Onsite with FSD

As Sarah Bodner’s career progressed at Chartwells Higher Education, she eventually earned the role of research and development executive chef for the company. One day, about two years ago, she found herself at a dinner with her fellow chefs for a work meeting. But when she looked around the room, she saw the faces of three women chefs, all of which were involved in Chartwell’s Women in Culinary Program. As she looked at them, she had thought, “We’re here, we did it.” Many women throughout their careers, in various industries, may find themselves often as the only woman in the room when they progress to leadership roles. But that day, Sarah realized, she was not in fact the only woman in that room.

Chartwell’s Women in Culinary program seeks to bring together women chefs throughout the company and empower them, as well as inspire them to empower themselves and the women around them.

On this episode of Onsite with FSD, in honor of Women’s History Month, Bodner joins us to discuss her experience in the program, inspiring women she’s met throughout her culinary career and her thoughts on the representation issue in the industry.

Listen as we hear about a recipe book filed with creations from her grandmother and the way in which her mother’s work ethic inspired her to push forward her career.

At Pennswood Village, a senior living community in Newtown, Pennsylvania, Executive Chef Edward Bremme has been hard at work coming up with new vegetarian options for residents. This fall, he introduced over 20 new meatless dishes as part of the dining team’s 5-week menu cycle. 

On this episode of Onsite with FSD, Bremme gave us the low down on why he decided to introduce these new vegetarian options, where he finds menu inspiration, and his tips for fellow senior living operators who are looking at introducing more vegetarian items at their operation. 

On this episode of Onsite with FSD, we are talking about the always-great topic of barbecue, seen through the lens of a college chef who came off the competition barbecue circuit to make a difference in the students’ experience at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Our chat with Chef Chuck Gibbons, senior executive chef, goes into styles of barbecue but quickly turns to topics like inclusivity on campus and programs to support students in different ways. We also talk about college students changing their social styles through the generations, and how dining programs can help.

In just a week, Drexel University Campus Dining saw a 25% reduction in overall carbon impact at its residential dining hall. And the following week, overall carbon impact was reduced by 50%. How did the team do it? By implementing two simple menu interventions. The menu interventions were a part of a collaborative study from Aramark, which manages foodservice at the university, and Drexel University’s culinary innovation lab. And the interventions did not compromise diner satisfaction, as the team has not received any negative feedback regarding their efforts.

Identifying effective sustainability projects can be a difficult task and Aramark is trying to ease the process by collecting data that will better inform its sustainability practices.

Aramark’s senior director of menu enablement and strategy joins us for this episode of Onsite with FSD to discuss the findings of this recent study. We dive into the role of messaging, the importance of convenience and ways to maintain diner satisfaction while introducing new sustainability efforts.

Listen, as we discuss the work Aramark is doing to identify best practices and effective ways to reduce carbon emissions.

On this episode of Onsite with FSD, CEO and Founder Jamal Rasoully brings us his unique perspective on why halal food is catching on with the general public and what he's been doing to share this cuisine with college students all over the country. He started the Halal Shack concept when his own college years weren't that far behind him, and now he's not only at his alma mater, but in a growing number of campuses in which the community is ready for delicious chicken bowls. While those bowls may be the most popular, the menu is always changing and innovating with fusion-friendly ideas like wraps and pizzas. With halal's halo effect of being a shorthand for humanely sourced, 'clean' or 'whole' food, it's no wonder college students are seeking it out.

At Friendship Village, a senior living retirement community in Tempe, Arizona, residents are now being treated to hazy IPA’s, pastry stouts and more brewed in house thanks to the communities new Director of Brewing Operations Tyler Lynch. 

Lynch came to the senior living community only two months ago and has made it his mission to offer residents new and exciting beers that will challenge their pallets.

Listen as Lynch shares what led him to his current position, his process for coming up with what beer to brew, and how he is engaging Friendship residents in the art of beer making. 

In the aftermath of a disaster, foodservice provider Aramark’s focus remains on supporting the communities that were impacted. Hurricane Helene hit several states from Florida to Tennessee at the end of September, leaving disastrous impacts in its path. About ten of Aramark’s college sites, in addition to some of its other sites in other segments of the foodservice industry, were impacted by the storm. Some sites had to shut down, some lost power and some were without signal or the ability to contact the outside world. The operations themselves were impacted by Hurricane Helene, as well as students and employees who lost a lot of their personal items. During this time, Aramark quickly jumped into action, going onsite to support their operations. In this episode of Onsite with FSD, we sat down with Aramark Regional Vice President Matt Rogers who continues to work with the foodservice provider on showing support to local communities and Aramark foodservice sites dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. We discuss the effects the storm had on different college sites and the way in which Aramark provides resources and assistance to those impacted.

Here at Onsite with FSD, we like to find topics we know a little bit about but think our listeners would love to know more about.

In this case, boba has been showing up on beverage trends lists quite a bit, with beverages in general showing lots of growth and opportunities on menus.

Botrista is a 360-degree beverage platform that was founded in 2017 by ex-Tesla engineer Sean Hsu. It makes sense that the platform uses intelligent AI and data-based decision making, allowing for boba with the touch of a button. The company itself has expanded five times over since 2022, another sign pointing to boba’s popularity.

There’s a cool community/social aspect of getting boba together as an event for human connection.

Botrista’s VP of Product & Beverage Innovation Rex Huang gives us the inside scoop on setting up a boba program, especially on college campuses, and shares his knowledge on the trendy sip.

This week on Onsite with FSD, we sat down with two senior living operators to get the low down on technology in senior living foodservice. While the segment caters to some of the nation’s oldest eaters, that doesn’t mean that they’re opposed to new forms of tech when enjoying a meal.

Listen as Dr. Milton McGowian, chief operating officer at The Sharon at SouthPark in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Rosemary Aho, certified dietary manager at Marquette County Medical Care Facility in Ishpeming Michigan, share what tech trends they’ve been noticing, how to evaluate what technology is the best fit for your needs and the needs of diners, and how they’ve been able to successfully implement new technology at their respective operations. 

Gather ‘round the Onsite with FSD campfire for a chilling ghost story from Chef Jonathan Pye, along with a preview of ADC’s culinary plans for the rest of the year and beyond.