Week 8

Hey y'all,

I can't believe it is already time for me to say goodbye. My internship here with Housing and Foods has come to an end. I have had such a good time here learning about food management. Everyone I have worked with was awesome and taught me something different that I can take moving forward in my career. I was able to participate in so many different activities and operations while I was here, but I know that there will still be more for me to learn in my career. I tried to soak up as much knowledge as I could from everyone here. This includes continuing to do new things all the way up until I left.

I was very excited this week that I got to sit in on one of Dot's famous food allergy awareness training classes. All new food services employees are required to attend a food allergy awareness training to help educate them on the proper procedures for helping customers with food allergies and specialty diets. This training covers not only proper procedures but educates employees on the signs and symptoms of food allergies, the seriousness of food allergies, and the proper responses to food allergies. This training also includes specialty diets students on campus may follow for religious or other medical conditions.

I also got the opportunity to spend some time at Wagner this week. Wagner dining hall is located inside the "athletic" dorms, Headington Hall. Forty-nine percent of the students living in Headington Hall are athletes. Because of the high volume of athletes dining at this operation the sports dietitian plays an integral part in menu planning. Unlike other dining facilities on campus the menu options in Wagner are served with a red, yellow, green light system to help athletes maintain proper nutrition for their sports and provide education on how to make a healthy plate. For example vegetables are a green light food meaning they are an important part of a healthy balanced diet, while bacon is a red light food meaning it should be consumed less often, 1-2 times a week.  Along with the stoplight system many food items offered at Wagner offer healthy swaps to increase nutritional value at each meal such as baked chicken rather than fried chicken.

Finally, I went to the Union Market. There is a lot going on at Union Market. They offer a salad bar, soup bar, hot bar, grab and go retail items, and have a made to order grill station. Despite the large variety of food options available at the Union Market their kitchen space is not very big. Communication is key to this operation running smoothly and accident free. The staff was always talking to each other whether to communicate order specifications, walking around a corner, or walking with a knife or sharp object everyone knew what was going on. 

Between visiting different operations on campus this week I was able to help with ingredient ID cards and finish talking with housing and food employees to finish up my internship assignments. 

I have had so much fun learning about management here and working with the food service department. Everyone I have worked with during my time here has been so informative and a pleasure to work with. Thank you to everyone I worked with over the past two months for answering my millions of questions, showing me your jobs and helping me to increase my management knowledge.

Week 7

It's OU/Texas week in Norman!

I started my week at the residential colleges. These twin buildings share a single kitchen that produces food for each college's dining hall. The college's were designed to house upperclassmen and the kitchen works very hard to make sure the food produced in each hall is of equal quality.

Monday I filled in at the salad station for lunch service. While the salad station was recently converted to self serve I had to make sure to keep all the salad items stocked and was responsible for making sandwiches and wraps when ordered. While my sandwich skills are decent, my wrap making skills could still use some practice. Luckily all the students were patient and I was able to hold down the salad station! Tuesday morning I got to help prep stir fry station and then during lunch I even got to try my hand hat preparing a stir fry order. It is funny how much different it is to cook for people other than yourself. I also spent some time learning about the grill and pizza stations. Residential colleges is the only place on campus where you can get freshly made pizza crust!

Next, I got to hang out with the food service dietitian. We worked on calculating calories that will be added to menu boards throughout campus, the Fitter Foods options in Couch Restaurants, and nutrition education. Look out for my blog post about gluten-free food and celiac disease on Fran's student nutrition education blog! We also got in the spirit of OU/Texas and helped serve longhorn ribs at the Bevo BBQ on Thursday.

BOOMER SOONER, GO OU!

Week 6

Heyo,

It happened guys...Monday was the opening of Credo to the public. Despite the fact that there are still some procedures that need to be ironed out and that it was all of the students first day working at Credo, things went very well. Students living in the building seemed happy to finally have a food option in their building and a few said they would be back for dinner. Monday was also the first day anyone got to really play with the POS system and the students working the register seemed to pick up on the procedures pretty quickly. It was fun seeing all the preparation and planning come together and being able to serve the public. Rumor has it that Glow will be opening the first week in October and I can not wait!!!

