My name is Olivia and I am one of the NACUFS interns at the University of Wyoming!! Rather than the traditional blog, I have decided to try out a new blogging method. Check out the link below to find out what week 1 was like in Wyoming!
Sunday, May 31, 2015
In the Beginning, There Were Introductions
Welcome to the University of Northern Iowa’s intern blog!
I’m your host, Riley Larson. I’m quite excited to begin detailing my
experiences as the NACUFS intern at UNI for the next eight weeks! Before I continue
writing and you continue reading, I’ll talk a little bit about me.
 |
| In professional settings, I keep myself clean-shaven. |
People usually ask someone they’ve just met where they’re
from in situations like these; I hate this question. I usually sigh and explain
that I was born in Denver, Colorado, grew up in Houston, Texas, attended high
school in Owasso, Oklahoma, and just graduated from Oklahoma State University
in Stillwater. This explanation is usually accompanied by vague hand waving and
the summary, “So, I guess I’m from the Midwest.”
Once that’s out of the way, the meet-and-greet flows along
smoothly. I’ve worked in foodservice all my life and have experience as a cook,
server, and catering employee for my university and private companies. I have a
passion for great service and good food; my interest in foodservice management
and the NACUFS internship is thus explained.
I earned my B.S. in Nutritional Sciences, Dietetics as well
as a minor in Psychology. Not surprisingly, my main hobbies include thinking
about and eating food. Specifically, I like thinking about aspects of food that
everyone connects with, namely weight management. I’ve been accepted into the
University of Minnesota’s Dietetic Internship program for the fall, the only
program in the nation with an emphasis in eating disorder dietetics. I hope to
provide nutritional guidance and support to these individuals in whatever
capacity possible, be it counseling them directly or managing the kitchens in
which inpatient meals are prepared.
In the course of this internship, I am actually really
excited to learn about forecasting and inventory management. In my experience as
a foodservice employee, food is either always magically in the freezer when you
need it, or you’re scrambling around trying to find a substitute for whatever
it is you’ve run out of. Knowing how managers decide what and how much to order
would help me understand foodservice management on a more holistic level. Plus,
it’ll be interesting to see some of the tricks to the cost comparison and
company negotiation trade. I’m sure I’ll have much more to be excited about
after my orientation meeting tomorrow! I’ll be sure to keep you all posted!
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
So many new things!
May 20th 2015: Arrival at Penn State!
Driving this far west into PA was a new experience for me;
the first of many to come! I arrived just prior to going to our welcome dinner
at an awesome place called Happy Valley Brewery. This was a lovely experience
as the food was delicious (see the picture below of my portabello mushroom sandwich!) and I really enjoyed getting to know everyone. We then
went back to campus where I unloaded everything to make myself at home in a
dorm room-not to worry this was a single room with an ensuite bathroom-which was great!. Living on
a college campus again was quite the change from my fast paced NYC apartment life!
On the following day the four of us interns met up with
Maria, our intern supervisor and assistant manager at the South Food District
on Campus, Mr. Hopey, Interim Director of Food Services, and three other
assistant managers, Scott Shroyer, Jamie Robinson and Eneri Knarr. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. It was great to listen to everyone's experience prior to working at Penn State and stating our career goals and those for our time at Penn State.
The next day which was Friday and we worked on our awesome
selfie scavenger hunt which took us all over the campus!! This is the largest
campus I have ever been on, which even includes visits to Cornell and Syracuse
Universities!
For Saturday, Sunday and Monday we worked at Findlay cafeteria
serving over 3,000 campers. This was by far one of the hardest things I have
ever done. We had to wear the standard uniform of a Penn State Food Service Employee (see pic below) which was definitely a change for me as I'm used to wearing business casual every day! We got up at 4am for these three days and did essentially whatever
the managers needed us to do. I got to make what seems like a million pancakes,
help cook what also seems like a million pieces of chicken, actually serve the
food to the campers, work in the awesome dishroom sorting silverware and
unloading the clean dishes as well as cut about 100 cantaloupes. This does not
even begin to scratch the surface of the amount of tasks that go into making a campus
dining hall run smoothly. I have always had respect for the behind scenes
aspects of food service, having been a waitress for a short time, but this just
opened my eyes even wider to it all and helped me realize just how hard it is!
