PHILADELPHIA, June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Eating at work
may never be the same thanks to a strategic partnership announced
today between world-renowned "Iron Chef" Cat Cora and Aramark
(NYSE: ARMK), the global provider of dining solutions to
businesses, universities, schools, hospitals and stadiums. Chef
Cora, a TV personality, author, restaurateur and lifestyle
entrepreneur, and Aramark have teamed up to transform the
on-site dining experience for millions of employees at offices
across North America.
As part of the new partnership, Chef Cora and Aramark will
introduce a concept developed exclusively for Aramark's business
dining clients, called OLILO by Cat Cora. With a focus on eating
well, OLILO by Cat Cora will offer a delicious, healthy,
made-your-way menu, featuring Cora's signature Mediterranean tastes
and flavors. The name OLILO pays tribute to Chef Cora's Greek
heritage and is derived from "olives" and "olive oil," a
staple of Mediterranean cooking.
"As the first and only female Iron Chef and the first female
chef inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame, Cat Cora has been
breaking boundaries her entire career, and we look forward to
partnering with her on an innovative approach that we believe will
amplify the business dining environment," said Marc Bruno, Aramark's Chief Operating Officer
for Business Dining. "By bringing together Chef Cora's
award-winning brand and healthy cooking advocacy and Aramark's
commitment to enriching and nourishing the lives of the thousands
of consumers we serve every day, we have an opportunity to elevate
the on-site dining experience with a unique concept that offers
guests an even greater variety of culinary options."
"My philosophy and brand has always revolved around creating
dining with concepts that are not only delicious but good for you.
Aramark and I share this same philosophy and are committed to
creating a nationwide revolution in eating well," adds Cat Cora.
"Aramark and I also are dedicated to collaboration, innovation and
building a culture at OLILO that centers on real people and the
highest quality of excellence in all areas. I am thrilled to
partner with Aramark and to open the first OLILO in New York at Goldman Sachs. It is the first of
many to come!"
OLILO's station design, uniforms and aesthetics convey a
calming, rustic at-home cooking vibe. OLILO by Cat Cora's menu is a
"build-your-own" fast casual Mediterranean concept. Evoking Cora's
personality and guiding culinary principles -- "Spices of course."
"Take chances." and "Abide by the seasons." -- the menu features
super greens, grain blends, flatbreads and quinoa tabbouleh with
choices of protein, homemade spreads, toppings and dressing.
Aramark's partnership with Chef Cora is the result of employers
looking for new and innovative ways to recruit and retain talent,
as well as create a more engaged workforce. Across its portfolio,
Aramark is continually innovating and diversifying its menu
offerings to further enhance the guest dining experience.
With a shared commitment to promoting the benefits of eating
well, the partnership with Cora supports Aramark's Healthy for
Life® 20 By 20 commitment to improve the way Americans eat by
empowering them to make healthy food, nutrition and lifestyle
choices. OLILO further expands Aramark's comprehensive suite of
innovative menu options and nutrition and wellness programs that
work together to support healthy lifestyles based on research into
global trends, as well as the knowledge of our chefs, dietitians
and other experts.
OLILO by Cat Cora's first partnership with Aramark debuted at
the Goldman Sachs café in the firm's 200 West Street global
headquarters in New York City,
with an appearance by Chef Cora. The 200 West Street café provides
a healthy, diverse range of cuisines to Goldman Sachs employees and
visitors/guests, while focusing on sustainability, partnering with
local restaurants and supporting community engagement efforts.
Aramark is currently in discussion with several other business
dining clients about opening OLILO at their sites. Annually,
Aramark serves more than 150 million meals across its 1,200
business dining locations and 2 billion meals globally. Future
plans for the partnership include expansion into Aramark's
Education and Sports and Entertainment businesses.
About Cat Cora
As a prominent figure in the culinary
community, Cat Cora made television history in 2005 when she became
the first female Iron Chef on Food Network's Iron Chef America.
Since then, Cora has continued to evolve her craft to become an
accomplished author, restaurateur, contributing editor, avid
philanthropist and television host.
Cat Cora is the published author of three successful cookbooks
and one children's book and most recently her memoir called
"Cooking As Fast As I Can: a Chef's Story of Food, Family and
Forgiveness." Cora has launched several restaurants in the US and
beyond, with Ocean by Cat Cora on Sentosa Island in Singapore, as well Cat Cora's Kitchen with 4
locations including San Francisco
International Airport, George Bush International Airport and
Salt Lake City International Airport which is also home to Cat
Cora's Kitchen Gourmet Market, Cat Cora's Kitchen Atlanta airport
as well as soon to be Cat Cora's Taphouse in Detroit
Airport.
She is also the founder of Chefs for Humanity, a non-profit
organization dedicated to reducing hunger worldwide by supporting
humanitarian relief and promoting nutrition education.
She has trained in two, three star Michelin restaurants with
Georges Blanc and Roger Verge as well as cooked for many
celebrities and dignitaries including President Obama and First
Lady Michelle at the White House.
On-screen, Cora has hosted, guest judged and appeared as herself
in a number of hit food shows. Some of these shows include Food
Network's Melting Pot; NBC's Celebrity Cooking Showdown; Bravo's
Around the World in 80 Plates as well as Top Chef, Master Chef
and Chopped. And now coming to primetime, Cat is a host along with
Curtis Stone, on Fox's new show "My
Kitchen Rules", the #1 hit show out of Australia.
About Aramark
Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) delivers
experiences that enrich and nourish people's lives through
innovative services in food, facilities management, and uniforms.
United by a passion to serve, our 270,000 employees make a
meaningful difference each day for millions of people in 21
countries around the world. Aramark is recognized as one of the
World's Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE, rated
number one among Diversified Outsourcing Companies, as well as
among the World's Most Ethical Companies by the
Ethisphere Institute. Learn more at www.aramark.com or connect
with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Contact:
Aramark
David Freireich
215-238-4078
Freireich-david@aramark.com
Lisa Stein
Cat Cora/United Talent Agency
310-385-6766
steinl@unitedtalent.com
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SOURCE Aramark