University of Northern Iowa (UNI) week 2

DAY 3: THE DIRTY WORK IN THE KITCHEN

Monday, June 11, 2012

University of Northern Iowa

             Third day of the internship, and I got to sleep in a little which was awesome!  I collaborated with the dining manager of Piazza, but he is working at Rialto this summer.  We thoroughly discussed the safety and sanitations standards that apply to the dining halls at UNI.  First, I located the fire extinguishers, fire blankets, first aid kits, and the Material Safety Data Sheets, MSDS, book within Rialto dining.  What is a MSDS book?  It houses all the information about how to properly handle chemicals within the facility including the utilization of the chemical and what to do if an accident occurs.  Then the manager explained to me the procedures for fires and tornados.

            Next, I completed an inspection of the dining center one relating to sanitation and the other safety.  I inspected temperatures on both the dishwasher and prepared food items.  It was interesting to see the dining room from a manager’s perspective.
            After I completed those tasks, then the dirty work began.  I worked the dish room during lunch.  A student supervisor explained to me the functions/jobs in a dish room.  It is not your ordinary dishwasher.  There is a great deal of teamwork involved here, such as the assembly lines.  There is a person taking the dirty dishes off the tray conveyer line, a person who presoaks the dishes, a person who places the dishes in the dishwasher, and a person who puts away the clean dishes.  In addition, there are people prewashing the dishes and pans from the kitchen as well.  In the summer, the workload is on a smaller scale.  I can only imagine the clinking of dishes during the school year with more than eight people assisting with dishwashing in the assembly line.
            Next, I observed the disassembly of the dish machine, which sounds a lot more frightening than it is.  I did not realize that the dishes are rinsed in temperatures above 180 degrees Fahrenheit.  That is hot!  Then the student supervisor and I cleaned two kitchen hoods, and those were extremely greasy.  After we completed that task, a few student workers and I went outside on the patio and went to work on summer cleaning extravaganza. 
            I experienced all the dirty work of the kitchen today, but it must be done.  It actually made the day go by extremely fast, and the thought of the task was way worse than the actual deed. 

DAY 4: PAYMENT, POSTING, ORDERING, & LAUNDRY

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

University of Northern Iowa

            On the fourth day of the internship, I worked with two lovely ladies in Rialto Dining at UNI.  First I worked with the Rialto/Piazza clerk, and she made me more acquainted with FoodPro and showed me the procedures behind the checks, balances, and inventory of the dining halls.  Breakfast had just finished, and I assisted her with closing the cash procedures of the dining hall.  The greeter, with the assistance of the CBORD system, keeps track of the number of patrons that ate at the dining hall and how they paid for their meals.  Patron count and payment method is necessary for both forecasting and maintaining financial records. 

Next, I helped input an invoice into FoodPro.  This is necessary to ensure that the right amount of food or nonfood items were received from specific companies and to electronically keep track of inventory.  Then, we discussed bill payments to certain companies that provide food or nonfood items to the dining halls such as Martin Bros.  The clerk inputs the data (the invoices) into the Oracle system on her E-business through UNI.  The invoices are sorted alphabetically by like companies then ordered by date.  The residence system operations release the funds to pay for the food or nonfood items from their allotted budgets.

Afterwards, I experienced some of the jobs and duties found in a food service kitchen.  First, we had an easy fixed problem; there were no clean coats for the cooks or rags to clean, so I did some laundry.  I really can understand how everyone contributes to the process.  Then, I helped brown the hamburger in a giant pot that I call a cauldron.  I felt like I was making a witch’s brew with the large utensil that was a cross between a whisk and a potato masher.  Safe to say I got a nice shoulder workout J.  Next, I prepared (washed and chopped) red potatoes to make a cheesy potato casserole for dinner.  Afterwards, I diced and sliced tomatoes for the tacos, salad bar, and the hamburgers.  Throughout prepping these meals we discussed the sanitation and safety involved with prep work.

            Most people think working in a kitchen is not fun, but I enjoy cooking so it was all in all a good day.  Whenever I ate dinner I heard someone say that the cheesy potatoes were delicious, and that intrinsically gave me motivation and a reward for a job well done.

DAY 5: PRECOSTING, A SANDWICH ARTIST, AND COOKING

Wednesday, June 13, 2012
University of Northern Iowa

             It is the fifth day of the internship, and the director and I tackled the weekly precosting.  Precosting happens every Wednesday at UNI, and it is for two weeks later.  During the school year, there is a 23-day cycle, whereas in the summer, there is a five-day cycle.  Precosting is based on portions of previous count sheets, demographics of the patrons, and number of servings per patron.  Conferences, orientations, camps, etc. can increase the precost calculations.  On a normal day, there are six venues open at Rialto; however, during the summer months the patron count is significantly less.  If the patron count is low, Rialto will reduce the number of venues that they have open.  Each day is statistically based on the same day only a week before with slight modifications due to demographics of the patrons and reduced venues. 

It is a lengthy process, but to determine how many servings of each food item that we need for a meal to feed x amount of people is crucial in a food service operation.  Too much food is wasteful, yet too little food leaves unhappy customers.  I hope my educated estimates of servings pan out that week; I do not want anyone to complain that they ran out of food!  The director told me something funny, “if we run out of food, and the staff complain tell them, ‘I based it off the service records, so those must have been wrong.’”

