Basic American Foods™ Announces 2025 FAME Award Winners

Walnut Creek, CA – November 4, 2024– Basic American Foods™ announced today the winners of its 36^th annual Foodservice Achievement Management Excellence (FAME) Awards.

The FAME Awards recognize the commitment of school nutrition professionals who care deeply about making a positive difference within their school districts and local communities. Golden Director Award is the most prestigious honor, followed by three Silver Awards, including Leadership, Rising Star, and Spirit. Winners were selected by the selection committee comprised of previous FAME Award winners, staff and board members of the School Nutrition Association (SNA) and select industry media partners.

“Every year, we continue to be inspired by the incredible achievements of school nutrition professionals who support our school food programs. We are honored to partner with the K-12 foodservice segment and celebrate the accomplishments of these individuals,” said Nicole Strohman, Chief Commercial Officer of Basic American Foods.

From developing farm-to-school programs in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to embracing trends in food culture, diversifying school menus with cultural cuisines resulting in record participation, the notable winners of this year’s FAME Awards exemplify an unwavering commitment to school nutrition.

• Golden Director Award: Bertrand Weber, Director of Culinary & Wellness Services, Minneapolis Public Schools
• Silver Leadership Award: Katie Cossette, MDA, RDN, SNS, Director of Nutrition Services & Warehouse, St. Vrain Valley Schools
• Silver Rising Star Award: Kaci Kelly, Director of Child Nutrition, Ocean Springs School District
• Silver Spirit Award: Alicia Arnett, Menu Planning & Food Procurement Specialist, Jefferson County Public Schools

Basic American Foods™ will formally honor the 2025 award winners with a ceremony on January 19, 2025 at Sheraton Phoenix Downtown. This will be in conjunction with the SNA’s 2025 School Nutrition Industry Conference (SNIC) taking place from January 19-21, 2025 at the same location.

The ceremony is open to the industry and tickets are available now. For more information regarding the FAME Awards, please visit the Basic American Foods’ Foodservice website.