After seeing Credo up and running it was time for me to get ready for the food sustainability fair. This event helps educate students on the marketing labels used on food packaging. What does Organic really mean? Is it important if the word Natural is on the label? Is No Hormones Added milk worth spending extra on? It is illegal to add hormones to milk, thus making all milk free of added hormones. As always we had some delicious free samples to give away during this event.

Mexican Hummus 

Chocolate Cobbler

Mexican Quinoa

Savory Cake & Guacamole

This week I also had the opportunity to learn about the department of Talent and Organizational Development (TOD).  This department is responsible for the recruiting, on-boarding, development, and off-boarding of staff for Housing and Food Services. They help provide many development opportunities for employees such as classes, training, and seminars. They also run the applaud program used to help recognize people for their hard work and going above an beyond in the work place.

I ended my week learning more about the ordering products at Couch Express. This brought back a lot of information from class. It was interesting to learn how the ordering process changes every year with new groups of students to reflect the current student populations preferences and needs. 

Week 5

Hey Hey!

It's week 5 and still so much more to learn. I got to spend this week at Cross A. This is going to be the first retail operation to open on the Cross complex. Cross A is home to Credo, Glow (Top 8 allergen & gluten free), and Milkflower. It was an amazing opportunity to learn about what goes into making and preparing a business for operation. The week was spent preparing to open all while construction was still finishing up in the area. Due to some delays, Credo will be the first operation to open.






























To start the week I learned about all the tasks and paperwork a general manager has to do to get an operation started and running. I learned a lot about scheduling and the intricacies of making schedules around college life. Next I spent time with the kitchen manager. His job was very different from the general manager. He makes sure the food is ordered and being prepared uniformly in the kitchen. He also has to make sure that the food is being made with quality and following the health code in the restaurant. Teaching employees how to plate meals and use different equipment.

To prepare for opening, a couple of soft openings were conducted this week. This was a vital part of getting ready to open and provided lots of insight about being prepared for all things. In preparation for this, it was discovered that some of the equipment was not working as expected. This is where I learned the importance of having heat sensors and thermometers on a flat top and that all hood vents do not work equally. I learned that if you want to have a certain look to your kitchen, it is best to consult a kitchen consultant for equipment and design ideas but alas the show must go on. As a manager I learned the importance of being flexible, problem solving, and good communication.

In addition to my time at Cross A this week I also presented my In-service at this weeks managers meeting. As an advocate for people with celiac disease and food allergies I was excited to be able to present on cross-contact and food preparation.

Next week Credo is finally opening. I am looking forward to seeing Credo in business and learn new management skills. Hopefully Glow will be open soon too!

Week 4

Hey guys,

I can't believe this is already the end of my forth week here (half-way through my stay here). It was a busy week with lots of fun activities. Dot and I each led an Allergy Awareness booth this week. On Tuesday we set-up at the Rock Garden. Luckily for us we had nice weather for being outside. During the event we had lots of samples for students to try: Mushroom Bulgogi Tacos (pictured below), Asian Hummus Platter, Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies (pictured below), and Green Tea Lemonade. The event not only helped spread awareness about food allergies and the services Dot provides to students on campus with special dietary needs, but we even had some students stop by to try mushrooms! We had lots of positive reviews on the food. I really took this time to learn as much as I could for my event on Thursday.

Wednesday was spent preparing for my event on Thursday. As this is my first event and my business plan project for this internship I spent a lot of time going over my packing list, checking my handouts, and trying to make sure I was prepared for all possible scenarios. Dot has done many of these events and is able to make it look very simple.

Thursday, it was time to see all my hard work and preparation in action. We finished some last minute printing (the printer was being fixed yesterday afternoon) and packing in the morning. Then it was time to head to Couch to pick up my food order and take inventory that everything was their. Everything looked great (thanks to the kitchen staff!) so we packed all of the event equipment onto a catering truck to transport it to the Union. Lucky we were inside because it was starting to mist outside. We got their ahead of schedule giving me plenty of time to set up (pictures below). I had fun spending the day in the Union talking with students. We got a lot of positive feedback on the food: Vegan 3 Layer Dip and Puppy Chow. I was pleased with how well the Puppy Chow went over as that was part of my recipe development/modification project. Some of the students had never had Puppy Chow before since it is traditionally made with peanut butter, butter, and milk chocolate (each a top 8 allergen). Over half of the recipe cards were picked up and by the end of the event only 1 serving of Puppy Chow and 5 servings of dip remained. Even more importantly, we had many students who came and talked to us about their food allergies and where able to learn about the services Dot provides on campus. Additionally, we also saw lots of other students reading the posters!

