Serving Up Simplicity: A Chef's Perspective on Making Everyday Meals Extraordinary

By Melody Miranda, National Director of Culinary

I've spent my career believing in a fundamental truth: Simplicity doesn't have to mean basic. At The Good Eating Company, we've built our entire philosophy around this idea, that when you let quality ingredients shine, you create something truly extraordinary. There's nothing more satisfying than watching someone take that first bite and realize their lunch just became the highlight of their workday.

When Simple Becomes Spectacular

Here's the thing about simple, flavor-first cooking: It's not about throwing twenty ingredients into a bowl and hoping for the best. It's about understanding that a perfectly charred piece of broccolini can be absolutely irresistible when you treat it right. Take one of my favorite dishes: our broccolini bowl with farro, topped with miso lemon dressing and a toasted seed mix. Everyone knows broccolini, but when you char it just enough to develop that smoky depth, add hemp seeds and sesame seeds for crunch, suddenly you've got people saying, "I have to have that dish." That's the magic of focusing on flavor first.

The Power of Quality Ingredients

Quality ingredients are everything, but here's what I've learned: the best ingredients evolve as you cook with them. A vine-ripened summer tomato (still warm from the sun, if you're lucky) can be perfect on its own, but roast it and suddenly you've got this incredible deep flavor and natural sweetness that wasn't there before.

Our chefs work closely with our local vendors and farmers to find ingredients that can truly hold their own in a dish. We believe in not judging a book —  or a strawberry— by its cover. Those "cosmetically challenged" fruits others might reject? We turn them into incredible jams and dehydrated fruit leathers, reducing food waste while creating something extraordinary. It's about seeing potential where others see imperfection, and it's a key part of our sustainability commitment.

Small Tweaks, Big Flavors

The difference between good and unforgettable often comes down to the smallest details. A quick squeeze of fresh lemon at the end to add a little acidity can completely transform a dish and take it to new depths of delicious. Or try this: Char half a citrus on a high-heat grill and squeeze that over your food. You get two completely different flavors: the fresh brightness and that smoky, caramelized complexity. 

Another technique that delivers big results is quick pickling, which adds acidity, brightness and crunch to any dish. On the sustainability front, using the whole ingredient — like making pesto from beet greens to drizzle over roasted beets — eliminates waste while adding another layer of flavor. These aren't complicated techniques that require culinary school; they're smart shortcuts that make simple ingredients sing.

Simplicity Meets Smart Operations

In our kitchens, we're often serving 200 to 300 people from a single station. That reality shapes everything we do. We can't have thirteen sub-recipes for one dish — that's a recipe for backed-up lines and unhappy guests. Instead, we work from the inside out: Our chefs identify their star ingredient, make it amazing, then build everything else around it. 

Our chefs create a series of menus that repeat so they can perfect dishes over time. When tomatoes go out of season, that same recipe framework works with apples or figs. It's an approach that supports both creativity and consistency, because great food means nothing if you can't execute it flawlessly under pressure.

Food as Workplace Wellness

Here's what I've realized after years in workplace dining: Good food and nutritious food aren't mutually exclusive. Through our Healthy and Happy program, we're not dictating what healthy means; we're making sure there's something on every menu that fits everyone's definition of nourishing. 

When employees know they can walk into their café and find something that truly satisfies them, it changes their entire relationship with their workplace. Suddenly, lunch isn't just functional, it's a little moment of joy in their day. They feel thought about and taken care of, and that energy carries back into their work.

Measuring Success One Empty Plate at a Time

You want to know how I measure success? Empty plates. When I visit our locations, I'm not looking at spreadsheets — I'm looking around the dining area. How many people brought brown bags versus how many are eating our food? Are plates coming back clean? Are people lingering over their meals, actually enjoying the experience? 

We've done incredibly well at capturing those dedicated brown-baggers, the ones who never thought workplace dining could compete with home-packed lunches. When you can convert someone who's been bringing the same turkey sandwich for five years, you know you're doing something right! 

The Future is Inspirational

The shift from institutional to inspirational dining is what excites me most about where workplace dining is headed. At The Good Eating Company, we champion regenerative farming, using our buying power to support farmers doing things right, and proving that workplace dining can be a force for positive change. Our chef-led approach means every menu is thoughtfully crafted by culinary professionals who understand that great food enhances everything: productivity, engagement, a positive company culture and employee well-being.  

Because at the end of the day, everyone deserves to eat well, especially at work. And with the right ingredients, smart techniques and a little creativity, simple can be absolutely extraordinary.

Get to know the chef behind the flavor. Read more about Chef Melody.