Fresh, Local, Scratch
We honor the food and our producers, partners, and guests by serving fresh seasonal ingredients, sourcing local produce, and caring enough to prioritize from-scratch cooking.
Sustainability
Sustainable stewardship starts with strategies for reducing food waste like batch cooking and mindful preparation. Buying local, composting, and recycling make programs even more effective. These goals are core to our design approach – reducing costs while doing the right thing for our communities and planet.
Education
As part of your community, we expand perspectives and palettes through the food we serve. We educate with programs focused on cultural awareness through cuisine, mindful eating, nutrition education, environmental impacts, and an appreciation of our local food landscapes.
Meet the Team
Jon Birney
Director of Dining Services
Jon Birney brings extensive Director level leadership experience in campus dining and food service management across a number of colleges. He started his career graduating from Northern VT State University with a degree in Hotel Management. Jon is guided by the MG core value “Create Menus with WOW!”, focusing on dining experiences grounded in quality, safety, and care. He believes that great food served in a clean, welcoming environment naturally fosters strong community connections. At the heart of his leadership style are communication, teamwork, and engagement, using food as a way to bring people together and create a positive, lasting impression.
Sarah Music
Executive Chef
Sarah grew up in Southern Maryland and later attended Wesley College, where she received her degree in Marketing and Management. Throughout her career, Sarah has held many distinctive roles in catering and food purveyor management before coming to Meriwether Godsey, where she has made a difference every day in clients’ and communities’ lives through special programming and catering. Her charisma and infectious enthusiasm keep her staff, the students, and the clients constantly engaged. In true MG fashion, Sarah lives by the MG Core Value, “Sweat All the Details”. Her attention to detail, creativity, and passion for food are apparent every day and at every meal. When Sarah is not on campus, she can be found on the water, engaging in familiar childhood activities, such as crabbing, fishing, and preparing the fresh catch of the day.
Richard Hetzler
Director of Dining Services
Rich is a talented leader and culinarian who spent his early days working in various fine dining restaurants in the DC market, ultimately prompting him to launch his own restaurant Ovvia Osteria in Fairfax, Virginia. After that, he served in culinary leadership roles in education and cultural arts venues, including George Washington University, Georgetown University, National Museum of the American Indian, and Smithsonian Institute. In those roles, he had the opportunity to lead teams of 250-plus across multiple locations. Rich has a genuine passion for food, developing others, and delivering remarkable hospitality to clients.
About Meriwether Godsey
Since our humble beginnings in 1985, our mission has been to provide a remarkable food experience, especially in a busy “cafeteria.” Our family of team members is committed to this promise. Together, we expect greatness and we support one another in our effort to achieve it. Through our love for food, people and serving others, we strive to make a difference…every day.