Shawn Balduff, senior supervisor

Bartlesville (Ok.) School District/Sodexo

Nominator: Lauren Stuart, general manager, Sodexo

“While Shawn's primary job is trainer, safety coordinator and ServSafe proctor, he is willing to do whatever the team needs. He will help serve breakfast at one school, lunch at another, provide safety training and onboarding for new team members and also administer ServSafe exams. He will also cover kitchen supervisor positions when we have a kitchen supervisor out. He is a hero because of his positive attitude and willingness to do anything in order for the team to be successful. No matter how long a day is, Shawn remains committed and positive!”

Jessie Bennett, CNP manager

Greenville Middle School, Butler County (Ala.) CNP

Nominator: Linda Perdue, CNP director, Butler County CNP

“Jessie Bennett has been a hero of Child Nutrition for for 35 years, and is about to retire from our system this summer. She has truly been a champion in our program helping to serve our students.”

Sherry Benton, assistant manager

Riverview (Pa.) School District/Metz Culinary Management

Nominator: Larry Stelitano, district manager, Metz Culinary Management

“Sherry is the embodiment of a food service hero. She has been an employee of Metz Culinary Management for 13 years. In that time, through hard work and merit, she worked her way to the top and currently serves as Assistant Manager at Riverview School District.

I have never seen an employee wear so many hats and have the ability to execute each role with precision and true passion. On a given day, Sherry is the site manager, satellite program coordinator, prep cook, cook, caterer, cashier, and dishwasher, among other tasks. We have been short-staffed for the entirety of this school year, and she has absorbed the responsibility of these vacancies without question or complaint. I have never met anyone more prideful, dedicated, and hardworking. Her standards are top-notch; she settles for nothing less than perfect. Honoring Sherry as a food service hero would be the perfect way to show her how important she is and how truly appreciated she is by the Riverview School District and Metz Culinary Management!” 

Elizabeth Bowlin, cafeteria manager

Robert E. Lee High School, Goose Creek (Texas) Consolidated ISD

Nominator: Roshelle Stevenson, assistant food service director, Goose Creek Consolidated ISD

“Elizabeth is an all around Food Service Hero. She has a deep passion to see students eat good, healthy food. Feeding the students and seeing them enjoy the food is her number one priority. Elizabeth was promoted to manage the third largest high school in the Goose Creek CISD this year. She stepped in and under her leadership, meal participation has increased, food quality has increased and staff morale has increased at that campus. Elizabeth leads with passion, determination and extreme attention to detail. She has no problem staying late or coming in on the weekend to make sure the kitchen looks its best and is operating at optimal performance.” 

Amy Carol, RDN, MBA, coordinator, food & nutrition services 

Lee County (Fla.) Schools

Nominator: Michele Clark, account manager, National Food Group 

“Amy never gives up. She and the team in Lee County schools (Florida) have been faced with significant challenges the last few years: from the pandemic in feeding their community in 2020, losing their distribution partner in 2021, supply chain nightmares in 2022 and at the beginning of school year 2022-23, Hurricane Ian wrecked the progress they had made recovering from everything else. Amy just keeps going for the sake of feeding the children in her county. I work with many foodservice directors in the US and not many compare to Amy's perseverance.”

Rachel Coe, food service supervisor 

Excelsior Springs (Mo.) High School/Aramark 

Nominator: Stephanie Navinsky, FSD, Aramark

“First, she is extremely dedicated and hardworking. She is extremely organized and focused on continuously learning and developing best practices to manage routine activities both efficiently and effectively. She brings a positive high energy and a personal touch to the team! When I started as FSD, she was the first to help show me the developed processes and procedures they learned over the years in their areas. It was more work for her, but she cares about the team as a whole and our success and that thoroughly impressed me. That helped tremendously and helped the team to high functioning much quicker, rather than scrambling to orient ourselves. She is behind every new objective and always supporting and driving the goal of feeding the students. She is a consummate picture of a leader!” 

Anthony Dodson, food service manager

Jennings (Mo.) School District/Aramark

Nominator: Edith Crossland, food service director, Aramark/Jennings School District

“Tony is dedicated and passionate about students' nutrition. He has shown his support by traveling to other accounts within our region to ensure students are fed and that they walk away with a pleasant experience. Tony continues to demonstrate his passion for student nutrition by sharing his culinary skills, abilities, and talents throughout the district and community, i.e., caterings and training other managers with food prep, taste, and presentation.” 

