General Manager Kimberly Triplett University of Maryland, Baltimore
Location: Baltimore, MD Number of people fed each day: 2,000 With Bon Appétit Management Company since: 2002 Farm to Fork Farmer: Brett Evans, Even' Star Organic Farm
Quote: “Reaching out to farmers and supporting the work they
do is incredibly important. As other food businesses jump on board, chefs start
to rethink the foods they serve, eaters start to approach their food
differently, and things start to change. That is ultimately what will really
change our food system.”
Why I work with food: Since I was a child, I always knew I’d work with food. My
uncle was a restaurateur in DC and I starting working with him in the kitchen
when I was 12. He loved people and he loved food. He influenced me greatly. My
family lived in
England for
a few years and my mother encouraged my sisters and me to take the train into
London and explore. And
that meant eating! I also got to experience the flavors and cultures of
France,
Spain,
Germany, and
Switzerland,
which sealed my passion. At a time when there weren’t the accolades for chefs
that there are now, Julia Child was a huge influence on me as the only woman to
be recognized for her culinary contributions. After working with my uncle for
so many years, I attended the Baltimore International Culinary Institute. I’m
so glad I’ve been able to gather up all my experience and come here and help
continue the dream…it’s my passion too and I’m proud to work at Bon Appétit.
What sustainability means to me:
Sustainability is all about making connections between the
people who grow our food, the chefs who prepare it, and the diners. The first
time I visited Brett Evans’ organic farm in
Southern
Maryland was one of my most inspiring moments. We walked the
fields with him, cutting open and sampling golden melons, plucking squash
flowers, and slicing into tri-colored tomatoes. This was some of the most
flavorful produce I’ve ever tasted. We brought some of this produce back to the
kitchen and the kitchen staff was enchanted by the intensity of the flavors in
Brett’s fruits and vegetables. At first he didn’t want to sell to us,
preferring to concentrate on his restaurant accounts and farmers’ market. We
finally convinced him of the benefits of working with Bon Appétit by buying
whatever he’d sell us and working it into our menus. Change can be difficult
for people, especially when it involves their food and sometimes our
initiatives challenge eaters. I like to bring them along by making the changes
fun. On Low Carbon Diet day we designed menus to raise awareness of the link
between food and climate change. We publicized the online calculator and
involved students by encouraging them to participate in taste tests of our low
carbon pizza, low carbon tacos, and low carbon local salad. It was very
successful at
Georgetown.
The students took the time to go online and play with the calculator and really
appreciated being able to interact with it. Letting them taste the food helped
them accept the changes to their diets we were asking them to make. I think the
best way to tell the story of our innovative practices is through the food.
Why Bon Appétit Management Company is Different:
Two things set us apart. One is the food. The menus are
chef-driven, locally focused, and built upon our direct relationships with
farmers. But it’s also the people. Starting from the very top with our CEO, Fedele
Bauccio, the people who work here care about each other. I was asked to do a
cooking demo on a local TV station and I was really nervous. Fedele actually
picked up the phone to remind me that he’s tasted my food and he knew I’d do
great. I couldn’t believe that in a company with 10,000 employees, he actually
took the time to make that call.