The Produce Excellence in Foodservice Award

The Produce Excellence in Foodservice Awards Program pays special tribute to chefs and foodservice operations for their produce innovation, creativity, and all-around excellence in their use and promotion of fresh fruit and vegetables in the culinary arts.

Winning chefs and foodservice operators are recognized at the IFPA Foodservice Conference, hosted each year in Monterey, CA.

Foodservice award winner's graphic

Thank you to our Program Sponsor:

A group of eight people dressed in aprons and casual clothing stand behind a table displaying various plated dishes. They are posed outdoors in front of a modern glass building. A banner for Taylor Farms is visible in the background.

Nine people standing on a stage holding plates, smiling. The backdrop features a blue and orange display with the text "The Foodservice Conference." The group appears to be diverse, including men and women, dressed in business casual and chef attire.

2024 Winners

Business & Industry
EJ Jimenez
Executive Chef/Chef instructor
Rancho Cielo Youth Campus
Salinas, CA

Casual & Family Dining Restaurants
Grace Goudie
Executive Chef
Scratch Board Kitchen
Arlington Heights, IL

Colleges & Universities
Jonathan Guitierrez Santiago
Executive Sous Chef
University of California Merced/Yablokoff Wallace Dining Center
Merced, CA

Fine Dining Restaurants
David Ruiz
Executive Chef
Scalo Restaurant
Albuquerque, NM

Hospitals & Healthcare
Roel Mesta
Executive Chef
The Village at Germantown
Germantown, TN

Hotels & Resorts
Manfred Lassahn
Executive Chef
Hyatt Regency Hotels - Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa
Huntington Beach, CA

K-12 School Foodservice
Julie Raway
Registered Dietitian
Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES)
Endicott, NY

Quick-Serve Restaurants
Chris Mayo
Development Manager
Wildflower
Scottsdale, AZ

Supermarket & Retail Operators
Dorene Mills
Hannaford Chef
Hannaford Supermarkets
Scarborough, ME

The nine winning chefs, and an accompanying corporate executive, receive:

Complimentary roundtrip airfare and registration to IFPA's Foodservice Conference, July 25-26 in Monterey, CA
Two nights of hotel accommodations
Recognition on stage at the Foodservice Conference

Selection Criteria

A panel of produce foodservice experts evaluated nominees on the following criteria:

Creativity in using fresh produce in concept development and menu design, including the ability to incorporate produce into culinary trends
Knowledge and use of proper fresh produce handling procedures
Produce-related outreach or special events, such as community service projects, local educational outreach, etc.
Recognition among peers and/or by their company, such as awards, additional responsibilities, and training

About the Categories

Business & Industry – This category recognizes chefs who regularly serve a company’s employees and guests. This might include an employee cafeteria or a corporate dining room and administrative catering where produce is used to create great cuisine and impress clients. Nominees in this category must operate in an establishment that offers regular/daily foodservice catering.

Casual & Family Dining Restaurants – This category includes sit-down restaurants with a casual atmosphere. Casual dining restaurants may provide table service (i.e. waiter/waitress service) to patrons who order and are served while they are seated and pay after eating, or provide buffet-style service.

Colleges & Universities – This category includes chefs who are in charge of dining services for a college or university. This might include cafeteria-style service for students, on-campus quick-service concepts or more formal dining concepts and special event catering where produce is used to create great cuisine and impress campus visitors. Nominees in this category must operate in a college or university setting that offers regular/daily foodservice operations.

Fine Dining Restaurants – This category includes “white tablecloth” restaurants that, most typically, serve prepared food for lunch and dinner, or dinner only. Full table service is provided in a formal setting, and the meal is served by wait staff.

Hospitals & Healthcare – This category includes hospitals or other healthcare facilities, such as senior living or long term care facilities. They likely serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the properties may never “close.” Patients/guests are often present for several days, and menus might vary frequently.

Hotels & Resorts – This category includes hotels (independent and chain), as well as resort properties. This might include chefs in charge of property restaurant concepts, special event catering and room service menus.

K-12 School Foodservice -This category includes public, private, parochial and charter schools for primary and/or secondary students (K-12). Responsibilities likely include oversight of a school district’s cafeteria menus for breakfast and/or lunch, purchasing and distribution, as well as for other school-related meals and events.

