Culinary Innovation Challenge

A unique competition that aims to connect and inspire Sodexo and Entegra chefs who understand the power of food.

Culinary
Innovation
Challenge

This contest tells the stories of inventive and hardworking chefs who understand the power of food not only as a source of health and well-being but also as a key component of hospitality.

2022 finalist Claudia cooking at the life event

An invitation from Acqua Panna & S.Pellegrino

Always supporting the culinary industry and standing by its values.

How it works

We invite you to celebrate authentic and delicious global flavors by creating and presenting an innovative dish with personal meaning.

Submission
window opens!

Sodexo and Entegra participants will have five weeks to submit their recipe.

June 24th
Submission
window closes!

Participants must complete their submissions by this date in order to be elegible.

July 31st
Evaluation & selection
of top finalists

An internal committee will evaluate and vote to choose one finalist from Entegra and one finalist from Sodexo.

Mid August
Finalist
announced!

Finalists will then build upon their initial submission for a live final round.

End of August
Live final
round!

A judging committee will vote and choose one winner during the final live event.

September 25th
Winner
announced!

Overall winner announced.

September 25th

Meet the judges

First round Online

Bryan K. Chichester

Senior Director of Culinary Strategy.

As Senior Director of Culinary Strategy, Bryan has spent over 30 years working in various culinary and leadership positions in the industry.

Bryan served 27 years in the United States Air Force in multiple food service and support services leadership roles throughout his military career, retiring in 2017. Bryan’s teams key focus areas are menu & recipe development, product testing and food photography for North America.
Delores Tesky

Area Executive Chef, Sodexo

Delores Tesky is an Area Executive Chef with 24 years’ experience in leading the School Services Division and 5 years with Corporate Services, 29 years total with Sodexo. In this role, she oversees the daily food service operations of the division, serving nutritious meal options to students. Delores is accountable for the development and success of the division’s operating budget, and she works closely with on-site staff to implement new initiatives and programs.

Available to meet with the District’s administration, Delores supports the development of positive relations, provides program updates and conducts periodic reviews as needed. In addition, she works with regional Sodexo management in strategic planning and analysis of the overall goals for the food service program.
Kevin Sennett

Kevin Sennett

Kevin Sennet is the Director of Culinary, Entegra Performance Kitchen – Restaurants & Leisure. He has over 20 Years of culinary experience in commercial & non-commercial dining, restaurants, higher education, technology, marketing, operational leadership. Kevin is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America with an additional degree in Math & Science.
Lisa M. Feldman

Director of Recipe Management.

As the Director of Recipe Management, Lisa currently oversees Culinary Systems for Sodexo North America and is responsible for Sustainable Eating Positioning for the NORAM Culinary Offer. Her team manages recipe data, menu architecture, and nutrition services, as well as assists with ingredient selection and culinary development, for all of Sodexo’s market segments.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Lisa has over 30 years of experience in all facets of food service management. As a Certified Research Chef, she specializes in product and concept development. She is also the Co-Chair of CIA’s Healthy Kids Collaborative, a member of CIA’s Healthy Menus Research & Development Collaborative, a member of the Food Lab at Google, and a founding board member of Food for Climate League, a women-led 501(c)3 nonprofit research and communications collaborative.
Lynn Hay

Director, Culinary Operations, Entegra Performance Kitchen.

Lynn Hay is the Director of Culinary Operations at the Entegra Performance Kitchen. Lynn’s foundation of sales and customer excellence began with her career at Xerox. From there she decided to pursue her dream of owning and operating a catering business. That business thrived for thirteen years, and she sold the business in 2013. Lynn melded her culinary skills and account management background and joined Entegra later that year. She held positions of Regional Account Manager and National Account Manager before starting her role at the Entegra Performance Kitchen.
Robert Fitz-Gibbon

Director, Culinary Development, Tech and Services.

With nearly 30 years in the culinary industry, Chef Robert Fitz-Gibbon brings a wealth of experience spanning hotels, restaurants, catering, private clubs, and large-scale events. Currently serving as Director of Culinary Development, Chef Fitz-Gibbon leads collaborative efforts across various segments within the Sodexo family. His innovative approach has driven the creation of trend-setting programs, brands, and service plans. Known for his passion for continuous learning and team building, Chef Robert remains dedicated to shaping the future of culinary excellence.
Wes Turnage

Culinary Director - Campus

As the lead for the Campus Culinary Team Chef Turnage is creating new pathways for our culinary teams to pave the way for the future of our Sodexo Dining Programs. With an extensive career spanning almost 3 decades as an Executive Chef his leadership and experience have come from a varied past of Healthcare, Private Clubs, Hotels, Resorts, Private Restaurant Ownership and more.

His tenure with Sodexo has shown great growth starting as a Campus Chef in the Unit and working through several positions as Senior Area Executive Chef, Area General Manager and now serving as the segment lead. His passion and experience will bring great things to the landscape of food on campus for years to come.