VOL 26 ISSUE 24, June 16, 2025
Delaware North had a strong showing at the 13th annual “Menus of Change” Leadership Summit June 4-5 at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y.
Lou Piuggi, vice president of culinary, food and beverage (F&B) for Delaware North, spoke on a panel during the two-day summit that brought together over 300 professionals – including chefs, F&B executives, dietitians and sustainability academics. The summit featured interactive workshops, cooking demos, networking and panels focused on how various stakeholders can work together to make the foodservice industry more sustainable and socially conscious.
Piuggi spoke on a panel titled “Empowering and Training the Food Workforce for Better Business Outcomes,” and discussed how Delaware North’s CHEFS® (Culinary & Hospitality Excellence for Future Success) program has grown into a community of more than 100 team members.
“If we want to offer best-in-class culinary and hospitality experiences, then we need people at all levels of the business who feel valued and empowered in their roles while offering meaningful opportunities for growth,” said Piuggi, who added that the CHEFS program has fostered a culture of support and continuous learning among culinarians.
“The CHEFS program has been successful because it has been grassroots and not from the top down. We have created a network of chefs who are genuinely invested in each other’s development, which trickles down to their team members and through the quality of food and service we provide,” he said.
The panel was moderated by Ann McBride, vice president of programs for the James Beard Foundation, and featured Anna Threadcraft, wellness nutrition manager for Delta Air Lines, and Florence Simpson, deputy director of food services for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Sandhya Mahadevan, fellow at the Good Jobs Institute, opened the panel with a research-backed business case on investing in frontline teams to boost job satisfaction and company performance.
The Menus of Change summit, a collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, also featured speakers from foodservice organizations such as Compass Group, Sodexo and Panera Bread.
The conference focused on how organizations can elevate culinary and foodservice standards through sustainable practices – providing attendees with strategies and tactics for developing more plant-forward options, executing “protein flips” (reducing portion size of meat), enhancing global flavors and more.
Delaware North shared a livestream link of Piuggi’s panel with company chefs across the United States, and more than 80 people tuned in virtually. Kevin Doherty, director of culinary for Delaware North Sportservice, and Franck Deletrain, director of culinary for Patina Group, also attended the conference.
Piuggi, who graduated from the CIA in 1983, this year was inducted into the CIA’s Society of Fellows and is serving a three-year term on the Menus of Change Business Leadership Council through which he will help increase the visibility and impact of the initiative, alongside leaders from global hospitality brands such as Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Marriott and Hilton.