Through a variety of celebratory events, Compass Group is recognizing their amazing frontline chefs and culinary leaders across its family of business, including thousands of change agents who are local sourcing advocates, food waste heroes, diverse supplier supporters, social equity pioneers and charity champions. No matter the location, every Compass Group chef is empowered to be a leader in their community, a valued partner who is committed to serving their guests and works toward a sustainable future for all.

Each one of Compass’ foodservice companies nominated one outstanding 2022 Chef Appreciation Week Chef of the Year to represent their organization. Chefs were selected for their commitment to investing in team development, championing community and environment, all while making positive impact. A snapshot of our 2022 Chefs of the Year: https://www.altogethergreat.com/chef-appreciation-week-2022/

Amira Cooke, Bon Appétit Management Company Executive Chef is on a mission to encourage all those who want to be a part of the hospitality world, especially women who never had the opportunity, to build careers in the industry. Her vision and dream are to have true diversity, equity and inclusion in our workplace and spaces where everyone simply belongs.

Nizam Saad, Chartwells K12 Director of Dining Services launched a successful Sports Nutrition program with the school’s Athletic Director to help students learn what foods can best power their performance. Outside of school, he draws from personal experience emigrating to the US from Lebanon to help migrant families settle into their new homes.

Livio Velardo, Levy Senior Executive Chef, Barclays Center is a true champion of the community.  He welcomed more than 30 small and minority business owners to join a diverse vendor program. Chef serves as a culinary mentor to Food Education Fund high school students, providing them with real-world experience and instructional knowledge to enter the hospitality workforce.

Esteban Martinez, TouchPoint Executive Chef offers instruction and mentorship that is backed by unparalleled performance. He developed a third shift Grab-n-Go kiosk service for the account, holds the highest compliance in his region for Waste Not, Compass Group’s proprietary waste-tracking tool, and fed a local professional Rugby team 3,000 meals during the season.

Jonathan Stirnweis, Executive Chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering has an infectious personality. He is a natural at bringing people together, building relationships across the business and developing teams, mentoring both current associates and the next generation of talent in local culinary programs. Jonathan supports his community through food waste recovery, purchasing from local farmers and highlighting seasonal ingredients in specialty dishes.

Join the Celebration

• Follow the celebration on social media using #ChefAppreciationWeek.
• Visit ChefAppreciationWeek.com to see all 2022 Chefs of the Year and access the campaign toolkit.
• Share the video of Compass clients across North America reflecting on the positive impact chefs make on the communities served, from offices and universities to stadiums and hospitals.

“Every day, our chefs and culinary teams demonstrate their passion, creativity and talents in serving an impressive 11 million meals to our guests across the country,” said Gary Green, CEO, Compass Group North America. “Their individual contributions extend beyond the kitchens into every community we serve, so please join me this Chef Appreciation Week in saying a sincere thank you for their efforts big and small.”

About Compass Group North America

Compass Group is redefining the food and support services landscape with innovation and passion through the lens of what’s next. Serving premier healthcare systems, respected educational institutions, world-renowned cultural centers, popular sporting and entertainment venues, and Fortune 500 organizations the world over, Compass Group always finds a way to deliver excellence in nearly any vertical. Whether it’s serving school meals students love, high-end concessions in stadiums, or nourishing, home style meals for seniors, Compass is an industry leader. Ranked No. 1 by industry peers on Fortune’s 2020 list of World’s Most Admired Companies, Compass has also earned a spot on Forbes’ list of the Best Employers for Diversity in 2020 and is among the Top 50 Companies Changing the World according to Fortune. Learn more about the Compass experience at www.compass-usa.com.

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Charlotte, N.C. (September 10, 2021) This Sunday, Compass Group, the global leader in food and support services, will kick off the world’s largest culinary celebration: Chef Appreciation Week, which runs from September 12-18. Observed in more than 30 countries worldwide, Chef Appreciation Week brings together diners, colleagues and local communities to honor the people who commit their lives to feeding millions every day, and the power of food.

Hosted by Compass Group, this annual event is dedicated to great people like Restaurant Associates Chef Sidney Wilcox who uses the Teaching Kitchen as a platform to capture the taste of cultures, preserve its traditions and honor the ingredients of those lands; Thompson Hospitality Chef Kamal Rose who uses the plate as his canvas to paint a story of history, demographics, texture and flavor; and Morrison Healthcare Chef Megan Herrmann who believes food speaks when words fail. Compass Group chefs create scratch-made meals in hospitals, Fortune 500 companies, schools and universities, museums and events, stadiums and arenas, and senior living communities across the United States and around the world.

