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Healthy Students – Healthy Saugus aims to feed hungry Saugus students
Press Release by the Rev. Martha Leahy
Saugus.wickedlocal.com
July 26, 2018
The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry in collaboration with the Saugus Faith Community, the Saugus School superintendent, and area businesses and organizations announce a new initiative called Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus, which aims to address food insecurity in the Saugus public school system.
In 2014 Feeding America published the Hunger in America Report. The report drew attention to the fact 15.8 million children nationwide live in food insecure households. As a community we recognize there are children and families in Saugus who could use our help.
To offset food insecure households, Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus will provide a weekend supply of nutritious food for each eligible child when school lunches and breakfasts are unavailable to them on weekends or school holidays during the school year....Read More189
By Mike Gaffney, saugus@wickedlocal.com June 12, 2018
A grassroots effort is underway to provide weekend bags of food to needy Saugus elementary school students starting in September. Representatives from the Saugus Public Schools, the Saugus faith community and the Saugus United Parish Food Pantry have met several times to plan the launch of food take-home program to serve the needs of town elementary school students. The group is calling the initiative “Healthy Students, Healthy Saugus.”
In April, Saugus United Parish Food Pantry volunteer Dennis Gould reached out to school officials with the idea of organizing weekend food care for students in the Saugus Public Schools.
Concerned about the number of students attending Saugus Public Schools who are homeless or living in poverty, Gould proposed forming an organization to address the food needs for these youths on weekends.
Gould’s vision was to bring local businesses, the Saugus...Read More1066
Article by Kimberly Redmond, lohud, May 29, 2018
Lunch trays in school cafeterias have certainly come a long way.
Within the last decade, a shift towards menus with more healthy, organic offerings has occurred.
And longtime lunchroom staples, like a slice of greasy pizza or Sloppy Joes heaped on spongy white buns, are nowhere to be found. Students instead load their trays with veggie burgers, freshly rolled sushi and organic yogurt parfaits.
As chief operating officer of Whitsons Culinary Group, a food supplier to more than 95 public school districts in the Northeast, Kelly Friend knows this, of course.
Over the last 10 years, the Long Island-based company has stripped monosodium glutamate (MSG) and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) from its menus and built its cafeteria cuisine around locally sourced, organic items.
Still, Friend admits she was slightly taken aback when she heard a 7-year-old request avocado toast and when a group of...Read More1133
New meatless menu lineup includes Tex-Mex lasagna, acai bowls, veggie burgers and more.
By Tara Fitzpatrick | Food Management | May 11, 2018
Meatless Monday gradually made its way onto the calendar at Whitsons Culinary Group, starting about a year ago, with chefs experimenting here and there while gathering feedback from students. This month, Meatless Monday has officially kicked into high gear, with new meatless items making the scene at 95 school districts managed by Whitsons in a huge rollout.
Read the full article here. Whitsons Takes Meatless Monday to 95 Districts
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Article by Stephanie Kim, The Norwalk Hour, May 14, 2018
NORWALK — Eighth-graders Devesh Singh and Will Bonilla were skeptical when they saw samples of organic bean burritos and veggie burgers stationed near the lunch line in the Nathan Hale Middle School cafeteria Monday afternoon.
But their curiosity got the best of them, so they gave the meatless meal options a try.
The result? They both walked out of the lunch line with bean burritos.
“I thought it was going to be plain,” Bonilla said, clutching his burrito with a sheepish smile. “But it tasted like beans and goodness.”
Nathan Hale students and others district-wide have been trying out new vegetarian options since the beginning of May, for a new initiative called “Meatless Monday.”
“This doesn’t mean that there won’t be meat on the menu. It’s in addition to,” said George Kirby, resident district manager through Whitsons Culinary Group. “We’re trying to promote eating healthy, and we’re trying to promote...Read More870
Whitsons Culinary Group® Launches Meatless Monday Initiative in School Districts throughout the Northeast Providing More Vegetarian Meal Options to Students
Islandia, NY, April 25, 2018 –- Whitsons Culinary Group®, a provider of nutrition services for public schools throughout the Northeast, has announced the launch of the Meatless Monday health initiative in all school districts Whitsons services. Meatless Monday is a global campaign that encourages students to enjoy meat-free meals on Mondays. Choosing to go plant-based, even one day a week, can be good for your health, as well as help reduce our carbon footprint and save precious resources like fossil fuels and fresh water.