I am really looking forward to our time here at Penn State and all we are going to learn!
Week 1 at Penn State
I absolutely
cannot believe our first week here at Penn State University is already over! My first thought while flying in was: Wow…this place is beautiful! My second thought while driving toward the campus was: WOW…this place is beautiful! And my third thought while getting settled into my new home for the next 8 weeks was: WOW…THIS PLACE IS BEAUTIFUL! It is so green and lush with gorgeous rolling hills in every direction and (identical) brick buildings everywhere you look. Coming from Chico, California, where we are currently experiencing a drought, University Park is a site for sore eyes.
So far we have
gotten to meet some of the chefs and assistant managers of Redifer, Pollock,
and Findlay, as well as Mr. Hopey, Mr. Pierce, and, of course, Mamma Maria. Everyone is very
friendly and has given us a very warm welcome into this department on campus.
We are all looking forward to working with each other, picking each other’s
brains, and learning foodservice skills and values from each others' different backgrounds
and abilities.
This
past weekend we worked at Findlay Commons from 5am-2pm for a high school girl’s
volleyball camp. This was such an amazing experience for me, being
able to finally put to use the skills and knowledge I have acquired in school and at home.
Working in such as fast paced environment with so many different types of
people is a true test of team work. I really enjoy working in this large scale food service facility,
even though it was grueling work at times.
At first when we arrived the weather was warm and sunny, then the next day it was cold, then cold and raining, then cold and windy, then warm and windy. We all crossed our fingers that it would get warm and stay warm! The weather is
gdefinitely getting warmer, and we’re enjoying spending time in the sun after our shifts. There are new
adventures and opportunities around every corner in this town! On Friday we walked
to a farmers market where they were giving away $5 bills to anyone who would
complete their survey about your knowledge of food safety. After getting our
easy $5, Aimme and I bought macaroons and kombucha. They were selling
unpasteurized, non-homogenized raw milk for $4.50/half gallon (a steal compared to
California)!
We have started discussing our special project in July in which we will be planning, organizing, and executing a farewell luncheon. This includes: deciding who we shall invite, creating and sending invitations, preparing a menu and a theme, planning the budget, setting up/breaking down the event, etc. This will be my first time helping plan and execute such an important meal. Looking forward to it!
P.S. Don’t wait in line at the creamery, get hard-packed icecream in your to-go cup during dinner for free!!!!! This is going to be a great summer.
 |
| Marisa and I serving at Findlay |
 |
| Cutting hundreds of rice crispy treats! |
During the weekend, Marisa and I cooked up a few
hundred pieces of Texas toast, cleaned the grills, sliced probably 50 bell
peppers, minced at least 50 jalapeños, cored and sliced a case of tomatoes, separated a bazillion bunches of grapes, cut and stacked hundreds of rice crispy treats, re-trayed sticky doughnuts, sauted spinach, and
the list goes on and on. It’s difficult to work 3+ hours before breakfast, stand for
hours in the same position while slicing veggies, then have the energy smile
and be inviting to every person you serve food to, but it’s all part of the
job.
