Tyler Bringhurst, foodservice director/executive chef

Netflix/Thomas Cuisine

Nominator: Brittany Bringhurst, foodservice director, Thomas Cuisine

“Tyler's account closed in 2020, and that same year he supported a hospital in Washington, ground zero for COVID outbreaks, Evergreen Medical Center. He supported staff there for over three months. When he returned to Salt Lake City he supported Salt Lake Regional Medical Center, working every possible position to keep the patients and guests fed. He is now the food service director and executive chef feeding the employees of Netflix here in Salt Lake. He makes a new menu for them daily, all items are made from scratch, including Sourdough bread, with his own starter, house cured bacon and ham, Peking duck, prime rib French dip with house made ciabatta, just to name a few. Also did I mention that he runs this account by himself, no one to do his dishes, no prep person, no one. He is a staff of one and pushing his culinary limits as well as physical limits at work every day. On a personal note, not only is he a talented chef he is an amazing father to two little girls, Isabella, 10, who has Down Syndrome, and Celeste, age 4.”

Michael Brown, kitchen utility lead

Chartwells Higher Education at Northern Kentucky University

Nominator: Michael McIntosh, executive chef, Chartwells Higher Education at Northern Kentucky University

“The world is a very different place now, but one thing that has stayed constant is Michael's commitment to our students, our company and to fellow associates. Each and every day Michael has risen to the challenge of the everyday staffing struggle of a post pandemic food service, under adverse circumstances most of us never imagined possible. While supervising the utility department at Northern Kentucky University, he is mentoring and coaching four mentally challenged associates in his department. This is not a one-off semester program, he has been doing this for seven years now. On his personal time, for the past 32 years, Michael has found the time and patience to coach inter city youth football, 4-6-year-olds. 

It is truly humbling to witness Michael’s commitment to the department, self-sacrifice and resilience. Michael has never missed a day of work over the past year and has consistently stepped up to cover other department needs for labor. For all he does and continues to do, I want to express my gratitude and nominate Michael Brown for a truly unsung hero's commitment.”

Dorothy Cadet, controller/registered dietitian

Aramark, Lewisville (Texas) ISD

Nominators: Raymond Danilowicz, resident district manager, Aramark at Lewisville ISD; Allie Blimline, marketing & communications manager, Aramark

Raymond Danilowicz: “Dorothy Cadet epitomizes an individual who has gone ‘above and beyond’ to impact not only the food service operation that she works in but the community that it serves. First, she is an exceptional employee in the Lewisville Independent School District. She started in LISD as an Aramark area manager overseeing school meal programs in 14 schools.  While serving in this capacity, Dorothy completed her requirements to become a registered dietitian and was promoted to a dietitian’s position managing menus and nutritional needs of students at all 40 of LISD’s elementary schools.

She is currently the finance manager for the entire LISD Child Nutrition Program. In addition to going above and beyond every day in her various managerial roles, Dorothy is one of the district’s lead volunteers involved in multiple ways in serving the entire Lewisville community.  Dorothy serves as the lead coordinator of the informal North Texas Hunger Council, which is made up of a group of churches, volunteers, non-profit organizations and public agencies all committed to reducing food insecurity in the 13 North Texas municipalities served by LISD. The NTHC meets virtually every few weeks to identify food deserts, and people and places that may need support in procuring food, especially when our schools are closed and not serving meals to economically disadvantaged children. The group makes sure that areas of need are identified and that the resources of all the NTHC groups are spread efficiently and effectively to serve these needs. In addition, Dorothy oversees the maintenance of a map accessible by the public to all the places where free food and meals are available to families that need them.  Dorothy is also the leader of Aramark’s ABC Day initiative and has led efforts to support non-profit organization Journey to Dream and JTD’s Kyle’s House, which serves as a refuge for homeless and at-risk teenagers.”

Terri Flanagan, cafeteria director

Assumption Academy, Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio

Nominator: Karen Atwell, assistant cafeteria manager, Assumption Academy

“Terri heads a cafeteria without any walk-in coolers. Our commercial refrigerator/freezers are old, and despite several malfunctions each of the last two school years, Terri doesn't complain, but quickly comes up with an idea to place the food elsewhere while repairs are made. With supply chain shortages, she weekly conveys to our parents what to expect in the coming weeks.  Sometimes parents are frustrated and can be short with Terri. She smiles at them and listens patiently to their concerns. Terri's door is always open to everyone, such that teachers, staff and students all know her. She works tirelessly as she battles two cancers, and never misses work.  She is a true Superhero. Did I mention she started a recycling program at school? We have gone from filling up three large black garbage bags to one, each day!”

