Bon Appétit Management Company

Wagon Coffee was started in 2020 by Tami Canaday, a former barista who moved up the corporate ladder in the coffee industry over 20 years before striking out on her own. She started her company as a way to support the recovery community that she and her husband Ryan help nurture in the Denver area through their non-profit, called FREE Recovery Community. 

Outside of Hood River, Oregon, fruit trees sprawl across acres and acres of bucolic landscape of the Columbia River Gorge. Sam Asai and his family have been tending their orchard here for generations. 
Sam, whose grandparents emigrated from Japan in the early 20th century, owns and operates the orchard together with his family. Sam’s grandparents purchased some of the land that now makes up A&J’s acreage in the 1900s, raising their family and establishing their first fruit trees.

In 2014, Vincent Gaikens went looking for a change. After a decade and a half of working for another large food service company, he felt a longing to develop relationships with local farmers and showcase seasonal ingredients from his home state of Ohio.   After a brief job search, Vincent found a match with Bon Appétit at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). “As soon as I started, I was enamored,” says Vincent. “I remember the first delivery I got from a farmer. I shook his hand and felt this connection – like he was transferring responsibility to me through this handshake.”   As the Campus Executive Chef at CWRU and regional Forager in Bon Appétit’s Southeast-Midwest region, Vincent embraced Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork commitment from the very beginning of his time with the company. He began reaching out to potential […]

Salvatierra Farms is alive with flocks of pasture-raised chickens, native trees, and crops. A group of 15 students, staff, and Bon Appétit chefs from St. Olaf College and Carleton College, where Salvatierra is a Farm to Fork partner, recently had the privilege of learning from Regi’s unique approach to agriculture (and life itself!).  

The Bon Appétit at Roger Williams team has built a leading local sourcing program, bringing the best of the state’s cornucopia of seafood, produce, and animal proteins to campus. Over the past 18 years, the team, led by General Manager James Gubata and Culinary Director Jonathan Cambra, has worked closely with a tight-knit group of Farm to Fork vendors, learning some valuable lessons along the way. 

Farm to Fork partner Hunter Cattle Company is a multi-generation family-run farm, that was started “by accident” but has since flourished into a thriving and beloved producer in the region. Del Ferguson first ventured into raising cattle for his family. At the time, he had no idea that grass-fed beef would be desired by the community, much less marketable.  

As winter’s chill settles in, cooks often turn to storage crops, including a vibrant array of hardy winter squash, each with its own special flavor profile and gastronomic potential. From the robust and well-known butternut to the delicately sweet acorn, ornamental turban squash, and velvety texture and nutty flavor of Koginut, these nutrient-rich and flavor-packed vegetables define the essence of the season.

Mushrooms are having a moment. With a rise in mushroom-themed art, beauty, fashion, film, and culinary and wellness explorations, mushrooms’ popularity has risen exponentially in recent years. The collective fondness for ‘shrooms includes many of those on the college campuses we serve.

Tucked away on the edge of campus, over a bridge and beside the athletic fields, lies The Farm at Butler, a gem within Butler University in Indianapolis, IN.  Just shy of one acre, this agricultural oasis is a clear example of how urban farming can transform previously dormant land into a thriving ecosystem and classroom.  

In this follow-up to last week’s post, we share the stories of three food hubs that demonstrate just how critical this model can be for matching supply with demand.