The American Society for Healthcare Food Service Administrators (ASHFSA) held its National Conference and Annual Meeting June 3-6 at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Florida.
The conference marked the 40th anniversary of the organization and served as an opportunity for ASHFSA to reflect on the evolution both of the association and the hospital foodservice segment.
At the Ruby Anniversary banquet, ASHFSA awarded its highest honor, the Jacques Bloch Award, to Regina Toomey Bueno, director of food nutrition and transport at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
Toomey Bueno served as president of ASHFSA in 2006 and has been instrumental in helping to revitalize the organization over the last severral years. Selection of the Bloch Award winner is based on contributions both to health care food service and to the organization and is named for Jacques Bloch, the first president of ASHFSA.
In other award presentations, Patti Oliver, director of nutrition at UCLA Medical Center was recognized with the Don Marsh Operator of the Year Award.
The Allied Member Award was given toDebbie Witt, advertising and public relations manager at Aladdin Temp-Rite, LLC. It is the highest honor bestowed upon an ASHFSA business partner and acknowledged her many years of contributions to the organization.
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| FM Editor John Lawn offers an overview of how healthcare foodservice management issues have evolved over the last 40 years. Below, Tyson Culinary and Channel Manager Pamela Lewis during culinary demonstrations. | (r. to l.,) incoming ASHFSA President Bill Notte joins past presidents Regina Toomey Bueno, Joyce Hagen-Flint and Phyllis Filgate in cutting ASHFSA's 40th Anniversary cake. |
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 | Above: Regina Toomey Bueno accepts the Jacques Bloch award from 2006 winner Tim Bauman. Center: Patti Oliver is presented with the Don Marsh Operator of the Year award by Carleton Green and Tony Almeida. Right: Aladdin Temp-Rite's Debbie Witt recalls ASHFSA's contributions to the industry after accepting the Allied Member of the Year Award. |
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| TALES OF A TRAVELER. Owen Moore, director of Dining Services for New York University, offered SFM Networking Breakfast attendees insights into his experiences as one of this year's Hennessy Travelers. Below,, his daughters, Kelsey and Lindsey look on from the audience. Each year, the Hennessy program recognizes the very best U.S. Air Force foodservice operations after intensive evaluations by experts selected to be that year's Hennessy Travelers. | |