Amy Gibbons, district manager

Alamogordo (N.M.) Public Schools/ K12 By Elior

Nominator: Jennifer Dodd, vice president of operations, K12 By Elior

“When Amy heard about the devastation caused by the McBride forest fires at the neighboring district of Ruidoso Municipal Schools in New Mexico on April 12, she sprang into action to help the district team with whatever they needed. Amy met with the leadership at a neighboring district and requested permission to use their vehicle to travel to Ruidoso Schools to get the $26,000+ in Ruidoso district commodities inventory relocated to a safe space by using their freezer and dry storage area. They were happy to offer their support and even offered extra staff to help Amy and team with the monumental tasks of relocating almost 300 cases of food to safe keeping. Amy also reached out to the Red Cross, Mountain View Church and the Village of Ruidoso to see how K12 by Elior could support the community during this trying time. She also offered to assist displaced staff from the Ruidoso foodservice team in a hotel on behalf of the team to ensure they had a safe place to stay the night as the fire raged on. Her efforts to serve others during this trying time were greatly appreciated.”

Robert Grotha, district executive chef

Parkway (Mo.) School District

Nominator: Savannah Viernes, marketing manager, Parkway School District

“District executive chef Robert Grotha –– affectionately referred to as Chef Rob –– consistently steps up to the plate when challenges arise. He is the first to arrive for prep each day and the last to leave. He always has a smile on his face and prioritizes engaging with students, school staff and teammates. When he isn’t helping in the kitchen, Rob takes on many roles, including organizing menus for the entire district, hosting in-person and virtual cooking demonstrations, and organizing food truck and catering events. When the school district bread delivery truck broke down and was unable to bring the necessary items, Rob hopped in his truck, picked up the bread on the side of the highway, and hand-delivered it to every school to make sure they had their product in time for lunch. Rob’s dedication, commitment and loyalty to his position make him a School Lunch Hero.”

Barbara Langston, dishwasher

Ascension Sacred Heart Bay/Touchpoint

Nominator: Ramona Bonny, director of dining services, Touchpoint

“We had a patient who was very malnourished and was to be started on enteral feeding. Our lead dietitian entered the recommendations. After she had left for the day, the MD asked that the feeding be started. Nursing contacted her saying the formula ordered was not on the floor, so she called the kitchen, but it was too late, the team had left for the evening. Living an hour away she decided to call Barbara Langston, a long-time employee who works in our sanitation department. Barbara was not at work but without hesitation, jumped in her car and headed to the hospital. She retrieved the formula and delivered the bottle herself to the nurse. The patient was able to start on the much-needed nutrition that night thanks to her.”

Megan Larson, marketing manager

South Bend (Ind.) Community Schools

Nominator: Tanera Winters, district manager, Chartwells

“Megan Larson, the Chartwells marketing manager at South Bend Community School Corp, brings innovation and inspiration to her team and community. Serving the community is at the core of Megan’s marketing strategy and inspired her to launch a podcast to highlight the hot topics in food both in and out of schools. She even partnered with Chef Ken Acosta to create a fun, informative presentation on how to cook on a budget for Notre Dame and St. Mary’s students. Megan helps make special days memorable for students and created Cat in the Hat parfaits as part of a National Reading Day celebration. Whether she’s pursuing strategic partnerships or creating fun events, Megan’s innovative thinking positively impacts everyone around her.”

Steve Maeshiro, kitchen manager

Uala Leaf Café, Windward Community College

Nominator: Daniel Swift, executive chef, Windward Community College

“Chef Steve Maeshiro launched our Meals with a Mission Program at WCC in an effort to combat student hunger on our campus. His goal was to first raise funds via our campus Ambassador program and then to use those funds to begin providing meals to our at-risk, low income and other students while here on campus. During the pandemic Steve also initiated and coordinated a pickup system with our student services office that allowed for a curbside pickup of weekly lunches. To date, the Meals with a Mission program has served nearly 10,000 meals to students in need, and it is now a model for other campuses on our islands to emulate. We are exceptionally proud of Steve and feel he is a Foodservice Hero!!! At least he is to us.”