Brittany Fields, production kitchen manager

Round Rock (Texas) ISD Production Kitchen/Aramark

Nominator: Marcus Lopez, unit finance manager, Aramark-Round Rock ISD

“Brittany has consistently gone above and beyond the call to provide excellent customer service and leadership throughout the year. She is pivotal to our central kitchen success, coordinating deliveries of bulk and singular items to campuses for service success; she has led her teams and our onsite food service managers through operational excellence by demonstrating a deep knowledge of frontline operations as well as big-picture vision for each individual site. She has stepped into every role on her team to help complete projects, including being a driver for delivery routes, completing pallets for deliveries to schools, separating individual items for schools, providing excellent customer service to the innumerable phone calls and e-mails she receives each hour and being a positive, hard working, determined leader to each of us in the production area.

This is clearly evident when, during the ice storm Texas experienced in early February of 2023, Brittany coordinated, delivered, and helped set up various grab and go stations throughout the district so families that did not have power would at least have something to eat during those hard times. She is nothing short of inspirational in her work ethic and empathy.”

Angelica Gomez, high school manager

Dalhart (Texas) ISD High School Cafeteria/SFE

Nominator: Ernest Fernandez, GM Food Service Director, SFE Dalhart ISD

“This nominee always does a great job with the staff meals to the teachers and client. Serves the students with passion and pride.”

Kristen Hamburg, food service director

Cayuse Prairie (Mt.) School District 10 

Nominator: Mandy Korver, school nurse, Cayuse Prairie School District 10 

“This is her first year as a FSD and she jumped right in with no training and is doing a fantastic job. She truly goes above and beyond for the children and staff at this school “

Rene Hannah, kitchen manager

Harper Jr. High, Davis (Cal.) Joint USD

Nominator: Sande Royval, student nutrition secretary/union president, Davis Joint USD 

“She always goes above and beyond to turn commodity food into an enjoyable, nutritious and delicious food experience. She roasts veggies to enhance the taste, she has a beautiful salad bar every day and she knows the names and needs of her Jr. High students. She has purchased bikes for Christmas gifts for needy students as well as giving, showing and teaching students about integrity and respect for all. The students are so lucky to have her as their lunch lady at Harper Jr. High in Davis, California.”

Caitlin Harrison, director of food service

Elmbrook (Wisc.) School District

Nominator: Kaitlin Tauriainen, child nutrition coordinator, Ashwaubenon (Wise.) School District

“I met Caitlin in 2006 when we were both Freshmen at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. We were both pursuing a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. Like the majority of our classmates, I had a strong drive to go into clinical dietetics. Caitlin, however, had wanted to work in Child Nutrition/Food Service from day one. She firmly and outwardly advocates for her beliefs to feed ALL children healthy meals. She works closely with her students to develop new recipes, and advocate for anything they could need during the school day. Caitlin has worked in two school districts, sharing her wealth of knowledge, professionalism, and wisdom with many students and staff. She is currently the SNA-WI president, and has served on the SNA-WI Legislative committee. Caitlin helped local legislators author the Health Meals for All WIsconsin Bill, and is currently a member of the Healthy Meals For All Coalition. She goes above and beyond every day in her profession to help fuel our future!”

Alicia Herman, food service manager

Huntington Middle School, San Marino (Cal.) USD

Nominator: Munira Bengali, director of food services, San Marino USD

“Alicia Herman is an exemplary employee who serves her middle school students with love, respect and a smile. She serves over 1,000 meals to two sites from a small facility. Alicia has a go-getter attitude and she is an amazing leader and role model to her staff and students she serves. Never misses a single day of work because she knows how important it is to feed young minds. Always very respectful to the students and models good behavior. Her cafeteria is clean, organized and anyone can come in and start working without much help. She is a hard-working individual that always strives to do better and sets a high expectation for herself and raises the bar for all. An unsung hero who never wants to outshine her peers and always gives credit for her work to others around her. A true leader with a heart of gold.”

Regana Jennings, floating manager

Dinwiddie County (Va.) Public Schools

Nominator: Marion Elder, director of school nutrition, Dinwiddie County Public Schools

“I nominate Regana Jennings. I have been employed in Dinwiddie County a few days shy of a year. Since my time here, Ms. Jennings has made my transition here very pleasant and smooth. She has assisted me from initially driving me around the county to show me the schools, introduced me to my new team, assists with menu planning and just to "stop by" my office to see how I am adjusting while offering words of encouragement each time I see her. She has embraced me as her new supervisor and has gone above and beyond to ensure the operations of our school meals program are run efficiently and effectively when I am out of the office. She put the small "fires" out before they get to me as she knows my schedule is very busy. Recently, I was out due to an illness and my husband had a major medical situation, both within days of each other. During this time, Ms. Jennings assumed the role of supervisor without me having to ask. She placed orders, substituted at locations as needed while she too wasn't feeling her best, yet, she NEVER complained. Ms. Jennings is a great asset to me, our team and to our school division and do not take her contributions to us for granted.” 