“Whitsons is proud to be a part of the Meatless Monday campaign. It perfectly complements our Simply Rooted™ philosophy of promoting healthy foods, a healthy environment, and balanced diets,” said Kelly Friend, Chief Operating Officer of Whitsons. “We are not taking away the option of meat on...Read More2018
Whitsons is proud to announce it's part of Food Management's annual Top 50 report, a proprietary ranking of the largest noncommercial contract management companies.
One prominent new initiative Whitsons launched in the past year was a kiosk-style servery, which lets the company bring fresh and innovative menu features to students in the most challenging spaces. The attractive branded kiosks offer a retail feel suited for any school environment, leading to increased meal participation, and they can be set up virtually anywhere on school grounds to make dining options convenient for students.
Also new is deployment of the company’s Simply Rooted™ food philosophy and sustainability platform based on clean ingredients and delivering wholesome, all-natural meals to customers while nurturing the environment. Through the program, Whitsons works with manufacturers and local vendors to offer customers the most natural, wholesome ingredients possible and also focuses on...Read More1726
Whitsons Culinary Group Partners with inTEAM, Inc and PASD for Pre-Ordering School Lunch Program
Helping students make healthier meal choices convenient
Islandia, NY, December 11th, 2017 - Whitsons Culinary Group, a provider of nutrition services for public schools throughout the Northeast has announced its partnership with inTEAM and Phoenixville Area School District in Phoenixville, PA in creating a pre-ordering school lunch program. The program will utilize Choosi, a mobile app developed by InTEAM that allows students the opportunity to customize and pre-order grab and go meals, so they do not have to wait in line and have more time to eat their meals during their lunch period. The pre-ordering school lunch program is a first for students of the Phoenixville Area school district which launched on December 8th at Phoenixville High School. “I appreciate Whitsons working to improve the lunch experience for our students. I’m also very happy that the...Read More
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The month of October brings to mind thoughts of crisp fall weather, bountiful harvests….and apple crunches?! Yes, it’s that time of year again…Farm to School Month is officially in full swing! There is a lot to love about farm to school, from its focus on fostering deeper relationships with local farmers and community organizations to featuring fresh produce in school meals to integrating nutrition and agricultural education in the classroom. Apparently, I am not alone. Consider these stats from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2015 Farm to School Census: Approximately 42% of U.S. school districts, including more than 42,500 schools, are participating in farm to school activities, impacting 23.6 million students.
However, farm to school’s influence extends far beyond the school garden and cafeteria, providing the raw ingredients our students need to succeed in the classroom and in life. We all know there are great benefits associated with consuming a nutritious,...Read More
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Whitsons Culinary Group has been nominated by “The Viscardi Center” to receive recognition for its exemplary hiring practices during the National Disability Employment Awareness Month celebrations on Friday, October 13th, 2017.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month is celebrated nationwide in the month of October in recognition of inclusive hiring practices. The Long Island Working Partnership has been organizing this event in this region since 1985 by showcasing businesses that have given equal opportunities to job applicants with disabilities.
Pictured are District Manager, Laura Gaglione, Manhasset’s Food Service Director, Allana Singh, Chef, Joseph Caswall, Perry Roman, Manhasset Secondary School Principal, Dr. Dean Schlanger, and Manhasset Schools Deputy Superintendent for Business and Finance, Rosemarie Johnson.
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Islandia, NY, August 23, 2017 - Whitsons Culinary Group, a provider of food services to private and public schools, corporate dining, and healthcare throughout the Northeast, has been accepted as a member of the U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions. The staggering amount of wasted food in the United States has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation, and climate change. To help galvanize U.S. efforts to reduce food loss and waste, USDA and EPA announced the first U.S. food loss and waste reduction goal in September 2015. Whitsons has stepped up to do their part to help the nation reach this critical goal by pledging concrete steps to reduce food loss and waste in their operations 50 percent by the year 2030.
