ASHFSA Meets in Vegas

LOOK, A COOK WITH A BOOK! Chef Jeff Henderson (l.) gave the keynote address at the recent ASHFSA National Conference, talking about the challenges he faced in his life, as he left a life behind bars to become a top Las Vegas chef. Here, Henderson spends a moment with Regina Toomey Bueno, senior director of food & nutrition at NYU Medical Ctr. and Marty Rothchild, vp-marketing for Aladdin Temp-Rite.

The American Society of Healthcare Food Service Administrators (ASHFSA) gathered its membership in Las Vegas in early June for the group's 2008 National Conference. The theme was “Stay in the Game…by Staying Ahead,” a timely focus given the challenges facing healthcare segment operators.

A full agenda of presentations, workshops and sessions explored different issues. Meanwhile, the membership enjoyed the presentations of a couple of significant awards.

ASHFSA's Don Marsh Operator of the Year Award went to Betty Perez, director of food & nutrition for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, while Phyllis Filgate, foodservice director for Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 3 in Mineola, NY, was named winner of the Jacques Bloch Award.

The keynote address was delivered by Chef Jeff Henderson, who spoke about how he overcame a series of personal challenges, including a decade spent behind bars, to become an award-winning chef.

Other presentations were given by consultants Janine Sergay (Sergay Group Ltd.), who spoke about managing performance, and Kelley Williamson (Leading Edge Group), who gave the Jill M. Gift Lecture on lean management principles.

Eric Munson, president emeritus of University of North Carolina University Hospitals, ended proceedings with the closing keynote, titled “Why Not a Universal Healthcare System and Why Not Now?”

There were also a wide variety of sessions dealing with various aspects of healthcare foodservice, including “Successful Meal Delivery Systems,” “Winning Branding Concepts,” and “Sustainability in Action.”

Basic American Foods and Tyson Foods sponsored a Culinary Demonstration Luncheon. In addition, A la Cart, Inc., Aladdin Temp-Rite, CBORD Group, Cleveland Range, Computrition, Dinex International and Rod Collins Associates sponsored Vendor Lunch ‘n Learn Workshops, which gave attendees opportunities to learn about new products while eating lunch.

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