Veronica Kiff, School Way Cafe manager

Spruce Creek Elementary School, Volusia County (Fla.) Schools

Nominator: Heather DeMeola, School Way Cafe director, Volusia County Schools

“Ms. Kiff, a School Way Cafe Manager, recognized a fellow co-worker was choking on 3/2/2023. Ms. Kiff did the Heimlich maneuver to help the co-worker breathe and dislodge the item. She is a hero for preventing something that could have been tragic. She is a daily hero serving our customers but also a hero saving a life. She is an example of doing whatever it takes and being a servant leader!” 

Christine Kunnmann, district manager, Whitsons

Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland County (N.Y.) Schools

Nominator: Marie Lane, general manager, Mt Sinai UFSD, Whitsons

“She is my district manager, and she goes above and beyond for her entire team 180 days of the year. She is available to us 24/7 and she makes what we do a lot easier and is always there to support us in whatever we need. She is what allows us to get the job done each and every day no matter what the struggle or success. We (her team) could not do what we do for all of the students we serve in all of the 22 school districts that she oversees/manages without her support. She brings out the very best in all of us and it shows in the quality and pride of all that we do each and every day. She is hands on, and I don't know how she manages to do all that she does each and every day in addition to always being there when we (the team) need her, and she needs to be recognized for all that she has done for us each and every day of every school year. She is a Whitsons Food Service Hero and we are so very blessed and lucky to work for her and Whitsons each and every day. We would not have it any other way.”

Christy Lucas, multi-site supervisor

Fremont, Robberson, Truman & Weller elementary schools, Springfield (Mo.) Public Schools R-12

Nominator: Kim Keller, director of student nutrition, Springfield Public Schools R-12/Aramark Student Nutrition

“She always goes above and beyond to ensure her students and her four teams are taken care of. She is multi-site supervisor over four elementary sites. She is organized, she is a patient, encouraging and gracious trainer and coach to her team and district. She is always the first to volunteer for pilot programs and is always looking for ways to increase participation in our programs. She always faces obstacles or opportunities with a smile and can do attitude. Her teams love her and would follow her anywhere!”

Michele Pischl, food service director

Arcola Middle School, Methacton (Pa.) School District/Aramark

Nominator: Leslie Vernacchio, food service manager, Eagleville Elementary School, Methacton School District

“Michele had started working for Aramark last March 2022, as a Food Service Manager. She took on the Director role in August 2022 because our director at the time resigned. She was faced with a staff member passing away on the job, several staff members quitting and we were, and still are, very short staffed across the board. She has had to learn her job duties, as well as fill in for staff that is out or just filling in because we can't seem to hire people. She has gone above and beyond to keep this school account for Aramark and I do not feel she is being noticed for it. Most people, doing everything that she is doing, would have already quit, but she continues to move on facing each challenge with a non-stressed approach. She is always calm no matter who is mad or not happy with her decisions. I believe she is most deserving of recognition.”

Jan Rabe, safety & operations manager

Mattoon (Ill.) School District #2/Aramark

Nominator: Molly Smith, director, Aramark

“Jan ties Aramark to the community in so many different ways. Her passion to work with several different key players within the Mattoon community and tie that back to Aramark with the services we provide has really helped define our relationship with the district. We are not just seen as Food Service Providers in Mattoon, but also as community/culture connectors. She's always coming up with unique, out of the box ways to deep-dive into how we can develop better programs for the students. We've really gone through chaos within this industry over the past several years, but she has played such a key role in still focusing on Aramark's relationship with the district.” 

Doreen Raymond, kitchen manager-PIC

Richardson Olmstead Middle School, Easton, Mass.

Nominator: Linda St. Hilaire, general manager, Whitsons

“Doreen Raymond is a town employee managed by Whitsons. Doreen willingly follows all of Whitsons’ policies and procedures everyday. She takes pride in her work by providing the best meals possible following recipes and standardized guidelines to the book. I have only had the opportunity to manage Doreen for this school year and have found her to be pleasant and agreeable daily. Doreen often offers extra support when needed within our district. Treating everyone like family is second nature to Doreen, she has an exceptional rapport with her team as well as the faculty and students in her school.” 

Kelly Ritchy, food service manager

Beckemeyer Elementary School/Aramark, Hillsboro (Ill.) Community School District No. 3

Nominator: Scott Williams, food service director, Aramark

“Kelly services her students everyday with a smile. She understand the needs of her community and works to make sure they are met everyday. When all of the staff in the district food service department retired or resigned last fall Kelly stepped up to make sure we were able to serve kids and both schools in the district. During a leadership change she has gone above and beyond to help new leaders understand the community and ensure all appropriate paperwork and planning have been up to date.”

