, executive chef

Aramark

Dallas

Nominator: Andrew Webb, food service director, Aramark

Reason for Nomination: “Modesto went above and beyond during the snowstorm that hit the South in February 2021. Our client serves the homeless population in Dallas.

A 24-year Aramark employee, Modesto knew how critical it was for our operation to continue despite the unprecedented weather event. He went to work Sunday afternoon planning for a long week. He made a pallet and slept in the office Sunday night through Thursday to make sure someone was at work in the mornings so our clients and the people they/we serve would have food to eat.

Monday came and he was the only employee to show up for work for the next three days. During that time, he cooked all three meals, working from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day and providing for approximately 400 people on campus. He is always making a difference and going the extra mile!

Modesto takes care of the day-to-day food ordering, receiving of donations, helping and teaching staff and being a mentor to some of the clients in the program.”

Linda Schultz, food service director,

Plainfield (Ct.) Public Schools/Chartwells K12

Nominator: Solange Morrissette, district manager, Chartwells K12

Reason for Nomination: “Linda has been a member of the Plainfield Connecticut Schools family for a decade and a half, but she is not just the director of dining services, she is ‘mom,’ friend, and mentor to her team and her kids.

From the very first day of the pandemic, Linda, like so many others, began working with her team to serve 1,000 breakfasts and lunches a day. She stood outside in the freezing cold and the searing heat but never once stopped smiling. Valentine’s Day came along, and the principals wanted to give the students a much-needed treat, so Linda ordered cookies from her grocery supplier. One week before Valentine’s Day, she was told the cookies were not available. That did not stop Linda, she and her team baked, decorated, and individually wrapped 1,500 cookies! They did not tell anyone that they had to step up and work so hard to fulfill the goal of making the students feel special, they just did it. Linda’s love and leadership were the driving force behind the team’s dedication!

When Plainfield wanted to try and reach more families, Linda came back at night to hand out food while families were on the way home from work. Rather than interrupt family time for anyone on her team, Linda did it herself. She was in early, worked all day, then came back at 5 p.m. to make sure that all members of the community had access to much needed meals.”

Nader Tehrani, director of dining services

The Village at Heritage Point

Morgantown, W.Va.

Nominator: Wilma Sternthal, executive director, The Suites at Heritage Point

Reason for Nomination: “We would like to nominate our chef, Nader Tehrani. During COVID, he continued to offer the same high-quality foods, even prime rib and lobster to our residents while our dining rooms were closed. He was able to guarantee quality and food temperatures even during meal deliveries. He had to adapt on a daily basis, never knowing what food deliveries would come due to limitations during COVID. Also, he managed his staff so well, they may have actually enjoyed the challenges they faced. Everyone felt like a success as we continued to receive emails raving about the food and service.

Taji Tillis, team lead

Almeda Elementary School

Houston Independent School District

Nominator: Betti Wiggins, officer, Houston ISD

Reason for Nomination: “Through her own initiative and with guidance from her supervisors, Ms. Tillis began a weekend micro version of our district greater outreach food distribution for families and students at her neighborhood school. Every Saturday since returning to school from holiday break under Ms. Tillis' leadership, she and her staff have provided 40-pound food boxes for families, including mask, cleaning supplies and seven days of reimbursable meals for students.

What is so commendable about her efforts is she recognized how special the need was in her school community. The school is located in a high-poverty food desert with limited public transportation. Her individual efforts allowed families to walk up and also carpool within the neighborhood to access food and other supplies. She also coordinated program services in the wider school community by communicating to other schools that every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Almeda Elementary School, we are here to serve.

In addition, no matter the weather, every Saturday she provides her staff with a breakfast prior to serving the vehicle lines and a pep talk. She began servicing 57 cars and now she and her staff service more than 200 cars each Saturday, providing 850 reimbursable school meals boxes that contain breakfast, lunch, snack and supper for seven days.

I take great pride in nominating Ms. Tillis who embraces and understands our division's Good Food motto, ‘we solve, we serve we nourish’. She has the making of a real servant leader and is a hero.”