Cornell Dining's Chef Josh Holden receives a President's Award for Employee Excellence
Each summer, the Office of the President seeks nominations for Cornell University’s President’s Awards for Employee Excellence, and each fall, the awardees are announced and celebrated at an Excellence Awards Reception. Cornell Dining is delighted this fall to celebrate that our own Senior Chef Josh Holden is a winner of this year’s Game Changer Award.
"Chef Josh and the Morrison Dining team exemplify what it means to be a true Game Changer at Cornell," said Cornell Dining's nomination. "Through their innovative cultural dining events, including the recent Ǫgwahǫwéhneha:ˀ Gyǫhéhgǫh, or Food of the Original People, Indigenous Dinner, they have transformed Morrison Dining into more than a place to eat. They have created a space where culture, tradition, and community come together in meaningful ways."
"I have had the pleasure of watching Josh over the last 20 years of his career, and how much he has grown into the incredible chef he is now," says Paul Muscente, the Director of Cornell Dining. "Josh is masterful in his collaboration efforts — with our dining staff, campus partners, and the Ithaca and greater Central New York community — resulting in curated, imaginative, and unique experiences for our students."
"His thoughtful approach and empathetic leadership has helped him build these relationships and has identified him as a key leader in our organization," Paul added. "His fingerprints are all over every aspect of our dining program. As Cornell Dining has grown, Josh has been indispensable in our development and success."
"Through all of this, Chef Josh shows that dining can be more than sustenance," concluded the nomination. "It can celebrate heritage, foster learning, and bridge communities. His work has touched thousands of students and staff and will continue to shape how culture is shared and honored at Cornell."
Our congratulations as well to other winners from Student & Campus Life: Tina Coyne of the LGBT Resource Center, and Christopher Payne and Abigail Dubovi from Cornell Health. Other SCL employee nominees were Abha Razdan-Huckoo, Sharifa Wip, David Heliseva, Donna MacDuffee, and Shan Varma.
About Cornell Dining
Cornell Dining is consistently ranked in the Princeton Review's top ten for best campus food among all colleges and universities in the country! That high rating comes from customer surveys, and reflects Cornell Dining's commitment to serving high-quality foods that are healthy and creatively prepared with genuine care for a diverse community. Cornell Dining operates over 30 on-campus eateries -- which include residential dining rooms, cafés, coffeehouses, food courts, and convenience stores -- and serves more than 23,000 meals a day to members of the Cornell community. For more information, visit dining.cornell.edu.