Values

We Make a Difference Every Day

Live & Work Sustainably

We take a holistic approach to being good stewards of our natural resources. It starts with a focus on reducing waste (“don’t let good food end up in the trash!”) and moves from there to buying local foods, composting, recycling, etc. Not only is reducing waste the right thing but invariably it reduces costs.

 

BUY LOCAL, GROW LOCAL

Buying local is a part of our everyday routine. Our Chefs and Managers are encouraged to build relationships with local purveyors to source the freshest product for our clients.

At most MG accounts, we have some kind of garden – whether container gardens, small planters or larger scale gardens. These can go a long way to educating the community on what’s involved with growing your own food (planning, tending, rotating, etc.).

WASTE REDUCTION

Many of our kitchens are composting in a variety of ways. At both Sidwell and Norfolk Academy, we compost kitchen scraps and post-consumer waste directly in the dining room. Our efforts to engage our partners in composting have yielded positive results: in the 2015‐2016 fiscal year, MG clients composted 101,734 pounds, diverting 50.87 tons of waste from our landfills. We promote recycling in dining rooms and donate fryer grease for biofuel through our partnership with Valley Proteins or another preferred provider.

raising awareness

We provide information on individual choices that help reduce waste: “Mindful Eating” encourages us to take less, and “The Color of Your Plate” focuses on a more plant‐based diet that lowers our carbon footprint. We have two large-scale annual events focused on local products: Feed the Difference – an MG signature event featuring local meals, and Earth Week – menus featuring local ingredients and waste-reducing initiatives. We also participate in food rescue programs where excess food is donated and distributed to needy people.

Our Core Values

Our values were crowd-sourced through a full year of employee engagement exercises in 2011; they serve as our locations’ theme song, representing who we are and what we produce every day.

loving local

We have always favored local providers: better taste and quality, support stays within the community, and carbon footprint. We strive to create an active network of providers in all of our locations.  Our program audits and assessments require ‐‐‐ as a minimum MG standard ‐‐‐ something local every meal, every day, no matter the time of year! Signage and materials in the dining room designate our local and regional ingredients, and the staff is trained to promote these items.

LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS

Building relationships with those who grow & curate our products, helps guarantee you are getting the best!

Read More

Contact Us

4944 Old Boonsboro Rd.
Lynchburg,VA 24503
434.384.3663
Want to talk Business?
partner@merig.com
Human Resources
hr@merig.com

Testimonials

Cooking from very early in the morning to late at night daily, having it be real food and fit everybody’s needs is very hard.
I feel very lucky to have such careful and caring chefs like you guys.
Student Foxcroft School
Student

The food is just incredible! I really mean it…I hope you know that I am not just saying this. It’s so colorful, fresh, and delicious…so special every day!”

Faculty Member 
Faculty Member

Just a note to say thank you for all of the delicious food you and your staff serve each day. I never knew kale could taste so good!

Administrator 
Administrator

Outstanding food, outstanding service, outstanding people. I brag about MG to my peers at other schools, and even to my friends and family!

Administrator 
Administrator

Thank you so much for all the gluten-free options this year! All of your staff have been so helpful. They make a point to come up to me at meals and let me know what options you have for that meal. Salads are great, but sometimes a warm meal is just what you need!

Faculty Member 
Faculty Member

Thanks for all of the good work you and your team did to ensure that last night’s welcome gathering for new faculty went off without a hitch. I’m so grateful for Team MG working so hard to make sure things are done the right way.

Head of School 
Head of School

I just want to thank you for always having such wonderful healthful choices that taste absolutely amazing! You have truly inspired my palate and given me new love for foods that were once far from comfort for me.

Guest 
Guest

Many times I find a favorite thing out of the many items served during lunch, and although the featured spinach and fruit salad was visually stunning; the SHOUT OUT winner of the day hands down was the very delicious unassuming Vegetarian Pinto Beans!!! The onions were glistening and the peppers served as a complimentary color to the two different shades of beans…I have one regret and that is I didn’t think to take a picture!

