Food Service Rotations
Riderwood
I had no idea what to expect for our Riderwood rotation - all I knew is that our main project was our theme meal. Six weeks seemed like a long time. Turns our that those 6 weeks were the fastest in my life! Everyone in the Seasons and Pub kitchens made each day fantastic and fun; we joined a group that would become family to us.
Given the nature of the business, we were aware of, and involved in, so many aspects of food service and dining services - we learned so much! The chefs and dining managers in the kitchen shared with us so many of the daily activities and issues they navigate - often allowing me and Leigh to be part of the solution.
Our theme meal was Cinco de Mayo. During the weeks preceding production day (which was in week 5), we worked with the line chefs preparing food for the Seasons dining room or various catering events, while checking off theme meal to-do tasks. It was fun to prepare our recipes for taste testing; the staff in the kitchen were gracious with their talent as we tweaked the menu items to make sure they met the high standard Riderwood residents are accustomed to receiving. The line chefs were also very gracious with their patience, as they showed us how to use production equipment that would help us prepare 100+ servings. Production day went beautifully, the chefs and staff of both the Seasons kitchen and the Wye Oak Pub took immense pride in our efforts and were there for us in ways we could have never imaged. We all had a blast and received a great response from our ~150 guests!
Our rotation binder contains all of our theme meal work in addition to other projects we completed during our rotation. Be sure to check out our rotation binder and our theme meal commercial on my Work Samples page!
Given the nature of the business, we were aware of, and involved in, so many aspects of food service and dining services - we learned so much! The chefs and dining managers in the kitchen shared with us so many of the daily activities and issues they navigate - often allowing me and Leigh to be part of the solution.
Our theme meal was Cinco de Mayo. During the weeks preceding production day (which was in week 5), we worked with the line chefs preparing food for the Seasons dining room or various catering events, while checking off theme meal to-do tasks. It was fun to prepare our recipes for taste testing; the staff in the kitchen were gracious with their talent as we tweaked the menu items to make sure they met the high standard Riderwood residents are accustomed to receiving. The line chefs were also very gracious with their patience, as they showed us how to use production equipment that would help us prepare 100+ servings. Production day went beautifully, the chefs and staff of both the Seasons kitchen and the Wye Oak Pub took immense pride in our efforts and were there for us in ways we could have never imaged. We all had a blast and received a great response from our ~150 guests!
Our rotation binder contains all of our theme meal work in addition to other projects we completed during our rotation. Be sure to check out our rotation binder and our theme meal commercial on my Work Samples page!
University of Maryland College Park Campus Dining
It was great to be back on campus for our Dining Services rotation! We had a blast working with the Dining Services teams. Leigh and I completed a handful of projects, worked with various teams in Dining Services, and met with many of the support personnel in Dining Services to gain an understanding of campus food service operation.
We created a handful of nutrition education materials - table tents, posters, articles for students, and articles for employees. In these different formats, we addressed a variety of nutrition topics such as sodium intake, navigating the holidays without bursting your belt, breakfast Q & A, healthy carbs (LOVE Your Carbs!), phytonutrients, and healthy game day snacking. Fortunately, South Campus’ speciality meal, Taste of Maryland, was scheduled during our rotation. While we were with the team at South Campus, we spent our free time (albeit limited) helping out in the kitchen; so, we were able to help with the Taste of Maryland meal without any hesitancy. The meal was a huge success! Students were treated to homemade crab cakes and other Maryland speciality treats. Leigh and I didn’t stop moving for hours - we had a blast! Along with lending a hand with food preparation and meal service, we also received and put away food deliveries and met with food service managers to gain an understanding of issues and responsibilities involved in front-line food service. We concluded our rotation at 251 North, University of Maryland Dining Services’ Silver LEED certified dining facility (and one of the first LEED Silver Certified Dining Facilities in the state of Maryland). On the final day of our rotation, we prepared a meal for Dining Service staff members, with the assistance of Chef George. We developed our menu - crab stuffed rockfish, roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes, nappa cabbage coleslaw, and French apple tarts - with the help of Chef John. While our guests were dining on the meal we prepared, Leigh and I provided a review of the projects we completed during our rotation and activities in which we had been involved. What a fabulous way to conclude a fantastic rotation!! Click here to view my Dining Services work samples. |