Our Story

Brian Patterson

Senior Director of Business Development

Brian Patterson serves as Senior Account Executive for Culinary Services Group. He is a graduate of the University of Central Florida with a degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing. Brian has over 20 years of sales leadership experience with a strong background in both the food and beverage industry and the software and technology sector.

Brian has a proven track record for success and prides himself on his ability to quickly build rapport with clients and stakeholders to ensure the best outcome for all parties. He believes the three keys to successfully partnering with clients and delivering a first-class experience are a positive attitude, and student-like mentality, and a great work ethic.

Mitch Goldenberg

Senior Director of Business Development

Mitch Goldenberg serves as Senior Culinary Services Advisor for Culinary Services Group. Goldenberg is a graduate of Trinity International University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications & Organizational Leadership. He has over 15 years of business development, sales, and account management experience. He is a five-time Presidents Club winner for exceeding sales goals in his previous role within the technology sector. During his career, Mitch has had extensive success in identifying strategies to bring new products to market and entering new markets.

Mitch believes in a collaborative environment within the organization to best support his clients. He excels in discerning customer expectations and needs and crafting effective strategies to support their goals. His professional philosophy is that cross-functional support is necessary to ensure we meet client goals. He says, “A rising tide will raise all boats,” a client’s success is our success too.

Brandee Grenda MBA, MS, RD, LDN, CNSC, CLC, NASM-CPT

Director of Clinical Services

Brandee Grenda serves as the Director of Clinical Services for Culinary Services Group. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition and Dominican University with a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare. She also holds several certifications in health and fitness. Brandee currently volunteers her time for the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition’s (ASPEN) Education and Professional Development Committee and Self-Assessment Committee. She is also the nominating chair-elect for Dietitians in Medical Nutrition Therapy, a Dietetic Practice Group for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Brandee is a published co-author in the ASPEN Nutrition in Clinical Practice (NCP) and the Journal of Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition (JPEN). She has also been interviewed and published in the Journal of Perinatology-Neonatology for her work in a neonatal intensive care unit.

As a leader, Brandee is focused on advocating for continued knowledge and growth within the clinical services team. She believes that this growth is essential for providing the best care possible within the communities and people we serve and the exceptional work stems from a cohesive and knowledgeable team.

Karen White

Director of Marketing

Karen White serves as our Director of Marketing for Culinary Services Group. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Albright College and a Masters in Marketing from Southern New Hampshire University. She is certified in Google Ads Search and has an Individual Qualification in Google Analytics. She has more than 15 years of experience in marketing and creative advertising in both print and web.

Karen outlines strategies to increase our reach and client appeal through a detailed approach to brand awareness and messaging. She works to understand the goals and values of our clients and has been influential in shaping the actions of both sales and operations to meet those client needs.

Keisha Stevens

Vice President of Human Resources

Keisha Stevens serves as the Vice President of Human Resources for Culinary Services Group. Keisha has over 20 years of Human Resources experience. She graduated from University of Maryland Global Campus with a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Management and is currently pursuing a Master of Professional Studies in Applied Industrial and Organizational Psychology at George Mason University. She currently serves as Chairman of the Board at Divine Dance Institute and has previously served as an Advisory Board member at Harford County Department of Social Services and as a Board of Director at Greater Edgewood Education Foundation.

Throughout her career Keisha has mastered many valuable skills including talent management, workforce planning, learning and development, talent acquisition, diversity and inclusion, and compensation and benefits. She has demonstrated expertise leading culture and employee focused initiatives to create high performing, engaged and passionate teams. Keisha is a firm believer that a talented workforce is the cornerstone of business success and is committed to strengthening the company’s culture, building on trust and transparency, and exhibiting behaviors that exemplify our guiding principles.

Carol DeHaven

Vice President of Operations

Carol DeHaven serves as our Vice President of Operations. She has a degree in Business Management and more than 35 years of restaurant and healthcare food service management experience. Carol has worked in many roles within the company starting as a Food Service Director, to an Area Manager, to a Regional Director of Operations, and now promoted to the Vice President of Operations. Carol specializes in improving efficiencies and overall service through streamlining existing processes and systems. She focuses on client relations and improving communication. Her goal is to maximize training resources for all new Food Service Directors to help them be successful.