“We are committed to doing our part when it comes to food loss and waste reduction. By keeping wholesome and nutritious food in our communities and out of our landfills, we can help address far-reaching impacts on food security, resource...Read More
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Whitsons Culinary Group, a provider of food services to private and public schools, corporate dining, healthcare, throughout the Northeast, today announced a renewed commitment to its sustainable supplier sourcing and animal welfare initiatives in all of its contract managed accounts. This is part of Whitsons’ new Simply Rooted™ food philosophy and sustainability platform which is based on delivering wholesome, all-natural, and affordable meals to everyone’s table.
“We are strongly committed to the highest quality, safest purchasing practices, which include sustainable sourcing initiatives that will improve animals’ lives, as well as strict compliance standards for all our vendors. We have been working with our supply chain in ...Read More
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Article featured on Troy CSD website. Photo credit: Troy CSD
Long gone are the days where ketchup was considered a vegetable for school lunch. Today’s school lunches are healthy, and the kids like them, too.
This year, the Troy City School District welcomes Whitson’s School Nutrition as its food provider. The change comes with a lot more choices to keep kids full with the nutrition they need.
Some of the additions include a deli line similar to the kind you see at Subway restaurants where students can pick and choose from an assortment of toppings. The lunch meat is from Boar’s Head and contains no gluten, artificial colors or flavors, MSG added, by-products or fillers, or trans-fat.
Food Service Director Rich Hollander said in the high school alone, the cafeteria team is serving 50-100 more lunches a month.
“More students are getting the nutrition they need right here in Troy schools and we know that helps them pay attention and succeed in class where it...Read More1763
Whitsons Culinary Group has been awarded the 2017 New York State Employer Recognition Regional Certificate by the New York State Education Department Adult Career and Continuing Education Services. Accepting the award was Whitsons’ District Manager, Laura Gaglione.
The award event celebrates local businesses investing in their local human resources and providing the opportunity for skilled workers to contribute to their communities.
“I was honored to receive the award on behalf of Whitsons. We are an equal opportunity employer and we try to work with local communities to help support the local workforce,” said Laura.
Each October, ACCES-VR has the opportunity to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and celebrate the work of all their partners, who join together to make the connection between businesses seeking qualified workers and workers, who just happen to be individuals with abilities. To learn more about the...Read More1277
Team members at Maynard High School held a Whitsons Greenleaf Cuisine® Local Day event, featuring fresh organic fruits and vegetables from Maynard High School’s School Garden and Applefield Farm in Stow, Massachusetts.
The menu for the day featured two salad bars filled with freshly harvested organic produce, pineapple infused barbecue chicken, roasted fingerling potatoes, and fresh grilled vegetables.
Whitsons’ Greenleaf Cuisine® Initiative promotes local farms where produce is harvested from and helps support the Farm-to-School campaign, in an effort to increase student consumption of fruits and vegetables, encourage healthy food choices and increase students’ exposure to healthy and nutritious foods.
“It was great to work with the students and faculty in Maynard throughout the preparing, planting, harvesting and serving of the produce from the school’s garden. The students really enjoyed the experience of having fresh organic local produce...Read More1330
A group of Wellesley Middle School students have been growing organic vegetation hydroponically in the greenhouse at their school.
Whitsons' Food Service Director for Wellesley schools, Matt Delaney is featured in the video production by Wellesley Public Media and give details about their greenhouse project and explains how produce such as basil and spinach is used in school lunches.
Click here to see video.
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Whitsons Culinary Group was awarded the Employment in Community Award by Community Access Unlimited (CAU), a statewide nonprofit providing support programs and services to adults with disabilities as well as youth served under the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to enable them to live independently in the community, providing supports in areas including housing, vocational skills and life-skills training, education, advocacy and recreation.
Team member and Food Service Director from the Irvington School District, Krystal Tanner, accepted the award on behalf of Whitsons at CAU’s 2017 Awards Night Celebration.
Whitsons employs three CAU members that are food service workers at Irvington High School that help to feed 700 students daily by preparing food, serving meals, cleaning and handling other responsibilities.
See video of the event here.