“Compass relies on all the incredible people behind the experience. It’s been the most challenging year and a half we have ever seen. Our people quickly and effectively rallied to accomplish critical work when it mattered most. And we want to thank them for the incredible job they have done,” said Gary Green, CEO, Compass Group North America.

The mantra for this year’s campaign is: “Food unites us and chefs inspire us.” Compass believes that food is a powerful medium to create meaningful change. It elevates culture, nourishes and brings people together with love, celebration, empathy and hope.

Throughout the week Compass employees will come together, remotely or in-person, to celebrate the powerful impact that chefs and culinary teams make in our communities. Some of these activities, include:

• Chefs will post recipes from their personal cookbooks all week on Eat Live Do Well, along with the stories behind the food.
• Features on chefs, what inspires and motivates them will be shared on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn with #ChefAppreciationWeek.
• The kick off for the 2021 Women in Culinary Chef Challenge, a recognition and networking program that is part of Compass Group’s ongoing commitment to closing the gender gap in culinary.

“We have always believed that food connects people and communities. Now more than ever, food unites us to be stronger and chefs inspire us to be better,” said Rick Post, Chief Operating Officer, Compass Group USA.

From offices and universities to stadiums and hospitals, Compass chefs across America created a video message reflecting on this year’s theme and the many communities served. Watch the video above. Also, to connect its teams across nations, a global video was created featuring chefs from nearly 30 different countries passing a loaf of bread around the world. Watch the video to discover more about how Food Unites Us and Chefs Inspire Us.

“This Chef Appreciation Week, please join me by taking the time to say thank you and celebrate the wonderful contributions that chefs and culinary teams make day in day out, not just in our business, but around the world,” said Dominic Blakemore, Group CEO, Compass Group PLC.

About Chef Appreciation Week
In 2013, Donald and Lisa Crutch of the National Pink Tie Organization “Chefs Against Cancer” division, co-founded Chef Appreciation Week to honor and recognize all those serving in the culinary industry for their dedication, love of food and willingness to serve their community.  In 2018, Compass Group USA partnered with the Crutch family to celebrate Chef Appreciation Week in its cafes and restaurants nationally. When Donald Crutch passed away unexpectedly in 2019, Compass Group pledged to carry on his legacy with a commitment to launch a worldwide Chef Appreciation Week campaign, which is now celebrated across 30+ nations globally. 

About Compass Group North America
Compass Group is redefining the food and support services landscape with innovation and passion through the lens of what’s next. Serving premier healthcare systems, respected educational institutions, world-renowned cultural centers, popular sporting and entertainment venues, and Fortune 500 organizations the world over, Compass Group always finds a way to deliver excellence in nearly any vertical. Whether it’s serving school meals students love, high-end concessions in stadiums, or nourishing, home style meals for seniors, Compass is an industry leader. Ranked No. 1 by industry peers on Fortune’s 2020 list of World’s Most Admired Companies, Compass has also earned a spot on Forbes’ list of the Best Employers for Diversity in 2020 and is among the Top 50 Companies Changing the World according to Fortune. Learn more about the Compass experience at www.compass-usa.com.

The post Compass Group Celebrates the “Chefs Who Inspire Us” Worldwide appeared first on Compass USA.

Throughout the week, Compass Group locations in more than 15 countries will take to social media to recognize the extraordinary efforts of the teams who are at the foundation of its success. When lives were turned upside down from this public health, economic and emotional crisis, the Compass family met the challenges with creativity, resilience and determination, using their expertise and passion to serve and heal the communities where they operate. Stories of their commitment will be shared on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn with #HeroesBehindTheFood and #HeroesBehindTheService.

Sectors across the family of businesses teamed up to provide millions of nutritious meals to children across the country, first responders and essential workers on the frontlines. Traditional foodservice models pivoted overnight to contactless ordering and delivery to reduce risk of exposure to COVID-19. And service sectors united to provide hospital-grade cleaning services across college and K12 campuses, hospital and senior living locations and corporations, including those working to develop a vaccine.