Next week I am off to check out what is going on at Cross. Hopefully Glow (top 8 allergen free/gluten free) will be able to open soon!

Week 3

Hello again,

This week started with a holiday (Labor Day) which means it was a short week. Still there was lots to get done. I started my week working on projects for the Food Allergy Fair coming up next Thursday. There is a lot of planning and organization that goes into and event like this: making signs, creating handouts, ordering food, ect.

Additionally, this week I had the opportunity to go to Cate. Even though Cate food services has shut down Housing & Food services is still using the kitchen. This is where  all of the premade meals you see around campus for Cow on the Fly are prepared.  I had fun working with the staff and helping to prepare some of the items for the days deliveries. Located just north of Cate is the freight farm.

Freight Farm

I had the privilege of getting a private tour and learn about the freight farm first hand! This freight farm was installed two years ago and was the first one of its kind in Oklahoma. Right now the freight farm is used mostly to produce green leafy vegetables and herbs. The freight farm was designed for sustainability and is able to recycle water used to irrigate the plants.
Look for these leafy greens at the Cross salad bar coming soon!

I ended the week learning how Freshens, Couch Express and Xcetera are manged and the different needs they meet on campus. I was excited to see that all the smoothies at Freshens are gluten free (even the chocolate chip cookie dough). In addition, different blenders are used for smoothies containing peanut butter (peanut butter is is also kept away from the rest of the ingredients) to avoid cross-contact for people with peanut allergies. Couch Express is a very popular place for grilling cheese sandwiches and fresh cookies on the south side of campus. I even had the opportunity to learn how to make these popular grilled cheese sandwiches! Xcetera, a convenience store located on the first floor of Walker Tower has a diverse selection of convenience foods and household necessities. I was excited to see an assortment of gluten free options from snacks, bread, and frozen meals alon with shelves of Made in Oklahoma products (see pictures below). Xcetera strives to have food available to meet the needs of all students. While here I learned a lot about putting out fires and behind the scenes work that goes into managing these establishments (budgeting, scheduling, maintenance, training, and other paperwork).

 



I am excited to apply the knowledge I have learned thus far to the allergy Free booths we will be presenting around campus next week!

Week 2

Hey!

This week I was had the opportunity to spend half of my week learning how
Couch Restaurants is run. Couch Restaurants is a very impressive operation
and an integral part of the student meal plan here on campus. Couch
Restaurants is home to 14 different restaurants all offering all you can eat meals.
As this is an important part of the student meal plan, I was most excited to learn
about the ways in which food allergies and other dietary restrictions were handled
within such a large operation. Within the main dining area there is a top 8 allergen
and gluten free buffet section and dessert cart. In addition to safe options at most
restaurants. For an in depth look at foods that may meet your dietary needs you
can check out  http://www.ou.edu/housingandfood/dining/fitter-foods.

One of my favorite gluten free meals of the week from Couch Restaurants was a ham sandwich from Dot’s Deli.

In addition to learning about the food preparation, I spent time in the stockroom
learning about ordering, receiving, and inventory. I also spent some time in the
kitchen cooking and improving my knife skills. I really enjoyed getting to talk to
many different members of the staff and learn about their different jobs.

Additionally, we participated in SWEEP on the Walker Adams Mall. This was a
great opportunity to inform students about the resources available for students
with food allergies, intolerances, and other special dietary needs. In addition,
we were also able to educate students about the freight farm on campus and
provide students with arugula that had been harvested from the freight farm.  
It was fun being out and talking with the students for the afternoon.

Finally, this week I had some time to work on my business plan. I was able to
test my recipe in the kitchen at Couch Restaurants and put together some of
the handouts for the event. My business plan is really helping me learn how
much goes into all the fun events you see walking around campus.

This week went by incredibly fast. I feel like I have already learned so much.

