Week 3: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Day 15: Monday, June 22

This morning we chose our first monthly nutrition theme to write about. For September, we chose “Better Breakfast” so the students know the best way to start their day as well as their semester. We researched all the benefits of eating breakfast, as well as examples of the best balanced breakfasts out there, and the locations on campus that are open for students. We compiled all the information onto a handout that will provide students with the knowledge to make a better choice in the mornings.

The "Better Breakfast" handout for students in September.

Then we went to MyZone, the nut and gluten free area in Commons Dining Hall, to measure appliances and old signs for ordering the newly designed MyZone signs and posters. During our visit, we brainstormed new products that could be included, and a more convenient arrangement of the room. We also saw the managers’ way of maximizing sales and ensuring no investment is wasted; rather than being thrown out, some of the products that are no longer going to be in MyZone are going to be sold in the campus convenience store instead. We are excited to be working with such a special concept this summer and to offer our input from a student’s perspective.

MyZone - refrigerator and countertops stocked with tons of allergy-free goodies.

MyZone - guidelines about how to keep the space gluten-free and nut-free.

When we returned from lunch, we got to work on our next monthly nutrition theme. September 16th is guacamole day, so we created a handout about all the healthy aspects of avocados. We are hoping that there will be a table with samples of guacamole, a recipe card, and our detailed handout to be given to students informing them of not only the ingredients in avocados, but why they are so important to our health and the proper functioning of our bodies. We don’t just want students knowing a certain food is healthy, we want them to know exactly why it is!

We are learning so much about nutrition, allergies, and food service management from both the research during the making of our projects, and from observing the amazingly talented managers each day. Each person has their own domain within food service and are clearly experts in their area.

We're official!

Day 16: Tuesday, June 23

We started the morning researching nut-free bread baking companies to provide the deli breads for the dining halls. Many bread commercial companies have one or two products with nuts in them, which makes nut cross contamination in other products possible. This is something we want to reduce if not eliminate for the student’s safety. After awaiting a reply from a local bakery called Mastroianni Bros,  we were excited to see that their reply confirmed that their bakery and goods are indeed nut-free!

The summertime has proven to present wonderful opportunities to learn about the food service industry, because there are so many unique changes happening for the following school year!

Delicious pad thai that one student informed us is "RPI's best kept secret".

After lunch, we ran into Mark (the retail director) who explained the process of having contracts with large companies like Pepsi, and smaller, local ones like the sushi location on campus. We keep running into Mark  whenever we go to Father’s, the campus convenience store, with an armload of food each. He must think we never stop eating! We have been learning from Mark, Kim, and Tony about different aspects of ordering from Sysco and UNIF - the distributors RPI can purchase from. The distributors offer an impressive variety of healthy foods like kombucha, two-ingredient fruit bars, and tons of items for those with allergies.

RPI's marketplace where we stock up on healthy to-go items. 

It was Maria’s (the marketing coordinator) birthday today! Corey and Tony stopped by the office to surprise Maria with a gorgeous cake that Corey baked and designed. We aren’t typically cake lovers, but this cake was so fluffy and delicious we couldn’t resist going back for seconds. The Sodexo team here at RPI makes the extra effort to make everyone feel special.

The list of new MyZone products to order from UNIF was further finalized. The product codes were entered next to each item on our list for easy access when it comes time to purchase everything. Luckily, most of the products we had found the last week are compliant with Sodexo and can be ordered for the students. It looks like they will have a lot of healthy and safe options for the next school year!

Caroline:

After lunch I accompanied Matt (the General Manager) to a place called Pat’s Barn located close by in Rensselaer Technology Park. Pat’s Barn is known for hosting weddings, and Sodexo, the company that we are working for at RPI, is one of the caterers. Currently, there is an approved list of multiple caterers for any wedding at the barn, and the wedding party gets to choose which one they want. However, Pat’s Barn now wishes to partner with only one caterer. The proposal Matt prepared was all about how Sodexo is the best company for the job, and of course I agree! We also brought a gift for the barn---a wedding cake! The cake was baked by our very own campus baker, Corey, and it looked absolutely gorgeous. My first job of the afternoon was to hold the cake in the car and make sure it survived the trip. It wasn’t hard to focus on it when the smell of homemade buttercream frosting was permeating the car.

