CDM, CFPP of the Month - June 2025
Name: Andrew Mullins, CDM, CFPP
Job Title: Culinary Services Director
Employer: The Residence at Timber Pines
Job Location: Spring Hill, FL
Years at Current Facility: 6 years
Years in Current Position: 5 years
CDM, CFPP Since: 2018
Why did you decide to become a CDM, CFPP?
I grew up in a very artistic and nurturing family, and food/cooking was my expression. Becoming a CDM, CFPP opened up so many avenues to finding fulfillment in those ways, by making good food to help others, and growing the staff members around me.What are your main responsibilities in your current position?
I lead a team of six managers who help me run the culinary program in our building of over 200 residents. Their passion and dedication make me proud every day.
How do you organize your time at work to make sure you accomplish all your responsibilities?
I have a daily and weekly planner which I’d be lost without, but I would never be able to do it all on my own. I credit our team’s success to smart delegation and consistent communication.
What is an example of an innovative way you have made change at your facility and how did you implement it?
We utilize technology in a lot of ways. We use a BellaBot to help run food from the kitchen to the dining room. We use digital loggers to track our coolers and log our holding temperatures.
What was your first job in the foodservice industry?
My very first job was becoming a server at an assisted living facility in Maryland with all my best buddies during our senior year. This was the 90s, so of course our uniforms were the penguin-looking suits. I guess you could say I never really left the industry.
Who has been your biggest mentor in foodservice and how have they helped shape your career?
I’ve had quite a few over the years, from Chef Stephen Burns aspiring us to always do better, to Nancy Merkel being my support and safety net, to Avi Elias giving me the chance to shine, to Lisa Brooks encouraging my emotional growth. It takes a village.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your position and how do you handle them?
Who could ever be asked this question and not bring up Covid? We have a saying, “There’s no such thing as a perfect day.” No matter how your day’s going, something will happen that will require you to be flexible or make a change. Keeping this mindset helps us to not avoid becoming bogged down by change.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Most folks will say the residents, and that is true, we have some great residents here. My *most* favorite part of my job is enabling and seeing growth in my staff. From internal training and promotions to having CDM, CFPP students or ServSafe classes, even when they move on to bigger and better things.
How do you stay up to date with current innovations and trends?
We are each other’s greatest resources. I stay up to date by attending conferences, talking to my peers regularly, and following culinary oriented groups on social media such as Reddit, Facebook, or LinkedIn. We also are subscribed to Edge and other restaurant magazines.
How do you envision the foodservice industry changing in the next few years?
My favorite trend that I would love to see continue to progress is the mentality that we run restaurants in a healthcare setting, rather than “the dining room at the old folks home” stigma of the past.