05/14/2026
A Meaning Full way to Celebrate our People and Invest in their Future! Closing out the academic year with our incredible hospitality team at West Virginia University—reflecting on a successful first school year as the new dining services partner and setting our sights on what’s ahead. Together, we celebrated wins, explored opportunities for growth, and aligned on how we can continue strengthening communication and service excellence as we prepare for the fall semester. As Executive Chef Ryan Sonson shared, “We are building a strong culinary and service foundation at WVU—equipping our future chefs with the tools to achieve our goals, foster growth, and continue to succeed.”To recognize the team’s dedication, Chef Sonson and our culinary leaders personally gifted “Yes, Chef” t-shirts—designed to bring pride to our team during meetings—along with a personalized The Professional Chef, a foundational The Culinary Institute of Americacookbook supporting skill development and continued learning. Pictured is our incredible dining team including: Javier Cruz, Michael Labastida, David Beck, Joseph Bellair, Melanie Brown, Jason McMullen, Joshua Biship, Leah Davis, Noah Fraley, Jessica Dressman, Alaster Traetta, Han Clouse, Nevada Wilson and Lou Mayle.