"We are very pleased with the team members," said Krystal, who noted the CAU members are extremely reliable and very...Read More
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Managers and team members from Oxford, Hamden, and Fairfield, Connecticut school districts as well as Whitsons’ traveling Chef, Richard Sandmann participated in the New Haven Walk Against Hunger Event by the Connecticut Food Bank at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven this past on Sunday.
The Connecticut Food Bank provides nutritious foods to those in need in the Connecticut area. The Walk Against Hunger brings attention to the challenges of those in need and helps to raise funds to put more food on plates. “More than 650 local food assistance programs rely on the Connecticut Food Bank as a resource for nutritious food to serve their community. Through this network, the Connecticut Food Bank distributes enough food across our stat to make 50,000 meals a day.” (www.ctfoodbank.org)
We thank all of our team members that showed their support and participated in the Walk Against Hunger event for the Connecticut Food Bank and Oxford School District Food Service Director,...Read More2677
This year the Whitsons team at Wellesley, partnered with Bates Elementary School, Green Schools Wellesley and the EPA to enter into the EPA food recovery challenge.
The collective efforts created a recycle station that students can use to drain liquids from containers and then recycle them, stacking stations for sorting and stacking recyclable trays, bowls, plastic bottles and milk cartons and any usable leftovers for "share stations".
These recycle stations are now operational at 3 of the 7 elementary schools in Wellesley School District. Both the EPA and the state of Massachusetts awarded Bates Elementary School for these efforts in an official citation. Food Service Director, Matt Delaney was awarded the Community Hero award from Project Green Schools for the recycling, food recovery, and for district wide waste reduction efforts in Wellesley. “I am happy to be a part of the effort here at Wellesley. I have been focused on helping to implement...Read More2810
It was a great day for a School Day at the New Britain Bees Stadium! Whitsons’ Resident District Manager for New Britain Public Schools, Jeffrey Taddeo threw out the first pitch along with New Britain Superintendant, Nancy Sarra.
The game attendance was a record high for the New Britain Bees with a total of 6,501 delighted spectators. Nutrition Safaris’, Luke the Lion, aka Food Service Director for New Britain, Mike Koch, participated in game activities throughout the day along with Sting the Bee, the New Britain Bees mascot.
Whitsons presented a check for $5,000 to the New Britain Bees to have New Britain School Day at their stadium which helped bring 4,902 New Britain students from grades 3-12 out to enjoy a fun day of baseball complete with lunch.
“This is one of the most rewarding events that we do annually. The community comes together and the students have the opportunity to come to the game and enjoy a day of fun,” said Resident District Manager,...Read More2864
Whitsons’ Nutrition Director and Registered Dietitian, Katherine Barfuss is interviewed on this week’s episode of K12Foodies, a nutrition focused podcast that features guests that share their ideas, resources, and successes for K12- child nutrition.
Katherine has been instrumental in the creation and coordination of several nutrition education programs, including Whitsons’ “Ask the Rd” program. “Ask the Rd” is a free services in which questions about nutrition are answered by on the Whitsons Registered Dietitians. On this week’s episode Katherine will answer some of the most frequent “Ask the Rd” questions she’s received.
Listen now, here: http://ow.ly/8WMI30aaeynRead More2540
This week, Whitsons received a special thanks from the Executive Director for the Connecticut Chapter of the House of Heroes, Dennis Buden, for our donation and contribution of 350 “Heart” cookies for their recent Hearts & Heroes 2017 fundraiser event.
House of Heroes Connecticut is a nonprofit organization serving our nation’s military and public safety veterans (and their spouses) who are disabled, living on a fixed income, or facing other physical/financial challenges. Volunteers perform minor repairs and make improvements to the homes of veterans and their spouses-at no cost to the veteran-through the generosity of individuals, civic organizations, and corporations.
“We are honored to be working with such a respectable organization as the House of Heroes,” said Jeffrey Taddeo, Whitsons’ Resident District Manager for New Britain. “Veterans make many sacrifices for our country, to help them in any way is effortless.”
The letter...Read More2278
Whitsons' School Nutrition program is featured in this month's edition of the Hopkinton Independent, a local newspaper in Hopkinton, MA. Read more about it here and see the article below.