Administrator 
Administrator

Thank you for making pimento cheese today! It not only is divine, but also hit the spot. I now regret wasting 62.5 years of life on this planet in which I did not eat this heavenly mix. As I explore different recipes in my home kitchen I will try my best to live up to the standard demonstrated by what I had today.

Faculty Member 
Faculty Member

Everything was wonderful…as usual! The food was scrumptious…and the weather was gorgeous!

Conference Client 
Conference Client

I would not change a thing! Your staff was not only professional, but warm and caring. They truly set the tone for a memorable night. The food was delicious…our family and friends left with hearts and bellies full!

Catering Client 
Catering Client

Thanks for the delicious soup and the new harvest salad – and thanks for removing half the calories out of the Farm Basket brownie…haha.

Resident 
Resident

THANK YOU for your help today with the open house! Our visiting families raved about the personalized environment. We had a student tell us that Guilford went from his 3rd to 1st choice!

Administrator 
Administrator

Thank you for all of your hard work on the meals and breaks for the Alumnae Board. The food was outstanding; everyone raved about each meal. Favorites included the grits on Saturday morning and the butternut squash soup on Sunday. YUM!!!

Administrator 
Administrator

Local Partnerships

Building relationships with those who grow & curate our products, helps guarantee you are getting the best!

Read More

Rice Fruit Company, Gardners, PA

Rice Fruit Company is a family run business, which was founded in 1913 by Arthur Rice. The history goes back to around 1790 when Daniel Rice, the first member of the Rice family, settled in Adams County, as a young German immigrant. He recognized that the scenic foothills of the South Mountain, the eastern-most ridge of the Appalachians, had ideal soils and a perfect climate for growing many kinds of fruit…especially apples. For another four generations, the Rice family continued to plant orchards as the notoriety of Adams County grown fruit began to spread. The first packing house was built in 1913 (in Biglerville, PA) and throughout the 20’s and 30’s, Rice Fruit Company continued to ship apples all over the world. In 1955, Arthur Rice, Jr., built a new (the current) packing facility located in Gardners, PA. Arthur Rice, Jr. also formed a partnership with William Lott, to form R&L Orchards, which grew most of the fruit packed by Rice Fruit Company. The partnership between the Rice and Lott families continues to this day.

Rice Fruit Company takes great pride in selling one of the first whole foods that nature made. In the 100+ years that Rice Fruit Company has been marketing fruit, they have been diligent in moving forward and embracing new technologies, while also staying true to their valued heritage. Being a leader comes with great responsibility, not just to the product, but for the company and future generations.

Check us out Rice Fruit Company website or follow us on Facebook

 

Rice Fruit Company, Gardners, PA

Rice Fruit Company is a family run business, which was founded in 1913 by Arthur Rice. The history goes back to around 1790 when Daniel Rice, the first member of the Rice family, settled in Adams County, as a young German immigrant. He recognized that the scenic foothills of the South Mountain, the eastern-most ridge of the Appalachians, had ideal soils and a perfect climate for growing many kinds of fruit…especially apples. For another four generations, the Rice family continued to plant orchards as the notoriety of Adams County grown fruit began to spread. The first packing house was built in 1913 (in Biglerville, PA) and throughout the 20’s and 30’s, Rice Fruit Company continued to ship apples all over the world. In 1955, Arthur Rice, Jr., built a new (the current) packing facility located in Gardners, PA. Arthur Rice, Jr. also formed a partnership with William Lott, to form R&L Orchards, which grew most of the fruit packed by Rice Fruit Company. The partnership between the Rice and Lott families continues to this day.

Rice Fruit Company takes great pride in selling one of the first whole foods that nature made. In the 100+ years that Rice Fruit Company has been marketing fruit, they have been diligent in moving forward and embracing new technologies, while also staying true to their valued heritage. Being a leader comes with great responsibility, not just to the product, but for the company and future generations.

Check us out Rice Fruit Company website or follow us on Facebook