
Anne E. McBride, PhD | James Beard Foundation

Orietta Maria Varnelli | Distilleria Varnelli

Dan Henroid
Department of Nutrition and Food Services at the University of California
Dan Henroid is the director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Services at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Health system where he is responsible for patient meal services at two hospitals totaling 716-beds, seven retail food operations with a combined sales of $12 million, catering and conference services with annual sales of $3 million, 3 gift shops with annual sales of $2 million plus oversight of inpatient and outpatient nutrition services. He has overseen the creation or renovation of all retail food outlets at UCSF and implemented new retail programs for cashless payment, mobile ordering, healthy food branding, mobile loyalty, and nutritional information on POS receipts and digital signage. They have also implemented an on-demand room service dining program which includes a patient self-service ordering solution that has been translated into 8 languages. He and the team opened a state-of-the art 289-bed women’s, children’s and oncology hospital in 2015 where he oversees digital signage and the robot fleet. In addition to these responsibilities, he serves as the health system’s sustainability officer.
Dan and his team have been recognized for innovative programs and operational excellence including the Food Management Magazine Best of Show Award (2015), National Restaurant Association Operator Innovator of the Year (2014), Foodservice Director Magazine Top 15 Healthiest Operator (2014), Foodservice at Retail Exchange (FARE) Retail Leader (2013), Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF) Spotlight on Innovation (2013, 2010). He is also is the 2012 recipient of the prestigious IFMA Silver Plate for healthcare foodservice operations and the AHF Lifetime Achievement award (2017).
Dan has worked in various capacities within the food industry over his 20+ year career as a clinical dietitian, a researcher, an educator, and in food operations management. He is a registered dietitian, a doctoral candidate in Hospitality Management at Iowa State University, holds a Master’s degree in food and nutrition from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and a Bachelor’s in family and consumer sciences from Bradley University. He gives back to the food services industry with regular presentations at meetings, professional publications, and participation on industry advisory boards and committees.