Week one in ND

Wow!  I cannot believe how fast my first wek has gone!  I have leanred so much along the way too!  Here are some deitals on some things I have done:

Day 1:  I went around with my boss and met many of the dining staff and other UND employees.  Everyone was very welcoming and accommodating to me.  I of course had to fill out paperwork to make my employment at UND "official".  After that, I met the dietittian on staff.  His name is Dustin and he is from Montana.  You will be hearing much about him since I work with him on a lot of things.  In the afternoon, I sat in on some meetings. UND has a program called Healthy UND 2020, much like Healthy People 2020.  There are several groups within this coalition.  I went to a meeting with the nutrition promotion group of this coalition. We spoke about different programs that we could do in September to promote fruit and vegetable consumption.  After that, Dustin showed me around UND's recreation center, aptly called the Student Wellness Center.  To my surprise, I walked out of there with a free membership!  The dietitian who works at the rec sponsored me for a membership!  One thing I have learned very quickly here is that UND is very accommodating, especially in the dining halls.  Dustin and I met with several students who had specific diet needs (especially intense allergies).   He spoke about the different services the dining halls provide for these students.  UND offers special orders online and an allergy free zone that is separate from the rest of the food.

Day 2:  In the morning, I worked with one of the kitchen managers on the inventory.  It was kind of confusing.  UND uses a computer system called FoodPro to manage their foodservice.  It is actually very convenient and handy.  I then sat in on a meeting with the residence and dining staff.  They have a monthly meeting to update everyone how their departments are going.  The last thing I did was brainstorming for a new specialty bar concept.  UND has a specialty bar area in some dining halls that offers a a different themed entree at each meal. Dustin and I began working on a Macaroni and Cheese concept that would be served out of this bar.  We thought up 20 different macaroni and cheese flavors that would be served.  These include pizza, italian sausage, cowboy, and garlic parmesan mac and cheeses.  More details will follow.

Day 3: In the morning, I worked with another kitchen manager on ordering food for the department.  This was through FoodPro and very confusing as well.  Next, I went over to the bakery and taste tested some cookies that the chefs are recipe testing.  I am surprised that they value my opinion enough already to include me in this.  Next, I met with Dustin and a sales rep for Food Service of America.  FSA is a distributor that UND buys most of their foods from.  It was pretty interesting to see how business, food, and nutrition mix.  Finally, I attended a meeting with the management team.  There, they updated the staff on what is going on and what needs to be taken care of.  I also proposed our mac and cheese idea to the team and they are pretty excited about it!

Day 4:  This is the day that I finally got to make some food!  I worked the breakfast shift, mostly on the serving line.  I learned how to make omelets and take the temperatures of the food.  Also, I learned how to properly dispose of food.   Next, I worked on putting my mac and cheese idea into FoodPro.  Later that day, I worked the dinner shift , mostly in the kitchen where I leanred how to use the fryers and some other equipment.

Day 5:  On this day, I worked the breakfast shift again.  Next, I worked with some of the sous chefs and made a new recipe for vegan chile soup (which I can personally say was really good). I was surprised that they asked me for input on what should go into the soup, which they actually used to improve it!  I also made some banana bread which I did not get to sample.  Finally, I worked on putting the mac and cheese meals onto the menu. We will be serving the mac and cheeses for lunch and dinner all week from 6/18-6/22. Hopefully, it goes well!

Well that is it for now, I'll add more next week!