Kay Rodgerson, cafeteria manager

New Haven Elementary, Boone County (Ky.) Schools

Nominator: Diana Alvey, cafeteria manager, Boone County Schools

“Kay goes above and beyond to make sure her students are happy and that the food quality is always there.”

Michelle Saletan, operations manager

Charleston County (S.C.) School District Nutrition Services

Nominator: Michelle Mustian, nutrition services officer, Charleston County School District 

“Michelle started in this role about a year ago and has add her passion to serve students and the love of food to every aspect of her job. She brings that enthusiasm to every school she goes to and tries to get everyone just as excited as she is. She has taken the role of posting on social media for our department to the next level and shows care and concern about keeping the parents informed with all the "extras" that we do for the nutrition service department and ‘Keeping the Students at the Heart of Out Work’.”

Michael Simoncini, food service director

Little Egg Harbor & Pinelands Regional (N.J.) School Districts/Nutri-Serve Food Management

Nominator: Marsha DeVos, accounting specialist, Nutri-Serve Food Management

“Mike goes above and beyond to provide excellent service to the students of Little Egg Harbor and Pinelands Regional School Districts. He is creative, upbeat, and dedicated to the students, faculty, administration, and fellow team members. He fosters an environment where everyone feels seen and heard. Mike is always thinking about how he can improve his program, from the food and the presentation to the quality of service. Students enjoy music as they make their meal selections in a place where they are made to feel special and can enjoy their lunch. Mike and his team have created the whole package and have one of the cleanest kitchens and serving lines you will ever find—a real example of what a program could be and should be. He and his team show immense pride in what they do, and they do an awesome job every day. Mike is one of our best examples of what a food service director should be.”

John Tamraz, director of operations

Food2You Inc., Chicago 

Nominator: Greg Ingles, founder, Food2You Catering Co.

“I strongly recommend John Tamraz as a Foodservice Hero! He is the ultimate hard working professional and makes everyone's life better just by knowing him! Food2You Kids Catering Company delivers hot breakfast and lunches to 6,500 kids in Chicagoland every day in preschool and daycare centers around the city. John has worked with me for nearly 10 years and he continues to enhance our business and strengthen relationships with our clients. He arrives at 5:30 a.m. every morning and starts supporting the kitchen and driving staff until everything is out the door for the day. His bubbly personality is really what the employees respond to the most about him—he’s ALWAYS in a good mood and he deals with problems or challenges realistically and in a team manner. He’s really the glue that holds the whole team together—he’s the one who keeps everything and everyone running and makes sure we all have what we need to get our individual jobs done.

AND THE CUSTOMERS ADORE HIM. Literally. Again his personality forges a bond with the customers that you don’t normally see at other companies—he is real, honest and an overall superstar with all the customers.

John has worked his way up through the ranks, starting as a driver and cook to the Director of Operations position he holds today. Please consider John as one of your heroes! He is so deserving and we would be so appreciative!”

Karly Wasung, director of child nutrition services

Child Nutrition Services Central Office & Kitchen, Vista (Cal.) USD

Nominator: Dave Palmer, owner/chief marketing officer, Dunk Tank Marketing

“Karly started in her position as Operations Manager, and within 60 days was serving as Interim Director when the Director was out on Parental Leave for 90 days. She led the department seamlessly during a challenging time of students returning from Covid and the massive staffing and supply chain challenges facing school districts. A year later she returned to the Interim Director position when the Director left for another district, and this time was promoted to the Director role permanently. The staff has rallied behind Karly and responds wonderfully to her leadership and insight. Her ability to lead amidst change and uncertainty is remarkable.”

Tim Williams, food service manager

Springfield (Mo.) Public Schools/Aramark

Nominator: Joyce Lancaster, unit controller, Aramark

“Tim is always willing to help do what the team needs even if it doesn't fall under the schools that he oversees. He brings a feel of teamwork whenever I have had the privilege to work beside him.”

La-Shunda Young, floating manager

Meridian (Miss.) Public School District Child Nutrition Department

Nominator: Louise McPhee, child nutrition director, Meridian Public School District

“La-Shunda's initial responsibility as a Floating Manager is to sit in and manage a team in the absence of a Cafeteria Manager. La-Shunda sits in and carries out all duties including paperwork for Managers during their absence. La-Shunda also assists with duties such as District Food Service Inventory, Food Orders, USDA Inventory Maintenance, Team and Cafeteria Recognition Days. 

La-Shunda gives assistance to Team Members and Department Leaders in Professional or Personal needs when necessary. She is supportive of days of importance to Team Members such as birth of babies/grandchildren, employee birthdays, weddings, illnesses, etc. La-Shunda makes sure that whatever event is being held in the name of the Child Nutrition Department represents us well. She is an asset to our Team.”