Past NFEF Award Recipients
NFEF Foodservice Department of the Year Award Recipients
2023 | Sharon Towers at SouthPark
The culinary team at Sharon Towers is led by Culinary Director Chad Lauderbaugh and Executive Chef Brady Lutz who together, work to provide an excellent dining experience for their residents. Their culinary team upgraded its catering program to include seasonal offerings and personalized services to non-dining team members, welcomed 62 new residents with the opening of a new building, and operated an on-site grocery program. The grocery program is a pop-up grocery store and pharmacy for residents to minimize exposure going to stores. Under the direction of Chad and Brady, the culinary team has transitioned from a buffet-style service to a restaurant-style service, offering a la carte menu items, and worked together through training and recipe testing to make this transition successful.
The Sharon Tower team utilizes an operations communication report to stay organized and handle the day-to-day operations for all its customers. This report lists the objective, the action, the person responsible, and the status of the action. To maintain a unifying work environment, the team conducts “All Call” meetings, and starts each day with the SUPERB principle:
Stewardship
Unity
Purpose
Excellence in Service
Respect
Beauty
To cultivate a positive culture and community, the culinary team engages with residents during meal service and offers “Pop-Up” events that allow each one to socialize and come together as one family. This team has made an amazing impact on the entire organization, and are now opening a new bistro, club room, and dining room - with an expanded lounge.
Chad, Brady, and the entire culinary team at Sharon Towers has exceeded the revenue budget because of the team’s collaborative efforts with residents and other departments, offering special tastings for potential residents and showcasing the chef’s culinary skills. This team takes much pride on stewarding their financial resources well.
2022 | Vinson Hall Retirement Community
Vinson Hall Retirement Community has earned the NFEF’s 2022 Foodservice Department of the Year Award. VHRC, located in McLean, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., is a life plan community that offers independent living plus long-term care for seniors.
Effective communication is essential to the success of the daily operations at VHRC. The dining team’s practical style of communication starts with “first impressions.” Bishal Pandey, CDM, CFPP says that whether it be on the telephone, in-person, making deliveries, sharing a smile, or simply making direct eye contact, all interactions play a crucial part and have long-lasting impressions.
Knowing residents by name and their dining preferences is key to having an enjoyable stay at VHRC. The dining services team prides themselves on creating good tasting food and providing a memorable experience for their residents. The pandemic has taken a toll on the senior living population, and VHRC’s dining services team has gone beyond, not only doing their part, but has kept residents informed and provided support, good food, and friendship.
The dining services team is focused on the “Mind, Body, and Spirit” of every single person they meet. Each month, VHRC’s dietitian along with VHRC’s executive chef present an educational nutrition seminar called Eating Well=Aging Well. This seminar and cooking demo was designed to provide nutritional recommendations and smart meal options. Every morning, numerous hydration stations with seasonal, fruit-flavored water that provides full nutrition is offered to residents.
The dining services team participates in various departmental activities and collaborates with members of the Residents Dining Committee to provide quality, resident-driven programs and activities that increase resident engagement, and dining-related assistance. These beneficial programs directly influence the high-quality services the residents deserve at Vinson Hall Retirement Community.
When seniors are exploring retirement community options, perhaps the highest on their list is finding a facility that provides a worry and care-free lifestyle, offers a variety of services and of course, great food! VHRC allows residents to enjoy peace of mind knowing their needs will be met at each of these levels. The dining services team actively engages prospective residents by inviting them to dine in on-campus to see for themselves.
Residents who choose Vinson Hall Retirement Community can expect several advantages over living at home through one of their many life plan community options!
2019 | Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital
Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital has been chosen to receive the 2019 Foodservice Department of the Year award.
The staff at Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital strive to have an open line of communication at all times in order to create a successful department. Each week, they huddle together and are encouraged to share concerns, express areas needing improvement, and share positive aspects of the department. Open communication is key to an effective work environment, allowing individuals to better understand one another and make departmental improvements.
The department’s day-to-day operations impact the overall patient satisfaction rate by the level of patient care. The foodservice department delivers patients’ food trays with quality, five-star rated meals. Each tray is presented with a small vase of flowers and a wrapped cloth napkin to add a special touch.
Staff developed a take-home care package for patients to enjoy an easy, at-home meal while recovering from surgery. This care package includes soup, an assortment of snacks, bottled water, and silverware packets - all nestled in a Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital branded cooler.
The mission of SFSH is PRIDE. Personalized - Responsive - Innovative Care - Dedicated to Excellence.
One of the main goals in the hospitality department is to maintain a high standard in meal preparation. In 2018, the per patient day (PPD) cost decreased by nearly 37 percent. This decrease is attributed to the efforts made in changing to a room-service style option. Additionally, food procurement, production costs, and waste were significantly reduced.
Teamwork has specifically impacted the overall operation of this department and is reflected in state and national surveys. This foodservice department has received 100 percent food scores for four consecutive years and passed state inspections with zero deficiencies. With minor changes to food distributors, the foodservice department is now able to maintain cost-effective and long-term business goals, saving $35,000 in operations annually.
SFSH foodservice department prides themselves on being one of 37 five-star rated hospitals in the country and their exceptional patient care.
2018 | Cook Medical Center
Cook Medical Center has been chosen to receive the 2018 Foodservice Department of the Year award! As a team, the center's staff has grown together by applying their knowledge of company standards and the food safety of their patients and residents. Cook Medical team received 100% food scores from the county health inspectors and passed state inspections with no F-tag infractions. Additionally, more than half of the team successfully passed the ServeSafe® manager certification course, and three individuals were recognized by the hospital as Employee of the Month! The department came in under budget for the year, increased retail sales in their cafeteria compared to 2016 sales, and received the highest tier in the interdepartmental survey.
All of this was accomplished during a time when the department experienced a shortage of staff due to family medical leave, illness, and natural disasters. In January 2017, the community was affected by a tornado outbreak, followed by the devastation of Hurricane Irma in mid-September. Staff rallied together to serve volunteers, emergency response teams, hospital residents, and staff. Despite these hurdles, staff was able to overcome these challenges and achieve their financial pillar goal and succeed specifically in the areas of survey and inspections.
Cook Medical Center's mission is to serve the health needs of their patients, residents, staff and those in their community. The Center continues to work on the development of growth and service through community spirit projects and staff is dedicated to bringing the best of themselves to the department and Cook Medical Center.
2017 | Bethany Home, Inc.
Bethany Home, Inc. has been chosen to receive the 2017 Foodservice Department of the Year award! The Bethany Home dining services team pride themselves on the dining experience they provide to each resident. Cross training and team effort have proven meal service and events to be a success. The Bethany Home staff developed three new menus that now provide residents, guests and staff plenty of options daily. Bethany Home team members work diligently to offer true hospitality-style service and has a customized ticket system in place to ensure that all preferences and special needs are met. Bethany Home has catered numerous events in the community and earned a reputation as having “the best food in town.”
2016 I Palmetto Park Senior Living
Palmetto Park Senior Living has been chosen to receive inaugural NFEF Foodservice Department of the Year award! This award was based on Teamwork, Innovation, Customer Service and Operational Contribution. At Palmetto Park the dining services team empowers their employees by teaching communication and team builing exercises and their staff is recognized for their service by honoring them each month. Staff educates residents, clients and customers on the the importance of a nutritional meal and is currently working on the devleopment of DVDs that will broadcast monthly to inform them on health issues, such as, high blood pressure, sodium, diabetes, heart disease and cancer and how this all relates to a healthy diet.