“I could not be more proud of our company and our people. Thank you for working tirelessly throughout this crisis ever since it began. And I’d like to say thank you not only to those on the frontlines in the healthcare sectors, senior living and the crisis feeding, but thank you to everyone in every sector across the country,” said Gary Green, CEO Compass Group North America. “This has been the most challenging year we have ever seen. Simply said, you are all heroes.”

Watch the video message of appreciation from our Executive Leadership team and visit AltogetherGreat.com to read more about the Heroes behind the Food.

About Chef Appreciation Week
In 2013, Donald and Lisa Crutch of the National Pink Tie Organization “Chefs Against Cancer” division, co-founded Chef Appreciation Week to honor and recognize all those serving in the culinary industry for their dedication, love of food and willingness to serve their community.

About Compass Group North America
Compass Group is redefining the food and support services landscape with innovation and passion through the lens of what’s next. Serving premier healthcare systems, respected educational institutions, world-renowned cultural centers, popular sporting and entertainment venues, and Fortune 500 organizations the world over, Compass Group always finds a way to deliver excellence in nearly any vertical. Whether it’s serving school meals students love, high-end concessions in stadiums, or nourishing, home style meals for seniors, Compass is an industry leader. Ranked No. 1 by industry peers on Fortune’s 2020 list of World’s Most Admired Companies, Compass has also earned a spot on Forbes’ list of the Best Employers for Diversity in 2020 and is among the Top 50 Companies Changing the World according to Fortune. Learn more about the Compass experience at www.compass-usa.com.

Media Inquiries
Laura Moore, Envision Group Director of Communications, A division of Compass Group
Laura.Moore2@compass-usa.com
704-351-8660

Jessica Rainbolt, Envision Group Communications Manager, A division of Compass Group
Jessica.Rainbolt@compass-usa.com
860-995-7351

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The post Introducing Compass Group’s 2019 SuperChefs! appeared first on Compass USA.

Compass chefs have trained in the most prestigious restaurants, prepared meals for presidents, celebrities and dignitaries, and now bring that best-in-class expertise to the 5.5 billion meals they serve globally each year, at every milestone in guests’ lives.

“Our chefs are leaders – in our kitchens, in our company, in our community and in our industry. They inspire and nourish millions of people each and every day – one meal at a time.” Rick Post, COO Compass Group.

The week of celebrations offers a platform for clients, customers and co-workers to thank all the people behind the food. Three extraordinary chefs will be named Compass Chef of the Year based, respectively, on outstanding dedication to growing the business, developing their teams, and creating a positive impact throughout the food system. Thousands of nominations will be cast this year through the digital voting booth found here. In addition, leaders in each sector selected SuperChefs to represent the Compass family of companies.

“At Compass, food is at the core of what we do. And we have some of the best chefs in the world, creating innovative dishes, delivering healthy nutritious meals, and sharing their passion for food with our consumers and our people,” Dominic Blakemore, CEO Compass Group PLC.

Chefs will share their passion with guests through in-house interactive cooking demos as they showcase their favorite meals with Menu Takeovers and interactive Appreciation Stations designed to drive the customer experience as they highlight our chefs.

Follow the celebration on social media with #LoveYourChef and watch a video message from our Celebrity Chef partner, José Andrés.

“Our people – especially our great chefs – are the heart of our company and our industry. Chef Appreciation Week is the perfect opportunity to recognize and thank all of the people behind the food,” Gary Green, CEO Compass Group North America.

About Chef Appreciation Week
In 2013, Donald and Lisa Crutch of the National Pink Tie Organization “Chefs Against Cancer” division, co-founded Chef Appreciation Week to honor and recognize all those serving in the culinary industry for their dedication, love of food and willingness to serve their community.

About Compass Group North America
Based in Charlotte, NC, Compass Group North America is the leading food and support services company with over 265,000 associates and $18.6 billion in revenues in 2018. Compass Group North America was named the No. 1 food company on Fast Company’s Top 50 Most Innovative Companies in addition to ranking on Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity and Best Employers for New Graduates lists. With close to 600,000 associates worldwide, its parent company, UK-based Compass Group PLC had revenues of £23.2 billion ($31.4 billion USD) in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

Media Inquiries
Laura Moore, Sr. Communications Mgr.
Laura.Moore2@compass-usa.com
704-351-8660

Jessica Rainbolt, Communications Mgr.
Jessica.Rainbolt@compass-usa.com
860-995-7351

The post Compass Group to Celebrate Chef Appreciation Week 2019 appeared first on Compass USA.