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Shelia got her start with MG almost 25 years ago. She has touched many communities from Northern Virginia to North Carolina and in between. She has called Guilford College home for the last 12 years where she goes above and beyond everyday for everyone; from students to the college leadership. Shelia is dedicated, hard working, and takes pride in everything she does.  Her passion and enthusiasm are evident in her work and interactions with others. She has developed strong relationships with the entire Guilford community and is welcomed warmly into homes, offices, and anywhere catering events are held. Shelia’s so special the college’s Board of Trustees sang “Happy Birthday” to her during one of their meetings when they found out it was her special day. 

“Shelia is a shining star at Guilford Dining. Her hard work, commitment to quality and ability to connect with others are so appreciated, but also is her smile which brightens everyone’s day.”

— Long Nghiem, District Manager

Barbara joined the Hollins community 44 years ago, beginning her journey in the housekeeping department. She quickly decided housekeeping was not for her and transferred to the food service department. That is where she found home. She started in the dining room and worked her way through various positions to finally that of Cook which she has performed for over 20 years. She says she has her family to thank for her cooking skills and what a Cook she is. She is famous for Ms. Barbara’s Mac-N-Cheese but she’s also the proud creator of Ms. Barbara’s Bourbon Bread Pudding. Barbara adds to the fun atmosphere, creates a strong bond with her co-workers and is always there for the students inside and outside of work. Barbara’s faith is her foundation and she enjoys bringing others to her church, and especially enjoys taking students to view lights. In Barbara’s words, “working at Hollins has just been fun!”

“Barbara is always a smiling face in the kitchen. She is never too busy to help or include others. Her strong faith guides her daily through work and play and her inclusivity and sharp wit make her a perfect part of the MG family.”

— Tanya Hipp, District Manager

Rosa has been at her school in Washington, DC, working in dining services since 1996. Rosa has impacted thousands of students with her kindness and caring, always making a lasting impression. Rosa says, “My favorite part of my job is customer service. I treat the kids like my own family, like this is their home, and I think that makes a difference every day.” and it shows! Rosa is often recognized in public by previous students! Just recently, while Rosa was helping at a new account in the area, a faculty member recognized her AND even when Rosa was getting her vaccine, a man waiting in line recognized her from his time at school as well!

“Rosa is an anchor of the dining program. Whether she is serving her famous Key Lime yogurt or delivering meal bins to classrooms, her passion for making people happy shines through in all she does.”

— Sara Thompson, District Manager

Rosa has been at her school in Washington, DC, working in dining services since 1996. Rosa has impacted thousands of students with her kindness and caring, always making a lasting impression. Rosa says, “My favorite part of my job is customer service. I treat the kids like my own family, like this is their home, and I think that makes a difference every day.” and it shows! Rosa is often recognized in public by previous students! Just recently, while Rosa was helping at a new account in the area, a faculty member recognized her AND even when Rosa was getting her vaccine, a man waiting in line recognized her from his time at school as well!

“Rosa is an anchor of the dining program. Whether she is serving her famous Key Lime yogurt or delivering meal bins to classrooms, her passion for making people happy shines through in all she does.”

— Sara Thompson, District Manager

Peggy met Rie and Eddie Godsey at an event they were catering in 1982. She was simultaneously chiding them for undercooking the blackeyed peas while singing an off-key rendition of Ray Charles “Little Drummer Boy.” It was at this same event that Peggy shared her foodservice wisdom: “never go anywhere with your hands empty.” Since then, Peggy has worked at every MG account from Massachusetts to North Carolina and filled every position we have. Her skills, common sense, humor, and joyful singing, have made her memorable everywhere she goes. Her selflessness extends beyond MG as she gives generously of her time and resources to her church family, her “adopted” families, her neighborhood and those in need. We are so lucky to have had Peggy’s energy and devotion for all these years.

“Peggy has been a best friend and always the epitome of a “Fun, Flexible, Team Member” helping us navigate many MG adventures for close to 40 years. We love you Peg Peg!”

