I am fortunate enough to complete both my Food Service Management and Wellness Concentration rotations at Toyota Motors National Headquarters in Torrance, California. My time at Toyota has been devoted to promoting Mindful by Sodexo®, as the café onsite didn’t promote healthier options prior to my arrival. I am a strong advocate for Mindful, especially in a corporate setting where the employees may be less active, because the recipes are healthfully crafted without removing bold flavors. Mindful by Sodexo® is an approach that focuses on transparency of ingredients, delicious food, satisfying portions and clarity in message so that making Mindful choices becomes second nature. It’s important for us as nutrition professionals to demonstrate to our clients or patients that a healthy eating pattern can be delicious and nutritious, and Mindful recipes accomplish this beautifully.
For my Retail Marketing and Wellness project, I featured multiple pumpkin themed menu items in the café on National Pumpkin Day. I showcased Mindful with delicious Ellie Krieger roasted butternut squash and pumpkin seed salad (pictured), and made it the featured entrée of the day by offering additional seasoned tofu or grilled chicken. I was pleased to see that this menu item was a hit!
For my Retail Marketing and Wellness project, I featured multiple pumpkin themed menu items in the café on National Pumpkin Day. I showcased Mindful with delicious Ellie Krieger roasted butternut squash and pumpkin seed salad (pictured), and made it the featured entrée of the day by offering additional seasoned tofu or grilled chicken. I was pleased to see that this menu item was a hit!
This success encouraged me to continue promoting Mindful in my wellness concentration. Chef and I agreed to feature 1-2 Mindful items per day in the café (cafe customers are creatures of habit—therefore we can’t replace too many menu items with the Mindful items). Because we all like incentives, I created “frequent buyer cards” to encourage employees to purchase Mindful options. The deal is “buy nine Mindful entrees, get the tenth free,” making free lunch a tangible opportunity.
To keep with the Mindful theme, I made a health promotion display in the café to remind employees that it is possible to continue being mindful over the holidays. The tri-fold includes tips for healthier holiday gatherings, healthy ingredient swaps, how to make a Thanksgiving meal more nutritious, and a feature on how to have a vegan Thanksgiving because November is World Vegan Month. This was a fun way to show that health goals are attainable throughout the holiday season. Happy Holidays and stay Mindful!
To keep with the Mindful theme, I made a health promotion display in the café to remind employees that it is possible to continue being mindful over the holidays. The tri-fold includes tips for healthier holiday gatherings, healthy ingredient swaps, how to make a Thanksgiving meal more nutritious, and a feature on how to have a vegan Thanksgiving because November is World Vegan Month. This was a fun way to show that health goals are attainable throughout the holiday season. Happy Holidays and stay Mindful!