Week 1

Hi guys, my name is Ashley. I am the new dietetic intern at OU Housing and Foods. I am so excited to be here working with everyone in the department. I have heard a lot of good things about how the department has been working to provide allergy free options to students on campus. Providing safe options for people with allergies and other nutritional needs is very important to me. My  passion to become a dietitian came from my own diagnosis of celiac disease. Finding out I had celiac disease turned my life upside down but also gave me a new perspective on food and a passion to help others with food allergies, food intolerance, or other autoimmune diseases navigate their new world.

It's my first week here and I have already gotten the opportunity to help with food allergy projects including updating the list of gluten-free options on campus, compiling lists of ingredients used in recipes to provide to students Dot is assisting, and assessing recipes for modification to make them safer for students with one of the top 8 allergens, gluten-free, or vegan. I have learned a lot about Dot's job and I am very impressed. She helps all the OU students with allergies or medical food intolerance's find safe food to eat on campus, even those non-common allergies.  In addition to making sure food is free of allergens, it is important to make sure all food on campus is being made safely (there are a lot of people to feed on campus). Wednesday I had the opportunity to meet Kevin Barker (Director of Business Operations) and go with him to learn about the safety measures put in place to make sure all the food served on campus is the highest quality.

My time here with OU Housing and Foods is off to a great start! I can't wait to see what next week will bring!

Week 7 & 8

The end has come… the end of an era, if you will.  These last two weeks have been dedicated to finishing up projects and tying up loose ends. So basically a lot of looking at my computer screen.  I did get to spend some time in Union Market and Starbucks, to get a look into the retail side of our food service operations.  I got to do a real coffee tasting, which as a coffee fiend like myself, was the most exciting way to spend my last day. 

My coffee cupping selection

I just want to take a second to thank each and every person that has shown me such kindness and patience over the last 8 weeks.  I have truly had such a wonderful experience and met some of the nicest people.  From my first time in the kitchen, up until this very last day, I have been met with the very best  OU Housing and Food Services has to offer.  I was so blessed to be placed here for my food service management rotation, I really couldn’t have asked for anything better.  Y’all are making it really hard to leave, but you’ll have a new intern again soon.  

Week 6

Another big project week over here; this time getting ready for my employee in-service presentation.  Sometimes public speaking makes me uneasy, but I love any opportunity I get to do it because it means more practice.  Having good communication skills is so important in the nutrition profession since we are constantly educating all kinds of people on all different platforms.  In order to actually be effective, you have to know your audience, as well as your material.  And you know what they say, practice makes perfect.  Luckily, this presentation went really well and everyone was courteous, paid attention, and hopefully learned something, which makes my job a little easier.  There’s nothing worse than giving a presentation when no one cares or pays attention.  

Some other highlights of the week include spending some time over in Wagner dining and checking out the freight farm.  Wagner dining was a great experience for me since it was the athletic dining area and sports nutrition is my ultimate goal.  It provided me with a different view into what could be my future career, so I’m very thankful I got to learn more about it and some of the challenges they face.  The freight farm was another super cool experience because I had heard so much about it, but never actually seen it.  Well it really lived up to its name, since its actually in a freight container! It’s interesting to see how urban farming has grown and evolved over the years.  Having growth up living on a boat with a mother who loves to garden, I look out for unique ways to grow food, and this one was definitely unique. 

All the lettuce growing and thriving

The pink grow lights used, looks like a lettuce dance party

One of the growth columns, notice how the plants grow vertically, so cool!

Week 5

It’s the big week y’all. The. Big. Week. More specifically Staff Week, which means time to put my business plan and recipe development into action.  The whole week was spent preparing for the Staff Health Fair on Thursday, where we had our free food, allergy awareness information, and game wheel to win a pedometer.  Time management was definitely the key phrase of the week, as we had food to prepare, carts to pack, emails to send, and posters to make.  It was also a week to just roll with the punches, which is a trait/skill I’m constantly trying to work on.  Nothing is ever going to go the way you think it’s going to, so it’s best to just work on what you can control and focus on the end product. 

