2023 NFEF Award Recipient

2023 Foodservice Department of the Year Award – Sharon Towers at SouthPark

 

Sharon Towers at SouthPark has earned the NFEF’s 2023 Foodservice Department of the Year Award. Sharon Towers located in Charlotte, North Carolina is a Life Plan Community offering independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing care.
 
The culinary team at Sharon Towers is led by Culinary Director Chad Lauderbaugh and Executive Chef Brady Lutz who together, work to provide an excellent dining experience for their residents. Their culinary team upgraded its catering program to include seasonal offerings and personalized services to non-dining team members, welcomed 62 new residents with the opening of a new building, and operated an on-site grocery program. The grocery program is a pop-up grocery store and pharmacy for residents to minimize exposure going to stores. Under the direction of Chad and Brady, the culinary team has transitioned from a buffet-style service to a restaurant-style service, offering a la carte menu items, and worked together through training and recipe testing to make this transition successful.
 
The Sharon Tower team utilizes an operations communication report to stay organized and handle the day-to-day operations for all its customers. This report lists the objective, the action, the person responsible, and the status of the action. To maintain a unifying work environment, the team conducts “All Call” meetings, and starts each day with the SUPERB principle:
 
Stewardship
Unity
Purpose
Excellence in Service
Respect
Beauty
 
To cultivate a positive culture and community, the culinary team engages with residents during meal service and offers “Pop-Up” events that allow each one to socialize and come together as one family. This team has made an amazing impact on the entire organization, and are now opening a new bistro, club room, and dining room - with an expanded lounge.
 
Chad, Brady, and the entire culinary team at Sharon Towers has exceeded the revenue budget because of the team’s collaborative efforts with residents and other departments, offering special tastings for potential residents and showcasing the chef’s culinary skills. This team takes much pride on stewarding their financial resources well.