Dawn Mansfield, FSD

Summit, Gladwin Michigan

Nominator: Mary Dryburgh, district manager, Summit

“When we lost an FSD in a location seven hours away from Dawn's unit, she immediately stepped up and volunteered to help. The unit is in a very remote are of the UP of Michigan and hard to staff because of it. For several weeks now, Dawn has been working seven days a week at times. She is running two units and keeping the inmates fed and the clients happy with her amazing communication and work ethic. Her teamwork and dedication to Summit is exemplary, we are truly grateful for efforts.” 

Brendan McCormack, operations manager

Fort Pickett/CulinArt

Nominator: James Pond, communications manager, CulinArt Group

“A long-time CulinArt associate was assigned to oversee special feeding operations for refugees following the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer.

Brendan McCormack served as CulinArt’s manager of the special services operations at Fort Pickett in Blackstone, Va. The team of 140-plus associates served breakfast, lunch and dinner for 3,500 refugees, averaging 10,000 meals a day.

Chefs directing culinary operations included Joe Ball, Jack Yuksel and Ryan Farrell, with assistance from Ryan Deutsch. Front-of-house supervision was provided by Andres Marsh, Hector Monges, Hugo Serrano, and Eliza Cruz.

The food served was authentic Afghan cuisine with some American items, like French fries and pizza, mixed in. The meal service was prepared in two dining tents which were joined to a main kitchen tent that, McCormack says, was roughly the size of a football field and operated 24 hours a day on two shifts.

McCormack, who trained at culinary school in Ireland and also trained in Switzerland, joined CulinArt 1997. He worked two decades’ worth of summers at Playland Park in Rye, N.Y., and also spent time at Con Edison and PSEG, and in other accounts and emergency services activities.”

Eric Montell, executive director

R&DE Stanford Dining, Stanford University

Nominators: Tejas Barve, senior general manager; Jackie Bertoldo, associate director of nutrition & food choice architecture; Jose Camacho, hospitality supervisor; Daniel Donguines, executive chef; Mary Duch, senior general manager; Ebru Epir, senior general manager; Michelle Ihrig, hospitality supervisor; Lee Levig Jr, executive chef; Adrian Macabenta, sous chef; Diane Mavica, assistant director vendor management; Calvin Membreno, foodservice coordinator; Michelle Palermo, equipment program manager; Alice Pyo, sous chef

EDITOR’S NOTE: Eric Montell received over a dozen nominations from members of the Stanford University Residential & Dining Enterprises (RD&E) team. The individuals with their titles are listed above. The nomination text below is from the one submitted by Jackie Bertoldo, which FM editors felt best encapsulated the arguments made in the other nominations.

“Eric Montell, Executive Director of Stanford Dining, is one of those people who makes excellence look easy. He leads an incredibly dynamic and complex organization, where needs change rapidly and decisions are never simple, always requiring careful thought and consideration as to the potential impacts. In many organizations, leaders at Eric's level don't have the will or capacity to be on the ground, shoulder to shoulder with frontline staff. But Eric finds a way to meet people where they are, listen with empathy to their needs, and act with intention to create a positive environment for staff, students and the broader community. There is no greater example of his tremendous leadership than what was on display during the pandemic, where he worked countless hours long into the night and early mornings to find creative ways to keep our staff employed, our students fed and our community safe. Eric always seemed to be two steps ahead of the next curveball we would be thrown, envisioning new procedures and programs like our CleanDining initiative, which became a model and benchmark of how to mitigate COVID-19 risk across university foodservice. Even as COVID and contact tracing took out entire work groups of staff, Eric kept our organization afloat, all while supporting the needs of students for healthy, delicious meals that became the highlight of an otherwise isolating and challenging time. Eric ensured that our staff felt safe at work and appreciated for their efforts to feed students, introducing regular employee appreciation efforts like sending coffee carts to all of the dining halls, providing boxes of food and produce for staff to take home to their families, and finding ways for staff to gather safely outside to build community. Even during these difficult times, Eric inspired our teams to produce exceptional quality food. In fact, many students remarked how the food in the dining halls helped them get through the isolation and challenges of the past two years.”

