University of Georgia - Week 2

This week was filled with black caffeinated tea and very early mornings. 

I am still very much enjoying Athens and learning about all this beautiful city has to offer. Let's get into the business of what we did this week! 

Monday

This morning we met Bryan Varin at O' House for breakfast (and Jeanne Fry came along too!) Bryan is the Associate Director of Meal Plan Operations. We talked a bit about how UGA purchases food through a bid system and also the pros of a self-operated system versus contracting out dining services. That topic (self-operated vs. contract) is particularly interesting to me, as my home university utilizes a contract company. We then toured the brand new Bolton Replacement building, which is still under construction. It is massive in there and so spacious compared to the other dining halls! It is going to be a popular spot in the Fall. We also stopped by the Niche which is located on the Health Sciences campus and not opened during the Summer. Later, as Bryan drove us to Summit, he gave us an interesting history lesson on UGA's campus expansion and a few tidbits on Athens during the Civil War. He also chastised us on not knowing who R.E.M. is. When we arrived at Summit, we met up with Adam Rainville who is an Assistant Manager. We worked FOH during the busy lunch time and I helped man the Pizza station. 

New Bolton Replacement Building

Nikki and I in our hard hats and construction gear.

The Niche

Tuesday

Today we reported to O' House and met Max, an Assistant Manager. We worked in BOH at the hot food area and bake shop. I started out at the hot food area, and after being showed how to scramble a large quantity of eggs on a flat hot grill, I got to work. UGA has many summer camps who utilize the dining halls for meals, and breakfast was busy this morning. I scrambled regular eggs and cheese eggs for about an hour before starting on another task. Travis, who was showing me the ropes, had me help him sear and season four pork loins for lunch, then assemble and pop them in the oven to bake. I then ventured over to the bake shop and met Anthony. With Anthony I made cinnamon rolls, apple tarts, rolls, and a few other tasty treats. We then met Susan van Gigch (Associate Director of Retail Operations) and Bryan for an inventory procedures meeting. Susan and Bryan are dealing with the task of standardizing the method in which all dining halls and retail operations account for their inventory. 

Wednesday

After heading over to Summit verrrry early, we met with Adam and was immediately instructed to help open the dining hall for breakfast. We basically gave some extra hands wherever it was needed. Later, we sat down for breakfast with other members of the Summit team and started discussing the Freshman Closing Banquet we are planning. Nikki and I are in charge of constructing a creative and detailed theme, menu, decorations, and anything else associated with a banquet style dinner. We are very excited! After discussion (which is all top secret right now), I helped out at the Grill during the lunch rush. 

Thursday

Today was all about learning opening, scheduling and general managerial procedures with Adam at Summit. Adam arrives at Summit around 5:30, and starts his day handling any matters from the previous day, counting and packaging money from the safe and making sure the staff is present and on time. He also turns on all the lights, TVs and opens the door for business. There is a host of other things an Assistant Manager is tasked with doing, but we went over the basics today. That morning, there was a pleasant visit from a few school cafeteria managers. Adam and Aaron split the group up into two tours and gave them a rundown of how they handle the large volume of students while maintaining proper health and food codes. It was very interesting hearing the differences and similarities between a county school and university. The cafeteria managers were amazed at how organized their system was; back and front of the house. A little later, Adam and I sat down and we went over how he schedules his employees. Adam has a very unique and detailed method of making sure all shifts are covered. He has designed his own paperwork, grid and table to compute what needs to be done, where, and who needs to do it. I must say, I was impressed at how methodical it all was. I also sat down with Aaron and wrote up an assignment sheet for lunch. UGA staffs hundreds of student employees per dining hall during the school year, but cuts back on that number drastically during the summer. The assignment sheet helps to know where everyone is working. I spent the rest of the day walking the floor and making sure all the stations were functioning well. 

