Food for Thought

For Hispanic Heritage Month this year, we are tracing the cultural and culinary impact of chiles across Latin America. As a member of the Capsicum plant family, chiles are an incredibly diverse ingredient used across the world, with varieties ranging in geography, cuisine, uses, spice level, color, and more.

One of the many essential partners that help ensure our culinary teams have access to reliable, high-quality products is local food hubs. The role of food hubs is to aggregate and distribute local food from small to midsize farms, which seamlessly streamlines the delivery of fresh, sustainable food to the communities and institutions we serve.

Just over two decades ago, Bon Appétit Management Company began our annual tradition of challenging our chefs to cook a farm to table meal made exclusively with ingredients grown within 150 miles of their café.

Congratulations to Regional Culinary Director Ty Paup, Bon Appétit's 2026 Chef of the Year AND Compass Group's Top Chef of 2026!

What started with a pile of discarded turmeric and ginger pulp at a local juice bar has evolved into one of the most creative food waste-reduction initiatives in the kitchen at Edwards Lifesciences.

Sustainability is incredibly important, but commitments do not carry out themselves. They become a reality because people work behind the scenes to source thoughtfully, cook from scratch, reduce waste, educate guests, build partnerships, and push their accounts forward.

Standing at the end of two of the most formative years of my life, I feel nothing but gratitude for the experiences, people, and communities that I have learned from in my time as a Bon Appétit Fellow.

At Bon Appétit, the most distinctive programs tend to start the same way: with people paying close attention to the character of a place and the people who bring it to life each day.

Safely serving guests with dietary restrictions — including allergies and food intolerances and sensitivities — while maintaining our high standards of hospitality is a priority for every operator at Bon Appétit Management Company.