The game/information side of the booth

Besides some small hiccups along the way, I thought the fair and our booth went well.  People were eager to try some vegan, gluten free, bean tacos and, as the kitchen calls them, my “spicy cookies” a.k.a. Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies.  The only thing we had left over were beans, which made clean up pretty easy.  All 25 copies of the recipes we brought were taken, so that’s got to mean it was a success!  Since Sam and I made all the food ourselves, it felt like a pretty big win for this cooking newbie. The highlight has got to be Sam giving her stamp of approval on the taco beans, being the ultimate picky eater that she is.  It was definitely a learning experience, but it was also a lot of fun getting to interact with everyone at the booth and hopefully teach them something new about food allergies and that having a food restriction does mean you have to sacrifice good food or flavor. 

The "Spicy" Cookies

Our beautiful rainbow of taco toppings

The final taco product, served on a brown rice tortilla 

The lovely Sam enjoying some of the taco beans

As a treat for making it through the week, I got to help hand out turkey legs at the staff picnic on Friday.  When I say treat, I do mean treat.  We could not have asked for nicer weather and I definitely remembered to wear sunscreen this time.  It’s good to see how interactive this department is with not only the students, but also the staff and showing our appreciation for everything they do.  They do not skimp on good food either; these turkey legs were gigantic and practically flying out of the pans!  

Week 4

Here we are at week 4 already; time just flies when you’re having fun.  To start, Monday was the final day of recipe development for the Employee Health Fair next week, and I think it was one of my most successful recipes to date.  We tested some gluten free, Top 8 free, and vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies and they actually taste like a normal cookie, with a little kick from some cayenne! I haven’t worked with vegan or gluten free ingredients too much before, so I was very pleased with how flavorful the cookies turned out.

Tuesday was the start of our Green Week with a panel on the OU Food Services sustainability efforts and environmental consciousness.  Even though I have been here for 4 weeks now, I’m constantly learning more about the operation and the key factors that play into it.  For example, we have our own hydroponic farm on campus! We also heard from Brad Burnett about how he became our exclusive cage-free egg vendor.  I think my favorite statement of the day was that the University actually has 7,000 free-range chickens that work for them.  I wish that I could give you an exact rundown of every point made, but we’d be here all day.  All in all, what a great way to kick off Earth Week! 

Wednesday and Thursday were event days, which meant a whole lot more running around than usual.  Wednesday was the bigger of the two events for us, as we helped organize the whole Food Safety and Sustainability Fair.  There were tons of our special recipes for people to try, informational games to play and win prizes, and booths from a variety of other vendors to provide students with even more information.  While the wind never really stopped blowing, it was nice to get out and interact more with the student body and educate them about our efforts to be more environmentally friendly. 

3 of our 6 carts for the fair... good thing Sam is an expert packer 

Our fun informational game booth with Sam's lovely wheel 

Thursday was event #2, however for this event we were just asked to provide some of our vegan, gluten-free, Top 8 free foods, so we didn’t organize this event.  If you remember the Nasi Lemak recipe from week one, this was the event it was developed for.  Nice to see a recipe come to fruition!  I heard nothing but good things from the students on the recipe, so definitely a success.  Both of these events offered me a trial run for the Health Fair next week and gave me a real look at everything I need to get done and prepped beforehand.  You never realize how much goes into events until you are on the planning side of things! 

A beautiful day for some Nasi Lemak 

Friday, I spent out of office at the Oklahoma Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Conference in Tulsa with all of the other dietetic interns in my program.  Basically, it was just a little intern field trip where we heard speakers discuss the benefits of a plant-based diet, some sports nutrition basics, and a little history of the Heart Healthy Diet.  It's always fun to meet up with everyone and share experiences throughout this journey, but I'm pretty sure I ended up with the best rotation. 

Week 3

Another week has come and gone, but this week I accomplished a lifelong dream – going to Hogwarts! Just kidding, I went to the OU equivalent of Hogwarts, the Residential Colleges.  Monday and Tuesday I spent working with Chase and Doug, learning about how the res colleges food service production works.  They offer more personal food options, mainly cook to order meals.  This differs from other locations because their menu never really changes, so what they order is similar week to week.  Also, due to its smaller size and exclusivity to the students that live in the residential colleges, you get more one-on-one time with the students and studying their eating patterns.  For example, breakfast and lunch are pretty scarce because the students are running around campus for class, whereas dinner, when everyone finally comes home, is packed.  Learning these patterns and preparing for them, makes the operation run so much smoother; if you know that dinner is your busiest time, you can tailor your staffing needs to fit or do extra prep in the morning so you don’t fall behind.  It was fun to learn about a whole different side of food service, more like a restaurant than a traditional dining hall.  Plus, you can’t beat spending a couple days in basically a castle! 