Krista Adams

Senior Director of Culinary

Krista Adams serves as the Senior Director of Culinary for Culinary Services Group. She is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts where she studied Occupational Science of Culinary Arts. Krista has over 23 years of experience including an extensive background in both fine dining and contract food service. After completing her externship with world-renowned Chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, CA, Krista went on to work at, and stage, three more of his restaurants in Napa Valley; Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery, and Ad Hoc. She later worked her way up to Sous Chef at The Ritz Carlton Buckhead Atlanta under the leadership of master French Chef Eric Chopin before transitioning to contract food service.

Krista has worked in contract food management for the last 17 years in education, business dining, and senior living with a focus on continuing care retirement communities. Her goal and passion are to make the ordinary extraordinary and to provide excellent food consistently to those we serve daily.

Beth Weixel, MBA

Director of Training & Development

Beth Weixel serves as Director of Training and Development for Culinary Services Group. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Lycoming College and a Master of Business Administration from Wilkes University with a concentration in Organizational Leadership. Previously, Beth served as our Talent and Acquisition Manager.

Beth has spent her professional career recognizing and honing the talents of others. As a successful collegiate athletics coach, she served as Assistant Athletics Director and women’s soccer coach for Wilson College where she also taught economics and exercise science as an adjunct professor. Beth is a strong believer in the power of teamwork and diversity. She believes that by embracing individual differences, skillsets, and unique viewpoints we can build highly effective and collaborative teams throughout our organization.

Lamont Pommells CDM, CFPP

Area Manager

Lamont Pommells serves as the Area Manager overseeing Culinary Services Group’s Mid-Atlantic accounts. He is a veteran of the United States Navy where he received his journeyman’s license as a cook through the United States Military Apprenticeship Program. Lamont has more than 26 years of food service experience and is a Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional, and certified Business Process Management professional as well as a ServSafe Instructor and Proctor.

As a member of the American Culinary Federation, Lamont has dedicated his career to not only fulfilling his passion for the culinary arts but also helping others to develop their careers. His goal at Culinary Services Group is to be a coach and mentor to others under his leadership.

Scott Alme

Regional Vice President of Business Development

Scott Alme serves as Vice President of Business Development for Culinary Services Group. Scott is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Legal Studies. He has over 29 years of business-to-business sales experience. He has been with Culinary Services Group since it’s infancy and has increased the company’s annual revenue by $33 million since 2009. He received the Outstanding Achievement in Sales award in 2011 for adding $10 million in new business that year.

Scott believes integrity and ethical responsibility are essential to developing a rapport and building ongoing trust with both clients and coworkers. This philosophy has allowed him to grow both personally and professionally.

Carolyn Wescott, RD, LDN

Director of Innovation

Carolyn Wescott serves as Director of Innovation for Culinary Services Group. This role develops efficient processes and procedures, ensures necessary resources are readily available, and sources intuitive and easy to use technology. She is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University with a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Nutrition. Carolyn is a member of the Maryland Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Board of Directors and has served as a State Policy Representative since 2018. She was the recipient of the MAND’s Emerging Dietetic Leader Award in 2019. In the past, she has also served as a Board of Directors member of the National WIC Association.

During her career Carolyn has sought to advance the role of nutrition and Registered Dietitians in their mission to promote health and wellness in a variety of practice settings. She is committed to developing resources to help dietitians at Culinary Services Group grow professionally, and has created a professional development program and peer support network to support those goals. She is presenter on advocacy, nutrition focused public health programs and management. Carolyn is also active in organizing state advocacy efforts.

Crystal Duncan

Senior Director of Business Development- South

Crystal Duncan serves as Senior Director of Business Development for Culinary Services Group in the South. Crystal has over 25 years of sales experience in both the food and beverage and healthcare industries. She graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She has FMP and HACCP certifications. She has previously served as Chair of the Association of Healthcare Foodservice and as the Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador for the Women’s Foodservice Forum. She has been a board member with the Multicultural Foodservice Hospitality Alliance and is a longstanding member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Crystal is passionate about customer-centric food service operations and food safety compliance in the healthcare industry. She is a dynamic sales leader who focuses on account growth, innovative product implementations, and sustainable outcomes for clients.

