Sweetgreen announced the appointment of Rossann Williams as the company’s chief operating officer, effective Feb. 5. Williams joins Sweetgreen’s executive leadership team and will oversee operations, real estate + development and supply chain for the company.
Williams is an accomplished global operations executive bringing more than 30 years of experience leading retail businesses. Williams is a respected and engaged leader focused on cultivating high-performance teams at every level of the business.
“Rossann is an industry veteran with a proven track record in driving sustainable growth of global, iconic brands and leading teams to generate profitability,” said Jonathan Neman, CEO and co-founder of Sweetgreen. “Rossann complements the existing skills and experience of our leadership team as we pursue our next chapter of growth. It’s clear that she shares our values, and I look forward to partnering with Rossann to further our mission of connecting more communities to real food.”
Prior to joining Sweetgreen, Williams spent over 18 years at Starbucks, where she rose to EVP and president of North America retail. In this role, she oversaw a market of approximately 16,000 stores, where she significantly improved same-store sales, successfully opened thousands of new stores and helped navigate the company through the pandemic. At Starbucks, Williams also served in senior operations roles across North America, eventually rising to SVP, global and Americas operations services. Previously, Williams held leadership roles for several well-known Fortune 500 brands, including Blockbuster and Toys “R” Us.
“I’ve long admired Sweetgreen’s leadership as a founder-led, mission-driven company driving the industry forward. I am deeply aligned with Sweetgreen’s values, people-centric approach and commitment to connect more people to delicious, real food. I’m thrilled to be joining the Sweetgreen team at a moment of significant growth and an incredible opportunity ahead,” said Williams.
Sweetgreen is on a mission to build healthier communities by connecting people to real food. Sweetgreen sources the best quality ingredients from farmers and suppliers they trust to cook food from scratch that is both delicious and nourishing. They plant roots in each community by building a transparent supply chain, investing in local farmers and growers, and enhancing the total experience with innovative technology.
Since opening its first 560-square-foot location in 2007, Sweetgreen has scaled to over 220 locations across the United States, and their vision is to lead the next generation of restaurants and lifestyle brands built on quality, community and innovation.
To learn more about Sweetgreen, its menu, and its loyalty program, visit www.Sweetgreen.com. Follow @Sweetgreen on Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
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Café Bastille, South Florida’s cherished all-day French café, is poised to open its first Miami Beach location on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Located just a stone’s throw away from the beach on Washington Avenue, the restaurant occupies an intimate yet stylish 1,300 square-foot space, exuding contemporary elegance from the moment guests step through the door with an Parisian-inspired all-day brunch menu and next door bakery.
Inside Miami Beach’s newest gem is a cozy and modern 30-seat dining room, furnished in Café Bastille’s signature style, featuring gold and white accents throughout, Parisian-style wooden chairs, and a serene sage and basil color palette, imbuing the space with a timeless charm and inviting ambiance. The allure extends outdoors to a bustling 20-seat patio, offering prime people-watching views in a relaxed setting.
Echoing the success of its downtown counterpart, the restaurant also features an adjacent bakery and juicery which offers a delectable ensemble of freshly baked goods, pastries and drinks for guests on the go as well as special french baguette sandwiches, done the “french style”, made with turkey, brie cheese, and apple, apple, steak and cheese and the very classic ham and cheese. The menu boasts irresistible tartines such as the Breakfast Tartine, served on brioche bread with a fried egg, turkey bacon, avocado, tomato, arugula and spicy mayo; freshly-made baguette sandwiches such as the Steak & Cheese, featuring a shaved beef filet, arugula, tomato, pickled onions and cheese spread served on a buttered baguette; and a plethora of pastries like the Dulce de Leche Cruffin, and Nutella Croissant.
Set to redefine the brunch experience in South Beach, the menu is carefully curated with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and each dish is meticulously crafted from scratch. In addition to Cafe Bastille fan-favorites, the restaurant is rolling out a handful of exciting new menu items that cater to diverse tastes, featuring ample portion sizes, delightful light bites, savory homemade specialities, healthy and vegan options as well as a selection of freshly baked crispy pastries.
Guests can start the culinary journey with a tempting assortment of pancakes and French toasts, with two newly-launched dishes: the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, featuring a cream-cheese glaze topped with sugar cookie crumble and butter whipped cream, and the first and only gluten-free Oats & Berries Pancakes topped with with vanilla-honey Greek yogurt, shaved dark chocolate and candied walnuts. Other sweet and flavor-packed options include the Sweet Start menu, with dishes such as the Crêpe Express made complete with strawberries, banana, nutella and butter whipped cream; Crispy French Toast Bites, topped with fresh berries and butter whipped cream; Dave’s Croissant Pudding, with chocolate, nuts and berries; and the Red Velvet Pancakes, one of Café’s Bastille’s best sellers as well as the Stuffed Nutella French Toast.
The globally inspired Eggs & Co. section introduces international flavors, such as the Breakfast Croissant made with organic cheddar eggs, bacon jam, tomato confit, spinach, avocado and spicy mayo; Frank’s Famous Hash made with fingerling potatoes and beef filet; Bae’s Shakshuka, made with three organic eggs on a jerusalem bagel; and Turkish Eggs with roasted garlic yogurt, organic poached eggs, kalamata olives, heirloom grape tomatoes, feta, mint, cucumbers, and smoked chili oil on a Jerusalem bagel.
