Eurest Names Meredith Galit 2024 Chef of the Year

In our talented network of culinarians, where creativity, purpose and leadership collide is Eurest’s 2024 Chef of the Year Meredith Galit. Meredith is an outstanding leader in the culinary field who supports the entire organization in her role as Director of Webtrition and Culinary Standards.

Her ascent to Chef of the Year can be traced back to a female mentor from high school who encouraged Meredith to apply to culinary school and helped her get a scholarship. Meredith pays this forward as an advocate for women in culinary.

“In my class, I was one of two females, and in professional kitchens I was almost always one of the only women,” explains Meredith. “I put my head down, worked hard and pursued opportunity relentlessly.”

She got her start in kitchens at the age of 15, working at a country club, a resort, mom and pop restaurants, fine dining and eventually as a sous chef for Charlotte restauranter Jim Noble.  She earned her stripes and took an opportunity to join Compass Group where she climbed the ladder in the field to executive chef and food service director, racking up accolades for her unit along the way.

After meeting Eurest Chief Culinary Officer Chef Chris Ivens-Brown at a charity event in Charlotte, Meredith took another leap and applied to her current position as Director of Webtrition and Culinary Standards.

“Not all chefs are comfortable with technology and I wanted to make them comfortable using a program for recipe and menu creation,” said Galit. “Balancing creative and process is part of being a chef – you need to have your ingredients, your prep, your steps, etc., and being able to put that into a technology platform in a way that was similar to how I approached it was important.”

Since taking on this role, Meredith has played a crucial role in moving the business forward with menu engineering, recipe development and driven us to deliver high-quality dining experiences nationwide.

In 2023, she also played a pivotal role in further developing partnerships with diverse suppliers like Miffy’s Foods and Lillie’s of Charleston, leading her to develop a revolutionary culinary concept, Cool Chix, that celebrates women entrepreneurship.

“There are people who inspire you to be the best version of yourself at every turn, and for us, that person is Meredith Galit,” said Chef Chris Ivens-Brown.

Meredith is often one of the quieter voices in a room, though, anyone who interacts with her knows this is her strategic edge.

“I like to tell people that are more reserved that their perspective is needed and what we, as individuals, bring to the table is invaluable,” said Galit.

Upon hearing that she was Chef of the Year, Meredith said, “I thought I crashed someone else’s party, I was extremely surprised. I don’t do this for me – I do it for other people. I love creating and supporting the field.”