Week 4: The Exploration Continues

This week I went to the Union Market at the Oklahoma Memorial Union. As a 50/50 convenience store and cafeteria, the Union Market sells a variety of grab-and-go items, but also has a fresh salad bar (hand-cut), a hot bar, with food cooked daily, a soup station, and a sandwich/fry stand with all you can customize options! I was able to observe how manager Amy Zuniga operated such a unique operation and got to experience first hand what she does in a day as the manager of the Union Market. In addition to bookwork, she also mans various stations at the front-of-house when she is understaffed and cleans the serving area of spills and overflow—all while ensuring quality of the hot bar, salad bar, and soups!

I ended the week with some recipe testing for my Recipe Modification assignment: gluten-free, vegan, top-8 allergen free chocolate donuts and GF, vegan, Top-8 overnight oats. Since I was baking, I worked with Couch Restaurants' Baker, Ms. Sung Jun Kim, who taught me the basics of baking (I don't bake at all—no finesse :p) and helped my donuts reached the desired, delicious texture and consistency, all the while baking her own Valentine's Day specialty cakes.

Valentine's Day at Couch Restaurants.

Weeks 1-3: The Shaky Beginning

HOW'S IT GOING Y'ALL? Kevin Huang here, new dietetic intern/CPMA student from the OUHSC. Why is this a shaky beginning? Well, because this post is covering 3 weeks! Geez that's a long time to wait to post, but I have an excuse... I'm a terrible person and have the memory of a goldfish. Also, I was getting sick, moving apartments, going to weddings—cut me some slack! Luckily, I've been working with one of the most accommodating preceptors there is... Ms. Dot Flowers! She started off my first week busy, with a rotation at Couch Restaurants. Under the guidance of General Manager Sam Ford and Operations Manager Marcia Musser, I did my best at making stir-fries and taco bowls. However, the supervisors could only do so much, but I think the end result was alright... nobody threw up (at least that I saw) and I got some repeat customers the next day! Week 1 also included heading to the kitchen side of operations and prepping the meat and vegetables for Casa del Sol. My years in food service and the restaurant business definitely paid off these first two days and we got done with most of the prep work early. My last 2 days in the Couch Restaurants consisted of helping Executive Chef Nathan Eckert, also the Production Manager, finalize, standardize, and input Couch's delicious top secret recipes into his filing system.

Week 2 was a surprise. I was transported to Hogwarts where my next rotations would begin. Well... I was sent to the Residential Colleges, but these beautiful buildings were so reminiscent of the halls of Hogwarts, and they even had a sorting system with 2 houses: Dunham College and Headington College. These were NOT here when I left OU as an undergraduate and I am so disappointed! According to General Manager Chase Wiens, the two houses are Gryffindor and Ravenclaw (his words were social and studious). Here I inherited opening duties like restocking the breakfast supplies, overseeing and helping the opening staff, and shadowing the Operations Manager, Doug Milliken, who taught me the responsibilities of running a new operation like the Residential Colleges dining hall. This week ended with a return to the Couch Restaurants under Kevin Barker for a safety and sanitation inspection and wouldn't you know it... Sam, Nathan, and Marcia run a tight, clean ship. Any and all inadequacies were promptly dealt with and amended.

The hectic rotating finally settled on week 3. This week saw me helping Dot with her Allergy Awareness at the Oklahoma Memorial Union. While setting up, Dot taught me that these events were imperative due to many students/faculty not knowing about the services OU offers concerning specialty diets. Dot and others in her department help students/faculty with Celiac disease, allergies, and other dietary requirements, providing on-campus dining locations to restaurants that meet their specific diets. This specific events focused on vegan, gluten-free foods free of the top 8 allergens. There were also free samples of olive oil brownies, a vegetable agrodolce, and italian sweet-and-sour sauce, and a one-pot spaghetti that were surprisingly delicious!

Dot Flowers, Ingredient Specialist, and her agrodolce.

Weeks 5, 6, 7, & 8!

Week 5: 

This week I really focused on getting to caught up on my assignments that I have been working on during this rotation! I appreciate all of you for taking the time to answer my questions I have had over these assignments along with helping me completely my various projects along the way! 