Healthy Options for Hopkinton Students
by Abigail Richardson
Since 2010 Michelle Obama has campaigned to improve the state of school lunches offered in public schools. The 2010 Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) set new nutrition standards for school meals to help ensure ‘every American child had access to the nutrition they need to grow into healthy adults’. One of the goals was to reduce health risks for America’s children by helping schools across the country produce balanced meals so children had access to healthy foods during the school day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) based the new school meal standards on independent, expert recommendations from the Institute of Medicine.
In Britain school cafeterias went under the scrutiny of celebratory chef Jamie...Read More2244
York Suburban school district held a “Welcome to Spring” Vegetable competition today. The competition was fierce among Whitsons’ team members from all schools. (Click on image to see video.)
Team members from the High School created a rock band, the middle school a bunny garden complete with a Whitsons wheelbarrow. Indian Rock Elementary also created a garden and it was filled cauliflower sheep grazing on shredded green coconut.
East York Elementary got creative with the school mascot, a dragon named “Spike” and a FOODITUDE vegetable train. Yorkshire Elementary created a beautiful vegetable garden and Valley View Elementary had a colorful vegetable train rolling along a track. The creativity was amazing!
Whitsons’ Chefs, John Koutras and Sean Arnold judged the competition and what a difficult task it was since team members from all the schools presented such great work.
The winning team and school was announced this afternoon...Read More2026
On June 11th 2013, Sharlene Bejarano, our Chef Manager at Good Shepherd Services (GSS), was recognized with the Good Shepherd Services’ Sanctuary Support Award for her “on-going support with staff and participants in practicing the Sanctuary commitments and values”.
A 16+ year dedicated Whitsons veteran, Sharlene goes above and beyond her role as chef manager, connecting and building positive relationships with the youth GSS serves. Furthermore, Sharlene played a major role when Hurricane Sandy hit New York, organizing and supporting staff, while ensuring the continuation of excellent services at all Good Shepherd locations.
Congratulations to Sharlene for this very well deserved award! Read More7293
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, it was very difficult for our team members in the Tristate area to commute to and from work. However, these difficulties did not prevent them from providing the best service possible to our clients.
At Carnegie East House, this was not the exception! Our team worked around the clock to ensure the safety and well-being of their residents — some staying overnight/multiple nights, while others travelling over two hours by cab to get to work. According to Food Service Director Jolie Ospina, “I can’t tell you what a great group of people I have working here with me. I am so proud. Their dedication and hard work goes beyond words.”
To thank the Whitsons team at Carnegie for their efforts, residents gave our team a huge round of applause at a recent Resident Council Meeting.Read More8173
During emergency disasters, our chefs and managers ensure we continue assisting the dining needs of our customers during these stressful times. The residents at SCO Sea Cliff experienced the dedication of our team during Hurricane Sandy.
Chef Fred Hakimi went the extra mile to put the needs of his residents above his own. Both during and after the storm, Chef Hakimi took special care to ensure all food and supplies were continuously available and in stock for his residents. He stayed overnight, delivered hot food to his residents (by foot) and worked tirelessly to provide quality care.
According to our client at SCO, “Fred is such an integral part of our team; he is the one who provides us with the nourishment to sustain our residents and staff in challenging times such as these. It is an absolute pleasure working with Fred. His professionalism, compassion and commitment are matched by no other.”Read More8652
On July 31st, the residents of Carnegie East House enjoyed a wonderful play. This play, called “Ladies’ Night”, was created by Scott Gordon, Carnegie’s Activities Director, who also performed all the music for the play. The performers were all very acclaimed by the residents and the family members that attended this event.
Carnegie residents and visitors also enjoyed a very special tea time after the show, consisting on delicious treats and refreshments, offered by the Whitsons team. According to Jolie Ospina, Food Service Director at Carnegie East, “some family members attended and the food was highly complimented”. Read More7618
We always strive to live our mission of enhancing life one meal at a time through our words, our services and our actions each and every day. Receiving “Thank You” letters recognizing these efforts is more than we can ever ask:
Our client at SCO Sea Cliff thanks Chef Fred Hakimi for being a valuable member of their family: “June is usually a very busy month with the end of the school year. These last three weeks have been especially demanding. Last week alone we had auditors, a field day and training at our residential training center — all on the same day — and each group requested your lunch. I think you prepared over 200 sandwiches, all before noon. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated, committed and caring “King of our Kitchen.” You are the most important part of our family, supporting and providing food for the table to nourish and strengthen our youth and staff and enhancing our lives one meal at a time.”
