Denise Ammaccapane: The Chef: 'Reliable, Knowledgeable, Responsive and Always Makes Herself Available'

Strolling down Patriot Circle on a frigid Saturday evening in a customized and personalized white PT cruiser is not only President Alan Merten who waves to onlookers of the Homecoming Parade but also the proud owner of the vehicle, Denise Ammaccapane.

“I was always told I needed a hobby,” said Ammaccapane in her clear-cut Jersey accent. “I needed a car.”

A car is what she found, and now it is her pride and joy, one that she gives the name “Va-nilla,” the “Va” standing for Virginia.

Joining a PT Cruiser club may have been her hobby but what gives her the self driven determination and sometimes overwhelming passion she possesses is the goal of trying to provide the best food service to George Mason University.

In her 27th month on the job as regional district manager of Sodexo and director of Mason dining, Ammacappane is not someone who gets tired easily.

She begins her day at 7 a.m. and doesn’t leave Mason until 7 p.m. With a 12-hour workday six days a week, a driven mentality is simply a requirement.

Ammaccapane has picked up that drive after being in the food service business for 18 years.

Ammaccapane never wanted to be in the food business. She hoped to be a physical education teacher after attending college. But when she realized the pay was less than subpar, she decided to try out a new major at the community college she was attending at the time.

The major was hotel/restaurant management. Ammaccapane was high on the work and loved the one-on-one attention. After completing the major, she moved on to the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Then she picked up a job in the food business, and never looked back.

Ammaccapane spent some time as a chef and, although it was many years ago, she insists today she could leave her downstairs office at any time to walk upstairs and make meatloaf for anyone entering Southside.

Ammaccapane has had close to nine jobs at Sodexo ranging from doing work in training, cooking or corporate work.

When Ammaccapane learned of an opening at Mason, she decided to apply because she “always wanted to work on a college campus,” and she “didn’t want to be in the real cold.”

The interview process was extensive with 20 people on a panel drilling her on a variety of topics. Ammaccapane,
however, called the process rewarding because, as she saw it, “[I] knew what I was walking into.”

Now two years later, Ammaccapane has overseen drastic changes in Mason dining, including the nationally renowned Southside dining eatery and new restaurants in the works including The Original Burger Company and the Pilot House, scheduled to open next school year.

Being responsible for a dining company that has 25 locations, 456 employee and serves 3 and a half million people per year isn’t a job that comes without stress.

Ammaccapane handles the stress of the job by making sure she knows what is going on at each location and addressing the concerns of every customer.

“Food is so personal,” said Ammaccapane.

That’s why she is involved with her staff and with the customers. She makes sure to hold people accountable for the work they do.

“I do it right or I don’t do it at all,” she said.

Ammaccapane can be seen walking the floors of the Johnson Center or driving a golf cart down the paths of campus to monitor each dining location. But what she really prides herself on, is making sure to be involved.

“Communication has changed tremendously,” said Denise Napoliello, the treasurer of the Staff Senate.

Napoliello met Ammaccapane when she first came to Mason and since then they have developed a close relationship.

“[Ammaccapane is] reliable, knowledgeable, responsive and always makes herself available,” said Napoliello.

In fact, the director of Mason dining is so responsive that she gives her cell phone number out freely to anyone who wants it.

This has gone over well with students especially those who work with her on a weekly basis.

“[Denise is] one of the best people I know, and the best administrator I have worked with,” said sophomore Alex Romano, who serves on the subcommittee of dining services for Student Government and has been a staff senator since his freshman year. “She is passionate and cares about what the students say.”

It is hard to please everyone when food is on the line. But Ammaccapane does her best to return e-mails and phone calls and to make herself available all for the sake of the students, staff and faculty at Mason.

“We really like having Denise here,” said Napoliello.

The praise is a sentiment that has been expressed from students and professors alike, and Ammaccapane is just as happy to be at Mason serving customers one sandwich at a time.