Friday

It's the Management Workshop today! Nikki and I headed over to Snelling and met Nichole Lovely, a NACUFS intern from 2007! She now works as an Assistant Manager at Snelling. We rode with her over to the Niche and I got to pick her brain along the way. I asked her about the transition from postgraduate to Assistant Manager and if it was a difficult one, and if there were any issues with managing individuals older than her. It was great to hear insight from someone who was once in our shoes. Before the workshop, Kris tasked us with completing the Clifton StrengthFinders Assessment. After taking a timed test, we each received our top five strengths, which we were to bring with us to the workshop. My top strengths were Intellection, Connectedness, Input, Analytical and Futuristic. We spent the morning doing various activities aimed at learning how to utilize our strengths in a team and work with others who have different strengths than us. It was truly insightful and I learned so much about how to make the most out of teamwork. We had a great lunch, then listened while Bryan and Susan delivered the State of the Department address. We got another tour of New Bolton then finished the day off with ice cream! 

I can't believe I'm already gearing up for Week 3. Time is flying! I am learning so much and meeting so many great people. Stay tuned for what's to come!!

University of Kansas Week 2

University of Kansas

Week 2

     

This week at KU, the internship focused on the retail aspects of the KU dining operations and project planning.

      Monday morning stared early working with Chris Johntson manger of seven Hawk Food Shop satellite operations.  These sites feature fresh fare items including; fresh-made sandwiches, salads and healthy grab and go snacks which are the perfect solution to hunger cravings between classes.  The time spent with Chris provided an in-depth understanding of the daily operational and personal challenges that encompasses such a facility.  This opportunity also provides an in site of how making the change from Fresh Fare to the Tempo line can have its own set of challenges. 

     Tuesday morning was spent with Keith Lake, manager of the Market, learning about purchasing and ordering for a facility with a wide variety of needs.  The Market offers many dining concepts that are exclusive to KU and boasts a wide array of options with over eight distinct cuisines; World Kitchen, Boulevard Grill, Serrano’s, Brellas, Garden Gourmet, Pizza Hut, Sushi with Gusto, and Sweet BabyJay’s.  Congratulations to The Market, winner of the 2014 NACUFS Loyal E. Horton Award for Retail Sales - Multiple Concepts. I can clearly see why they won.

     

       In the afternoon, Alison and I spent some quality time with Mark Maranell, general manager of Mrs. E’s dining hall. Mrs. E’s is the largest residential dining location on KU’s campus, serving approximately 3400 students on a typical day. This is the dining hall that will host our special themed event on July 23rd.

     Later that day, we both spent the evening with Cynthia Faircloth at the Burge Union in the Crimson Café learning about their involvement with the KU athletes, training tables, and the new DeBruce Center.  We were able to experience first hand how their efforts directly influence the student athletes.

     Kansas Athletics is committed to developing the all around athlete. One key component to this development is building proper performance nutrition habits. The Sports Medicine Department at the University of Kansas believes nutrition plays an integral role in helping our student athletes realize their true potential on the field of play and in the classroom. I was so pleased that Aaron Carbuhn, KU sport nutritionist was able to sit down and have a Q&A session with us. Its amazing see how dedicated he is to the overall health of KU athletes. 

     

     KU Dining has their very own award winning full service restaurant Impromptu Café. I had the pleasure of spending Wednesday morning with Kim Nixon, who elaborated on the importance of real customer service.  Not only does Impromptu have a amazing staff, but their food was out of this world. I enjoyed the Mediterranean Burger, which is a crisp quinoa and sweet potato burger. I can’t         wait till I get to go back.

     

     Thursday morning entailed of hanging out at the heart of KU’s campus in The Underground with John Whittington. This retail facility is a beast all in its own housing six food concepts; Chick-fil-a, Brellas, Garden Gourmet, Café Spice, Pizza Hut, Sushi with Gusto, and Fresh Fare.  This operation has the challenge of hosting three franchises which each have their own set of procedures and policy. 

     Later that day, Karen Cross discussed the magic that happens behind the sense involving dining meal plans and access. Someone has to have all the answer or at least know how to get the answers. For KU dining Karen is the woman with the answers.

     Friday morning, David Weakley and I took a field trip to Pendleton's Country Market to discuss possible decorations for the dining hall's Earth Day event, which will take place April 22, 2015. In honor of Earth Day the dining halls will be serving a menu created from item either local produced or processed within a 250 mile radius.  

 

 Of course, I found a planted that needed to come home with me. :) This is my new sensitive plant.

   During this week there has been a lot of new development with all the projects in hand. I will keep you posted as the details unfold.    Until next week, be safe!

Tonya 

               

                    How could you not have a wonderful day when you get to play with baby goats!