Maria Munoz-Jillani, production supervisor

Via Christi-Ascension St Francis Hospital/Touchpoint FNS

Nominator: Carla Kinney, associate director of food & nutrition, Touchpoint

“Where to start? Maria is our production supervisor with her main job duties being purchasing and inventory for our unit. But that does not stop her from making up her own job duties list, which includes…well anything that needs to be done or worked on. No dishwasher, Maria is there; cashier goes home sick, Marie is there; short a lead in retail, Maria is there to help; vender shorts us hummus cups, no worries, Maria has them made, packaged and labeled to sell. Produce recall late Saturday night, she has us covered from the start to the final details—no stock room person to put away the truck, there she is.  

There is no task too big or too small for Maria to jump in and help. Maria is multilingual and helps associates with benefits, schedules and pay in a way they can understand and be understood.

The last few years life has brought many, very tragic, episodes to Maria and her family, but that has not stopped her from coming to work every day with a smile and a firm friendship for her teammates.  She is also the first person to reach out and help any teammate who is going through a tough time or needs a helping hand. It is hard to put into words what Maria means to us.  

MARIA IS A TRUE HERO TO OUR TEAM!!!” 

Mizel Poindexter, lead

Palm Lake Elementary School, Orange County (Fla.) Public Schools

Nominator: Natasha Perinchief, multi-unit manager, Southwest, Orange County Public Schools

“Mizel is a lead at Palm Lake Elementary School in Orlando, Florida. As a lead Mizel not only serves his students nutritious, safe, quality meals each day, he deeply cares for each student and supports them by giving each student a smile and encouraging word if he notices a child is not their normal self. Mizel takes the time to get to know the students, their likes and hobbies and concerns. Mizel wants desperately to ensure each student receives breakfast and lunch, so he created a survey to ask students what they like and dislike about school lunches. This survey was helpful in letting food and nutrition know what students are wanting to eat and how we can better serve them. Mizel is not just passionate about feeding the students, he wishes for each one to be successful in all their studies and pass all tests. Each year we have state testing and students get nervous during this time, so Mizel took it upon himself to organize a state test pep rally. He invited NFL player Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to come, and he did! Mizel and Ha Ha each spoke to the children and encouraged them to do their best! This pep rally was a huge success! The students were energized by Mizel's enthusiasm and support, and the parents were excited and grateful to Mizel for creating the rally and giving their children a positive look at state testing. Mizel goes above and beyond for his students each day and is truly a school hero!”

Judy Reep, foodservice hostess

Southwest General Hospital

Nominator: Curtis Gray, foodservice director, Southwest General/ABM Healthcare

“Judy is always kind and courteous to every patient and staff member. The other week however, she went above and beyond for a stroke patient who was feeling anxious due to her expressive aphasia. This patient has a very hard time communicating verbally but could understand most of what was being told to her. Judy first asked if it was okay to come in during our speech session to ask the patient what she wanted for meals the following day. She then asked the therapist what the best way to communicate with her was (i.e. short directions, choices, etc...) Judy then took the extra time to talk slowly, give choices, and repeat things as necessary for this patient in a way that was effective, but didn't make the patient feel like she was any different due to her speech issues. Instead of the patient feeling anxious about her stroke and her speech, she appeared confident and laughed with the therapist and Judy. It was truly nice to see this patient relax a little bit as she had been very anxious and tearful during her stay due to her stroke deficits. Judy goes above and beyond for our patients and helps them feel comfortable during a stressful life event.”

James Richards, RDM

Humboldt Dining, Cal Poly Humboldt

Nominator: Kye McEdward, retail director, Humboldt Dining

“We got a new boss in January 2021. Nobody knew who he was or what he was like; in fact, we got a comment from our DM saying, ‘I found a guy, I just want to make sure he is a good fit,’ and then we heard nothing for months!

In comes James Richards from Bon Appetit in Iowa. The first thing this guy does is thank the team, thanks us for all the work it took to get us open after COVID. And that was it, he went off to his meetings.