Then we worked in the dish room. This is a huge conveyer belt/car wash that washes the dishes for you, and all you have to do is grab the dishes as they come around and put them on their appropriate cart. I shouldn't say "only" because the dishes are piping hot, there are many different types of dishes on the trays, and sometimes it feels like you'll never get a chance to catch your breath! We all loved it though, and we each had a particular area we liked best. I liked sorting the big and small bowls, small plates, and the glassware.
 |
| Dishroom: after my broken glass mess was cleaned up...sorry :( |
Then we worked in the dish room. This is a huge conveyer belt/car wash that washes the dishes for you, and all you have to do is grab the dishes as they come around and put them on their appropriate cart. I shouldn't say "only" because the dishes are piping hot, there are many different types of dishes on the trays, and sometimes it feels like you'll never get a chance to catch your breath! We all loved it though, and we each had a particular area we liked best. I liked sorting the big and small bowls, small plates, and the glassware.
 |
| Hula-hooping at the Arboretum |
We have started discussing our special project in July in which we will be planning, organizing, and executing a farewell luncheon. This includes: deciding who we shall invite, creating and sending invitations, preparing a menu and a theme, planning the budget, setting up/breaking down the event, etc. This will be my first time helping plan and execute such an important meal. Looking forward to it!
P.S. Don’t wait in line at the creamery, get hard-packed icecream in your to-go cup during dinner for free!!!!! This is going to be a great summer.
Penn State 2015: Week 1
It’s true that time flies when you are having fun! One week ago today I moved into Miller Hall, my home for the next 8 weeks at Penn State, but I have no idea where the time has gone.
Ever since I got accepted into the NACUFS
internship a few months ago, I’ve been looking forward to it and imagining all
the fun experiences I’d be having. And so far my few days here at Penn State
have exceeded my expectations and have NOT been a disappointment at all!
On May 19th, I arrived from Michigan, and from
the moment I arrived I’ve been having an amazing time! I walked into my room to
find a desk full of snacks and a fridge stocked with drinks, all thanks to our
amazing internship coordinator, Maria, and the assistant managers. My first morning here was
a bit strange – I experienced a bit of confusion as to where I was, followed by
a feeling of homesickness. But that quickly passed and was replaced with fun
adventures and lots of laughs. I’m so fortunate to be sharing this experience
with 3 amazing girls, Sarah, Leah, and Aimme, and we immediately bonded (mostly
while watching Food Network – how fitting considering we are all studying
dietetics or food science!)
 |
| Our amazing group of interns |
 |
| Enjoying the beautiful view from the Arboretum |
Scott even dropped off all kinds of board games for us to play in our dorms, which we have definitely been using a lot.
This weekend was definitely a busy week, whether it was from
working Happy Volley or running all over campus trying to complete our
scavenger hunt (Selfie style!), but I enjoyed every minute of it. When I
arrived on Tuesday morning, I was scared and nervous, but even after being here
for only a week, I feel so comfortable, mainly because I’m surrounded by
such great people. Penn State is such a beautiful campus and I can’t wait to
explore more and get to know everyone better. And of course I can’t wait to try
all the ice cream flavors at Berkey Creamery J
I’m already addicted to the chocolate milk here… just like Maria warned us that
we would be. But I can’t help it – it’s so good!
It’s only been a week here, but I’m already
having a blast. I can’t wait to see what next week and the rest of this
internship has in store for us!
A New Adventure
The day had finally come… all that was between me and Penn State University was a 4-hour drive from Virginia. Having just graduated a week ago from James Madison University, I felt like a freshman again, exploring the beautifully vast campus of Penn State.
May 19th
After my dad and I initially got a little lost (a theme of my stay here thus far), we found my dorm, Miller Hall.
It is so nice, with a kitchen area, a TV, and a private bathroom in our room! There was also alot of food and drinks as a welcome treat… how nice!! A really neat thing about PSU is the insane emphasis on recycling (evidenced by the 6 or 7 recycling bins in our dorm, all sorted by type of material!!) and sustainability- I absolutely love it.
I got to meet two of the other interns, Sarah and Marisa. Sarah is from California State University, Chico and Marisa is from Michigan State University- we bonded right away! And of course, what would the NACUFS Internship be without Maria, our coordinator?! She was so full of positive energy and she is a dynamic firecracker!! I couldn’t wait to work more with her.
May 20th
The next day, we went to breakfast together at Pollock Commons, one of the main dining halls on campus.