Week 6: 

This week I participated in helping Dot with her allergy awareness booths. She had one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. The booth on Tuesday was an absolute success! We went through all of the samples and we had a lot of students and staff asking questions about food allergies! On Thursday the booth was outside, it was a little harder to attract students over to try the samples. We had some samples left over and we did attract several students who wanted to learn about food allergies and were interested in reading out poster boards. Overall it was a success though, having a good amount of students who came by. 

On Wednesday of this week I met with Lauren Royston. She and I discussed the rolls that human resources plays in helping OU housing and food services run as smoothly as it does. She was very kind to take the time to meet with me and answer all of my questions! 

Week 7: 

This week I was able to go to Crossroads! I was shown around their facility and I also got to head over to bookmark to see how that was ran. I was very impressed with how well operations ran! I had a great time getting to know everyone and I appreciate the time they took to talk and answer my questions. 

On Tuesday I worked at Wagner with Curtis and James. Both Curtis and James sat down with me and took the time to answer all of my questions which was really great! I had a great time working with Flo and getting to see how the facility accommodates to so many different needs. 

On Thursday I presented my In-service at the managers meeting! I did my in-service over food allergies and some suggested protocols and guidelines that should be followed when preparing foods that are for students with food allergies or restrictions.

1

Week 8: 

MY LAST WEEK!  On Monday and Tuesday I worked with Amy and all of her employees over at Enstein's Bagel Brothers! It was great to talk to her and her staff about how things run over there! I have never worked in a frachise operation before so that was a great experience! On Tuesday they had an audit and GOT AN "A"! It was honestly really interesting to see how an audit is done.

I can’t believe this rotation is over! It went by so quickly and I am very grateful for all the people I have met and have had the opportunity to learn from! You have all been amazing! It has been extremely helpful for me to see how a program this large is able to successfully feed so many students! It was my first experience with food service and it has been a blast! I appreciate everything you all did to make this such an amazing rotation! It is a little bittersweet to leave and I wish you all the very best! 

Victoria Dahan

Week 3 & 4 + Buisness Plan

Week 3

I was originally supposed to work in Couch for a couple of days this week but Cate was opening earlier than it was supposed to so it was short staffed! I was able to head over and see how operations work over there along with helping pick up some slack! I have not had much experience in a kitchen so I was extremely happy to have had that opportunity! I worked at the fryer helping prepare french fries, corn dogs, and chicken fingers. I was a little overwhelmed at first but after a few rounds, I got the hang of it! I expect a job offer to be Cate’s full time fryer here pretty soon :).

I met with Steve during this week so he could help me review my recipe and input the ingredients and instructions into cboard! Cboard is much more complicated than I was expecting! It is so important to make sure that you are precise with what you are inputing to avoid any big differences with the final product. 

I was able to head over to Couch on friday and talk with Marcia. She was extremely kind to sit and talk with me and answer all of the questions I had on the ins and outs of how couch is run. After meeting with Marcia I was fortunate enough to sit in on a meeting between Sam, Marcia and Nathan! 

I also finished off the week by observing and helping Kevin with his safety and sanitation check! I learned a lot about how to perform an inspection which was an amazing opportunity! 

Week 4

WEEK OF MY BUSINESS PLAN!!!  

My Business plan is on thursday and I worked on organizing the set up, the food, and the handout for a couple weeks now. On Tuesday and Wednesday I was able to head over to the couch and actually help out with creating me recipes! I really appreciate all of the help and guidance I received from the kitchen staff during this week! It was a learning experience for me and I could not have been more thankful for you all providing me with your guidance and kind words or encouragement. 

The event was a success, we hit some hiccups during set up but other than that, everything ran very smoothly! The students really enjoyed their samples and learning about food allergies and intolerances.  

Weeks 1 &2 - Victoria Dahan

Hello! My Name is Victoria Dahan and I am a Dietetic Intern from OUHSC working with Dot! I am excited to get the opportunity to work in all of your facilities and learn about what happens at OU Housing and Food Services! 

