IFMA The Food Away from Home Association

14/04/2026

Leisa Bryant rarely knows the emotional state of someone ordering a meal from the foodservices of University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

“We’re a cancer hospital,” explains the executive director of the hospital’s Food and Nutrition Services.

“We don’t know what kind of news someone we’re feeding may have just gotten. Maybe a loved one of theirs has just passed, or someone in the family has been diagnosed with cancer. Or they’ve just been told they’re cancer-free and are waiting to go home.”

All she knows is her department strives for more than merely delivering calories, be it to patients, their visitors, or members of the hospital staff.

“We’re not only providing the food, we are providing care, we are providing hospitality,” Bryant says with a slight Caribbean accent. “The staff understands that vision and that the role they’re playing makes a difference. That’s really the passion I have.”

It’s the drive that earned her the Silver Plate award from IFMA The Food Away from Home Association in the healthcare category.

Get the full profile here >> https://foodaway.org/IFMA/Resources/News/2026/Don%E2%80%99t%20tell%20Leisa-Bryant-her-job-is-only-about-serving-hospital-food.aspx

07/04/2026

🎉 We are proud to congratulate AHF leader and past president Leisa Bryant, MBA, MA, RDN, CPXP, FACHE, Executive Director of Food, Nutrition, & Patient Transportation Services at MD Anderson, on receiving the 2026 IFMA Silver Plate Award for Healthcare!

Leisa is a powerful force in healthcare foodservice, an immersive leader who leads with both compassion and conviction. She creates cultures of belonging while holding teams to the highest standards, proving that strength and empathy are not opposites, but partners in exceptional leadership. 💪💗🤝

Her influence reaches far beyond her organization. As a respected industry leader and champion of self-operated excellence, Leisa continues to shape the future of healthcare foodservice through mentorship, advocacy, and action.

Congratulations, Leisa! This recognition is beyond deserved!

Read More ➡️ https://healthcarefoodservice.org/celebrating-excellence-leisa-bryant-honored-with-the-2026-ifma-silver-plate-award/

07/04/2026

Join us in celebrating two of our MFNS members on their recent achievements!

✨2026 Silver Plate Healthcare Winner
Leisa Bryant, MBA, MA, RDN, CPXP, FACHE, Executive Director at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center | Leisa is a recipient of the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA)'s Silver Plate Award for healthcare. This annual award is given for recognized commitment to food excellence and service. She is one of 9 individuals honored this year and will receive her plate on May 16, 2026.

✨2026 California Delegate-Elect
Ami Patel, MS, RD, FAND, Food and Nutrition Systems, University of California San Francisco | Ami has been elected the 2026 Delegate for the California Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics. In this role, Ami will serve 3 years, representing California members in the Academy's House of Delegates.

We are so proud of these two amazing leaders and their contributions to our profession! Learn more at bit.ly/4aX5p5A

31/03/2026

More than 15,000 students in the farming town of Greeley, Colo., depend on Danielle Bock for what may be their only sound meal of the day. With that sort of responsibility, she’s not about to let hummus and yogurt go without a fight.

“Those are my go-to items,” explains the director of nutrition services for 35-school Greeley-Evans School District 6. If the federal government’s pending definition of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) should apply to the kid-pleasing products, Greeley-Evans would likely be pressured to decrease or halt their use. And that strikes Bock as a good intention gone awry.

In a career that extends back to waiting tables in a Perkins family restaurant at age 14, Bock has repeatedly tried to right the wrongs she’s seen in the business. Food insecurity soared in Washington state while the Colorado native was living there. Bock signed on with a local organization to provide people experiencing hunger with what they weren’t getting from the state or other usual sources of support.

She raised the amount of food distributed by Food Lifeline by 65%, to 35 million pounds annually.

Get the full profile here >> https://foodaway.org/IFMA/Resources/News/2026/Danielle-Bock-doesnt-hesitate-stir-the-pot-for-her-students-and-staff.aspx

27/03/2026

Anyone in chef’s whites might feel at home inside the buzzing kitchens that landed a Silver Plate this year for Brad Haga, SVP of Prepared Foods and Dispensed Beverages for the Casey'sconvenience-store chain.

“You’d see commercial hoods and commercial fryers and pizza ovens and people making dough and big mixers and whatnot," the winner in the Grocery, Convenience, and Specialty category says of the 2,900 facilities whose direction he sets. “And you'd say, ‘Yeah, this looks just like a restaurant to me.

“Then you’d turn left and see aisles of candy and snacks and hundreds of non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks," he continues. "So, yeah, parts of our offering are different.”

But not different enough to keep units of Casey's, a full-scale convenience retailer, off lists of the most popular pizzerias in parts of the Midwest. Only Domino's Pizza, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars, and Papa Johns Pizza have more ovens in use on a typical day.

Get the full story >> https://foodaway.org/IFMA/Resources/News/2026/Caseys-Brad-Haga-proves-c-stores-can-go-toe-to-toe-with-QSRs.aspx

24/03/2026

Four years later and we're honoring Chip Wade with the Independent Restaurants Silver Plate Awards!

Celebrate Chip's achievements this May in Chicago: foodaway.org/gsp

Breaking News: We're excited to share that Chip Wade, USHG's COO and President, will step into the role of CEO this fall. Our founder, Danny Meyerer, will remain Executive Chairman of USHG, continuing to mentor and advise across all our restaurants. We couldn't be prouder of this leadership team!

Check out the full announcement: https://www.ushg.com/news-item/union-square-hospitality-group-announces-chip-wade-to-succeed-founder-danny-meyer-as-ceo/

24/03/2026

Running a company while its founder is still actively involved can be a challenge. If that founder happens to be Danny Meyer, the Yoda of fine dining, a successor would have to be dumber than a rock to shun the input. And Chip Wade, CEO of Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), has proven through his long career that he’s no dolt.

Get the full story >> https://foodaway.org/IFMA/Resources/News/2026/Chip-Wade-Union-Square-Hospitality.aspx

22/03/2026

Our very own Chadd Arthur hit the road last week for the iMIS Roadshow! He loved connecting with clients and hearing about what matters most to them.

Thank you to Advanced Solutions International, Inc. for sharing the iMIS vision and roadmap. And a special thank you to hosts IFMA The Food Away from Home Association. It was one of those days that leaves you energized about what is on the horizon!

20/03/2026

Jane Street, then an early-stage investment firm, had to wait a year before Sally Minier agreed to be interviewed for the facilities management position it was struggling to fill. Even then, Minier recalls, she said yes largely to see if a newcomer to the starched world of finance would hire a Wall St. expat peddling her own line of baked goods on the internet at the time.

Jane Street was so smitten with Minier’s career track that it agreed to let her keep Sweet Sally's Bakeshop as a side hustle if she’d take the job of supervising the financial institution’s foodservices and other employee amenities. Minier said yes, adding to a resume that already listed stints as financial analyst, luxury hotelier, contract-services liaison, foodservices supervisor, wholesale baker, and entrepreneur.

Get the full profile on Sally Minier, 2026 Business & Industry / Foodservice Management Silver Plate Winner: https://foodaway.org/IFMA/Resources/News/2026/Sally-Minier-baked-up-different-sort-of-career-BI.aspx

20/03/2026

Celebrating SHFM Silver Plate recipient and SHFM Past President Sally Minier at COEX!