Last wednesday we took a tour of Beltane Farm, located in the scenic town of Lebanon, Connecticut. What was once a small goat farm has slowly grown into an established business that supplies an array of goat milk products, goat husbandry lessons, and tasting tours to Connecticut and the surrounding states. A truly humble and passionate man, Paul Trubey, owner of Beltane Farm, met us to tour his home. As we walked around to the enclosed pastures Paul called many of his 100 and some goats by name, at some points recalling the funny story or markings that lead him to choose each. In the center of the farm was a large milking and production barn where they could milk the goats and then, on site, make goat cheeses. As he showed us the different milking stations he affectionately recalled how one of his goats will not leave her station without a proper hug good bye. Each of his goats have their own personality, some more lively than others, but all unique. It was refreshing to see how the "farm to table" lifestyle is growing, and how University of Connecticut takes advantage of all the wonderful local farmers.




As the weekend came, we put on our windbreakers and set sail to go whale watching! Our adventure took us to Cape Anne in Massachusetts, and specifically Captain Bill and Sons whale watching tours. While out at sea we saw a total of over twenty whales! One in particular would perform a butterfly stroke, launching itself out of the water though the air to make a magnificent splash before diving under the boat. We were fortunate enough to have a marine biologist on board to explain the whales behavior, feeding habits, and a few fun facts. For example whales weigh 40,000 tons, each fin weighing 1,000 tons. During this time of the year they are packing on the pounds, so that they will be able to swim from the east coast all the way to Costa Rica without consuming any food! These massive creatures' sheer size was equally impressive as their gracefulness and physical capabilities. Taylor and I were in awe the entire trip.

 Rachael Rounsley

From the ground up: Week 2 in Madison

Gordon Dining Hall

Four Lakes Market

A week complete, and I must say I have mixed feelings! Traveling to Madison, settling into the dorm at UW, getting to know new people (and even friends!), and working in the dining program. It has all been a terrific adjustment to say the least, but I finally feel like I am settling into the life of a NACUFS intern, which is another terrific adjustment!


A feel a sense of pride for having made it this far, literally and figuratively, and I know that I still have 7
weeks to push boundaries. However, for as much pride as I feel, I am also getting in touch with my humility. That, I believe is what has guided me through this past week. Humility and gratitude.  So okay, I'm not going to lie, 8-10 hour days in a dish room is not the work I, or Kyle, were expecting when we applied to this program.  There is an initial sense of importance which I think is normal to feel and sort of comes with the being accepted to a national internship package. Pat on the back, kid, you got an internship! Gold star for you! Certainly, none of this is  to say I am some stuck up snob who can't handle a day of hard work. It was more of a system shock. It may also have been the caffeine that kept me going all week...That being said, I understand better now what it means to work up the ladder, and I have learned some valuable lessons from starting at the bottom rung. Lessons that any future professional or manager must at some point in their development have the opportunity to learn.

In my understanding, a manager, or any leader for that matter, must practice humility and modesty. They must also know what it means to walk in the shoes of every individual that they manage. As Joie explained to us on our second day, engaging with others is the quickest way to success for any organization. She believes in this so much, she has devoted herself to getting to know each UW Dining management and administrative team member while providing social and professional opportunities in her engagement plan that I spoke of in my previous post.

Home sweet home. Dishroom at Four Lakes where I worked with Robert

Working in the dish room, and learning the ropes of each food service station is going to prepare me for the greater challenges that lie ahead. I have learned not only how to operate a machine, but how the operation of that machine contributes to a functioning operation as a whole.  I have watched station supervisors think on their feet, and take great pride in their work. I really enjoyed learning from James in cold foods prep. He kept me busy, and helped me to understand that even the simplest of tasks can make all the difference. Double wrapping and labeling pans containing ready-to eat foods, washing hands and changing gloves frequently, cleaning out the freezer (yes, I did that!) , all jobs that may seem overly tedious and troublesome. However,  a change in attitude and perspective reveals that even small efforts can be the difference between a food poisoning incidence, an allergic reaction, or a customer receiving a product of diminished quality. Working with Robert in the dish-room, I learned how developing a system can be the difference between chaos and a job well-done.  There are parallels between the dish room and the management office. Managing what is at hand while also thinking ahead to what is coming through the dish drop window. There will always be challenges ready to flood your system, but creating a plan and understanding the character of those challenges will always meet your needs.