Try to tell me this isn't Hogwarts

The pizza/pasta area 

The custom salad area

Wednesday they let me loose in the kitchen to start recipe development.  For the upcoming staff week, we are going to be having an allergy awareness booth, where we will be having some allergy friendly, gluten free, and vegan samples for passersby to try out.  I wanted to make Mexican themed samples because tacos are a staple in my own diet, and just because you have restrictions doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some tacos.  So, we tested out a recipe that uses chickpeas or white beans as the base of the tacos with an array of colorful toppings.  Recipe development crucial, especially for me, the untalented cook, because there are so many unknowns in a recipe that you might not catch until you actually try it out.  We will be testing more next week, but it’s looking very promising.

Thursday I had a later start because I assisted catering with a President’s dinner.  Boy does preparing a meal for hundreds of people take a lot of work! Overall, no one ended up with their meal in their lap and there were only a few hiccups along the way.  Working catering, you definitely have to have a cool head and outstanding problem solving skills because generally, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong and in that moment you need to come up with a solution.  OU’s catering team are excellent at what they do and I think they put on a very good event.  Based on the clean plates we got back, the attendees must have thought so too.

The partial dining set up (there was a whole other room) and podium for speeches

Friday was another exciting day, as we helped with the Big Event prep.  The Big Event is basically a University wide day of service to give back to the community.  Lunch is provided to volunteers, so we assembled over 3,000 boxed lunches to go out to the various job sites.  How incredible that 3,000 people are willing to spend their Saturday volunteering!

The sandwich take over! Luckily, we had lots of student help and finished in record time. 

Next week is the start of our many events and booths the happen at the end of the school year.  Be sure to keep an eye out for us around campus and stop by to learn about our sustainability efforts (and maybe a free sample)! 

Week 2

Happy week 2 everyone!  Here’s a little look into my second week:

Monday was safety and sanitation check day at the Cate dining facility.  Kevin let me tag along and see how the facilities are inspected for proper safety and sanitation protocols.  This meant temping various items on the line to make sure they are at the correct holding temperatures, checking to see if everything was dated for freshness, and inspecting all the machines, just to name a few.  It’s reassuring to see how seriously they take food safety here, and the priority they put on their students’ health above all else.  That afternoon I spent with Lauren (yay another one!) in TOD, learning about the employment process and the steps taken to provide proper training and a positive working environment for all food service employees. 

Tuesday and Wednesday I headed back over to the Couch dining hall to help with the fun theme meals we had going on this week.  Tuesday was the second day with the Native American menu, which I helped prep for last week.  It was nice seeing a menu all the way through and the step-by-step process that goes into a themed meal – from conception, to preparation, to execution.  Wednesday was a Medieval dinner to promote the Medieval Fair happening on campus this weekend.  There were decorations, performers in period attire, a carving station, and a very realistic menu (not including turkey legs).  The King even graced us with his presence! 

Honey roasted multi-colored carrots for the Medieval dinner, my contribution to the meal... glad I didn't catch anything on fire

The carving station - look at the accent decorations made from onions, tomatoes, and kale. How creative! 

Thursday was another office day, in which I worked on creating a list of ingredients I need for my recipe development project next week.  We also had a managers meeting that afternoon, where I got to meet all of the managers of the various facilities around campus and hear the current events in the department.  It put into perspective exactly how large of an operation OU housing and food service is, and how many people need to be on the same page in order to have everything run smoothly.  When you are a student, you don’t really think about all the work that goes into your food, so I really enjoyed getting a behind the scenes look, and appreciation for, just exactly what it takes to run a collegiate food service operation on all levels. 