The next time I saw James it was in the dish pit of our dining hall, sleeves rolled up, schlepping plates and dumping cups, filling bus tubs and taking plates from our guests. That hits you kinda different, when a guy drives to work in a Mercedes Benz and wears a suit, and he is willing to jump in any position!

And that is who James is, he is the guy who we all look up to when things get tough. He is the guy who lives the attitude of gratitude. 

I would like to nominate James Richards for recognition. The team at Cal Poly Humboldt is a gosh darn machine, and we owe that to him. Currently its Spring Preview and I am typing this between waves of customers coming into our dining hall. James is out there on the floor, talking to parents, assisting every associate who needs direction. This man lives the example that we all follow, and he brings the best out of each of us in a way that has resulted in a dynamo of a leadership team. We can accomplish anything, we can do whatever we set out to do, we have a James Richards. 

We are proud to call his man our RDM; we are immensely proud to report to this complex each and every day and give hours of our lives to a mission we all believe in. I know in my heart I have the best boss I could ask for.”

Cynthia Robinson, cafeteria manager

John A Baker Elementary, Prosper (Texas) ISD/Aramark

Nominator: Ashley Gannon, principal, Prosper ISD

“Ms. Cynthia not only feeds our students' stomachs every day, but she also feeds their souls. She knows all students by name and their families. Throughout the last few years, life has been difficult for everyone, but our cafeteria has not skipped a beat. All students were fed whether they were in-person learners or virtual learners. When school was shut down, she was here working every day providing meals for students at home. She trained new staff members because consistency in employment was an issue. Cynthia also has created a positive environment for our students in the cafeteria. One of our kindergarten students calls her the President of the Cafeteria, because she goes above and beyond making sure all kids are eating. Every Thanksgiving, she hosts Grandparents/Special Friends' Day for our school and community. We have over 1,000 visitors passing through the cafeteria to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with their students. Everyone felt so welcomed because of her. She helps us find families that might need financial assistance to help feed their children. One of our parents describes Cynthia: ‘She does so much for our kids to keep them healthy, happy, and academically on target.’ Students can struggle with eating at school because they may not have the money to purchase food. She makes students feel comfortable talking with her, so there is never a day a student is not eating. She truly makes our school a better place because of her dedication, passion for food and children, and compassion. Without Ms. Cynthia our students would not be able to learn. They would not have the energy to persevere through the day.” 

Eduardo Sanchez, executive chef

Carnegie East House/Morrison Living

Nominator: Robert Nussbaum, DDS, Morrison

“Eduardo Sanchez is the executive chef of Carnegie East House. He started here shortly after the beginning of the pandemic after his job was shuttered by the lockdown in NYC. Eduardo had never worked in healthcare but brought with him an abundance of hospitality experience and a great attitude focused on learning as much as possible in the shortest amount of time about this segment of our industry. We turned over about 95% of the staff due to problems caused by the pandemic in a two-month period and struggled to replace personnel. Eduardo was instrumental in keeping our operation running, all the while raising our standards of food quality and customer service, and implementing food safety standards that helped our facility to have a 0% mortality rate from COVID. These were just some of the factors involved in Eduardo’s success here, all the while becoming a resident fan favorite whom the residents seek out daily to give their compliments and special requests. Eduardo has set an example of excellence and professionalism which has an enduring effect on our staff and has built a strong foundation for those of us, here at Carnegie, to continue and build upon.”

Paul Siegrist, senior cook

Ascension St. John Broken Arrow Hospital/Touchpoint Support Services

Nominator: Amanda Jacobs, director of dining services, Touchpoint Support Services

“When interviewing food service associates, it is common to ask about the importance of teamwork or for an example of when they were a team player. Paul has lived up to and beyond any example anyone could provide. Paul starts each shift with a hello to each member of the team, asking them about their weekend or their evening before. Paul never comes into work having a bad day and if he notices someone is, he will go above and beyond to turn it around. Paul has worked overtime for the past nine months to make sure there is someone to cook for our patients. Paul will come in early, stay late, anything that is needed to get the job done. Paul never goes a meal service without telling his team members that they are doing a great job. During bad weather, Paul stays at the hospital to make sure he is here for his shift but to also cover other shifts if his team members can't make it safely into work. Paul loves to tell stories, make his teammates laugh, talk about superhero movies, etc., anything to make his teammates have a better day. Paul takes true pride in his work, always making sure his food is tasted by himself and others and checking in to see what his patients are commenting on. Paul will never tell another team member no, always going above and beyond to help anyone who needs it. He also enjoys teaching others what may be an easier or more efficient way of chopping or cooking items, but always does it in a friendly way to be truly helpful. These actions are under-the-radar to our patients, but never go unnoticed by me. He makes each day brighter for our entire team and I am so grateful to have him on our team.”