Quick Service Restaurants – This category includes establishments primarily engaged in providing foodservice (including snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) where patrons generally order or select items and pay before eating. Food and drink may be consumed on premises, taken out or delivered.

Supermarkets & Retail Operators – This category includes establishments that primarily sell food and grocery items to customers, but who also offer foodservice options that patrons can consume in the store or take out. This might include an onsite restaurant or café, salad and prepared food bars, and/or a grab & go/prepared meals section.

Past Award Winners

Business & Industry
Jeffery David Marlow
Chief Culinary Officer - Executive Vice President
Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK

Casual & Family Dining Restaurants
Jason Smith
Chef Proprietor
18 Restaurant Group, Raleigh, NC

Colleges & Universities
Travis Robert Johnson
Senior Executive Chef
Levy, Notre Dame, IN

Fine Dining Restaurants
Maggie Trujillo
Culinary Director/Chef
Aqua by El Gaucho, Seattle, WA

Hospitals & Healthcare
Santana Diaz
Director of Culinary Operations and Innovation
UC Davis Health/Hospital, Sacramento CA

Hotels & Resorts
Abel Ace Cabral
Executive Chef
The Grove Country Club, Nashville, TN

K-12 School Foodservice
Jeanne Reilly
Director of School Nutrition,
RSU #14 Windham Raymond Schools, Windham, ME

Supermarkets & Retail Operators
Malu Schlueter
Culinary Manager
Oryana Co Op, Traverse City, MI

Quick Service Restaurants
Kyle Markt
Head Chef
Farmer’s Fridge, Chicago, IL

Business & Industry:
Chris Ross
Senior Executive Chef, Levy/ Hardwood & Oak @ The Central Bank Center: Convention Center, Rupp Arena and the Lexington Opera House
Lexington, KY

Casual & Family Dining Restaurants:
John Marshall Calloway
CEO and Executive Chef, Black Rooster Taqueria
Orlando, FL

Colleges & Universities:
Christina Betondo
Associate Director of Culinary Excellence, R&DE Stanford Dining
Stanford, CA

Fine Dining Restaurants:
Steve McHugh
Executive Chef/ Proprietor & Owner, Cured Restaurant Group - Cured and Landrace
San Antonio, TX

Hospitals & Healthcare:
Dugan Wetzel
Executive Chef, Eskenazi Health
Indianapolis, IN

Hotels & Resorts:
Stephen Varela
Executive Chef, Valley Brook Country Club
McMurray, PA

K-12 School Foodservice:
Whitney Ellersick
Senior Director, Portland Public Schools
Portland, OR

Quick Service Restaurants:
Emma Dye
Founder + Chief Salad Officer, Crisp Salads
Portland, OR

Supermarkets & Retail Operators:
Kati Lauffer
Corporate Chef, Nordstrom Restaurant Division
Seattle, WA

Business & Industry:
CHEF STEPHEN PALM
Director of Culinary
Lifeworks Restaurant Group
Beaverton, OR

Casual & Family Dining Restaurants:
CHEF SACHIA TINSLEY
Chef/Owner
Peyrassol Café at Southport
Renton, WA

Colleges & Universities:
CHEF DARREN LEWIS
Executive Chef, Dining Services
Quest Food Management Services at University of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN

Fine Dining Restaurants:
CHEF KYLE PATRICK HASH
Executive Chef
28 North Gastropub
Melbourne, FL

Hospitals & Healthcare:
CHEF SAMANTHA MOORE
Head Chef
Goshen Health
Goshen, IN

Hotels & Resorts:
CHEF KRISTIN BUTTERWORTH
Executive Chef of Restaurants
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa
Farmington, PA

K-12 School Foodservice:
LAUREN COUCHOIS
Culinary Specialist
Greenville County School District
Greenville, SC

Quick Service Restaurants:
CHEF MATT COLGAN
Culinary Director
MIXT
San Francisco, CA

Supermarkets & Retail Operators:
SARAH GRISWOLD
Prepared Foods Manager
Green Zebra Grocery
Portland, OR

Questions regarding the award?

Amy Marshall

Retail & Foodservice Manager

302.607.2108 Email Amy Marshall

Produce Excellence in Foodservice Awards