It’s Women’s History Month!
During the month of March, Bon Appétit Management Company commemorates and celebrates the importance of women in our food system by honoring our female culinarians, farmers, and leaders.
The women who make up our company represent a broad cross-section of the world, each bringing their unique talents, traditions, and recipes to be enjoyed by our guests. While old-fashioned notions of gendered roles have long placed women in the kitchen, leadership roles in the culinary field are still largely dominated by men. The same can be said of farming, another profession led predominantly by men. The most recent agricultural census estimates that women account for 36% of the country’s 3.4 million producers, a small decrease from the previous estimate from 2017.
Bon Appétit is committed to uplifting and making space for women in the food system. Our mission to confront and dismantle structural inequities is evident in our hiring and purchasing efforts. We seek diverse suppliers, including women-owned farms as Farm to Fork partners and certified Minority and Women-owned (MWBE) local businesses. We also aim to strengthen diversity and equity in hiring to ensure that employment and advancement opportunities are available to all, especially those disadvantaged by structural inequalities.
This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the women who serve as vital leaders and connectors in our local food systems by putting a spotlight on three of our beloved long-time Farm to Fork partners.
For more than 25 years, Bon Appétit Management Company’s Farm to Fork program has built partnerships with local, owner-operated farms and food businesses within 150 miles of our cafés. Established in 1999, Farm to Fork ensures that at least 20% of our ingredients come from local farmers and small businesses, helping to strengthen regional food systems by building direct partnerships between our chefs and local producers. Today, that network includes hundreds of partners—many of them women—whose leadership continues to shape a more equitable and resilient food system.
This year, we’re proud to spotlight three incredible women-owned food businesses who work closely with our culinary teams across the country:
Seeds Farm in Minnesota, Nirvana Soul in California, and Outrageous Baking in Colorado. Each of these partners reflects our shared commitment to good food and healthy communities, and we are honored to call them our partners.
Seeds Farm | Northfield, Minnesota
In 2010, while still a junior at St. Olaf College, Becca started Seeds Farm on a small plot of family land— a “glorified garden,” as she described it, with five CSA members and a natural partnership with Bon Appétit at St. Olaf. Becca says that Bon Appétit’s commitment to local purchasing was pivotal for the growth of the farm in its early years, because they could count on the team to buy what they produced.
Today, Seeds Farm spans 50 acres and grows 18 acres of certified organic and GAP vegetables, guided by the triple bottom line of sustainability: environmental, social, and financial. “I care about protecting our soil, feeding our community, and providing good jobs to our crew,” Becca shared. She believes that how people spend their money shapes the kind of agricultural system, and therefore the kind of environment we all live in. After working closely with our chefs for the past 15 years, she emphasizes, “Bon Appétit has shown the strength of purchasing power, and we are really thankful for that.”
Nirvana Soul | San Jose, California
For sisters Jeronica Macey and Be’Anka Ashaolu, Nirvana Soul is more than a coffee company — it’s a celebration of community, creativity, and joy. After nearly two decades in the coffee industry, Jeronica realized her dream of opening her own shop in 2020, creating a space where specialty coffee feels both inspiring and approachable. “Nirvana Soul’s mission is to bring people together through the power of coffee and tea,” says Be’Anka, guided by the values of kindness, accountability, and trustworthiness, while centering the experience of their customers.
Beyond their cafés in the Bay Area, Nirvana Soul engages deeply with their community by hosting events, supporting local artists, and sharing space with other food entrepreneurs. “Our role in the local food system is tied directly to our community,” Be’Anka explains. Through their partnership with Bon Appétit culinary teams at several Bay Area tech companies, Nirvana Soul brings that same warmth and connection to the cafés they serve.
Outrageous Baking | Boulder, Colorado
When Pamela Fletcher’s daughter developed food allergies as a child, she began experimenting with gluten– and dairy-free baking for her family. After some experimentation, Pamela came up with a take on an old family recipe, Aunt Kay’s Cinnamon Coffee Cake, which has become an all-time customer favorite. Now, Outrageous Baking provides handcrafted gluten– and dairy–free sweet breads, including vegan options. As Pamela notes, “Just because you have a food restriction doesn’t mean you should feel deprived.”
Together, Pamela and her daughter have released a cookbook, Gluten Free for Everyone, along with their own gluten-free flour mix. Pamela continues to focus on producing wholesome, preservative-free baked goods to accommodate people with dietary restrictions. Outrageous Baking has worked with Bon Appétit at Colorado Christian University for more than three years, providing delicious and inventive baked goods for the campus community.