Terra Valway

Director of Finance

Terra Valway serves as Director of Finance for Culinary Services Group. She has over 20 years of experience in accounting services and is responsible for instituting many of the processes and policies that ensure accurate and timely reporting of financial information. In her role, Terra supports the executive management team by providing financial insights to guide them in business decisions.

Terra is committed to providing excellent financial relationships for customers, vendors and employees. She challenges her teammates to continue to gain new technical skills through training and the latest information technology resources available. She values teamwork and knowing that we are providing the best possible dining experience for residents.

Stacey Bedingfield

Regional Director of Operations

Stacey Bedingfield serves as the Regional Director of Operations for the Southern Territory. She has a degree in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management and more than 25 years of experience in healthcare food service management, with 15 years of experience managing multi-unit operations. Stacey began her career as a Sous Chef at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Convention Center before moving into healthcare dining operations.

Stacey is a member of the American Culinary Federation and is a Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional, and is ServSafe certified. Stacey is driven by her ability to improve the lives of our residents, patients, customers and co-workers through dedicated service and a commitment to quality. She is motivated to be a high performing leader by making personal connections to residents and team members alike.

Ricardo Mugnani

Area Manager

Ricardo Mugnani serves as the Area Manager overseeing Culinary Services Group’s southwestern accounts. He has a degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University and more than 30 years of food service experience. Ricardo began his career with Culinary Services Group as a Food Service Director and has been recognized for his leadership within the company.

Ricardo is motivated to create teams that truly enjoy what they do. He says, “People that come to work happy, prepared, and enjoy what they do, motivate me.”

Amanda Emerson, CDM, CFPP

Area Manager

Amanda Emerson serves as the Area Manager overseeing Culinary Services Group’s Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia accounts. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Hospitality Administration and Management from Fairmont State University and an Associate of Science in Culinary Arts and Chef Training from Pierpont Community and Technical College. She is a Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional through the Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals and is ServeSafe Manager Certified.

Amanda enjoys creating synergy among team members while also providing detailed training and mentorship. Her goal as a leader is to provide the highest level of service to our clients while fostering growth and leadership among team members.

Tiffany Bierman, RD, LD

Regional Clinical Director

Tiffany Bierman serves as the Regional Clinical Director for Culinary Services Group in the South. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics. Tiffany is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Northern Alabama Dietetics Association, and the American Diabetes Association. Throughout her career, she has taken on several nutritional spokesperson roles at various organizations. Tiffany is also a member of the Kentucky Alumni Association and is an alumnus of the University of Kentucky Cheerleading.

Tiffany began her career with CSG as a clinical nutrition manager before being promoted to her current role. Now she seeks to mentor clinical team members to work together through knowledge and resources to improve the lives of those they serve. She has impacted the organization by training and developing several Registered Dietitians and Certified Dietary Managers within the company and creating an outpatient nutrition program for one of our clients.

John Ramey, CDM, CFPP

Client Services Officer

John Ramey, CDM, CFPP serves as the Client Services Officer for Culinary Services Group. John has over 27 years of dining service experience. He began his career in the United States Air Force, and further honed his culinary skills serving as a chef in several restaurants. John first entered the healthcare industry working for SAQ and Associates as a Corporate Production Manager, District Manager, and Regional Manager. John then partnered with Rich to begin Healthcare Services Solutions where he served as Vice President of Operations and Owner. The company grew to over $8 million in top-line sales in just 2 years and was sold to Unidine, where John served as a Regional Manager. John partnered with Rich once more to begin Culinary Services Group in 2008.

John is an active member of Vistage. He is dedicated to improving the quality of life for residents and patients served by Culinary Services Group. Under his leadership, our operations team provides the highest standards of safety and food quality to our clients.

Mark Topper

Corporate Controller

Mark Topper serves as the Corporate Controller for Culinary Services Group. He has over 28 years of experience in accounting services and is responsible for defining and documenting many of the accounting processes that will help CSG grow. In his role, Mark supports the executive management team by providing accurate financial insights to guide them in business decisions.

Mark is always looking for ways to improve accounting processes in alignment with the company’s mission and goals. He believes open communication with managers and employees is the best way to define challenges and plan a course of action to make appropriate changes.