Stephani Stark, cook

Sodexo/McKendree University

Nominator: Chandler Morley, general manager, Sodexo

“This letter was received from our assistant vice president for student affairs on 3/28/2022.  What perfect timing to highlight Stephani Stark!

From the desk of Jennifer Miller:

‘I am writing this letter to acknowledge the above and beyond measures that Stephani Stark takes with the students at McKendree University. Stephani knows our students better than anyone else on campus and is a vibrant part of the McKendree University campus and culture.  Students have selected Stephani to become an honorary member of Phi Eta Sigma as well as the subject of articles for the school newspaper. Stephani can be found at many afterhours activities on campus. She supports our student athletes at many of the home events as well as many of the local away events. You can also find her in the theater in the evenings of events, supporting the theater and musical groups on campus. Stephani is often in attendance at these events as the students personally invite her to attend.

Stephani's involvement does not stop with the extracurricular events; her involvement goes deeper into the lives of the McKendree community. Stephani opens her home to those that are not able to travel home for the holidays so they are able to enjoy a good home-cooked meal.  

As assistant vice president for student affairs, I am incredibly involved with our students, especially new students and the problems that our students face. I want to highlight a special encounter that I had with Stephani this past January. I had gone to the airport to pick up a new international student who had traveled about 22 hours by the time she was picked up at the airport. Her luggage did not arrive as she had rescheduled flights in Germany. The student had no bedding, clothing, etc. for her new campus apartment. I reached out to Stephanie. Not only did she provide bedding, which was waiting at the door of the student’s apartment, she also provided some comfortable clothing for her to wear.”

Barbara (Barbie) Thomas, foodservice retail manager

Ascension Sacred Heart Bay Medical Center Panama City/Touchpoint

Nominator: Steven Wilkins, senior general manager, Touchpoint Support Services

“Recently, Bay County Florida experienced some very serious forest fires that destroyed hundreds of acres of land and homes in the area surrounding the hospital. This affected several of the staff and people in our community. Barbie took it upon herself to secure a hotel room for a member of the food service staff who was forced to evacuate her home. She also provided them food and drinks during their stay to help them offset some of their expenses. Barbie also went to the local evacuation shelter to offer any assistance. She ended up going to the local dollar store to purchase out of her pocket games, coloring books and other items for the children in the shelter. Needless to say, her selfless act helped total strangers during their time of need. Barbie is a true unsung hero.”

Willie Thompson, chef

Emory & Henry College/Sodexo

Nominator: Samantha Wuerfl, senior sales manager, Sodexo

“Just about everyone on campus knows Willie Thompson. Chef Willie Thompson joined Emory & Henry in 1963 and was hired as a breakfast cook at the age of 27. His caring heart and welcoming attitude have touched the lives of countless students throughout the years. Every Wednesday, Willie cooks his famous fried chicken and has done so for the past 15 years, now a tradition at the college.   

Dr. Chef Willie Thompson has never missed a day of work. It’s the people, he said, who have made his job enjoyable. ‘I’ve always been nice to people and they’re nice to me,’ Thompson said. Thompson is semi-retired now, only working two days each week.  

President John Wells and the Board of Trustees officially presented Thompson with an Honorary Doctor of Culinary Arts degree for his nearly six decades of service as a chef at the college. ‘I was shocked to receive the honor,’ said Thompson, 84. ‘But, it feels good.’ Sodexo General Manager for Emory & Henry Sam Walker added, ‘The applause and the uproar that went on when he was in full regalia picking up his degree was fantastic, it was beautiful.’ 

Because of his dedicated service and commitment to Emory & Henry College, the college has dedicated a conference room in honor of Chef Willie Thompson, including a plaque with his biography.  

