At the event, each member of the Silver Plate class was introduced by their professional mentors, a remarkable group of leaders from across the food-away-from-home ecosystem. Each shared the inspiring stories of their mentees as well as common threads that exemplified why this year’s class was so deserving. “True leadership is not about accolades,” said Julie Jones, Director of Performance Learning at Ruck-Shockey Associates, 2015 Silver Plate winner, and mentor to David Reeves, System Director, Food and Nutrition Services at Lee Health, “but about making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
Jeremy Kelley, Director of Legends Affairs at the Carolina Panthers and mentor to Jon and Jen Corto, Owners and Co-Founders of Buffalo Strive noted “this success is not accidental, and while some stumble upon it, you must eventually order its steps. And I’d bet almost none of us walk alone. I believe to truly be ; you must first recognize your ability to make someone else great. That’s teamwork.” Silver Plates were awarded in eight category segments, and one is chosen by secret ballot to receive the coveted Gold Plate Award for the year. This year, that honor was awarded to Chris Tomasso, President & CEO at First Watch Restaurant Group. In accepting the Gold Plate, Tomasso remarked, "I ended up in the restaurant industry and it got in my blood. Everybody in this room knows that once it's in your blood, it's in your blood. I love what I do every day and I consider myself to be so lucky to lead this great company.” Read about the 2024 Class of Gold & Silver Plate Award recipients >> The weekend started with an exclusive dinner on Thursday at the University Club of Chicago for the 2024 Silver Plate Award recipients and their guests, and then moved to a day of activities hosted by the IFMA Education Foundation on Friday.
The 2024 IFMA Education Foundation Summit: A Day of Learning, Connecting & Inspiration The 2024 IFMA Education Foundation Summit was one for the history books. Not only did IFMA feature some of the industry’s top talent, but also hosted six different colleges and universities for a jammed packed day of education and networking. Thank you to the executives who donated their time and all the students and their advisors from Purdue, University of Illinois, Kansas State University, Florida International University, Northern Arizona State, and Michigan State University for helping to make this the biggest and most robust event to date. Learn more about the 2024 IFMA Education Foundation Summit >>