Chef Suprina Berenyi knows how to make meals that look artful and taste decadent, but there is more in them than meets the eye. She uses her knowledge of nutrition to create meals that increase productivity and positivity. “In our current economic climate, every employee’s time is especially critical and catering heavy sedating meals at lunchtime is no longer a prudent course,” says Berenyi. “It is during this afternoon malaise when productivity slows down and errors can happen. My meals are specifically designed to inspire positive brain chemistry and eliminate this down time. My goal is to create a new meaning for comfort food.”
Classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, she also studied homeopathic food during her years in India, Bangladesh, China, and Korea. Her classical training takes on a unique twist as it is combined with her Southern roots. She founded Suprema Gourmet 15 years ago, a consulting service specializing in private, corporate, and industry wellness. Electrolux, AT&T, NASDAQ, and Dun & Bradstreet are a few of Berenyi’s corporate clients and she says they have helped to shape her career path.
Beecher Carlson, an insurance and risk management brokerage, for example, led Berenyi to create a new set of programs. Berenyi was originally hired by its CEO for private wellness counseling and chef services. He recommended her to cater for the board of directors, who then recommended her to the director of sales, who hired her to speak to his sales team—and “Lunch and Learn” was born. She focuses on what to eat rather than what not to eat during these workshops.
Her services evolved once again when the director of sales for a cosmetic supply company asked her to create a cooking class that would help him bond with a potential client. She created “A Night in Tuscany,” complete with a wine tasting and cookbook. “The meal featured my cooking style, which is food equity not food deficiency,” says Berenyi. “We focused on creating a memory that would provoke happy, content, positive thoughts.”
AT&T Global has also been a client for years; Berenyi often caters conferences for the company’s top executives. “Creating meals that please sophisticated palates and easily accommodate gluten-[intolerance], nut allergies, and other dietary restrictions is important with this group,” says Berenyi. “They have a tight agenda with a great deal that has to be achieved. They don’t have time to get sluggish after a meal or, even worse, have a food reaction. I make sure they are invigorated after they eat, not sloth-like.”
Berenyi’s own health challenges led her to look at food as a pharmaceutical. For example, instead of using a simple carbohydrate, she will use a “nutrient-equity styled” ingredient like quinoa, kamut, or oat groats. She says these are excellent complex carbohydrates, and when served with a hot liquid, help create serotonin in the brain, which results in a relaxed sense of comfort. If served with an ingredient that is spicy, it will result in an increase in endorphin
production, which will lead to a productive mind.
“Many caterers improve the taste of their food by throwing in salt, sugar, and cream. They make ‘herd food’ to feed the masses,” she says. “I can guarantee that your attendees will be more mentally acute and have increased
energy levels after a meal I make.”