Week 1:
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Chris and Doug at Dunham this week! I talked to Chris about the different roles that dietitians can have throughout their careers along with the underappreciated nature dietitians have in hospital settings. I just finished up my clinical rotation so I could not agree with this more! I received the grand tour of Duhnam. Dunham was preparing to use both kitchens to designate where foods are being served. I was able to help out during breakfast learning how the students place orders and how the staff is able to cook breakfast to order. I was then moved over to learn how the salad station was run! I learned how to make pasta bakes and I also helped create a sign for the pasta station -- Spaghetti Island!

Week 2: 

Week 2 I was able to help out with sorority recruitment move in! This was interesting to see how OU housing and food service plays a role in ensuring move in is done smoothly. I went to the University of Arkansas and it was mostly a free for all so it was a great to experience how other schools organize move in. 

This week I also helped with Dot’s booth for move in! At this booth we served breakfast foods along with some lunch samples for parents and students to try! All samples were gluten free, vegan, and top 8 allergen free. I had one parent come up with a student who was gluten free and lactose in tolerant and she was so happy that her student got to try a doughnut for the first time!!

On Friday of this week I was fortunate enough to go to couch and begin my first trial of the recipe I am developing! It is going to be a Broccoli Tabbouleh. 

Week 7 & 8
WOW! I can't even believe that my time is up here... I have always heard from dietitians that their food service management rotation was the worst out of the three, but I could't disagree more. This rotation has been amazing. I got to experience food management in away that actually applies to what I want to do. I was able to visit most sites on campus and got to experience many different management style. I tried to learn everything I could from everyone that I met here. I asked a BILLION questions and everyone was so quick to provide an answer.

Week 7 included giving my Employee In-Service presentation, which went very well. I even had people ask questions about it when I was at their location. It was over why the Vegetation Station at Couch restaurants is separate. I felt like this was an easy way to talk about some very big topics, such as: cross-contact, cross-contamination, hand-washing, and proper cooking temperatures. I also spent some time in Xceteria with Rebecca, and it was great to see the retail side of ordering and management. It is very different in many ways than running a normal restaurant. 

For the start of week 8 I was at Dunham with Chase and Doug. Chase was amazing and very thoughtful. He started the day off by sitting me down and talking to me about his experience with dietitians and giving some great advice on how to work in the clinical setting (My next rotation is at a hospital). I have loved asking everyone how they want to work with a dietitian and, in their opinion, what it would take to have a good working relationship. It is definitely something I will be using in the future as I work with food service.

I have had such a a great time learning about management and meeting everyone here at OU Housing and Food. You all have created such a welcoming environment that makes it easy to come and learn here. Thank you to everyone who I have met who, have helped me with all of my projects, shown me how you approach your job, and helping me increase my knowledge on how to run a successful food service business.

Thank you so much!!
Best,
Amber

Week 6
Good Afternoon!
I FINALLY got to go to Headington! I was so excited and made the most out of my two days! Curtis and James were so happy to answer all my questions. It was so awesome to see what OU Housing and Food does for OUr athletes. They offer all kinds of different options to keep the athletes and other residents happy and healthy.

This was also the week of my business plan. It went off without a hitch! Couch did an AMAZING job on the food! My theme was playoff time, since we are about to come up on NHL and NBA playoffs. I wanted to demonstrate that individuals with allergies or vegans can have delicious options too. We had Dot's Pepper Salsa, Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings", Vegan "Ranch", and chocolate chip cookie dough. Couch also saved the cauliflower from getting soggy by not putting the sauce on "wings". I was very fortunate to have watched two of Dot's events the last week, since my original business plan date was canceled due to the weather. This really helped in making sure my event went off well! We received many positive reviews and even had some students that were able to get assistance from Dot for their food allergies.

Week 7 is my in-service date! I am so excited to talk about the need for separation in the Vegetation Station at Couch.
Have a great week everyone!

Week 3, 4, 5

Good Morning OU Housing and Food Fam!
These past two weeks have FLOWN by! Between finishing almost all of my projects for rotations and getting ready for Dot's and I events, it has been crazy!

