Access to Advancement: Maribel Delassandro

To Maribel Dalessandro, the best meals are created when the right mix of plating blends with the amazing flavors of the ingredients.

There is an art behind this process and Maribel learned this at an early age growing up in Venezuela cooking with pastas, seafood, and other interesting ingredients. 

Maribel’s Sodexo journey began more than a year ago when she was working as a prep worker at LinkedIn in San Francisco. Little did she know she would be transitioning as Sodexo had just acquired Nourish, the food service provider at her location. 

According to HR Manager Claudia Douglass, the Nourish team was having a difficult time staffing during the pandemic, Director of Operations Andrew Stasium flagged Maribel as an individual who they needed to bring on board. 

In her first few months, she was recognized by the chefs and leaders for her dedication to the team and for the speed and precision of her work. She regularly took on a hefty workload but still managed to make time for her co-workers, especially those who needed a bit more support.  

Many employees would be content with this new role , but Maribel decided she wanted to stretch herself even more. The team was short on drivers to deliver the freshly prepared meals, so she accepted a new position as a driver. Even with the fact that English is her second language, she didn’t let that slow her down at all when interacting with her clients.

After a few more months, the culinary team made the push to get Maribel back and she agreed. She received a promotion to Supervisor and is now in charge of a small culinary team who prepares the fresh entrées for delivery. 

“At Sodexo, I have had the opportunity to grow where my old employer only offered me the single role,” said Maribel. “I am grateful for Andrew for believing in me, and for Chef Gustavo Vega (Culinary Director) for serving as my mentor.” 

Maribel is a great example of what can happen when an individual doesn’t set limits on what can be accomplished because of limited opportunity or perceived language barriers. 

“Not being able to speak the language is not a barrier for many jobs within Sodexo as long as you have passion for what you do and understand the position,” said Claudia. “With Maribel, one of her greatest strengths is her ability to effectively communicate the job expectations clearly with her team, and she serves as a mentor for them.” 

Like a beautifully plated dish, Maribel is seen by her team as an absolute success.  

Explore frontline jobs like the one that set Maribel on her leadership journey.