“Bringing our whole selves to work” is a popular business concept — but it only works if employees feel comfortable and invited to do so. Employee resource groups (ERGs) are a critical tool for nurturing such a company culture. In these safe spaces, people can express themselves and grow, personally and professionally, alongside peers from similar backgrounds.
Karen Mitchal, Vice President for Growth, Facility Services, had that in mind when she helped form Aramark LEAD (Leaders & Employees of African Descent) back in 2018. “Look at any of our locations and you see African Americans on the front lines, delivering on our hospitality promise to our clients,” says Mitchal. “LEAD’s vision is to cultivate Black leaders at Aramark, support the communities where we live, and foster a spirit of belonging.”
Read on to learn more about LEAD’s contributions to our wider diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including shaping our Chef Spotlight series for Black History Month.
Lighting a Path
Like our EMPOWER, PRIDE, Impacto, and Salute ERGs, LEAD is a resource to its members throughout their journeys with Aramark. Tenured members provide career guidance and mentorship to entry-level Black employees, steering them toward career growth. LEAD also partners with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to further expand our pipeline of talent that identifies as Black, African American, West Indian, or of African descent.
As with any endeavor, it’s important that LEAD’s success be measurable. “We can show that we’re actually impacting recruitment and retention, so that’s how we know it’s working,” says Mitchal, who has chaired LEAD for the past four years alongside two co-chairs.
Our leadership has long prioritized DEI, setting the stage for meaningful experiences for employees from minority backgrounds, Black and otherwise. Because of these collective efforts, we have been named a Top 50 Company for Diversity by BLACK ENTERPRISE. “It’s an incredible honor to be recognized by this well-respected institution for putting a stake in the ground around diversity, and African American diversity specifically,” says Mitchal.
For Black History Month, LEAD will host a series of virtual events featuring guest speakers from LEAD and other ERGs. Sessions will range from hands-on skills development workshops to panel discussions around timely topics, such as the experience of being a Black woman during the pandemic. The programming will culminate with a summit the last week of February. While nothing can quite capture the essence of meeting in person, the virtual format helps widen the reach considerably. In 2021, up to 500 employees attended any given session — a mix of LEAD members and allies from across the company.
Meet a Few of Our Chefs
Now in its second year, Chef Spotlight invites our resident culinarians to discuss how their cultural identity influences their work and comes to life through their favorite recipes. Under LEAD’s guidance, the program has grown year over year. More than 30 chefs answered the call for Black History Month 2022, and several of their creations will be available for guests at select locations throughout February. Here are a few of their stories.
Chef Franchesca’s Creole Gumbo
Franchesca Bland knew from a young age that she wanted to work in the culinary arts. The first moment of inspiration came from her Aunt Rita, who loved to cook and bake. Visits from Aunt Rita were always a literal treat, as young Franchesca would come home from school to an impressive array of home-baked goods. But these memories are bittersweet, as Aunt Rita recently passed away from cancer. “My love for the culinary world will last forever, just as the love for my Aunt Rita,” says the Chef Manager from Goose Creek CISD, east of Houston.
Chef Spotlight was a natural opportunity for Chef Franchesca to share her personal story and showcase her pride in her identity. Her Creole Gumbo evokes her parents’ Louisiana roots and is a staple of many holiday events.
“It’s definitely not easy to be a woman in this industry, and being a Black woman is even tougher,” she admits. “Becoming a chef is truly my greatest accomplishment, and being an African American is something I’m extremely proud of.”
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Chef Tom’s Pan-Seared Scallops
Living in West Philadelphia didn’t stop Tom Ramsey’s family from growing their own food. A vacant lot at the end of their block became the site for their urban garden, where a young Chef Tom learned to build fences, turn the dirt, and water the crops. “That experience lit a fire in me that still burns to this day,” he attests. “Now I teach my own children how to garden and harvest their own food.”
Also leaving a lasting impression: his mother’s stories of working at a South Carolina plantation as a small girl and how her great-grandmother was enslaved. “My mom would tell me, ‘Every opportunity we have in life is earned, not given to us. We have to work twice as hard to get half as much,’” Chef Tom recalls. “That message has been background music for my entire life and has pushed me to adopt the work ethic I have now.”
Today, Chef Tom channels his hard work and creativity as a Senior Executive Chef for the students at Drexel University. His featured recipe for Chef Spotlight is Pan-Seared Scallops, accompanied by glass noodles, butternut cream sauce, and Asian long beans. It also happens to be “a love story on a plate” for his wife, as it is one of her favorite meals that he prepares. As he puts it: “When the food is so good it makes you dance, you know you’re doing something right.”
Chef Beau’s Vegan Meatloaf
Beau Gipson, Chef de Cuisine at Lake Crescent Lodge in northwest Washington State, can trace his culinary career back to his childhood in the South Side of Chicago. His foster mom, Shirley, first tapped him to help in the kitchen on holidays — and before he knew it, he was joining her there every day.
While he didn’t always enjoy the early start times that come with prepping a big family meal, Chef Beau did love the reactions when it came time to eat. “Hearing the compliments from my family solidified my passion for cooking,” he recalls. “Once Shirley passed, I wanted to continue cooking because she created my drive, passion, and commitment to making people happy through food.”
When considering his recipe for Black History Month, Chef Beau instantly thought of soul food. “We cook this style of comfort food to feel connected to our ancestors, who had limited options for food and had mouths to feed,” he explains. He avoids red meat in his own diet, so his meatloaf recipe is a fresh, plant-forward take on the perennial crowd-pleaser. The gluten-and dairy-free dish is made with plant-based protein as well as bell peppers, onions, sage, rosemary, and thyme for a “holiday-esque” flavor.
He still thinks of Shirley often: “I know she’s still cooking with me every day, and I hope she’s proud of me.”
“A Soft-Landing Spot”
Over the course of her career, Mitchal has observed a shift toward authenticity in the workplace — a trend that has only accelerated with the extraordinary pressures of the pandemic. She’s more convinced than ever ERGs are an indispensable ingredient for employee engagement.
“As a nation, we have become more accepting of differences, and people have become more comfortable sharing more of themselves,” Mitchal notes. “Our ERGs are a soft-landing spot where we can have these personal, vulnerable conversations.”
Chef Spotlight is yet another outlet for this authentic storytelling, a way to cultivate mutual understanding among our many diverse communities. Just as importantly, it shines a light on the talented people who work behind the scenes to create memorable food experiences for our guests every day.