Next, I assisted with lunch.  I worked as a greeter, and whenever the line became busy at Colby’s, I helped make sandwiches and wraps.  Colby’s is my favorite place to eat at Rialto; I love deli sandwiches.  I even evaluated my turkey sandwich, and of course, it scored exceptionally well.  After I was finished eating, I helped with lunch clean up.

Later, I sat down with my internship director then a chef and brainstormed ideas about my special event.  It is RialtOlympics to support team USA in this year’s Summer Olympic games.  In addition, my internship director came up with an idea for a mini project, QR coding for menu items for easier access to nutritional information.

Last, but not least, we started dinner.  I operated the wok, a pizza presser, a grill, and a fryer all in one night, and it was exciting!  I made a chicken stir-fry on the wok.  I helped prepare 18 pizzas, assembling my own pepperoni and sausage pizza, which I ate a slice for dinner.  I made hot dogs on the grill, and I deep-fried the French fries.  It was a long and exciting day, I love being able to help in the kitchen.

DAY 6: RIALTO—COOKING, CLEANING, AND BABY CHICKS

Thursday, June 14, 2012

University of Northern Iowa

            Day 6: I am finishing up with Rialto dining here at UNI.  It went well today, I had to work through lunch and dinner, but I had a fun break with one of the chefs.  Whenever I got there in the morning, I helped a cook with the daily soups.  He made a chicken noodle soup while I made a cheesy vegetable soup.  We used a piece of equipment that I have never used called a countertop kettle. 

           Next, a student worker and I set up Emiliano’s for lunch.  Together, we set up the Taco Bar.  After we placed the taco and its fixings along the bar, we ensured adequate temperatures of the meat and placed utensils in each of the containers with fixings.
            After setting up Emiliano’s, I helped at Formaggio to make pizzas in the large stone pizza oven.  The pizza oven is like a huge fireplace.  I felt like a real Italian using the long wooden pizza peel.  There were what the other student workers called “hotspots” in the oven.  I had to bake the pizzas cautiously; one area of the oven cooked the tops of the pizzas, while another area crisped the crusts.  I had to keep rotating the pizzas to ensure their doneness. 
           When lunch was finished, I got to help in some more dirty work; I cleaned the char broiler.  It was so hot!  They clean these grills once a day.  I dissembled the grill, taking certain pieces to the dish room.  Then, I degreased the entire piece of equipment.  It was a tough task, and the heat was almost unbearable.  I kept asking the student worker next to me “how do you bear the heat?”  He said that he just got used to it.  I had to use gloves when I was degreasing the equipment, because the chemical was so harsh, it would “take off my arm hair.”  Forty-five minutes later, I finished degreasing, soaking, rinsing, and sanitizing this kitchen equipment. 
            We had some down time after lunch, so we did something crazy.  The chef  I was working with recently acquired some black Silkie chicks, so we were able to drive to her house and see her chicken coup.  It was interesting to see how similar the lifestyles of people from Iowa are to people from my town in Illinois.
            After we got back, it was time to start preparing for dinner.  I worked at Pasta Cucina this evening, and I prepared the salad bar.  At UNI in Rialto, they do not use ice bins or cold plates for their food.  Therefore, they must throw away any food not eaten after four hours.  In addition, the food cannot be re-chilled once on the counter.  Sanitation is extremely important at the salad bar, since many of the foods are more prone to bacteria.
            Lastly, the workday ended with the employees coming together to finish cleaning the the dishes and putting them away.  It was a fun day at the internship, but now I am getting ready to go out to Beck’s, a country nightclub where people line dance, with a coworker and some of her friends.     

DAY 7: CATERING PLANNING AND TASTE TESTING!

Friday, June 15, 2012
University of Northern Iowa

            The seventh day in the internship, and it’s Friday!  I worked with the general manager for catering events.  UNI caters events anywhere from business lunch meetings to weddings.  They can cater anywhere on campus, but most outside events such as weddings are catered in Mauker Union or the Commons. 

            The first step to any event is planning!  The customer and the caterer work to find the best place and time for his or her event.  Some places on campus have full working kitchens, which are good for wedding events, whereas, other places are better for lunch meetings.  Next, caters would plan for people in attendance and of course, the food.  I assisted with planning the menu for two events; the first was a preshow of the production of Shrek and the second is a preshow of the production of Dreamgirls. 
            There are many things that a caterer takes into consideration when planning a menu such as the theme, setting, year, demographics, and budget.  It was so fun creating a menu that collaborates with the event.  However, there are times, in which the group has an idea about the menu at their events or uses a standard at UNI catering.
            Next, we attended a wedding catering meeting.  The bride and groom wanted to incorporate where they have traveled into their menu.  It was an awesome day for taste testing!  We tested Greek pita bites, German pork schnitzel, baba ganoush, chicken creole on a bed of rice, empanadas, and many more international treats.  Next, we planned everything from how many tables to the necessity of electrical cords, a long process, but a girl’s wedding day must be perfect.  After this wedding planning, I am grateful to say that I am glad my wedding is not anytime soon, it seems like a long and stressful process.
            After we finished the meeting, there was more taste testing.  We tested a cheddar penne bake, a rice salad, and hummus.  I am so full, and this internship may make me gain weight from all the taste testing, but I love it.  I am off, and I am ready for the weekend; I am going to check out a Waterloo Bucks’ game.