Director of Food & Nutrition
My amazing journey began at Southern Tioga School district many years ago. I was hired as a dishwasher at one of our high schools. Back then I had made myself a promise to be the best lunch lady our district ever had. I never would have imagined my career was about to begin shaping into what it has become today!
In just four short years within that district kitchen, I moved up the ladder becoming a server, then a prep person and cashier. Then, I moved up to assistant cook. By the beginning of my fourth year, I was the Head Cook and Manager of that very kitchen and leading a team of six, feeding our students daily with our TNG recipes. In May of my fourth year, our TNG Food Service Director met me in the walk-in cooler while I was preparing my breakfast juices for the next morning and offered me her Director position at Southern Tioga. I was so surprised and almost in disbelief that this opportunity had just met me in my walk-in cooler out of the blue! That night I saw my future career path being laid right before me and knew that The Nutrition Group was exactly where I was meant to be.
I took that opportunity and joined The Nutrition Group family the very next month as their Director of Food & Nutrition at Southern Tioga. Over the years there have been many ups and downs within the food industry. Pandemics, ever-changing regulations, staffing and food shortages are just a few hurdles that have been dealt our way. But the continuous faith-based support and directions from our teams at The Nutrition Group are what keep you going in this line of work! For 50 years The Nutrition Group has proven to be one of the best food management companies and employers and I’m proud to be a part of this family.
TNG offers opportunities to grow within our company that simply would not be offered within any other companies. Today, not only am I the Director of Food & Nutrition running five school kitchens, I’m also a pure promise inspector for TNG, a district and TNG caterer and I’m also a proud member of our Corporate Chef department who helps create our amazing corporate recipes, food concepts and an overall expert in culinary! If it wasn’t for these internal opportunities that The Nutrition Group offers to their employees, I would not be the person I have become today.
I look forward to the future at The Nutrition Group and my culinary career with them as a Chef!
- Candy Slingerland
Join a team that cares for each other like family.
Ed stands by a solid brand promise: “At The Nutrition Group, we try to do exactly what we say we will do. No surprises. Guaranteed.”
The Nutrition Group began when Walter McGrew and Ed Caswell purchased a small division of Potter McCune in June of 1975. Walter needed someone that would help grow Nutrition Inc. Providentially, Ed was in the right place at the right time. Walter offered him the opportunity to help grow the new business along with a share of the company. Ed enthusiastically accepted and became Vice President. The early years were characterized by transition, from a volume-based commissary operation to bid-based contract catering and then to contract food service management.
As with any successful business, many hours were invested, much experimentation was tried and many lessons were learned. The main key to early success was hiring quality, team-oriented management personnel and nourishing and encouraging their personal and professional growth.
Mr. McGrew retired in the early 1980’s and divested his interest to Ed in 1991. The leveraged buyout necessitated creative capitalization beyond bank financing. As it turned out, the idea to sell stock to key management personnel remains a powerful component in the company’s success. This has allowed The Nutrition Group to maximize growth opportunities and improve operational capabilities. Being an actively involved owner of the company is energizing, it lights the fire of pride and commitment because it is personal.
The Nutrition Group has enjoyed continual growth guided by their top management leadership team, which has been another hallmark throughout the years of our management philosophy: a strong, dedicated and focused top management team. The corporation has developed teamwork structures and principles within all levels of our business and closely monitors and supervises daily implementation and progress.
Ed’s customer-first philosophy that fueled company growth from the beginning is still the driving principle today. The employees of The Nutrition Group embrace that philosophy in all that they do. Today, The Nutrition Group serves over 240 school districts across six states and has a Commissary Division serving daycare and Head Start children, Senior Centers and Healthcare facilities. Also, the Facilities Management Services division provides custodial maintenance management, capital project management and owner’s representative services.
Ed’s parents and grandparents passed on their entrepreneurial beliefs. He was raised in a business household. He is grateful to Mr. McGrew his first partner and business mentor. He is grateful to God, his wives, family, the many “Nutritionites”, customers, vendors and outside sources of inspiration – all of which helped him to grow and develop into the person God has graced him to be. Ed believes, “We grow more through our hardships than blessings, but we are grateful for both.” He is a man of faith whose resourcefulness, perseverance and leadership helped build The Nutrition Group.
The integrity and commitment of The Nutrition Group business model, focusing on trying to consistently please the customer and sincerely attempting to do what we say we are going to do, is what sets us apart from the competition.
