ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CULINARY SERVICES AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
ESKENAZI HEALTH
INDIANAPOLIS
AGE: 36
Best career advice you’ve been given:
Although it may be cliche, I always remember my first foodservice director, Gary Goldberg then at Purdue University, telling me that “You are only as good as your last cup of coffee.” To me, that represents the idea that you need to ensure every guest has the same dining experience, from the first to the last, regardless of how close to closing time you might be.
Most rewarding moment so far:
The ability to have conversations with small Indiana farms and businesses that have told me what a difference Eskenazi Health has made for their families. Having moved over 50% of our food to being purchased from these Indiana businesses, the impact it has on them is huge, and in many cases, life-changing.
An important lesson learned:
When I joined Eskenazi Health, I had an opportunity to assist with the design and build of all-new operations on our brand-new campus. While the experience was new to me, it was very rewarding but also very tiring. I learned that it is sometimes best to get a consultant to look over your consultant, because curbed bases in a cafeteria last forever!
Most valued trait in a workplace:
That is easy—it is the people. From leadership to staff to customers. The most important thing to me is the team I work with and the people that I am surrounded by. I am very grateful to have such an amazing, talented staff at Eskenazi Health and extremely blessed to have visionary, supportive leadership. Oftentimes, foodservice can be seen as just a necessity and sometimes a low priority. At Eskenazi Health, we know that food is medicine, and it has become a top priority at every level of leadership.
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