By Joel Blake
Menlo Oak Staff
It’s 6 a.m. and
Sodexo’s Menlo College Cafeteria is in full swing. Busy at work, the kitchen staff plans, prepares, and executes the necessary steps to deliver breakfast to students.
The Menlo cafeteria
is an essential part of campus life, satisfying the minds and bodies of students. It
provides students with a social environment to learn more about one another,
and develop relationships in what seems to be the heart of the campus. The
heart of the cafeteria is the staff.
 |
| Angel Gutierrez |
“If you were to do a survey
of college campuses around the country you would find only a handful that have
the quality of food that Menlo College enjoys every day," said Eric Drake, director of catering and retail management. "We are a local,
organic, sustainable, and all natural program. We offer a huge variety of
options every day for our student population. Organic produce, all natural
meats, artisan cheeses made locally, specifically for us, and the list goes on."
"If you visit the prestigious college (Stanford) down the road you would find
Menlo's program is far and away much better. We are based in a commitment to
the health and wellness of our community,” Drake added.
Clearly, Drake
is passionate about his job and he believes in the quality of the
service that Sodexo provides.
“As we move forward I am
certain that changes to our program are on the near horizon. One of the long-term
goals is to open the cafeteria up as a place where students can gather at any
time during the day to study, hang out, have a class meeting or grab a snack to
go. It will take money and commitment from everyone involved but I think it
will open up a community feel that makes the building accessible for all
students throughout the day, including those that live off campus. Currently we
are offing themed menus on Saturdays that focus on a particular cuisine such as
Asian, Middle Eastern, Spanish, or Italian foods. I think it's like going out
to a restaurant, ” said Drake.
Drake and the staff work hard every day to provide Grill, Entrée, Exhibition, Deli,
Pizza, and Salad Bar services to the faculty and students. They each have their
own take about working with food, and something to say about their profession.
 |
| Chef Serenity Woods |
“It’s my job, and it
changed my whole life. I used to be a housewife, now the students inspire me,”
said Chef Silvia Muniz.
“I always think about who
is going to enjoy the meal. When I love the cooking I am doing, then the
students can love the food. Sometimes, what is good for your mouth is not good
for your body. That is why when you are young; you can eat what you want. Then
when you are older, you eat what the doctor tells you! Just remember, organic
is good for a good life,” added Muniz.
The cafeteria wouldn’t be
the same without Steve Savage. Savage mans the pizzas in the brick oven, while
building massive deli sandwiches. The Houston native sees food preparation as
an art.
“Food puts the food on my
table,” said Savage.
“I
learned to cook at the Professional Culinary Institute. I like to cook with
fresh ingredients and let the seasons influence my cooking. Nature is a big
deal to me, so having local produce is important,” explained Savage.
Savage
said that he enjoys working at the school, being able to share conversation
with his "regulars."
"Feed-back means everything, I like to see what people like
and don’t like. Then we can make changes based around the popular response," Savage continued.
Janelle
Ferrer works in the kitchen preparing ingredients, and works the grill.
“You
have got to put some passion and love into making food. Without it, its like
dog food, just throwing a bunch of ingredients into a bowl.”
“I
think we have to watch what we eat, it becomes what we are made of,” Ferrer
went on to say.
Maintaining
the condition of the food is Serenity Woods job. She keeps her eyes on the
food.
“My
Grandpa was a chef and I understand the importance of a good meal,” said Woods
as she pushed ice around the vegetables.
“I
like to cook peacefully and carefully. Food does a lot for our bodies and
souls. We should be thankful for every meal we get,” Woods said with an
affirming tone.
Sodexo’s,
Menlo Cafeteria provides so much the students and faculty. From organic
foods, to leather couches and flat screen TVs, the cafeteria is a healthy place
to kick back and spend some time. With a great manager like Drake, the
cafeteria looks to increase its role in campus life, and add to the places to chill at Menlo.
Black history is full
of important societal movements that have helped to shape the American society.
The battle to bring equality and
justice to black Americans was achieved through a multi-ethnic coalition, one
that Dr. Martin Luther King described as containing, “black men and white men,
Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics.”
The outage started shortly before 11 a.m. with the library losing power. The library is where some of the schools computer servers are housed. Because of the outage, Internet programs such as MyMenlo, Jenzabar, and Internet-based campus services such as the cafeteria's meal plan system were unavailable.
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