UMass heavily promotes the guest chef event via the school newspaper, flyers, email, its website and with a display in the dining hall showcasing a photo and bio of the chef. “By the time he or she arrives, everyone is waiting,” Toong says. The advance publicity makes him “practically famous among our students.”

Signs of Success

At the end of Aramark's International Guest Chef Exchange, all 28 chefs convene at an invitation-only culinary showcase at the United Nations in New York City to allow Aramark customers, clients and potential clients to enjoy the well-honed, world-class culinary cuisine.

“It's the only time all the guest chefs get to come together and enjoy one another's cuisine at the same time,” says Aramark's Carr. “The event showcases how capable our chefs are and how proud the company is of them. It also shows our clients — both current and future — that we're an international food company.”

Guest chef programs have become something of a recruitment and advancement tool for chefs employed by management companies.

“The program gives us an opportunity to test our younger chefs before promoting them into higher level positions,” says Parkhurst's Miduri. “And it gives chefs the opportunity to travel and grow their career within the company while providing them with the opportunity to market and promote themselves.”

With enough planning and preparation, guest-chef events are a win-win-win. The chefs who share their fare get meaningful exposure while the dining services programs that host the events get an opportunity to stir new interest among diners and staff.

“These programs showcase the talent of our industry,” says UMass' Toong. “They are relatively inexpensive to execute and their effects are long lasting.”