An an assortment of egg benedicts are also available, all served on top of a croissant with a side of crispy breakfast potatoes, such as the Florentine, a delectable fusion of two organic poached eggs, hollandaise sauce and sauteed spinach; Roasted Turkey, with brie cheese, tomato, and avocado; Country Ham, with bacon; the Smoked Salmon, topped with avocado and crispy fried capers; and the Florentine, a vegetarian alternative served with sauteed spinach.
Guests stopping by for lunch can opt for sandwiches such as the recently-introduced Truffle Croque Madame, a classic French dish, served on brioche with truffle bechamel melted gruyere, prosciutto and field greens; and the updated Jerusalem Salmon Lox open face sandwich served with chive cream cheese, avocado, tomato, cucumber, fried capers, onions on Jerusalem bread. For those looking for a nutritional boost, the brand-new Steak and Egg Bowl offers a protein-packed punch, featuring rice, beef filet, spinach, avocado, cucumber, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, feta, a sunny-side-up egg and smoked chili oil served with a side of cilantro aioli. For those looking for healthier and lighter options, three healthy yet filling salads include the Classic Salmon Nicoise, Chicken Ceasar and Pricioutto Tomato Mozza.
The drink menu complements every meal with a variety of crafted smoothies, cold-pressed juices, shots, coffees and other specialty drinks and cocktails. Noteworthy sips include the Acai Miami smoothie, a deliciously tropical blend of acai, banana, strawberry, mango and coconut water, and the nutritious Kicker, a cold-pressed juice consisting of superfoods like kale, celery, pineapple, apple and ginger. Other speciality drinks include the Strawberry Matcha Latte, served hot or ice and the decadent French Toast Cappuccino, served with a crispy French Toast Bite. Elevate the brunch experience even further with hand-crafted libations like the Berry Rhum and Crush – the latest addition to the cocktail offerings – which is a refreshing blend of rhum, raspberry, mint and lime. Or any classic yet so refreshing cocktails like Lychee Collins, Espresso Martini and Blueberry Basil Mule.
Café Bastille is located at 538 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-ins only. For more information, visit cafebastilledowntown.com or follow @cafebastillemiami.
Café Bastille is an all-day French café that allows guests to experience the joy of brunch, bottomless mimosas and globally inspired cuisine all week long. With locations in Downtown Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and now, Miami Beach, the restaurant features scratch-made dishes with fresh, locally sourced ingredients – from French toast, eggs Benedict and pancakes to healthier options like salads and smoothies.
The Miami Beach location is a 1,300 square-foot brunch haven adorned with gold and white accents, Parisian-style wooden chairs, and a serene color palette inspired by sage and basil. The 30-seat dining room offers an intimate indoor setting, while the 20-seat patio offers patrons an alfresco dining experience. Notably, Café Bastille Miami Beach has an adjacent fresh bakery and juicery, offering guests an array of freshly baked goods, specialty smoothies and pressed juices .Founded and owned by Benjamin and Estelle, dynamic partners from Paris, Café Bastille draws inspiration from their extensive travels around the world. For more information, visit cafebastilledowntown.com or follow on Instagram @cafebastillemiami.
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Cheerios is bringing back its beloved Happy Heart Shapes in honor of American Heart Month with a fun new twist. To celebrate five years of Happy Heart Shapes and the role Cheerios can play in supporting Americans who want to live a heart-healthy lifestyle, Cheerios is launching special-edition boxes featuring names of those who inspire you to make heart healthy choices.
In addition to special-edition boxes with names such as Mom, Friend, Grandparents and Family in both English and Spanish available at retailers nationwide throughout February, consumers can also order personalized yellow boxes online featuring any name (within 18 characters) at Cheerios.com.
With more than 100 million Americans having some form of heart disease, Cheerios understands how important heart health is. When people see Grandma, Abuelo, Bestie, Dad, and the names of other loved ones on the cover of their box, they will be reminded to take care of their heart not only for themselves, but for those people who mean the most to them. The name boxes are a great way to remind people that apart from the convenience and great taste, Cheerios are made with whole grain oats, which can help lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet.
“From being there to cheer on your kids’ activities to laughs across the breakfast table – these are the moments with loved ones that remind us why it’s worth saying, ‘Yes’ to taking care of our heart health,” said Kathy Dixon, senior brand experience manager for Cheerios. “This year, the special-edition Cheerios name boxes and Happy Heart Shapes are a simple reminder for people to take care of their heart so they can be there for all of life’s special moments.”
Special-edition boxes will be available at retailers nationwide in five delicious flavors: Original yellow-box Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Chocolate, Strawberry Banana and Apple Cinnamon. Learn more here.
General Mills makes food the world loves. The company is guided by its Accelerate strategy to drive shareholder value by boldly building its brands, relentlessly innovating, unleashing its scale and standing for good. Its portfolio of beloved brands includes household names such as Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Totino’s, Annie’s, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, General Mills generated fiscal 2023 net sales of $20.1 billion. In addition, the company’s share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales totaled $1 billion.
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