I love the colourful plates!! So vibrant!
We had some fun exploring the bookstore and Old Main… too bad we couldn’t go up the bell tower, but I heard we were getting a private tour later on as part of our activities!
Maria gave us a quick tour of Redifer Commons, the South food district. There were so many cool stations (currently closed for the summer) such as the Edomae customised sushi station. I was surprised to learn that the beef patties for burgers aren’t frozen, but rather shaped fresh every day!! Amazing. We also met some of the other assistant managers.
In the evening, we had a group dinner at Happy Valley Brewery. This was the delicious beet salad I had with grilled salmon!
May 21st
Today was orientation day, which meant a tour of Findlay and meeting the assistant managers, as well as Mr. Hopey, the associate director.
May 22nd
On our day off, we enjoyed an exciting morning of board games… Oh you bet it got competitive!
Next, we tackled our #selfie scavenger hunt around campus and took Rainbow Puff the alpaca (our unofficial mascot) with us for our crazy adventures. Yes, I got a few strange looks and giggles, if you are wondering, but who wouldn’t fall in love with such a cutie pie? ;)
May 23rd
The dreaded 5am early morning shift for the Memorial Day weekend Happy Volley event… let’s say it wasn’t easy waking up, even for a morning person like me. The alarm clock rang way too early when 4am rolled around. But the walk over to Findlay with all four of us shivering in the cold and getting lost in the dark was memorable to say the least. We were all ready to see what the day had in store for us!
Leah and I were cooks today, so we made literally thousands of pancakes! Things moved at a quick pace and although it was busy, time passed by pretty quickly and we both became very efficient at pouring the batter and flipping.
Then things slowed down a bit and I was in charge of a few things, such as sprinkling a bell pepper/onion blend on top of diced potatoes and transferring baked potatoes from sheet pans to the serving trays. After lunch I was out in the front, serving. I loved it and it was crazy to see sooo many people out there, hungry for food! At first there was a lull in the pace, but once the peak time hit (around noon), it was go go go time and I felt like I was endlessly serving garden tortellini and chicken breasts. It was strangely satisfying to know that I was giving the customers the food they would enjoy and fulfilling their hunger, in a sense.
May 24th
Another dark morning as we left our dorms by 4:30am… unfortunately, we took a different route and got a bit lost… but it’s alright, we made it on time! Surprising how buildings usually so easily located in daylight seem obscure and mysterious in pitch darkness at 4 in the morning.
Leah and I switched with Sarah and Marisa today, so we were in the Grade 10 prep area. It was a slower day and we did everything from stock ice cream cones to refilling dressings for the salad bar. We also cut aloooot of cantaloupe and grape clusters. Other tasks included putting out trays of assorted muffins and handpainting the frosting onto donuts (because all the frosting got stuck to the plastic wrap! mini disaster!). After lunch, we served again and oddly, it seemed even busier than the first day even though there were less people. I was in charge of serving pasta with either a marina sauce or with meatballs and boy, did everyone LOVE the meatballs!! Definitely a crowd pleaser!
May 25th
Happy Memorial Day!
The final 5am day, we were on our A-game and got to Findlay not only early, but we managed to not get lost at all :) Hooray! Third time’s the charm.
Today was a less hectic day and we all took over the student positions. We were in the dishroom, with Leah and I on silverware, Sarah and Marisa doing the unloading. First, we got a brief tour of the dishroom and the way it operated. There wasn’t alot of silverware initally, but once the breakfast rush began, it gradually got busier. I actually loved the organisational aspect of sorting the silverware into knives, forks, and spoons. We got the plastic bins filled with clean silverware from the dishwash line after they were run through twice. We sorted each utensil by type into these green bins and soaked them in 150-180 degree F water for a few minutes before taking them out and sorting into metal bins. Strangely therapeutic and systematic. Leah and I became the silverware pros ;)
Special treat for us, we got off 3 hours early and we all spent some time relaxing and napping under the lovely sunshine :) Oh sleep… what a precious thing!
