Chefs Collaborative Names Bauccio Its Sustainability Pathfinder 2011

Prestigious award recognizes one visionary individual for efforts that
go beyond the kitchen to empower chefs and educate guests

Palo Alto, CA (October 25, 2011) – Bon Appétit Management Company, known for tackling environmental, economic, and social issues in the food system, is pleased to announce that CEO Fedele Bauccio has been honored as a Sustainability Pathfinder for 2011 by a panel of 21 culinary leaders. Chefs Collaborative, the country’s top professional organization dedicated to a more sustainable, local, and delicious food system, announced the award on October 24, 2011, in New Orleans during its National Summit, a yearly gathering of sustainability-focused chefs, food professionals, producers, and food writers from around the country.

sustainability pathfinder_Fedele with ChefsThe three Chefs Collaborative Sustainability Awards are given to a very small group of peer-nominated leaders in the food world. The Pathfinder Award honors efforts beyond the kitchen, the Sustainer Award recognizes a chef who is a model in his or her community in local and seasonal purchasing, and the Foodshed Award singles out a food producer who exemplifies sustainable practices and shows a commitment to working with chefs.

“There is no comparison to what Fedele Bauccio has done with Bon Appétit Management Company when it comes to large-scale food service and sustainable practices,” said Melissa Kogut, executive director of Chefs Collaborative. “Bon Appétit empowers its chefs to find creative ways to source sustainably, develop menus, motivate their staff, and educate their customers. We’re impressed because once Bon Appétit is successful in one area, it sets ambitious new companywide goals.” Under Bauccio’s leadership, Bon Appétit pioneered local food sourcing starting in 1999 and has since launched initiatives targeting sustainable seafood,cage-free eggs, and the reduction of antibiotics in the food system; its most recent focus areas are humanely raised meat and justice for farmworkers.

The awards are closely tied to Chefs Collaborative’s mission of fostering a more sustainable food system. Throughout the year, Chefs Collaborative works with chefs and the greater food community to celebrate local foods, embrace seasonality, preserve diversity and traditional practices, and support local economies through purchasing decisions. With the theme “Hands-On New Orleans: Sustainability in Action,” the third annual summit explores the nuances of sustainability as applied to the Gulf of Mexico with hands-on, chef-led workshops, networking events, and panel discussions.

“I’m humbled to be selected for this award,” said Bauccio. “I set out to create a company that would change the food service industry, by hiring real chefs to cook great-tasting, fresh food for college students and corporate employees. Along the way I realized we need to reclaim what we’ve lost to industrial agriculture — in flavor, in family farms, and in vibrant regional economies. I’m heartened that so many chefs, producers, farmers, and businesspeople have joined us in creating the vibrant food movement we have today.”

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 like the Natural Resources Defense Council, Seafood Choices Alliance, The Humane Society of the United States, and Food Alliance. On Newsweek’s Best College Food 2011 list, Bon Appétit teams held the #1, #2, and six other of the 25 slots; its dining operations at Wheaton College in Illinois were recently voted Best College Food among 122,000 college students surveyed by the Princeton Review.

Contact: Vanessa Barrington, [email protected], (415) 505-0116
or Haven Bourque, [email protected], (415) 505-3473
Photo: Download a high-res version of Fedele Bauccio with chefs