Bon Appétit Management Company

The girls choose from a variety of toppings

Holly Winslow, resident district manager of University of San Francisco, and Crystal Chun Wong, general manager at Kirkland and Ellis in San Francisco, were glad to play host to a group of 20 Girl Scouts from three different troops for a pizza party at USF. They didn’t even have to be “badgered” into it.The scouts were each in the process of completing the Girl Scout Gold Award on Food and Local Farming. The visit to Bon Appétit was part of the “research and personal enrichment” portion of the requirements.Holly and Crystal articulated Bon Appétit’s core principles about buying locally, cooking from scratch, and healthy eating, giving the girls a better understanding of food production using sustainable practices. Being hosted by two women in management in the restaurant industry also gave the girls inspiration for potential future careers.

After a tour of the USF café, the group dispersed to rows of tables set up as pizza preparation stations. Every station was fully equipped with pizza dough, a knife, a towel, an apron, a chef’s hat, and a USF plush animal. A few girls looked disappointed when there were only vegetarian pizza topping available, and some asked “What? No pepperoni!?” Holly and Crystal explained the environmental benefits of eating less meat. Soon the young chefs were digging happily into the beautiful array of fresh fruits and vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, assorted peppers, assorted cheeses, broccoli, strawberries, bananas, and even tater tots and fries. The abundance of fresh, tasty ingredients sparked the girls’ creativity. Half of the pizza chefs made savory pizzas, and the others “dessert pizzas” topped with items such as strawberry cream cheese and fruit.

While the pizzas cooked, Crystal led the troupes in a trivia game that tested their knowledge of food history, ingredients, and lingo. By the end of the game, the girls were itching to see their creations emerge from the oven — all thoughts of pepperoni and sausage banished.