May 26th
Today we got to recuperate from the busy weekend and toured Pollock. A meeting with Mr. Hopey and Mr. Pearce (the deputy associate VP of auxiliary and business services) rounded out the day!
It has been a whirlwind these few days, but it's already turning out to be an incredible experience that I've been blessed with. Can't wait to see what's ahead and for more surprises and learning moments!
May 19th
After my dad and I initially got a little lost (a theme of my stay here thus far), we found my dorm, Miller Hall.
It is so nice, with a kitchen area, a TV, and a private bathroom in our room! There was also alot of food and drinks as a welcome treat… how nice!! A really neat thing about PSU is the insane emphasis on recycling (evidenced by the 6 or 7 recycling bins in our dorm, all sorted by type of material!!) and sustainability- I absolutely love it.
I got to meet two of the other interns, Sarah and Marisa. Sarah is from California State University, Chico and Marisa is from Michigan State University- we bonded right away! And of course, what would the NACUFS Internship be without Maria, our coordinator?! She was so full of positive energy and she is a dynamic firecracker!! I couldn’t wait to work more with her.
May 20th
The next day, we went to breakfast together at Pollock Commons, one of the main dining halls on campus.
I love the colourful plates!! So vibrant!
We had some fun exploring the bookstore and Old Main… too bad we couldn’t go up the bell tower, but I heard we were getting a private tour later on as part of our activities!
Maria gave us a quick tour of Redifer Commons, the South food district. There were so many cool stations (currently closed for the summer) such as the Edomae customised sushi station. I was surprised to learn that the beef patties for burgers aren’t frozen, but rather shaped fresh every day!! Amazing. We also met some of the other assistant managers.
In the evening, we had a group dinner at Happy Valley Brewery. This was the delicious beet salad I had with grilled salmon!
May 21st
Today was orientation day, which meant a tour of Findlay and meeting the assistant managers, as well as Mr. Hopey, the associate director.
May 22nd
On our day off, we enjoyed an exciting morning of board games… Oh you bet it got competitive!
Next, we tackled our #selfie scavenger hunt around campus and took Rainbow Puff the alpaca (our unofficial mascot) with us for our crazy adventures. Yes, I got a few strange looks and giggles, if you are wondering, but who wouldn’t fall in love with such a cutie pie? ;)
The dreaded 5am early morning shift for the Memorial Day weekend Happy Volley event… let’s say it wasn’t easy waking up, even for a morning person like me. The alarm clock rang way too early when 4am rolled around. But the walk over to Findlay with all four of us shivering in the cold and getting lost in the dark was memorable to say the least. We were all ready to see what the day had in store for us!
Leah and I were cooks today, so we made literally thousands of pancakes! Things moved at a quick pace and although it was busy, time passed by pretty quickly and we both became very efficient at pouring the batter and flipping.
Then things slowed down a bit and I was in charge of a few things, such as sprinkling a bell pepper/onion blend on top of diced potatoes and transferring baked potatoes from sheet pans to the serving trays. After lunch I was out in the front, serving. I loved it and it was crazy to see sooo many people out there, hungry for food! At first there was a lull in the pace, but once the peak time hit (around noon), it was go go go time and I felt like I was endlessly serving garden tortellini and chicken breasts. It was strangely satisfying to know that I was giving the customers the food they would enjoy and fulfilling their hunger, in a sense.
May 24th
Another dark morning as we left our dorms by 4:30am… unfortunately, we took a different route and got a bit lost… but it’s alright, we made it on time! Surprising how buildings usually so easily located in daylight seem obscure and mysterious in pitch darkness at 4 in the morning.
