“Stephen Menyhart is as passionate a School Nutrition Director as I have ever met or worked with.  His work to help the School Nutrition Services practice group produce a ‘Healthy School Meals for All’ video was invaluable.  His dedication and leadership to ensure that all the nation’s children have access to locally grown, healthy food is inspiring.  He is not going to give up until every student has access to the Healthiest Meals in America at no cost.  What a bonus it is to have Stephen on your team when you need to get a job done!”

Donna Martin, EdS, RDN, LD, SNS, FAND
Former President, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
School Nutrition Director, Burke County Public Schools (GA)

“Stephen Menyhart is not only a knowledgeable culinarian and food service operator, but is also one of the most passionate, caring and “heart-forward” professionals I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. During the decade that we worked together he always put our student’s, families’ and team’s health and lives first – always advocating for those who needed it most. From food to cooking and farming, to training, recipes and menus, Stephen’s expertise as a Chef and Registered Dietitian has supported his goals of healthy food and sustainability for all those he was responsible for.” 

Chef Ann Cooper 

“During my 15 year professional relationship with Stephen, his passion, dedication and drive for providing healthy food to both children and adults has never dwindled. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Stephen on many projects, both big and small. His passion and experience in food, paired with his nutrition background, makes him a strong asset as a colleague, thought partner and food service professional.”

Andrew Benson, Executive Chef and Director of Food Services, Harlem Children’s Zone, NY NY 

“In my 30 years in the culinary industry, I must admit that I have never met an individual who is as focused and driven to be successful in the field of culinary and nutrition as Stephen Menyhart. He was a shining star intern for my program, and I have enjoyed following his storied career over the years.  He is extremely goal-oriented; his drive, determination and tenacity  are very rare, which speaks to his ability to get things done! Simply stated, he is incredibly passionate about serving good, healthy food. Period. His double-whammy degrees in both culinary arts and nutrition are especially unique and beneficial, complementing each other so well . . . Worth noting as well are his outstanding interpersonal skills. While soft spoken, his gentle, yet confident, good-natured approach works very well with everyone he encounters, no matter if they are students, kitchen staff or administrators. Stephen’s likeability earned the trust and respect of some of our most challenging employees in a very short time; this speaks volumes to his people skills. He has also managed to get to know so many key players in the industry, and has connections galore. His education, experience, knowledge, drive, passion and professionalism are absolutely unmatched! Stephen will not let you down. “

Janice Watt
Director of Nutrition Services, Foxborough Public Schools (MA)

“Chef Stephen possesses a rare blend of calmness, talent, kindness and determination.  Through his personality and food, he relates to kids and adults alike. He has the vision to understand goals within complex systems and the talent to deliver on that vision.  Like a balanced dish, Chef Stephen and his food are good for your health and your soul.”

Dan Schnitzer
Former Director of Sustainability, Academy for Global Citizenship & Chapel Hill/Carrboro Public Schools

“We truly appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with Stephen both in a consultancy capacity and also as our school chef which helped to lay the groundwork for our innovative organic school food program. In addition to extensive expertise, I have valued Stephen’s passion for culturally relevant and nutrient-dense meals for our students.”

Sarah Elizabeth Ippel 
Founder & Executive Director, Academy for Global Citizenship, Chicago, IL 

“Stephen is truly passionate about food, health and community. He is very skilled in bringing people together. As an advisor to our Slow Food chapter, he always brings great holistic ideas on how to work more effectively within our local food system. He is a great connector!”

Jodie Lindsay Popma
Chair, Slow Food Boulder County  

“Chef Stephen Menyhart is a creative and thoughtful culinary leader who can take big ideas and put them into action. His ability to connect with and motivate people at all levels of the organizational chart is just one of the many gifts Stephen brings to his work. I have relied on his expertise for several years as a trusted advisor and mentor in the school nutrition space.”

Garrett Berdan, RDN 

“Stephen and I created and led a series of culinary boot camps for the Rockford Public Schools. He was a great collaborator as we developed the course, using his past experience and knowledge to create fresh, targeted material. In the kitchen and the classroom, his enthusiasm for the material and for our students shone through. Stephen possesses a wonderful combination of creativity, big picture thinking and attention to detail, along with an infectious positive attitude that would be an asset to any job or project.”

Chef Melissa Ritter

“Stephen’s positive and approachable disposition made it a breeze to get through planning events requiring his assistance. At any time you could see him participating in various events ranging from managing the coordination and preparation of school meals, event meals, healthy lifestyle education and more. His dedication to educating not only students but coworkers in leading a healthier lifestyle was evident especially by leading through example.”

Lily Gonzalez

“Stephen’s shoes will be hard to fill in BVSD, not just because of the work he did, but because of the heart he has.  Stephen took the time to get to know the families of the students he served…he took the time to listen to community.  Above all though, he made it easy to approach him, even for the children.  My own son will forever remember Stephen as the guy who wanted his young opinion about a new cereal, which he absolutely LOVED!  Stephen went above and beyond the job description of his title.  He will be greatly missed by many.”

Tangi Lancaster