CEO Fedele Bauccio Honored for Supporting Farmworkers

California Rural Legal Assistance bestows  2011 Cruz Reynoso-Ralph Abascal Don Quixote Award

Palo Alto, CA (October 3, 2011) — Bon Appétit Management Company is proud to announce that CEO Fedele Bauccio has been honored by the 2011 Cruz Reynoso-Ralph Abascal Don Quixote Award from California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA), for his efforts to shine a light on the unfair treatment of the workers who harvest this country’s food.

Bauccio was selected for his support of the Inventory of Farmworker Issues and Protections in the United States, which the CRLA called “a critical tool in advancing justice for farmworkers.” The 65-page report was authored by the Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation in partnership with United Farm Workers and with support from Oxfam America. The group also applauded Bon Appétit’s partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida, which resulted in aCode of Conduct required for all of Bon Appétit’s Florida tomato growers.

CRLA provides legal services to low-income individuals residing in over 22 California counties. Today CRLA serves a wide array of clients, while maintaining specialized programs that focus on services for farmworker populations. The Cruz Reynoso-Ralph Abascal Don Quixote Award is named for Cruz Reynoso, who came from a farmworker family to become the first Chicano Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court; Ralph S. Abascal, a California lawyer who won landmark decisions on behalf of farmworkers and welfare recipients; and for the fictional character by Miguel de Cervantes, who made a habit of intervening in causes where victory was perceived to be unattainable. CRLA presents the award to an individual who has taken a leadership role in difficult situations and who has pushed the envelope to protect the rights and well-being of poor communities.

“We hope the way the Bon Appétit Management Company lives its values inspires other companies to do the same,” said the CRLA.

The award will be presented on October 16, at the 2011 San Francisco Tardeada to benefit CRLA. Tickets are still available for the fundraiser, which will include Latino-inspired food and musical entertainment, an art auction, and an opportunity to share an afternoon with some of San Francisco’s leading professionals and CRLA supporters.

About Bon Appétit Management Company
Bon Appétit Management Company (www.bamco.com) is an on-site restaurant company offering full food-service management to corporations, universities, and specialty venues. Based in Palo Alto, CA, Bon Appétit has more than 400 cafés in 31 states, including eBay, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Getty Center. A pioneer in environmentally sound sourcing policies, Bon Appétit has developed programs addressing local purchasing, the overuse of antibiotics, sustainable seafood, cage-free eggs, the connection between food and climate change, and, most recently, farmworker welfare. The company has received numerous awards for its work from organizations such as the James Beard Foundation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Seafood Choices Alliance, The Humane Society of the United States, and Food Alliance. Its dining operations at Wheaton College in Illinois were recently voted Best College Food by 122,000 college students surveyed by the Princeton Review.

Contact: Bonnie Azab Powell, [email protected], (650) 621-0871