Leah and I switched with Sarah and Marisa today, so we were in the Grade 10 prep area. It was a slower day and we did everything from stock ice cream cones to refilling dressings for the salad bar. We also cut aloooot of cantaloupe and grape clusters. Other tasks included putting out trays of assorted muffins and handpainting the frosting onto donuts (because all the frosting got stuck to the plastic wrap! mini disaster!). After lunch, we served again and oddly, it seemed even busier than the first day even though there were less people. I was in charge of serving pasta with either a marina sauce or with meatballs and boy, did everyone LOVE the meatballs!! Definitely a crowd pleaser!
Happy Memorial Day!
The final 5am day, we were on our A-game and got to Findlay not only early, but we managed to not get lost at all :) Hooray! Third time’s the charm.
Today was a less hectic day and we all took over the student positions. We were in the dishroom, with Leah and I on silverware, Sarah and Marisa doing the unloading. First, we got a brief tour of the dishroom and the way it operated. There wasn’t alot of silverware initally, but once the breakfast rush began, it gradually got busier. I actually loved the organisational aspect of sorting the silverware into knives, forks, and spoons. We got the plastic bins filled with clean silverware from the dishwash line after they were run through twice. We sorted each utensil by type into these green bins and soaked them in 150-180 degree F water for a few minutes before taking them out and sorting into metal bins. Strangely therapeutic and systematic. Leah and I became the silverware pros ;)
Special treat for us, we got off 3 hours early and we all spent some time relaxing and napping under the lovely sunshine :) Oh sleep… what a precious thing!
May 26th
Today we got to recuperate from the busy weekend and toured Pollock. A meeting with Mr. Hopey and Mr. Pearce (the deputy associate VP of auxiliary and business services) rounded out the day!
It has been a whirlwind these few days, but it's already turning out to be an incredible experience that I've been blessed with. Can't wait to see what's ahead and for more surprises and learning moments!
Welcome!
Hello!
I’d like to introduce you to the NACUFS Foodservice Management Internship blog for 2015!
This blog is a space where interns can share their experiences at their host school – both their official work duties as well as events outside of official duties. This blog then becomes a record of the summer, which can be shared with friends, family, professors, other interns, host coordinators, potential employers, future hosts and future interns!
Interns: This is an official record of your internship. We hope that you’ll share the things that you are doing both at work and outside of work. Pictures are great – so take some and share them with the rest of us! We also hope that you’ll read and comment on the entries from other schools. Our goal is to create a community among interns who are not only learning from their hosts, but also from each other. Even if you choose not to write posts, we hope that you’ll participate by reading and commenting often. Please share your experience honestly and openly, but this is a professional space- this is not an area for you to air any problems you have with the host school. If you feel that your goals for your internship are not being met, it is your responsibility to address those concerns with the internship coordinator, and work to have the best summer ever! Also remember that this is an open forum – anyone wandering around ye olde internetz can read it. For that reason, you’ll want to keep any private information about yourself or your host to yourself.
Please tag your entries with your host school name.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this summer... are you?
I’d like to introduce you to the NACUFS Foodservice Management Internship blog for 2015!
This blog is a space where interns can share their experiences at their host school – both their official work duties as well as events outside of official duties. This blog then becomes a record of the summer, which can be shared with friends, family, professors, other interns, host coordinators, potential employers, future hosts and future interns!
Interns: This is an official record of your internship. We hope that you’ll share the things that you are doing both at work and outside of work. Pictures are great – so take some and share them with the rest of us! We also hope that you’ll read and comment on the entries from other schools. Our goal is to create a community among interns who are not only learning from their hosts, but also from each other. Even if you choose not to write posts, we hope that you’ll participate by reading and commenting often. Please share your experience honestly and openly, but this is a professional space- this is not an area for you to air any problems you have with the host school. If you feel that your goals for your internship are not being met, it is your responsibility to address those concerns with the internship coordinator, and work to have the best summer ever! Also remember that this is an open forum – anyone wandering around ye olde internetz can read it. For that reason, you’ll want to keep any private information about yourself or your host to yourself.
Please tag your entries with your host school name.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this summer... are you?
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