About Us
From Fine Dining to Institutional Kitchens
Growing up in a food-loving Italian family, our Founder and CEO, Dan Giusti has always had a passion for food. This inspired him to attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York. He quickly rose through the culinary ranks, serving as Executive Chef of 1789 in Washington, D.C. and Head Chef of Noma in Copenhagen.
After three years in the latter role, he returned to the United States to tackle another culinary challenge: school food. Guided by the belief that everyone deserves good food, he founded Brigaid in 2016. His vision was to assemble a team of professional chefs who were eager to apply their culinary expertise to help school foodservice programs achieve their goals.
Today, Brigaid’s work spans school districts across the country, a senior organization, and a prison system.
Everyone deserves good food — whether you are a restaurant customer, student, senior, or person living in incarceration.
Our Approach
Every program is unique. That’s why we don’t subscribe to a one-size-fits-all approach. We’ll never tell a partner how their program should be run. Rather, we’ll provide tailored solutions and expert guidance to help them get where they’re aiming to go.
Our approach is guided by a set of core values.
Customization
Our partners set their own goals and visions of “good food.” We provide the tools and support to get them there.
Partnership
We aim to seamlessly integrate into existing teams so we can work together towards shared goals.
Mentorship
We are patient teachers who break down complex processes and strive to set everyone up for success.
Problem Solving
We think through all sides of a problem to identify the most effective and sustainable solutions.
Why Institutions?
Everyone deserves good food — whether you are a paying restaurant customer, a high school student, a senior residing in assisted living, or a person living in incarceration.
Unfortunately, many institutional foodservice programs lack the resources, culinary expertise, and support they need to thrive. In turn, hardworking staff members struggle to prepare meals within strict nutritional guidelines and budgets, diners are often dissatisfied, food gets wasted, and problems like hunger and diet-related illnesses persist.
By placing professional chefs in institutions, we are setting institutional foodservice programs up to succeed and, in turn, positively impact the people and communities they serve.
Investing in Institutional Foodservice Programs Can…
Reduce hunger and promote better nutrition
Often, an institution may be an individual’s only consistent source of food. When meals are appealing, diners are more likely to eat their food and reap the nutritional benefits from it.
Foster better learning outcomes and student achievement
Student participation in school meal programs is linked to higher attendance rates and test scores among many other academic benefits.
Lower the risk of diet-related illnesses
Serving meals that comply with government guidelines for nutrition can help diners manage or lower their risk of diet-related illnesses, like obesity and diabetes.
Support professional development
Training foodservice staff develops their skills and builds their professional resumes. In prisons, it can set residents on a path to secure employment upon reentry.
Decrease food waste
Food waste is a problem in many institutions for a host of reasons. Serving appealing meals that diners are excited to eat can reduce the amount of food that gets thrown out.