— Rie Godsey, Founder & Chairman of Meriwether Godsey

• Coleman’s idea centered around the history of African-Americans packing meals in shoeboxes during the Jim Crow era when they were banned from and refused service in white-owned restaurants. The decorative boxes pay tribute to African-American trailblazers and raise awareness by including information about Freedom Riders and the Green Book, a guide that instructed black travelers on where to find safe havens throughout the deeply-segregated ’60s South.   
• Part of the proceeds go to Detroit community development & youth education programs.

“It’s important that a younger generation understand the strength and determination that their forebears had to persevere through what we now consider normal day-to-day living. Despite the indignities of the era, black Americans found a way through resourcefulness as well as resolve.”

— Patrick Coleman

Source: Ebony, Fox Detroit

• Coleman’s idea centered around the history of African-Americans packing meals in shoeboxes during the Jim Crow era when they were banned from and refused service in white-owned restaurants. The decorative boxes pay tribute to African-American trailblazers and raise awareness by including information about Freedom Riders and the Green Book, a guide that instructed black travelers on where to find safe havens throughout the deeply-segregated ’60s South.   
• Part of the proceeds go to Detroit community development & youth education programs.

“It’s important that a younger generation understand the strength and determination that their forebears had to persevere through what we now consider normal day-to-day living. Despite the indignities of the era, black Americans found a way through resourcefulness as well as resolve.”

— Patrick Coleman

Source: Ebony, Fox Detroit

Larry & Jereline Bethune:

• The Bethune’s restaurant, Brenda’s Bar-B-Que Pit, served as the unofficial center for Montgomery, Alabama’s Civil Rights Movement; holding meetings with NAACP leaders and organizing and promoting boycotts, including Rosa Parks’ infamous Bus Boycott.
• Jereline Bethune quietly held lessons to teach African-Americans to read so they could pass the literacy test (a way to suppress the black vote during the height of the Jim Crow era.
• Jereline also participated in the Selma to Montgomery March that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

“Let’s learn how to read. Let’s learn how to vote. Let’s go after our own rights so we never have to be treated in a way that we’re not equal to again.”  

— Donetta Bethune

Granddaughter of Larry & Jereline Bethune

Source: AL.com

• During the Civil Rights Movement, Dooky Chase’s was the only upscale restaurant where African-Americans could dine. There, restaurant owner Leah Chase fed Freedom Riders and hosted meetings for the Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 
• Princess Tiana, from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, was based on Leah’s life and was the 1st African-American princess in a Disney movie. Leah is considered to be of “a generation of African-American women who set their faces against the wind without looking back”, as quoted by Jessica B. Harris, author and expert on food of the African Diaspora.
• Beyond her countless culinary awards, Leah has been recognized by the NAACP receiving the Weiss Award & Torch of Liberty Award. Other recognitions include University of New Orleans’ Entrepreneurship Award & the Outstanding Woman Award from the National Council of Negro Women. Leah, along with 75 women of color, were featured in “I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America.”

“In my dining room, we changed the course of America over a bowl of gumbo and some fried chicken.”

— Leah Chase

Source: NYTimes, African American Chef’s Hall of Fame

Zephyr Wright:

• Zephyr Wright began her culinary career in 1940 to help pay her tuition at Wiley College located in Texas where she received her degree in Home Economics. Once hired by the Johnson Family, she became a personal advisor to Lady Bird & LBJ on all civil rights & equality topics.
• Wright and her husband’s accounts of racial injustice were said to be a key factor in President Johnson’s signing and adoption of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. So much so, that LBJ gifted her the pen used, saying, “You deserve this more than anybody else.”
• When asked to accompany (then) Senator LBJ back to Texas:

“I’m not going to do it…I’m not allowed to go to the bathroom…we can’t go into restaurants…Not until there’s change.”

— Zephyr Wright

Source: New York Times