One-on-One with a SAGE FSD: Rylan Jeffries
SAGE Community, One-on-One
Meet Rylan Jeffries, a former junior softball Olympian and the beloved Food Service Director of River Oaks Baptist School in Houston. How did you get into cooking? My husband—who’s also a SAGE Food Service Director, incidentally—is the reason I got into cooking. I was 21 at the time, and when he came over to my apartment, there was really no food in the house. Somehow he managed to put together this crazy casserole with chicken, cheese, olives, and cornichons. If...
One-on-One with a SAGE Team: Allen Clark and Mohamed Dirir
SAGE Community, One-on-One, Featured Venue
Meet dream team Allen Clark and Mohamed Dirir, Food Service Director (FSD) and Executive Chef at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School in Atlanta, Georgia. Their philosophy on working as a team and striving to be better every day is inspiration for us all! What’s the ideal relationship between a FSD and an Executive Chef? Allen: It’s built on trust. The FSD trusts the Executive Chef to produce food that completely meets SAGE standards for taste, safety, and presentation. The Chef trusts...
One-on-One with a SAGE Executive Chef: Kim Durm
SAGE Community, One-on-One
Kim Durm has served as the Executive Chef at Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) since November of 2015, and she’s been with SAGE since 1995. Kim’s sage (lowercase, that is) advice on life and teamwork is informed by her keen sense of humor, refreshing perspective, and generous goodwill. How did you get into the foodservice business, and with SAGE? Actually, I wanted to be a cop. But I was a very hyperactive child. I had to be doing something...
One-on-One with a Food Service Director: Alice Mathews
SAGE Community, One-on-One, Featured Venue
Alice Mathews, Food Service Director at St. Martin's Episcopal School in Atlanta, GA, feels a responsibility to help students develop healthy eating habits while keeping the lunch experience fun and exciting! Who inspired you to cook? My grandmother loved to cook and I loved to spend time with her. She never followed a recipe. She just used a pinch of this, a dash of that, and whatever ingredients were around. If you could prepare a meal for anyone, past or present, who would it be, and what would you...
One-on-One with a SAGE Food Service Director
SAGE Community, One-on-One, Featured Venue
FSD Robyn Kunze has been with SAGE for nearly five years in her current position at Phoenix Country Day School. Robyn is an experienced chef, avid educator, and team leader who brings her passion for food and community to everything she does. What do you do on a daily basis? I do a lot of planning and organizing. I’m always coordinating orders and menus, and working with my Team when they need help with anything. I also help out with...
One-on-One with a SAGE Software Developer
Technology, SAGE Community, One-on-One
Technology is of great importance to SAGE—not only our meals, but also our tools, are made from scratch. We invest in building custom, state-of-the-art technological solutions for our clients, from the ground up. Meet Senior Software Engineer Leela Sedaghat—violinist, fashionista, and ping-pong player extraordinaire—a Renaissance woman whose easy eloquence and big-picture sensibility fly in the face of the one-dimensional "techie" stereotype. How did you become interested in software engineering? I’d always been interested in computers and coding, but I’d never considered it...
One-on-One with a SAGE Chef
Purchasing, SAGE Community, One-on-One
Erin Still is SAGE's newly-promoted Director of Menu Development. Well-known for the delicious snacks she prepares at the Home Office (including a tart, creamy Key lime pie, which I sampled thoroughly in the interest of journalistic integrity), Erin began working at SAGE almost nine years ago as a Food Service Director (FSD) at schools in Baltimore. She then served as Purchasing Manager before being promoted to her current position. Read on to learn more about Erin! How did you end...
One-on-One with a SAGE Dietitian
Nutrition, Allergies, SAGE Community, One-on-One
Lesley Vogel is the Director of Nutrition at SAGE Dining Services®. To celebrate Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, I stole a few moments with her during a busy day of meeting with her team of Registered Dietitians, reviewing menu plans, and answering Managers' questions about allergens, ingredients, and recipes—read on to learn more! So, Lesley... what's the coolest part of your job? There's never a dull moment! I just got back from speaking about how to accommodate for food allergies as...
About Us
At SAGE Dining Services®, our unparalleled expertise in nutrition, sustainability, and culinary trends produces exceptional dining experiences that delight the senses, inspire minds, and foster community.