Before the meeting, Matt gave me a tour of the barn. It was absolutely stunning on the outside and the inside. It uses some of the original wood to form the cross beams in the ceiling, has many lights strung across the room, and a giant open window to let natural light in. I can only imagine what it looks like in the midst of a wedding.

Pat's barn - the venue perfect for catering opportunities. 

A beautiful rustic and spacious atmosphere.

A view of the balcony and tall ceilings.

A view of the venue's tall windows, letting in lots of natural sunlight.

While waiting for the management team of Pat’s Barn, I learned a lot about how a large company like Sodexo operates, the types of accounts they take on, and even the areas of possible expansion, such as an entire wedding industry through Pat’s Barn. When the management team arrived, I was surprised to see only 4 of them, and we all sat around a small conference table. I was already feeling the pressure of adequately clicking through the slideshow presentation. This wasn’t helped by the fact that they kept asking me questions. Sure they were easy questions, like what school I attend, but wasn’t I just a lowly intern/fly on the wall?? I’m constantly surprised by how interested people are in who we are as interns, our goals, and our input. As Matt gave his proposal, the entire management team devoured their pieces of cake, and were even scraping their plates at the end. I think it’s safe to say that Corey’s cakes are incredible. After Matt was finished, I couldn’t see a single reason why Pat’s Barn would choose any other caterer (#TeamSodexo) but we won’t find out for at least another week.

It was an amazing opportunity to be able to see what a company proposal to gain an account looks like, and especially to hear Matt talk about all that Sodexo can offer, as well as easily answer any question the management team asked him. I only hope my powerpoint clicking helped, and that soon Sodexo can say they are officially the caterers for Pat’s Barn!

A wonderful reminder presented so creatively - we want this in our office too!

Day 17: Wednesday, June 24

We created another handout to feature in October about calcium and bone health called “Save Your Skeleton!” We always learn something new through the research required to make these, and it’s a lot of fun creating them with other students in mind.

Bone health, calcium, and vitamin D handout for students.

Over lunch with Mark and Kim, we discussed new products that would be great to have in Father’s. We also got to hear about Mark’s career journey; he has lived all over the country, and has worked with many different management styles and locations. During lunch, Farid welcomed an unexpected visit from Sysco representatives. This led to more conversation and curiosity about how food distribution works. Matt and Mark explained the process of being approved to buy a new product, and whether it should come from Sysco or UNFI. Matt also informed us of a Sysco food show next week! It’s an event where several vendors offer samples of their products in the interest of Sodexo/RPI buying some for the school year. As interns, we are invited to attend so we can’t wait to taste test all the products!

We skimmed through Kim’s AllerTrain U workbook. AllerTrain U is a training course about allergies for university food service employees. The certification is recognized by FARE, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Culinary Foundation. This certification is definitely something to keep our eye out for after we graduate.

Kim talked to us about acquiring CPE requirements to maintain your registered dietitian credentials. As an RD you need to log several “credit hours” of nutrition education over 5 years, and those can be obtained by attending approved webinars, conferences, volunteer opportunities, etc. She gave us tips on how to get them done, as well as making sure we knew to not wait until the last minute. Any advice she can give us about our future careers is great to hear since it’s coming from someone who has experienced it all firsthand.

In the spirit of “no added sugars”, after work we made oat/zucchini/banana/applesauce muffins!! They were perfect for breakfast or a quick snack, although we have a few ideas for how to improve next time (like buying no stick spray…) We are looking forward to experimenting with more healthy recipes.

Zucchini, oat, banana, applesauce, no-added-sugar muffins!

Day 18: Thursday, June 25

This morning we worked on another handout. We decided to do spices for the month of December since so many baked goods around the holidays are spice oriented. We learned so much about the health benefits of common spices, as well as easy ways to incorporate them into various foods. Spices are full of antioxidants that prevent cell damage from free radicals, and many also have anti-inflammatory properties, aid in digestion, and promote healthy brain function. From now on I’ll be adding cinnamon and nutmeg to my oatmeal in the mornings!

Spices informational handout for students.

