New appointment to take Sodexo Prestige to the next level in food excellence

Parfait is now part of the Sodexo Prestige executive team, taking overall responsibility for food development for the division in the UK and Ireland. He will lead the Sodexo Prestige and Corporate Services culinary team and drive the development of innovative food concepts, brand standards and menus for workplace dining and hospitality, major sporting events and leisure venues. Parfait joined the business in September 2011 as head of food operations for Sodexo Prestige in London where he was responsible for the development and marketing of cutting edge food concepts as well as staff training and development, for example, he devised the ‘Chef for Life’ programme which focuses on developing and inspiring chefs through training, food forums, farm visits, job swaps and competitions. Before joining Sodexo Prestige, Parfait worked for boutique catering groups including Harbour & Jones, where he was food director, and Lexington, where he was group development chef. An exceptional chef, Parfait’s experience in the catering industry spans some 20 years. The menu that he created for the Siemens Crystal Café in London won the premium staff dining category in the recent Menu Innovation and Development (MIDAS) Awards 2013. Chris John, managing director, Sodexo Prestige and Corporate Services, said: “I am delighted to welcome Mark Parfait to the executive team. He has the vision, craft skills and passion to take Sodexo Prestige’s great team of passionate operators, chefs and fine dining and hospitality experts to the next level of success in food excellence.” Parfait, creative food director, Sodexo Prestige and Corporate Services, said: “I fully understand the business and share its passion for food. I am delighted to be taking on this new role driving forward our food development and building on what we do best, which is delivering fresh, innovative and beautifully presented food consistently across our client estate. I aim to inspire and nurture our people to deliver their very best so that each day our clients can taste and see what makes us the best at what we do.”