A resident leaving Madonna Heights, thanks Chef Phil...Read More8400
During Hurricane Irene, several of the Carnegie East House food service team members stayed at the facility in order to continue assisting the dining needs of the Carnegie East residents during this stressful time. Valerie Barnett, Manuel Piedra, Jancis De la Cruz, Rushonn Jackson, Sol Lacerda, Alize Conde, Minnie Grant, Imani McDonald and Melissa Clemente maintained a positive outlook and calm demeanor throughout the storm and its aftermath, which was very comforting to the residents.
According to Yolanda Ospina, “The residents here are all very grateful for a job well done!!! I knew my team would come through. We are happy to have been of help in feeding all those people in an indirect way.”
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As part of the Good Shepherd Wellness Initiative, every Wednesday throughout February, students and staff at Good Shepherd Services (GSS) received cooking demos and seminars. Guest chefs Emanuel Montalvo, Sharlene Bejarano, Shanay Mason and Peter Bellisario took center stage at GSS’s cooking demos, while District Manager, Mark Kirn, led the nutritional seminars. All were aimed at increasing awareness of healthier food options and nutritional education.Read More7643
Always aiming to keep the menu fresh and exciting, this month the team at Estee Lauder introduced fair food favorites such as Potato Twirls on a Stick with different seasoning flavors - BBQ, Salt & Vinegar, Cheddar, Sour Cream & Onion, Salt and Garlic Pepper and Ketchup flavors.
The team used Yukon Gold Potatoes and Red Bliss Potatoes to make these fantastic creations. It was a fun treat for all!Read More5123
On June 19th, the annual Pink Ribbon Kickoff Luncheon took place at Estee Lauder’s JHL facility in Melville, New York. In this luncheon, they discussed the planning of future events, fundraisers, breast cancer research, etc.
The Whitsons Corporate Dining team at Estee Lauder catered the event, led by Chef Kirk Ingebretsen. The varied menu consisted of Roasted Salmon Lemon Dill Aioli, French Cut Chicken Breast with Demi Glaze, Gourmet Mac and Cheese with Butternut Squash and Mushrooms, and for dessert, Raspberry Chambord Cheese Cake.
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On January 17th, United Nations Federal Credit Union celebrated their annual Winter Gala. This year’s theme was “Enchantment under the Sea”. Guests were greeted in one room where they enjoyed delicious appetizers, and then “transported” by the elevator to an ocean-themed room where the banquet took place.
The event hosted more than 300 guests and Whitsons Corporate Dining prepared a very special menu for this occasion, which included a 3 flavors risotto station (duck and asparagus, seafood and wild mushroom), a sushi bar, a skewer station, a fresh seafood station and assorted salads.
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On Wednesday December 11th, Stryker hosted their annual Holiday Party. The Stryker Atrium was transformed to a holiday themed party seating over 480 people at once.
The delicious holiday menu featured: Mustard seed crusted prime rib with Dijon crème fraiche and roasted balsamic onions, spinach parmesan soufflé, rosemary & tarragon herbed salmon with Minnesota wild rice blend and grilled Asiago polenta, pomegranate roasted Cornish game hen with haricot verts with hazelnuts and lemony salt-roasted fingerling potatoes, gnocchi alla Romana with spinach, Holiday Tres Leches cake, German chocolate cake and apple crisp.
The cafeteria team at Stryker served around 1,650 employees through five sittings in the course of the day!
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The local foods initiative at Estee Lauder just turned hyper local! An indoor garden was installed in the cafeteria at the Estee Lauder Research Park facility. The garden will grow greens and herbs such as arugula, mesclun greens, bibb lettuce, and fresh herbs like basil and rosemary. These products will then be used to prepare delicious lunch meals.
It doesn’t get any more local than this!
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On June 28th, Estee Lauder 350 Main held a BBQ celebrating the launch of their new Fragrance Production Area. The BBQ featured fun carnival games, ice cream trucks and delicious food such as Caribbean lime jerk chicken, Black Angus burgers, balsamic fig marinated Portobello mushroom burgers and fresh salads using local greens and vegetables.