For lunch we went to Evelyn’s with Kim and Maria and once again got delicious local food. We are excited to work with her next week and learn more about marketing! Afterwards, we went to MyZone in the Commons Dining Hall and we have good news….MyZone is getting a makeover! It will be painted to match the new MyZone color theme: green, blue, and yellow. We went in today with Kim and Maria to remove everything off the walls and move the appliances away into cabinets to prepare for the eventual painting, and looks like we will be going back with Maria next week to do a more thorough job.

Later that night we went to Barre Bootcamp at our yoga studio and then stopped at Uncle Sam’s Health Food store on our way home. We’ve been hearing a lot about kombucha lately---a drink produced by fermenting tea, yeast, and bacteria that provides tons of amino acids, probiotics, and vitamins. Uncle Sam’s has a tap of 2 different flavours of kombucha with growlers (glasses you can buy then come in and refill continuously). We got both flavours, blood orange and turmeric sunrise. It was a great post-workout drink. We will probably be stopping there more often!

Kombucha tap.

Blood Orange and Turmeric Sunrise flavours.

Day 19: Friday, June 26

This morning we worked on another handout. The theme being that November 3rd is Sandwich Day! We included lots of healthy options for sandwiches that people might not necessarily be aware of. We included ideas like whole grain breads/pitas/wraps, vegetables, fruits, and healthier spreads other than mayo such as salsa, pesto, fruit preserves, and more!

Handout to guide students in compiling a healthy sandwich!

After lunch we were sent a copy of a camp dining menu. There is a camper with Type 1 Diabetes and our job was to do carb counting for all the menu items so she would know how much insulin to take after eating. Kim got all the nutritional information and from there we took the number of carbs in one serving and divided it by 15 to get the carb count for each menu item. The menu was very extensive so this took a while, but it sounded delicious and very different from what we used to eat when we were campers!

It was our last day working with Kim, so before she left we asked the questions we had left about her experience being a dietitian. She gave us really good advice, and shared examples of counseling situations in which she learned valuable lessons. Working alongside Kim the past few weeks was a continuous learning experience, and one we won’t forget!

Day 20: Saturday, June 27

This morning we hit the Troy Farmer’s Market again bright and early to stock up on all our fresh groceries for the week. There were lots of blueberries, strawberries, and vegetables this time since lots of produce is starting to come into season. We also tried about 20 different flavours of peanut butter at one booth until we settled on our favourite: a blend of almond butter and cinnamon.

One of the many prepared-food vendors - we got vegan falafel with beet hummus!

Fresh fruits that are finally in season!

One of many vendors selling freshly baked goods.

Buying local, raw honey with bee pollen and royal jelly mixed in! 

Vendor selling 20+ nut butter varieties and flavors. MM!

After lunch we went to a wine tasting down about 20 minutes away. It was right next to an apple orchard so all their wines incorporated fruits like apples, pears, and currants. We got a cheese plate to go with it as well as souvenir glasses. It was a lot of fun and the drive there was beautiful!

Winery and apple orchard.

Wine tasting time!

That night we went to Beirut, a Lebanese restaurant in downtown Troy. It was a very quaint restaurant and the family that owns it was incredibly nice. They told us about the various spices used in Lebanese cooking and made sure we had a great meal. They even gave us some falafel on the house! We love the variety of restaurants we have to choose from here. We’re certainly not lacking in excellent food.

Chicken Shwarma.

Falafel and tahini on the house!

Day 21: Sunday, June 28

After our morning workout of Hot Power Yoga, we ate lunch then hit the road to Saratoga Springs. We stopped by the farmer’s market to buy some homemade granola bars that are hands down the best ones we’ve ever had! We ended up buying about 6 just to hold us over for a couple weeks. Then we went into downtown Saratoga for another wine tasting. This time we got a choice of chocolate or cheese pairing, so we decided to get one of each, and got to taste 4 different wines. We asked a lot of questions and it was very informative for us. It’s a lot of fun to be able to try a little bit of everything and decide which ones we like best.

The wine tasting in Saratoga Springs.

Throughout all of our culinary adventures here, we take note of how it relates to everything we’ve been learning about nutrition, food costs, and the production process.

After the wine tasting it was pouring rain, so we decided to go home and try a new recipe for baking. We ended up making dairy-free, no sugar added blueberry muffins. Next time we think we need to cook them a little longer...maybe once we work with Corey in the bakery he will tell us some baking secrets to help us out.

Blueberry no-sugar-added muffins (with dairy-free yogurt and butter!)