APRIL HN

being passed between two acclaimed chefs, as Gefen receives the baton from Brown. She will be the second person to hold the unique title following Brown’s 11 years in the role and her appointment further cements R/A’s reputation as a chef-driven, culinary-first company. Gefen has worked in acclaimed kitchens across the globe including at Mul-Yam in Tel Aviv, Israel and Danal in Manhattan’s East Village. Most recently Gefen served as the Corporate Executive Chef for Unilever, leading innovation and the roll out of new products among other duties. At R/A, Gefen will continue to drive forward a commitment to quality as well as aug- ment sustainability, diversity and wellness initiatives. “R/A was founded as, and continues to be, a restaurant operator. We’ve got three trained chefs at the helm who along with their business experience, lead from a chef ’s point-of-view,” said Brown. “As we envision what the next 75 years looks like for us, the mantra of ‘Once a Chef, Always Chef ’ couldn’t be more true. We’ll use the creativity, attention to detail and commitment to service that is ingrained in each of us to keep disrupting the CONTINUED ON PAGE 24 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 industry and delivering new dining concepts that will define the land scape for years to come.” As part of R/A’s Diamond celebration, the company will be strengthening its commitment to community endeavors, inclusive staffing and supporting women- and minority-owned businesses as key pillars of their business strategy. ● A home for talent of all kinds, R/A makes inclusive recruitment a priority. To date, R/A has been one of the top employers for graduates from Hot Bread Kitchen, Job Path’s Consortium for Customized Employ- ment, Fedcap Rehabilitation Services Inc., C-CAP, Best Buddies and others. ● R/A continues to bring women- and minority-owned suppliers into the fold, consistently running pilot programs and full-scale launches with their one-of-a-kind products. Brands R/A works with include the likes of: ○ Matriark Foods: women-owned upcycler of fresh-from-the-farm produce that would have otherwise gone to waste ○ Atlantic Sea Farms: women-run, sustainable kelp aquaculture business ○ Lekka Burger: women-owned, chef-created vegan burgers By 2023, R/A has committed to making 25% of its suppliers women and/or minority- owned. ● The long-standing relationship with New York Common Pantry will continue to be a core initiative at R/A. The company supports food rescue efforts that benefit hungry New Yorkers. In the past three years, R/A has provided New York Common Pantry with more than 37,000 meals to help feed those in need. ● And internal cultural shifts designed to inspire wider industry transformation will continue to be a key part of the company’s next 75 years and beyond. While equity and inclusion have always been priorities, R/A’s new partnership with Reframe (a tech enabled consulting and advisory company that helps organi- zations build more inclusive employee experiences at scale) has resulted in an ambitious intention to make even further advancements by 2023. These details will be shared as initiatives are rolled out. continued on next page