As usual, Fridays never go quite as planned.  After a series of unfortunate events, I ended up needing to assist catering at a President’s Lunch.  I got a quick lesson in proper waiting etiquette (i.e. always serve on the left, pick up from the right, don’t pour drinks on anyone), a fancy catering jacket, and was sent out to serve.  Luckily, I managed not to spill anything, so I’d call it a success.  This was a good chance to see how catering runs their operation and the challenges that come along with that side of the department.  Plus, the event was in the art museum on campus, so not a bad place to spend a rainy Friday. 

This week certainly reiterated the sense of community you feel working in this department; everyone has each other’s back when those unexpected surprises pop up.  As I’m sure I’ve said before, every single person I have met here has gone above and beyond to answer all of my questions and make me feel right at home, something I am so grateful for.  It also showed me all the different hats managers have to wear in order to accomplish a goal and get through the day; some days you may never leave your office, while others you might need to don a catering jacket and serves some lunch.  

Be sure to tune in next week to hear how our recipe trial run goes! After all, it’s never a dull time when I’m in charge of cooking anything...

Week 1

Hey y'all, its new intern time! My name is Lauren LaDelfa and I'm the new dietetic intern you'll see running around for the next 8 weeks.  I'm originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, but I've pretty much lived everywhere on the East Coast.  Before becoming an intern at OU, I completed my undergraduate degree in food science at Clemson University in South Carolina, and my master's degree in exercise and nutrition science at the University of Tampa.  I just moved to Oklahoma this past January and let me tell you, I have been blown away... literally the wind never stops blowing! But I'm so excited to begin this new adventure at OU Housing and Food Services. 

The week started off on Monday with some housekeeping things, like new intern paperwork and going over my schedule for the upcoming weeks.  I have quite a few projects I have to complete during my time here, but I also want to experience as much as I can, so having a schedule and good time management is going to be key to get everything accomplished. 

Tuesday morning I spent with the lovely people at the Cleveland County Health Department, going to “Food School” to get my Food Handler’s Permit, which I need in order to (legally) spend time in the kitchen.  That afternoon, we worked on recipe development for a traditional Malay dish, called Nasi Lemak, for an upcoming event.  This bowl dish features a central scoop of rice topped with eggplant and peanuts, cucumber, fried anchovies, and hard boiled eggs in sections surrounding the rice.  In order to make this meal Top 8 allergen free, gluten free, and vegan optional, we used roasted, dried chickpeas in place of the peanuts and roasted shredded carrots in place of the anchovies with the egg as a last minute edition for those that may want it.  This was my first taste of Malay food and I’ll definitely be coming back for more! 

Traditional Malay Nasi Lemak 

Our Top 8 allergen free and gluten free version Nasi Lemak 

Wednesday was the first day I got to spend in Couch dining hall.  After an in-depth tour of the facility from Sam, the general manager of Couch, they let me jump right in and help with the lunch time rush.  I started prepping sides for the veggie line before heading over to the pizza and pasta line, where Tim taught me the art of pizza-making in a brick oven.  I think I made my Sicilian ancestors proud!  I was a little nervous for this aspect of the rotation because I don’t do much cooking myself and I’ve never spent time in a kitchen this size before, but every person I worked with (or gave me directions when I made a wrong turn) was so patient and kind.  Now I can’t wait to go back!

Thursday was Arbor Day, so after a quick morning in the office, I went out to help catering with the picnic they had planned for the University’s tree planting event.  It was still a little chilly out, but the trees have started blooming so it looks like spring has sprung in Oklahoma!  Later on, we did some more taste testing; this time it was Sunbutter cookies, the allergen free equivalent of peanut butter cookies made from sunflower seeds.  They were so good you didn’t even miss the actual peanut butter.

Arbor Day picnic featuring some of the blooming trees 

Finally Friday rolled around and it was back to Couch for me.  We have a Native American meal next Monday and Tuesday, so we spent the morning gathering and prepping the ingredients so all that’s left is the actual cooking the day of the event.  The menu looks amazing, with rabbit stew, catfish with pine nuts, and buffalo meatloaf as some of the stand outs.  They’re really keeping me on my toes with all of these fun recipes!

Overall, it has been an extremely fun week, full of lots of new experiences.  I’m really loving learning more about the food service and culinary aspect of nutrition, as well as the basic cooking skills I currently lack.  Can’t wait to see what next week has in store for me!