Not only does Chef Willie Thompson have a conference room in his honor, but he has his name paved in the duck pond at the college that has been part of the campus since its inception in 1836. The pond has a natural spring and was the main source of water for campus over the years. In 2017, there was a capital campaign to renovate the entire duck pond area. Sodexo, as a campus partner for over 30 years, committed financially to this renovation, which was completed in 2019. As part of this project, the college sold pavers to alumni, friends of colleges and anyone else interested. We, as Sodexo, bought two pavers.”

Shannon Thorn, operations association manager

Shepherd's Care/Aramark Canada

Nominator: Lucy Niro, senior regional marketing manager, Eastern Canada, Aramark Canada

“At the onset of the pandemic more than two years ago, Shannon Thorn was serving as a catering supervisor at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alta., Canada, when she heeded the call and took on a temporary assignment to work in housekeeping and laundry at the Saint Thomas Assisted Living community in the same city.

While Shannon had no experience in senior living operations, she proved to be a quick study and embraced her role, demonstrating a strong work ethic, positive and upbeat attitude, compassion for residents, and exemplary people management and interpersonal skills. 

As a result of her efforts, in fall 2021, she was promoted to operations associate manager, overseeing environmental and food services operations at three healthcare sites with complex and long-term care, as well as independent residents and those suffering from dementia. 

Her responsibilities include managing staff and their schedules, implementing menus, ordering and receiving supplies, collaborating with clinical teams, and fielding residents’ queries and responding to their needs.

Shannon has also taken it upon herself to work directly with residents toward building a personalized meal plan based on their dietary needs and preferences. She checks in on them regularly to solicit their feedback and concerns, so improvements can be made incrementally. 

Saint Thomas General Manager John Sharpe said he appreciates how Shannon genuinely cares for residents and her co-workers. ‘This was particularly apparent with one resident, who was going through a difficult time and losing weight rapidly. Shannon met with her and talked about her food preferences,’ said Sharpe. ‘Together, they made a plan, and Shannon followed up with a short visit during rounds for quite some time. Our resident began to really appreciate those visits, as well as Shannon’s concern for her. Within a matter of weeks, her weight began to increase. Shannon’s work with this resident helped us strengthen the rapport.’”

Scott Turley (chief culinary officer) & James Freese (dining services supervisor II)

Grinnell College

Nominator: Lisa Thornton, dining workforce program manager, Grinnell College

“During the last year, Grinnell College Dining Services has seen many changes in a month, in a week, in a day, in the hour, in the minutes and even the seconds of a day. Chef Scott Turley and James Freese are two of the unsung heroes in our Dining Services Department here at Grinnell College.  

What started off as a snowstorm during one particular winter day turned into a grueling staircase workout Chef Scott Turley and James Freese were ready for! Working in PODS, which divided our entire Dining Services team up into three separate teams to lessen the chances of the entire team coming down with COVID, each small POD of about fifteen staff worked their magic day in and day out to service our students left here on campus. Our duty to our fellow college students was to make sure they got their food fresh, hot and on time every time! 

On that winter day, our facilities management team was not able to assist us in deliveries, nor clear the snow, so Chef Scott Turley elected himself and James Freese to brave the winter storm and deliver the meals to the front door of each student resident they had to get food to. Normally, food had been taken to main floor dorm rooms, where the students came after Dining Services had left to minimize contact between Dining Service team members and students. So, with about 200 meal bags filled with fruit, snacks, two bottles of water, a hot food container with separate condiments, napkins, plastic utensils and desserts, and breakfast for the next day in each meal bag, they loaded up their very heavy CresCor boxes and pushed them through the large drifts of snow to one of 18 dorms they had to deliver to. Keeping up with our promises, we were delivering to each student’s dorm room front door on every floor with NO ELVEVATOR! as most of our dorms at Grinnell College are older). That’s right, no elevator after pushing the boxes through the snow drifts.”

Hope Walker, food service director

Stone Ridge (Md.) School of the Sacred Heart/SAGE Dining Services

Nominator: Kevin Mitchell, district manager, SAGE Dining Services

“With the food service industry facing unprecedented turnover rates, it's not often we see chefs spending an entire career at a single venue—Hope Walker is the exception. Since starting with SAGE in 1999, Food Service Director Hope Walker has developed solid and long-lasting relationships with the community at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Maryland. In her time at Stone Ridge, Hope has developed enduring relationships with thousands of students. She notes having had the honor of watching Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky grow and excel throughout her time at Stone Ridge.”