Wendy Kessell, CPA, CFE, CGFM

Chief Financial Officer

Wendy Kessell, CPA, CFE, CGFM serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Culinary Services Group. Wendy graduated with honors from the University of Maryland Global Campus with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with an Emphasis in Business and Management. She is the recipient of Smart CEO Magazine’s coveted Executive Management Award and Smart CFO award. She was selected as the “valedictorian” Smart CFO.

A self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, she’s owned five companies and sold three. Kessell founded a CPA firm specializing in tax in 1999. She sold the firm 10 years later to focus on her two software companies, Altum Inc., Mobomo LLC. While she sold her interest in Altum in 2016, she is still an active investor and board member at Mobomo. Today, in addition to her role with Culinary Services Group, Kessell runs CFO ReStart, LLC a CFO, bookkeeping, and recruiting firm. With more than 20 years of experience as a financial professional, Wendy has dedicated her career to helping business owners maximize shareholder value and profit through simplifying accounting operations and instituting best practices and processes. She is adept at creating strategies for focused budgets and solving complex accounting challenges to build growth opportunities.

Sherrin Ross Ingram, JD

Chief Strategy Officer

Sherrin Ross Ingram, JD serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for Culinary Services Group. Ingram graduated from Whittier College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and has a law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law. She was recognized as a Top 100 Under 50 Executive Leader in 2015 and a Top 100 Women of Influence in 2020 by Diversity MBA Magazine. She currently serves as Chairman of the Board of DHA Management, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of the DuPage Housing Authority. Previously, she served as Chair of a CEO Advisory Board at Vistage International, Chairman of the Board at the Foundation for Real Nutrition and Sustainable Living, and an Advisory Board Member at Whittier College.

Throughout her career at the International Center for Strategic Planning, Sherrin has served as a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs, investors and CEOs in a wide variety of industries. She is known for her ability to provide valuable perspective to boards that improve strategy vetting and execution, as well as her ability to cultivate an intentional, supportive company culture. She specializes in strategic planning and risk management with a focus on driving growth and fiscal responsibility. During her time with Culinary Services Group she has been an instrumental force behind the alignment of the company’s vision and core values and our strategic execution plan for future growth.

Rich Valway, CDM, CFPP

President & CEO

Rich Valway, CDM, CFPP is the President and CEO of Culinary Services Group. Rich has an Executive Leadership Certificate from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has more than 30 years of career experience in contract food management across a broad spectrum of markets including; hospitals and healthcare, senior living services, higher education, K-12 schools, and business dining. He has over 25 years of experience as a Certified Dietary Manager and has served in numerous leadership roles throughout his food service career before launching Culinary Services Group in 2008.

Rich has propelled exponential company growth for Culinary Services Group, from small business to a multi-state entity with over 600 team members. He successfully launched a separate food service company Top Nosh in 2018 which provides solutions for a growing business dining market. He serves as a board member for the Food Service Wellness Institute and has an active role in the Vistage CEO Peer Group. Under his guidance, Culinary Services Group is poised to become a leader in the food service industry by providing innovative solutions for healthcare and business dining.

Michele Wilson

Director of Human Resources

Michele Wilson serves as our Director of Human Resources for Culinary Services Group. She has a Bachelor’s in Social Science and more than 23 years of experience in the field of Human Resources. Michele is actively involved in school vocational programs and serves as a board member on both the Adams County Vo-Tech Advisory Board and the Westminster Vo-Tech Advisory Board. She is a national Society of Human Resource Management member and a founding member of the Carroll County SHRM. Michele is also a former HR co-chair of the Board of Directors for John Deere User Group and a former member of the HR Steering Committee for John Deere User Group.

Michele is active in labor law legislation and has testified before the Maryland House Committee. Her goal is to continually look for ways to increase employee retention rates and identify internal candidates that can advance within our company. She works to engage all employees and make them aware of the impact each one of them can have on the success of our company.

About Us

History

Our Story

History

Leadership

Rich Valway, CDM, CFPP

Keisha Stevens

Carol DeHaven

Terra Valway

Abe Soomro

Brandee Grenda MBA, MS, RD, LDN, CNSC, CLC, NASM-CPT

Beth Weixel, MBA

Scott Alme

Mitch Goldenberg