The BBQ served over 1200 people over a 24 hour period, so the Whitsons team worked all day and night to cover all three shifts at the plant in Melville, NY and please every single one of our Estee Lauder customers.
The event was a great success and our customers were more than thrilled!Read More7584
Reducing the solid waste produced in every day operations is a number one priority at Stryker. Styrofoam trays are made of polystyrene, a petroleum-based product which stays around for centuries, taking up lots of landfill space. Furthermore, solid waste adds a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. For these reasons, last fall, Stryker made the switch to biodegradable clam shells made from bagasse and corn-based plastic. These trays can be composted (they biodegrade in 30-90 days) and turned into soil again, completing the biological cycle with virtually no waste! Read More7858
At Estee Lauder cafes, being green comes first! The cafeterias are committed to environmental conservation and strive to become “greener” operations every day. They have banned the use of Styrofoam trays; instead, they use a combination of reusable and paper trays. Recycled paper napkins are used instead of regular paper ones. Furthermore, they have recently replaced all of their cleaners with environmentally friendly ones. It is easy to be green at Estee Lauder! Read More8198
In an effort to continue their environmental initiatives, Stryker has recently unveiled their latest initiative: a High Volume Organic Waste Decomposition System, also known as “Audrey”, after the character from “The Little Shop of Horrors”. Audrey turns the organic waste produced in the cafeteria into non-potable water, which is then discharged into the sewage system and processed in a water treatment plant where the water is cleaned and returned to the environment. In the first three weeks of operation, Stryker has already converted over 4,500 lbs. of solid waste into water.
This is a major step in reducing Stryker’s environmental footprint since solid waste is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation. According to George Kirby, Whitsons Food Service Director at Stryker, “Our goal, of course, is to maximize the environmental benefits of such a system. By cutting down on our solid waste hauling, we save money, preserve valuable landfill space, reduce truck...Read More11266
Wonderful things have been happening at our Estee Lauder locations!
Following Estee’s Holiday Party last month, our Estee locations (Main, Research Park and JHL) kept the festivities rolling by hosting a very special “Brunch Day” the next day, complete with specialty meals, which included savory bread pudding, an omelet station and a carving station with sliced Virginia ham.
Estee Research Park and JHL also held a Juice Tasting during the first week of December to introduce customers to a new line of all-natural beverages called Red Jack Orchard Juices. According to Assistant Manager Kathleen Cavallo of Estee Lauder Main, customers have been enjoying this new brand, which features flavors ranging from Fuji and Black Currant to Grape and Raspberry. Read More8800
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, our team members were called to help distribute food to the victims in the locations affected by the storm.
When the call came, the entire team at UBM rose to the occasion and volunteered to serve the food in one of the Far Rockaway locations. According to Peter Bellisario, Food Service Manager at UBM, “We were touched to be able to help thousands of people looking for food and a little compassion, and I was touched that we were all doing this nice work together.” Read More8054
It is grilling season, and this August was no exception! Our customers at Estee Research Park and UNFCU enjoyed delicious homemade heart-healthy burgers.
Chef Jose Argueta from Estee Lauder Research Park prepared a made-from-scratch fresh turkey burger that was the star of the meal. UNFCU’s Chef Jose Calderone also served freshly prepared burgers, including a turkey spinach burger, and Executive Chef Andy Whitcomb’s rice burger. Sounds delicious! Read More8832
CAMBA and Whitsons Culinary Group have partnered to provide real-life experience to CAMBA’s Next Step Food Protection Certification Training by inviting Whitsons’ food service professionals to participate in the program’s Guest Speaker series.
This February, Jim Corrigan, Business Development Manager, shared his vast professional experience with the students and was able to give them a real-life perspective of the food services field, which helped the students understand how diverse the food services field is.