Exploring Madison together!

Outside of the dining units, I have been falling in love with Madison, and I feel incredibly grateful to be surrounded by such beauty every time I walk outside. This weekend was beautiful! Kyle and I enjoyed Friday after work exploring the city nightlife and Saturday afternoon browsing the cute little shops, food spots and boutiques that line State Street. I also spent time exploring the trails leading to the scenic Picnic Point on Lake Monona. 

Madison gets it right.

 In my travels, I came across a sign on my journey that I think nicely connects my reflections of the past week in the dining hall and my respect for the beauty of this city. Madison celebrates nature, its beauty, its healing power, and its power for helping us to understand, appreciate and reflect on the foundations of life. Our busy and demanding lives drive us away from simplicity. Nature helps us return to it, contributing to a whole person. In the same way, dish washing and food prepping may not be glamorous, but it serves a purpose, and contributes to forging a better manager.

A morning walk to Gordon on my first day working in the units. Nothing like a sunrise to calm nerves!

UNI--Week Three

The third week went so fast that I forgot to take any pictures! I spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday working at the Rialto dining center, which is the all-you-care-to-eat facility open for the summer. I worked on inventory, dishroom operations, food preparation, service, greeting, and office tasks such as bill paying and invoice verification. Monday was mostly office work with Deb, the clerk for the center, and I was able to complete some of the data entry tasks used for tracking orders and payments. In the afternoon, I attended a staff meeting consisting of all of the top managers for the summer dining services. In the evening, I worked on researching recipes for my upcoming special event (which will be a safari themed lunch) and played some late night sand volleyball with a few friends.

Tuesday was split in half with inventory in the morning and dishroom work after lunch. I have never participated in taking inventory before, so it was a very informative experience. Mike, one of the managers, read of the names of items and the counts that I then recorded in the binder. Even though the stock is much lower in the summer, taking inventory was still a daunting task! After lunch, I observed the dishroom operations and rotated through all of the stations. It was sort of a fun job because of the fast pace and constant movement.

Wednesday was focused on food prep and customer service. I started early enough to serve breakfast and clean up for the lunch switch over. I did some cooking as well and made chicken rice soup, lasagna, cheese sauce, and twice baked potato casserole. During lunch, I rotated around to the deli, pasta, home-style, and dessert stations in order to get a feel for each station. After work, I went to a Wednesday night church service that turned into a pizza and movie night with some of the other attendees.

Thursday was a tour day so Lisa, my internship coordinator, and I took a trip out to Iowa State University. The drive was about an hour and a half each way, and our tour lasted about two and a half hours which included lunch. It was a gorgeous sunny day, so our tour was an outdoor walking tour. We got to see all of the main dining centers, retail locations, and cafes. The campus was much larger than UNI or UW-Stevens Point, which also meant that there were more dining centers. Iowa State has many more students on campus in the summer and also hosts more larger conferences, so the dining centers that were open offered greater variety than here at UNI. I had fun getting off campus for a day and seeing another university and how it operates its dining services. On Thursday night, there was a “Wings and Wii” program in my hall so a bunch of us had Buffalo Wild Wings and played some Wii games.

On Friday, I worked with Dawnell, the general manager for catering. We discussed menu planning for catered events, types of service, and levels of leadership in catering. We had an unexpected conflict that needed to be resolved during our time regarding centerpieces for a customer’s wedding. We ended up having to find an assortment of vases and made up several sample centerpieces with different numbers and arrangements of flowers. We then had to photograph the rough samples, estimate the cost for each, and send the customer the options. This took a significant amount of time, but it gave me the opportunity to observe conflict resolution in the catering department. During my day of catering planning, we also attended a meeting about catering storage issues, saw a formal event being set up, taste tested peach pie, and started assembling a menu for an upcoming event. Next week I will be doing catering food prep and serving at a wedding. On Friday night, I went and saw my friend’s band play at a small local venue. The crowd was not very large, but the band’s energy and sound were great!

