At Workplace Experience Group (WXG), we have a pledge to prioritize people. We support our people, creating a culture of value, recognition, and investment that encourages career and personal growth and empowers our best selves to show up. This past month, Aramark wrapped up its final round of the 2023 Aramark Culinary Excellence Competition (ACE). In preparation for the final enterprise round, Workplace Experience Group invested in our three chef finalists by having them train with Certified Master Chef Brad Barnes to help them master their skills and compete at their highest level.
Chef Brad has had an extensive culinary career and is currently President of Pure Food Consulting following his role as Director of Consulting and Industry Programs at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Chef Brad has an impressive range of culinary experiences and achievements and has passionately studied culinary practices, training, mentorship, operations, and chef education while developing his skill sets throughout his many roles in the industry. Chef Brad is a Certified Master Chef, one of 70 in the United States, a Certified Culinary Administrator, and an inductee of the American Academy of Chefs, the American Culinary Federation’s honor society. During his time at the CIA, Chef Brad often worked with Aramark and was appreciative of Aramark’s commitment and dedication to the professional development of their people. When asked to coach for this year's ACE competition, Chef Brad was excited to pass along his knowledge to the WXG team.
The training occurred both virtually and in person over the span of six months. Chef Brad was able to work with the team during two live events where they took a hands-on approach to the training and practiced their strategy in the kitchen. The team also had numerous virtual sessions creating mock menus and reviewing dishes.
The ACE Competition followed the American Culinary Federation format of a mystery basket competition. Due to this unique competition format, training on strategy tailored to what the judges were looking for was a very important piece in understanding how to be successful. Chef Brad helped the team create a system that would prepare them for any ingredients that could appear in the basket. The training also consisted of conversations about reducing food waste and teaching the critical skills to use each part of the food items to the best extent possible. 40% of the team’s score was based on their culinary practices in the kitchen, from efficiency to sanitation. The other 60% focused on the food itself and how it was prepared. These trainings put the team in the true setting of the competition and allowed the chefs to study how to deliciously cook any type of food combination placed in front of them.
Another essential part of the training was creating team synergy and capitalizing on each chef’s unique strengths. Each chef worked incredibly hard and brought value to the table. Success in this competition came down to conversation, reinforcement, and strategy to establish roles and responsibilities. Chef Brad saw great improvement throughout the training and was impressed with the team’s ability to interact in this setting. Their success in this will allow them to bring these culinary practices back to their kitchens and find new ways to perfect their profession. The team was able to grow as professionals in an array of ways and develop a more sophisticated view of flavors as well as culinary operations and standards. Chef Brad knows this team will take their knowledge and pay it forward to others through mentorship and leadership.
The impressive talent and passion of our culinarians is a significant contribution to Aramark's service excellence. Our chefs are experts in their craft, and this training opportunity was a valuable experience that gave this team the empowerment and opportunity to grow their careers and take those around them to new heights. Chef Brad was happy to share this incredibly commendable investment with the team and he believes it’s important to continue to foster this kind of growth in our industry.
Our Aramark Workplace Experience Group team is excited to continue creating a culture that offers culinary talent options to grow the careers and skills of our talented chefs.
