Our values and principles guide us on the journey to bring real food to real people. We live our values through every step of the process; from the first steps of sourcing local and purchasing directly from our producers to the final steps of designing our menus and serving meals to our community.

Sodexo @ The Hotchkiss School General Manager January 2015 – PresentThe Hotchkiss School is a co-educational boarding school in Lakeville, CT. The dining program places a priority on sustainable agriculture. The campus includes Fairfield Farm, a 280-acre working farm with an on-site educational kitchen where I have held workshops in Culinary Life Skills, teaching students to prepare and cook their own food. The farm produces chickens, pigs, turkeys, and cattle, as well as more than 35,000 pounds of organic produce for the school’s dining program.

Recruited to integrate sustainable foods into the lives of seniors as they age in place. Began as dining service director and, within 6 months, promoted to Senior Dining Service Director. Was responsible for the oversight of 20+ buildings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine. Develop projects, troubleshoot, and support dining management. Played integral role in successful building of brand new facilities. Built kitchens of new facilities from the ground up. Negotiated kitchen equipment by spec, appliances, and dietary supplies with vendors. Hired, trained, mentored chefs and front-line staff, and coached unproductive staff. Selected Achievements: Earned 100%, deficiency-free state survey score 2 years in a row, from 70% upon hire, meriting recent award. Continually deliver perfect scores from Crandall Dietitians Association quarterly inspections. Elevated resident satisfaction rate 35% and increased move-ins 25% in 2-year period. Transformed culture of complacency and uncooperative behavior to one that emphasized teamwork, exceeding resident expectations, consistency, efficiency, and organization through enforcement of streamlined systems and processes, teaching “can do” troubleshooting strategies, and rewarding performance.

Participating in an educational model based around sustainability. Life Foods Prep classes focus on food as an integral part of our lives. We dive into food head first, with a historic perspective on the sustenance that shapes cultures around the world. We address nutrition, origin, and give a global perspective on all we do; taking a hands-on approach with preparing our own meals and studying traditional techniques and original recipes. The course outlines the history, evolution, and adaptation of foods from around the globe to right in our own backyard. We encourage curiosity and provide insight into where our food comes from, not just what it is composed of. We help students to help themselves; providing instruction on how to choose wisely in the supermarket and take charge of their own diets. Students are challenged to recognize that their decisions have effects far greater than their own surroundings and to identify the consequences of poor nutrition on varying communities as a whole. Every class has an open ended, professionally directed discussion surrounding food origins, theories of sustainability, food science, and food philosophy.