Yesterday was Saturday so I did not have to work, but kept busy. I took a bike ride down to Main Street with my neighbor and we strolled around and explored some of the shops and restaurants. We were limited on time, so will have to go back another day to see the other half of the shops that we missed on this trip. Tonight (Sunday), I will be working an over-night bakery shift. I love working bakery, but have never worked a shift overnight. It will be an interesting experience that will probably require a bit of coffee!

Penn State 2014! Blog 6

Nope. I don't believe it. I do not believe that we have already been here for three weeks. In this busy week we have managed to fit in an assortment of experiences and cupcakes. Let's start with the experiences. 

Our week started with some recipe and product testing. On the menu for this session was fries, pulled pork sliders, and sriracha chicken. For the fries we sampled seven different kinds and had to decide if it was an acceptable product and then rate based on taste, appearance, quality, etc.. The kinds that are deemed acceptable and meet specification are then included in the bidding process we learned more about in the purchasing session. 

Caitlyn and Jessica sampling fries.

Everyone looking determined to sample recipes.

After our recipe sampling, we met with former NACUFS mentor, Marianne Howell, and discussed how to get the most out our experience as interns and we had time to sit down and discuss career goals. Being three weeks into the program it was a well timed activity which brought back some focus to our original goals. During a separate session, we were quizzed on our business etiquette knowledge. Did anyone else know that the proper way to eat a dinner roll was to rip it into small pieces all at once and then butter individually prior to eating each bite? We were all shocked for hours. 

During the week we also had the pleasure of meeting with Michele Newhard. Sessions involved the ever important topics of leadership and management styles. We started with an exercise where we were challenged to describe ourselves in one word and our life story in six. Looking for four steps to becoming an effective leader? Try first, fair, firm, and flexible. For management styles, we dedicated time to learning about the Native American medicine wheel. This activity allowed for us to reflect upon how we choose to lead and ways to best work with all sorts of other leadership styles to bring your one team to the desired single goal. 

Where we all landed on the wheel of leadership style. 

And now for the cupcakes. First off, we had the long awaited tour of the Penn State Bakery. This elaborate operation keeps every sweet tooth on campus pleased and I only drooled a little bit when we toured the chocolate storage area. Throughout the tour we learned much about the importance of maintaining equipment and the pros and cons of buying new versus fixing existing. At the end of the  tour we were treated to a cupcake decorating session.  

Caitlyn, myself, Jessica, and Josh (and Maria in the reflection) standing in front of the bakery's ovens. 

My cupcakes before adding sprinkles.

Josh's cupcakes after adding sprinkles. And more sprinkles. 

 So again, until next time, thank you for reading and I shall leave you with a quote. "Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all." -Dwight D. Eisenhower

Penn State 2014! Blog 5

Hi everyone!

Another week has flown by! This week was packed with many fun activities, ranging from assisting in a catering event for Elite Center Gymnastics to going to a resume-building workshop. 

On Monday morning, we met with Jeff Heim, who is a senior instructor of Hospitality Management. We were very fortunate to spend time with Jeff, who is an expert in resumes. He gave us some of the basic rules of thumb to always follow, and also worked with each of us individually on how to improve our own personal resumes. The workshop was very helpful and we all got a lot out of it.

We also got the opportunity to tour the food warehouse at Penn State. It was incredible to see the large space that Penn State uses to store both its perishable and nonperishable food items. We got to hear about the new expansion that will soon be taking place.

Photo from the Penn State warehouse! Bulk ordering!

In addition, we also talked to a few women from the purchasing department. It was incredible to hear about the level of detail that they must focus on for their job. They handle ordering nearly everything that is food-related for Penn State. Whether it is plastic forks or a specific kind of eggs, each purchase requires a significant amount of time and thought. It was good to hear that the purchasing team works hard to keep costs low to save the students money.

Caitlyn, Brittany, Josh and I all helped out at the Bryce Jordan Center for a catering event for the Elite Center Gymnastics. We showed up a bit early and helped set up the event; from laying the utensils out correctly to setting up the candy station, we kept busy right up until the event took place. We then helped clear plates, refill the line items, served ice cream, amongst many other duties. One of our favorite things about the evening was the uniform. We were all very excited about the black chef coats and the walkie talkies! Overall, we all had a great time at the event and are interested in working another catering before our internship is over.

The four of us before the event!

Walkie talkie action!

Brittany and Caitlyn with their candy table set up

Until next time!

-Jessica