Who's News in Catering for December 9th, 2023

Accolades

The Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service (PNCPS) is pleased to announce the three winners of its fifth CAN-DO Challenge. The contest was open to non-commercial foodservice operators (K-12, College & University, Business & Industry, Healthcare, and Military) who were invited to share the creative ways they use U.S. grown canned Bartlett pears on menus. The PNCPS congratulates the 2023 winners:

1st Place: Spiced Pear Sharlotka 

Recipe By: Callie Gavorek, MS, RD, CC, FMP, SNS, Canton, MI

2nd Place: Pear Marinated Korean Bulgogi & Chilled Pear Cucumber Kimchi 

Recipe by: Camile Korenek, Assistant Director Housing and Dining/Registered Dietitian, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

3rd Place: Chilean Pumpkin & Pear Empanadas

Recipe by: Chef Andrew Francisco, Associate Director of Culinary Operations, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI  

People on the Move

AA Four Diamond Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, a Marcus® Hotels & Resorts property, has announced the appointment of Jonathan Gutiérrez as the resort’s new executive chef. With a culinary career spanning over a decade, Gutiérrez has earned a reputation for his whimsical creativity, passion for locally sourced ingredients, and dedication to culinary excellence. Inspired by everything from pop culture to natural surroundings, Gutiérrez has earned national recognition as well as a large social media presence.  Born and raised in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Gutiérrez has been cooking since he was a child, inspired and learning from his mother’s dishes and techniques. His interest in creating imaginative dishes led him to restaurants and dining facilities across the U.S., including Walt Disney World where he was a cultural representative and culinary intern early in his career. Prior to joining Grand Geneva, Gutiérrez worked in several notable restaurants and resorts including La Quinta Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, where he held the position of banquet chef. Most recently, he was the executive chef at Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa. 

CKC Good Food, a food service management and event catering company, has promoted Ambika Senthilvel to the newly created position of director of strategic planning. In this position, Senthilvel will be responsible for identifying long-term operational initiatives and working with cross-functional teams to implement improvements. She will continue with her current responsibilities overseeing the company’s menu creation and IT functions. Senthilvel has worked for CKC Good Food since 2017, most recently as senior manager for menu planning and technology. In this position, she oversees a team of six and works closely with the company’s senior leaders and the procurement and inventory team to help plan and execute more than 40,000 meals served at 180 sites in the Twin Cities area. She is the chief architect behind CKC Good Food’s proprietary menu tagging technology platform and oversees the company’s development of monthly menus for contract food service clients. Prior to joining CKC Good Food, Senthilvel was a creator and writer, a teacher and a data analyst. She has a master’s degree from Madurai Kamaraj University and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from V.V.V. College for Women.