The idea is simple. While many food service companies regularly purchase just about everything to avoid paying for skilled labor, we try to make as much as possible from scratch. (How skilled we are is certainly up for discussion!)
Just like kids, adults just need to eat well, whether they like it or not. To get them to do that we employ a term called “stealth health”. Without revealing all my secrets, I can say that there is a fluidity in the recipes we use. 2 tablespoons of salt become 1, three cups of sugar becomes 1 cup plus some organic honey. Milk chocolate becomes dark chocolate, 4 oz. chicken thighs become trimmed breast, and ground beef becomes ground white meat turkey. Whole eggs becomes half egg /half egg white. There is always an opportunity to improvise and make food more nutritious. If we can’t stop you from mac and cheese, we can use whole-wheat pasta, skim milk, and fresh vegetables. We want to sneak in some nutrition to foods that are basically empty calories because we know they will be purchased, then so be it, we do.
We also operate on the premise that everyone deserves a chance to eat well. While there still remains a large group of associates that employ the “vegetables- no thank you attitude”, our staff is focused on looking beyond that attitude with the thought that just like children, when opening up their eyes to the opportunity, they can be taught. There is no giving up. We will offer those that understand nutrition their bounty, while at times leaving less time to prepare food that might fuel gluttony. For that there is no apology.
Guiding is a great term. Not mandating, not condescending, not judging. Guiding; helping, offering, educating; such a wonderful concept and absolutely one of the best employee/consumer perks anyone could ask for. For me (us) to be here representing Eurest is a privilege. Our café here, in my opinion, is in its infancy in its coordination with Guiding Stars, but the relationship is exciting and meaningful. Nowhere to go but onward and upward; shoot for the Stars!
Thomas Sheehan is an Executive Chef for Eurest and Manager of the Hannaford Cafe. Tommy graduated from University of New Hampshire and got his culinary training from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). He has held executive chef positions throughout New England since 1986. Before coming to the Hannaford Cafe he was the corporate chef at LL Bean, and St Joseph’s College. When he’s not in the kitchen, Tommy can be found hunting, fishing, or rooting for the Boston Red Sox.