An enterprise is only as healthy as its employees, and making meaningful investments to ensure the wellness and longevity of staff is a key principle at Albany Bahamas.
Recently introduced to Albany’s employees is a new initiative at the staff cafe called “Wellness Fridays, providing staff healthier menu alternatives to the regular café menu,” said D’angelo Charlton, Albany’s Executive Chef.
Led by guest Chef Amunet and a team of two young Bahamian chefs, Michael Cole, a student in the Culinary Arts Program at the University of The Bahamas and Junior National Chef Amina Eneas, Albany employees may now enjoy a vegan meal option for lunch.
During the first week of offering a healthy menu alternative, staff members were served several unique dishes that were very well received, from a pigeon peas and quinoa dish – replacing the more traditional peas and rice dish – to vegan crab cakes with cream sauce and a healthy no-mayonnaise coleslaw.
“We want to encourage our staff to have healthier habits, starting with what we offer them during staff meal breaks,” said Chef D’angelo. “Vegan food is very flavorful, which some people find surprising; so we are allowing our employees to explore these new and nutritional dishes. With a number of job descriptions at Albany requiring some sort of physical movement or heavy lifting, I believe employees will love these plant-based, protein-rich options that will give their bodies the fuel needed to complete their tasks.”
Offering healthy food may be more expensive, but in the long run it will contribute to the overall health and well-being of the people who make Albany possible – the staff – which will lead to better customer service for Albany’s patrons.
“Albany has such a vast workforce – from housekeeping and landscaping, to the chefs and front of house,” Chef Amunet said, “and they are doing strenuous work.”
“We want to make sure they are getting beneficial nutrients day in and out, through the food we offer, so the staff can perform their jobs at an elevated level.”
Chef Amunet’s efforts are on track with the goals of Chef D’Angelo. Chef D’Angelo oversees five restaurants within Albany’s club community and manages the staff kitchen, which serves approximately 600 meals daily. “We are eager to keep improving, and want to make sure we keep offering the best to our employees and guests,” he said.
In addition to the launch of Wellness Fridays, Albany is also focusing on new special events and programming on Fridays for employees to enjoy, including chair massages, introducing wellness consultations with mental health physicians, and providing staff members with effective tools and coping mechanisms to be the best version of themselves.