According to Sherrill Hampton, the Food Protection Trainer, it was Jim’s down-to-earth attitude that made it very easy for the students “to open up and engage in fruitful conversation and ask questions”. Jim’s professionalism commanded their attention and respect.Read More8340
When the Boston Public Schools went out to bid, the district was interested in finding an innovative new approach to its dining program. By selecting Whitsons as their new provider, our fresh, healthy and nutritious solution was exactly the change they were looking for. What is it about our Boston account that makes it so unique? The service is a blend of two of our strongest niches: school nutrition and prepared meals. Whitsons serves about 30,000 meals per day consisting of breakfast, lunch and snack to this school district. These meals are Individually Packaged Meals (IPMs), delivered from the USDA-approved, BRC-certified and continuously inspected Islandia Culinary Center to Boston Public Schools. The meals are paired with local fresh fruits, vegetables, milk and bread. They are then delivered to the schools daily.
The response to Whitsons school lunch program has been overwhelmingly positive and parents and students alike are happy with the change. They are enjoying the...Read More15418
The Sunday following Christmas, the Northeast was hit with a major snowstorm. Transportation systems were down, with buses suspended and limited train service, but that did not stop Whitsons team members from making sure meals were delivered to Prepared Meals clients as promised. Managers and team members alike came in the night before, and some stayed through the next night, to prepare in advance for what was predicted. Drivers started coming in as early as 2:30AM to begin digging out the trucks and some team members walked through several feet of snow to get to work. The biggest challenge was to get the drivers out and on the roads, through the treacherous conditions and into the unplowed areas of many clients. Read More9156
A month after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the Northeast, there are some communities that are still suffering the negative impacts of this natural disaster. Hurricane Sandy destroyed homes and disrupted lives in many areas of New Jersey and New York. Recovery is underway, but some of these residents are currently living in a precarious situation, in homes without power or heat. In these communities, the certainty of having access to a warm meal is a welcomed relief.
In partnership with the NYC Human Resources Administration, Whitsons is still operating three sites in Coney Island and the Rockaways. In these hard-hit areas, life is not back to normal yet, and thousands of neighbors are relying on city-sponsored food tents for the daily meals as the local food sources such as supermarkets were also damaged by the storm.
Below is a link to a video produced by NY News 1 channel featuring the role of the food distribution sites in the affected...Read More8272
When Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast, Whitsons Emergency Dining was already busy preparing thousands of meals to be distributed in the areas affected by the storm. Through our partners, humanitarian organizations and local government, we have been providing nutritious meals to several affected areas immediately after the storm hit.
Whitsons partnered with the American Red Cross to provide over 330,000 meals, both hot and cold, to hard hit areas in New Jersey, the New York City boroughs of Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn, and Nassau and Suffolk counties in Long Island. In New York City, New York City’s Human Resources Administration (HRA) engaged Whitsons to feed residents in Coney Island, Brooklyn and the Rockaways, Queens, serving thousands of hot and cold meals every day.
Recovery from this severe storm is still ongoing, but for anyone severely affected by this extreme event, the certainty of knowing where your next meal is coming from is an important step back...Read More10358
In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, Whitsons partnered with the City School District of Albany to produce over 8000 emergency meals for local residents who lost power in their homes. The City School District of Albany provided access to its Arbor School for the distribution of emergency meals via the National American Red Cross (NARC).Read More7861
While most people living on the east coast were preparing for Hurricane Irene and staying inside, Delivered Meals Managers James Corrigan and Gregory Godfroy and their teams were preparing to deliver emergency meals to the Red Cross for people in need. With the help of many other team members, Jim and Greg were ready to take action and drive a truck with more than 5,000 meals 103 miles from Whitsons Elizabeth Culinary Center on Saturday August 27th. Notwithstanding the hazardous weather, Jim and Greg delivered the meals to the Red Cross, who then distributed the meals to shelters serving local residents in need. The Bronx and Islandia Culinary Centers also worked diligently in anticipation of the hurricane preparing the emergency meals. In the end, the team provided about 70,000 meals over two weeks. Those served really enjoyed the food and the boxed lunches Whitsons provided. All team members acted swiftly and were able to help many people during and in the aftermath of Hurricane...Read More8059
During an unexpected snowstorm at the end of October, Canton, Connecticut was hit hard with bad weather, turning the community center into a shelter for 8 days. The Whitsons food service team at Canton stepped in to prepare, cook and serve over a thousand hot meals at the shelter for the Canton citizens that lost power during the storm.
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