CHARLOTTE—Rafi Taherian, executive director of Yale Dining at Yale University, in New Haven, Conn., was named FoodService Director's FSD of the Year for 2013. Taherian was honored at the 2014 MenuDirections conference in Charlotte, N.C.
"I am very humbled, very, very grateful; I am very proud of just being named FoodService Director's FSD of the Month for the month of February," Taherian said. "Obviously, this was an extra bonus I was not expecting. I can only be even further proud I am one of this group. This industry is all about excellence. What I know and what I've learned is from the people in this room. We don’t get credit for what we do—we stand on other people's shoulders."
Taherian was selected by a panel of FoodService Director editors, the FSD advisory board and the FSDs of the Month from 2012.
Some of Taherian’s accomplishments at Yale include:
- Managing the transition of Yale Dining from a contracted account to a self-operated program
- Recruiting top talent, part of a commitment to excellence in service and food quality
- Refocusing the program on culinary by bringing in a certified master chef to elevate the quality and variety of menus
- Opening new locations in unconventional spaces to control costs and increase revenue
Read more about Taherian’s accomplishments here.