Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in and out of the HBS Kitchens
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by Shona Simkin  Javier Aramboles, Thompson Hospitality's executive chef, in Spangler Food Court.
Mini donuts, premium vegan hot chocolate, gourmet granola snacks, freshly roasted coffee. When the co-chairs of last year’s African American Student Union’s annual conference planned the snacks and meals for the three-day event, they were delighted to find that they could choose items that were not only delicious, but that also supported small, Black-owned businesses. Thompson Hospitality, the largest minority-owned food service company in the country, partners with Restaurant Associates (RA) in delivering the food and meals at Harvard Business School (HBS). From themed teaching events featuring a chef’s special family recipe to an AAPI heritage month menu to dishes and products for a conference or an affinity group gathering, Thompson and RA aim to highlight and educate about the richness of different cultures and help small businesses. “Our mission is to bring awareness to vendors who don’t get the attention they deserve, who are underrepresented,” said Lisa Plummer, director of joint ventures for Thompson. “We bring these companies into the bigger corporate establishments, schools, or hospitals, to educate and bring awareness about cultural diversity and help the businesses grow.” When Operations reviewed proposals in their 2022 bid process, they were certainly familiar with RA, who has run the program at HBS for 31 years, but not Thompson Hospitality. Intrigued by the joint venture and the opportunity to highlight under-recognized businesses, the proposal was a natural “yes” from the team. Now two years in, the partnership is showing strong signs of success. “We're really starting to see the benefit when it comes to diversity and inclusion within our food service program—how we're procuring and where we're procuring from,” said Andrew Falzone, senior director of campus and event services. “We have a significant amount of purchasing power with our food service program, and being able to make an impact goes a long way. I think it makes a difference in those communities and organizations.” What that looks like at HBS is most evident in retail items found throughout campus: nutrition bars from 88Acres, a local HBS alumna-owned business; Partake cookies, a Black and Asian American woman-owned company; and Blk&Bold coffee, a Black-owned coffee brand. Others are in the kitchen; Lyndigo spices (Black-owned) and Mapleline Farm (fifth generation woman-owned) dairy products; and at events such as Commencement and reunions, with wines from a Black woman-owned South African vineyard or donuts from BlissBomb, an LGBTQ-owned business; and in students and staff chatting with Thompson executive chef Javier Aramboles during the Women’s History Month chef’s table featuring his aunt’s asopao de camarones. Plummer finds vendors through word of mouth, small business fairs and tours in the New York tri-state area and Northeast corridor, and research on LinkedIn and news outlets. If their product and mission aligns with Thompson’s, she reaches out for more information: where are they in their operations—are they just starting out and building their stockpile? Do they have the capacity to grow and sell their product to large companies? Do they need certification from local and federal agencies or grants? Support ranges from connecting them with financial and educational support to putting them into Thompson’s accelerator program to help scale their business for major markets—sometimes slow and steady baby steps, other times jumping right into a contract. “A lot of minority-owned companies don’t have the resources that others do in this white-dominated area,” said Ms. Plummer. “The exposure to finances, services, health care, products—those are the things that can hold them back. There are so many different certifications—Black owned, woman owned, Black woman owned, large business, small business—if you don’t have someone helping you it’s frustrating. Many fail because they don’t have the financial backing and funding, the warehouses, the structures. It takes a long time to build and if you’re on your own and have to go by someone else’s regulations, it’s defeating.” Once these businesses enter the Harvard market, they often find that more doors open. Fortune 500 companies, or a larger food service organization like Sysco, are more likely to take a chance on a product they haven’t heard of if they have testimonials and success from a recognized source, Ms. Plummer explained. “By partnering with Thompson we’re offering products that we’d otherwise never be able to find and we’re having meaningful connections with our community—students, staff, Executive Education participants, and our associates in the kitchen,” said Todd Mulder, RA general manager. “We’re opening the tent to as many people as we can and using our economic power to positively impact minority vendors. We’re listening to our community and increasing our inclusivity, and are excited to continue the work.” |
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