On May 18, Aramark launched our partnership with Amtrak and Starr Restaurants. Amtrak announced the launch of an all-new Amtrak Acela First Class dining menu to be offered on trains traveling between Boston and Washington DC.
STARR and Aramark, whose facilities team provides food and beverage services regionally for Amtrak, have developed a fresh new menu to offer Acela First Class passengers an elevated and reimaged dining experience. This will mark Starr Restaurants’ and Aramark’s latest culinary project as part of the strategic collaboration between the two Philadelphia-based organizations.
Customers seated in Acela First Class can expect dishes made from fresh and local ingredients, with the edition of a new signature entrée each season from one of Starr Restaurant Groups world-renowned, Philadelphia-based eateries. This includes items from Buddakan, Pizzeria Stella, Continental Mid-Town, and Adrian.
Some of the new menu items customers can expect to see onboard the Acela trains include:
- Chilled Sesame Noodles: Soba noodles, cucumber, broccoli, and cashews tossed in a sesame dressing.
- Vegetarian Lasagna: Fresh sheets generously layered with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses with a savory pear-tomato sauce.
- Black Pepper Beef: Wok-tossed tenderloin, Chinese crullers, and finger chiles in a black pepper sauce.
- Baked Manicotti: Ricotta-filled crêpes with pear-tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Following the partnership announcement, guests headed to the Metropolitan Lounge at Moynihan Train Hall in New York City to taste these new menu items and indulge in an evening of innovative and unique experiences. To learn more about this exciting opportunity, visit Amtrak and Restaurateur Stephen Starr Unite to Redefine Culinary Excellence Onboard - Amtrak Media. We are thrilled to integrate our team’s culinary innovation and continue to provide unique and meaningful experiences for our clients and guests.
Celebrating diverse cultures and backgrounds is central to serving our people, our clients, and our customers. Hispanic Heritage Month, which spans September 15 to October 15, is the perfect opportunity to recognize the rich history and tradition of Hispanic and Latino culture in America.
In partnership with our Impacto Employee Resource Group (Impacto ERG), this month we’re focused on highlighting our Hispanic colleagues – and the fabulous food they create – while furthering our efforts to empower and equip our minority and diverse supply chain partners.
While Hispanic Heritage Month offers a platform for elevating our Hispanic community at Aramark, these efforts go far beyond 30 days. Read on to learn more about this month’s celebration and our ongoing initiatives.
Creating Space for Diverse Perspectives
Across every area of our business, from our frontline associates to our supply chain vendors, we look for ways to empower our Hispanic culinarians, colleagues and partners.
Aramark prioritizes initiatives that expand educational resources, promote mentorship, and foster business opportunities for our partners. Currently, we accomplish this through supply chain initiatives that are specifically designed to build capacity minority-owned businesses. Impacto members participate as mentors on various capacity building programs in collaboration with organizations like the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Members of Impacto have also volunteered as Executive Coaches with multiple regional affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) which helps identify minority-owned suppliers, helping them scale and potentially integrate with Aramark’s supply chain.
“By empowering minority-owned suppliers, we help our local communities. We create a direct relationship between those suppliers, our organization, and subsequently our clients. And we strive to strengthen those links,” says Carlos Ramos, Vice President, International Controller and Impacto Co-Chair. So far, these supplier mentoring initiatives have reached over 50 local minority businesses and approximately half are Hispanic owned.
For Joel Hernandez, Mid-Atlantic Hospitality Enablement Manager and Impacto Co-chair, this representation and visibility is key to celebrating culture.
“Hispanic Heritage Month honors Hispanic people, of course, but it also allows us to appreciate Hispanic art, Hispanic history, and cuisine,” Hernandez says. “It provides us a public platform to share that with everyone, that we’re dining the Hispanic way and having fun the Hispanic way.”
Meet a Few of Our Chefs
Across every area of our business, from our frontline associates to our supply chain vendors, we look for ways to empower our Hispanic culinarians, colleagues and partners.
Aramark prioritizes initiatives that expand educational resources, promote mentorship, and foster business opportunities for our partners. Currently, we accomplish this through supply chain initiatives that are specifically designed to build capacity minority-owned businesses. Impacto members participate as mentors on various capacity building programs in collaboration with organizations like the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Members of Impacto have also volunteered as Executive Coaches with multiple regional affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) which helps identify minority-owned suppliers, helping them scale and potentially integrate with Aramark’s supply chain.
“By empowering minority-owned suppliers, we help our local communities. We create a direct relationship between those suppliers, our organization, and subsequently our clients. And we strive to strengthen those links,” says Carlos Ramos, Vice President, International Controller and Impacto Co-Chair. So far, these supplier mentoring initiatives have reached over 50 local minority businesses and approximately half are Hispanic owned.
For Joel Hernandez, Mid-Atlantic Hospitality Enablement Manager and Impacto Co-chair, this representation and visibility is key to celebrating culture.
“Hispanic Heritage Month honors Hispanic people, of course, but it also allows us to appreciate Hispanic art, Hispanic history, and cuisine,” Hernandez says. “It provides us a public platform to share that with everyone, that we’re dining the Hispanic way and having fun the Hispanic way.”
Executive Chef Alicia Rivera’s Puerto Rican Alcapurria
Executive Chef Alicia Rivera was born in Seoul, Korea, and grew up in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. She and her brother were raised mostly by their grandparents, while her father traveled with the military. Alicia was introduced to cooking by her family prepare meals together, and always loved making her Dad’s favorite dish, alacapurria. In college, she pursued a culinary arts and a business management degree, and has never looked back. Today, she’s a chef working with the local school district in Lewisville, Texas.
“With perseverance and devotion, I have been growing for over 20 years in the culinary trade,” Rivera says. “I’ve been reaching my dreams one step at a time.”
Now, she passes on this love for her culture and cuisine by sharing recipes over cross-country family Zooms – including her technique for traditional Puerto Rican alcapurria, fritters stuffed with meat. At Aramark, she believes the food she serves is an extension of herself.