Week 3 was spent doing some housekeeping in the office. I worked on my recipe development and finalizing steps for my Business plan. Wednesday, February 6, I had the opportunity to help Jet Li with his Chinese New Year menu. He made everything from pickle fish to Chinese BBQ pork. It was all extremely delicious. I helped him serve and for 4 hours we had a line almost out the door. By the end of lunch, we had run out of everything except the Chinese BBQ pork. It was crazy and amazing at the same time! I also had the opportunity to try out my menu for my business plan. The Cauliflower and Vegan "Ranch" were a huge hit! The truffles ended up being changed to chocolate chip cookie dough since it wouldn't hold the ball shape

Week 4 I spent at both Cross A &C. Monday and Tuesday I was at Cross C helping open Farmer & The Kale and making pizza at Basic Knead. The rest of the week I was at Cross A. Nathan and Tim were absolutely AMAZING in answering every question, letting me hands on with the logistics of running a restaurant, and letting me work right beside them. I learned everything from scheduling to account keeping. Plus, Credo is absolutely amazing! That loaded Mac & Cheese is what dreams are made out of!

Week 5 was spent in the office finishing up my projects, like employee in service and business plan. After thinking I had found the winning idea for my performance improvement, I found out that it had already been fixed. So, after talking to Dot, we decided to write out procedures for what to do with someone who self identifies an allergy. On Thursday, we had Dot's event for allergen awareness. It went swimmingly!

Sorry for not posting! This internship has been crazy busy, but I have loved every second!
Best,
Amber

Week 2

Good Morning Everyone!

This week, I had the opportunity to spend week 2 with Sam Ford at Couch restaurants. This cafeteria is one of the only all you can eat places on the OU Norman campus. The way that couch is run s incredible and takes a lot of coordination. It is very crucial that all members communicate and work together. It was very interesting to see how dietary restrictions are handled at Couch. They have a section of the buffet line that is top 8 free and a buffet cart that is top 8 free along with gluten. It is awesome to see how Couch accommodates all members of OU.

I spent time in many places of Couch including: front dining area, Chick-fil-a, Vegetation Station, Receiving, and La Roma. All places were very busy and required communication from all members. I was in the stock room on a Thursday which is weekly inventory, but it was also monthly inventory. I followed both Ronnie and Justin to see how they manage such a daunting task. On top of inventory, they also had to put up orders and keep all walk-ins/store rooms clean. I absolutely enjoyed talking to everyone and getting to see what they do everyday.

This week was very different than what I expected, but I absolutely enjoyed every minute! Sam invited me back to help with Lunar New Year on Wednesday, which will be interesting to see how they handle a big events. I will also try out my recipes for my Business Plan and Recipe Modification.

Talk to y'all next week!
Best,
Amber

Week 1

Good Morning Everyone!
My name is Amber Rinestine and I am the newest dietetic intern at OU Housing and Food. I just finished the school portion at OUHSC and am super excited to be starting my rotations. I have heard nothing but great things about this particular management rotation and was hoping I would be chosen for it. So I am sure y'all can understand my excitement to be here! I am very interested in seeing all the inner workings of this department (having to manage that many places must take a great deal of organization) and being able to apply it in the future.

It is my first week here and I am overwhelmed with how welcoming everyone has been. It is exciting that so many people want to offer their assistance and are so open with what they do/advice. Dot's job has been very interesting to learn about. It is incredible the steps that she takes to ensure every student has a meal plan that is safe for them. This week I was tasked with a food allergy awareness booth that will be happening on Feb. 19th. I have been planning the educational handouts and the menu, since we will be handing out free top 8 allergen free, gluten free, and vegan snacks. Today, Friday January 25, I am meeting Kevin Barker (Director of Business Operations) and go with him on a sanitation, safety, and quality inspection at Crossroads at the Student Union. This will be interesting to see since I have been on the other side before. It is very important that sanitation is being maintained and safety measures are in place to make sure everyone, students and staff, are safe here on campus.

As I mentioned above, I am very excited to be here and can't wait to take in every opportunity given to me! Have an AMAZING week and I will chat with y'all next Friday!

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.