Inventory & Ice Cream.

Hello again!
Hope everyone is settled and enjoying their time so far at their internships. We are half way through week 2 already, and I can see how fast the rest of the time is going to just fly by. After working in the South dining hall last week, we got a scenery change by working in the Putnam dining hall to complete inventory, receiving, and a little bit of chef work.

Yesterday, we spent our time working with Terry, who is in charge of the inventory and receiving over at Putnam. She put us to work, starting with taking inventory. I was assigned to the chef box (produce, meat, and egg fridge), and Laura was assigned to the dairy cooler. We both completed a portion of the dry storage inventory, and lucky for us Terry helped with the freezer. With three people helping at once, it saved us from being frozen for too long! She also taught us the importance of double checking how each product is measured when taking inventory, whether it be pounds, cases, bunches, etc. This is important when it comes to accurately measuring how much you have available and saves on food costs. We had plenty of questions to ask and Terry was very helpful at clarifying as we went along.

Freezer Inventory

After completing the inventory, Terry put all the information into the computer to print out an inventory analysis, which measures the counts from the last inventory check to the current inventory. This is when discrepancies are noted, such as the mistake that was made with feta cheese. During this inventory, the feta was measured by pounds, but on the last inventory it was measured by the case, which left a big food cost difference between the two. This was a valuable lesson to learn about double checking the units. Although a tedious task, it was beneficial to learn and take part in inventory.

After all our hard work, we decided it was past due to take a visit to the UConn Dairy Bar, where they make their own ice cream on campus. Being a self proclaimed ice cream addict, I was like a kid in a candy store, or rather an ice cream shoppe when we had the opportunity to go. After hard deliberation (and some free samples) I settled for the banana chocolate chip, and Laura got the raspberry sorbet. I have made it my goal to try ALL 24 flavors the Dairy Bar offers, and am up for the challenge! One down, twenty three to go....

In Ice Cream Heaven.

The next day, we focused on the aspect of receiving orders, since no orders came in yesterday due to the holiday on Monday. Again, it was important to double check the units and amounts of product that was ordered and make sure it matches the amount received. We got to practice our receiving skills as well as get more familiar with the kitchen by taking 3 receiving orders.

Checking the invoice and receiving order

 Finally, we helped out in the kitchen since the dining hall  was packed with orientation students. I was in charge of fries, and Laura was on grilled cheese duty. It was important to keep an eye on how much of each was left on the serving line, and how many more students needed to go through in order to determine whether or not to make more. Chefs Bruce & Angel helped us along the way until all the students were served.

Tomorrow we are going over recipes for our themed meal, which we have decided to name, "Sand & Sea". We have lots of ideas, and are looking forward to working with Rob Landolphi on developing our menu more!

Looking forward to hearing more about everyones experiences throughout the summer!