Hope's passion for food shows every day when feeding 800 girls and is evident in her team mentality – she frequently travels to area SAGE schools to lend a hand with big events. She shares her passion for Jamaican cuisine with the Stone Ridge community and enjoys being able to feature flavorful Jamaican dishes on the menu. Hope’s heart and soul is Stone Ridge! 

In 2021, SAGE featured Hope during Women’s History Month, celebrating her food service career accomplishments and the outstanding example she sets for students in creating exceptional dining experiences every day.”

Dora Whiting, cashier

University of Mary Washington/Sodexo

Nominator: Rose Benedict, marketing specialist, Sodexo

“Dora has been a fixture of University of Mary Washington Dining Services for over 20 years, and holds a special place in the hearts of both current and past students. She has developed loving and supportive relationships with hundreds and hundreds of students. They talk to her about their struggles, concerns and achievements. They call her their ‘second mom’. She gives them safety, encouragement, comfort and genuine affection. She’s their biggest fan and most ardent supporter! For years and years, she has made every Friday a day of celebration. At lunchtime each Friday, Dora goes out onto Campus Walk with a megaphone and whistle and loudly proclaims, ‘It’s Friday! You made it! Yes you did!’ while giving students fist-bumps and high fives as they pass her by. She is so beloved by the students that last year the student government created a special UMW unsung heroes award in her honor: the Ms. Dora Whiting Spirit of Service Award. They even amended their constitution to ensure this award would be presented for at least 50 years!” 

Beverly Wicinski, cook

Pleasant View/Thomas Cuisine

Nominator: Kimberly Mahony, senior culinary director, Thomas Cuisine

“Beverly Wicinski is a dedicated cook at our senior living community in Ottawa, IL.  Bev is not only an amazing cook, but she is an amazing person.  She has gone above and beyond during the pandemic to make sure our residents receive excellent meals and never skips a beat. Even when most of the culinary team was unable to work due to COVID, Bev kept the department alive and worked long hours to ensure our residents were well nourished. As at many foodservice establishments, staffing here is of short supply and Bev never hesitates to pick up extra shifts or stay late to get the job done. Bev is always bringing ideas and solutions to the management team and takes it upon herself to lead her teammates in our department. We are so blessed to have Bev on our team!”

Eric Wiggins, culinary ambassador

Trinity Regional Hospital Sachse/HHS

Nominator: Dale Crossland, culinary director, HHS

“Eric has stepped up to every challenge handed to him. Not only does he have strong leadership, but also a deep level of compassion for his patients and his coworkers. When an ice storm hit the area, he didn’t leave the hospital for two nights! During that time, he made sure everyone was well fed and taken care of, from patients to staff. Eric had little cooking experience but rolled up his sleeves and gave it a try. 

His servant leadership style is evident, and he is continually gaining experience by jumping in to solve any problems that arise. He is well on the path to move into a director role!”

Regina Williams, supervisor

Aramark at The University of South Florida, Tampa Campus/Argos

Nominator: Norma Bedell, food service supervisor/Argos, Aramark at the University of South Florida/Argos

“Ms. Regina Williams came to Argos to help manage our Restaurant Rotation kitchen during an entirely new menu launch from one of our c-stores, where she was managing a store location that has a very different pace. I was impressed by how quickly she was able to pick up on working in our Restaurant Rotation, how she mastered the menu and recipes and calmly and collectively was able to step into her new role without issue or complaint. She learned quickly and works very hard the entire time she is on the clock. She goes where she is needed and even prepared the entire menu by herself one day when all of our staff called out. She prepared several pans of homemade, baked-jalapeno mac & cheese, cinnamon-raisin bread pudding, perogies with fresh onion and garlic sauté, breaded cod filets, freshly made coleslaw and succotash and then set up the stations for burgers, chicken, fries and steak sandwiches too.  She never complained about it, in fact she was proud that she did it all by herself. I never hear her says anything negative. She is a truly an exceptional employee!”