It started with freshly baked ginger apple scones, and delicious food kept coming all day. Epicurean Group returned to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in August for our annual meeting and a celebration of 20 years in business. Chefs, District Managers, General Managers and staff from many of our San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington kitchens traveled to Copia, the CIA’s food and beverage hub in the heart of Napa Valley to learn, cook, and celebrate 2 decades of fresh, local and honest cuisine.

A round robin of introductions started the day, focused on sharing company culture and coming together post-pandemic. Some staff reported 3 days of service; others proudly boasted being with the company since day one. Chef David shared challenges running his kitchen solo throughout the pandemic for nearly two years. CEO Mary Clark Bartlett recounted memories of the northern California wildfires, when Epicurean Group fed 7000 from a make-shift kitchen in a Marin County campground, long before FEMA arrived. She said it was “time for us to get back to basics. We are moving past Covid which means no more prepackaged foods and back to what we are known for – freshly produced, delicious, local food from scratch.”

CIA chef David Kamen gave a group presentation on the importance of food buffet plating and presentation, as he reminded people don’t necessarily eat with their eyes first. “Never forget the other equally important senses. Eaters can smell food even before they see or taste it.”

A new corporate campaign was introduced for 2024, Go Greener, Epicurean Groups’ effort to further recycling efforts and incorporate even more compostable service ware into our kitchens across the U.S.

Talk of another exciting project also inspired, the newly opened Italian deli at Dominican University in San Rafael, CA, which makes everything in house, including smoked turkey for pastrami turkey and hand rolled sausages for service, takeout and home meals. The deli makes starter for home baked sourdough, and bakes whole grain, buttermilk and rye bread daily, as well as Poppyseed buns for Chicago Vienna Hot Dogs. Joining the deli is an additional project opening soon – Epicurean Group’s first Vietnamese food truck, which will home bake Vietnamese French bread for artisan Bahn mi’s.