Student nutrition is a huge part of a student’s overall educational and physical growth. At Frenship ISD, the Aramark Food Service staff is committed to improving the health and academic potential of the students.
Elizabeth Williams, Chef Manager for Aramark, knows that the cafeteria staff throughout the district work hard every day to provide delicious and nutritious meals for their campus. In the grand scheme of things, it can be easy to overlook this group of amazing workers, so Williams wanted to find a way to highlight and recognize her outstanding staff.
“I come from a varied and lengthy food service background. One thing I always noticed was a lack of recognition for going above and beyond,” said Williams. “It's great to do the job, but it's the extra initiative and motivation that always seems to go without notice.”
Williams started a Chef's Shout Out recognition opportunity for Frenship Dining staff members. The Chef Hat is a token of the Chef Shout Out and is seen as a badge of honor in the food service profession. It is an award earned by an individual or a campus for going above and beyond the Aramark standards. It is earned for doing exemplary work in the cafeteria.
This past week, the team at Legacy earned the Chef's Shout Out for their great attitude and accountability during the Food Service Quality Assurance Audit Williams performed at their campus.
“It was wonderful how the staff welcomed me into their kitchen, they answered my questions, and they were engaged and attentive as I reviewed the sections and my findings in each,” said Williams.
Williams stated that Rosa, the Cafe Manager at Legacy, acknowledged the report with a great attitude and took ownership to modify and correct the processes needed. When she came back to follow up a few days later, Rosa had kept her word, and matters were resolved.
“This group of women work well together and produce a strong shift each and every day. I am doubly proud of them because they told me that it was their goal to earn the award and they have done it by raising the standard and acting on the training they were provided with.”
Williams felt it was important to recognize the cafeteria staff because it is so easy to fall into a place of feeling overlooked. She wanted to shine a light on these hard-working staff members. This recognition reinforces focus on the details and the standard of quality and carries motivational weight for the cafeteria staff.
“The toque (chef hat) is a badge of honor in the chef profession. I remember how I felt when I donned mine at graduation and I wanted to pass this feeling on to the staff,” said Williams. “This encourages other employees to raise their level as they see people getting noticed for following the rules and making an impact. We have some great people and it's important that we all collectively celebrate and support those people and bring others to that level too along the way.”
The launch of Chef Shout Out drew attention to the standards and quality that make Aramark stand out. Williams and the Frenship ISD Dining team are excited to keep recognizing the staff members who go above and beyond on their campuses.