One and two and three and four

I've been a busy worker bee, but it's time to fill all of webland in on what I've been up to these past few days.....

On Friday, I had another early shift at McMahon Dining Hall. Friday's mission, Inventory Control with Jerry the ICA guru. We were to learn all the facets behind receiving all the inventory for the day. We originally had five trucks scheduled to arrive on Friday. We reviewed the basic process behind receiving so when the first truck arrived we would be prepared. Once the first truck arrived, we checked the product to the invoice, signed for the product, and then FIFO'ed the product into it's rightful home. We continued this for the second shipment, as well. This shipment was a little more in depth than the baked goods that arrived first. It was from Sysco, and had product that went into different areas for storage. We had product that went into the freezer, the cook's box, the dairy box, dry storage, and paper storage in the front of the house. We got everything checked in and then worked on putting all the items up. We received one more truck, and then found out that the other two trucks wouldn't be coming afterall. We then reorganized all of the bread product to minimize the empty racks and conserve storage space. Once this was complete, we had time to work on our projects. Brittany and I were able to sit down and really brainstorm ideas for our luncheon. We chatted with some of the managers and chefs about the layout of South (the dining hall where our luncheon will take place) and our ideas for our cuisines. We have a good idea of the different areas of the world that we are wanting to concentrate for our meals. We are now waiting for Tuesday to arrive so we can go chat with John Kuhl about our ideas and our budget. We also want to take a look at what recipes are already in FoodPro and physically draw a map of South's layout so we can see where to put different food items.

Friday night we (the roomies and I) decided that a nap was definitely a need. We all rested up and then ventured out to find movies for our movie night. This proved to be much more difficult than movie renting should ever be. We were originally looking for a Redbox to rent our flicks. No luck, Walmart's was removed a couple months back, and the one at the Walgreen's was inoperable. Luckily, there was a Blockbuster just down the way from the Walgreen's so we went and picked up four movies. We grabbed popcorn, candy, and soda too, and then headed back to our room. We watched two movies, and by the middle of movie two Mahalia had passed out in the chair. Brittany and I thought it'd be funny to take her picture, so here it is in all it's glory for me to share with all of you....

She was quite startled by the flash and decided to transport her tired self to her room for the night. Brittany and I followed suit once the second movie was over.

Saturday was a very lazy day for us. We all decided that we weren't going to set any alarms and just sleep till we woke. I woke up at 11 am. We cleaned up our room, showered, and emailed some friends. Then we (Brittany and I) went to lunch. Mahalia decided to sleep until 1:30 pm. We came back to the room and hung out for a bit. We all got sucked into one of those Lifetime movies (happens everytime, we should all know better). After the movie was over, we got ready to head out to Gayle's for her volleyball picnic. We arrived there shortly after the rain, and were one of the few who weren't water logged from all the rain. We mingled with the peeps and stayed through dinner and then decided we were all tired and wanted to go home and rest. We watched one more of our movies and then crashed so we could prepare for our first excursion on Sunday.

May 29, 2010

Hi Guys.
This will be about Friday and Saturday because the girls and I had a crazy day yesterday. On Friday the three of use had to work with Jerry doing ICA (inventory control). As soon as we got there it was all work and no play. The first truck came with the frozen products so we started with those. Jerry allowed Brittney, Gretchen and I to take inventory of the frozen goods with his assistance. After unloading the truck it was time to stock the freezers following FIFO of course. I just have to say, I am really impressed how well educated both my roommates are. Sometimes I question why they are even here because they seem to already know everything there is to know about food service. Anyway after frozen goods, the dry goods truck came but all three of us were in serious need of some breakfast so we took a break. When we got back to the storage room, Jerry was on an errand so we stocked the room all by ourselves, when he got back I could tell he was impressed. After the first two trucks, things slowed down a bit so all four of us got to relax. Later on in the day we were told the other two trucks were not coming so we helped around the dining hall a bite. We also worked on our projects for the rest of the day. Basically that was our work day.
Our night got really interesting when we decided to have a movie night. It took us forever to leave the room because we all were passed out after work. We then decided to hit up the Red Box at Walmart but soon found out it was removed and no one even knew why lol. The next Red Box happened to not even work, at that point I was thinking we were out of luck but then we found a Blockbuster finally. Popcorn, candy, and movie in hand we made it back to the room. We watched the Hangover and Post Grad but I seriously passed out during the second movie. That’s when Brittney and Gretchen decided to take a picture of this so I woke up to flashing lights. I didn’t care though because I was super tired. I woke up at like 1:30 this afternoon lol, and both my roomies were not in the room. They both had lunch and an array of other things all while I was sleeping. Later we are going to a volleyball picnic, that should be fun. Bye till then

Mahalia

ICA with Jerry and a weekend with the Roomies

Hello All,

Today (Friday) was like going to the gym with a free membership, walking into work knowing that I was going to be working with Jerry the ICA, what I did not know was how many different muscles I would be using. An ICA which stands for Inventory Control Assistant, is the person that checks-in the inventory once the vendors arrive at the dock. Jerry told us that there are nine vendors that deliver to McMahon dining hall. They are: Sysco, Diana's bakery, Fowler/BeanBo, HBC-hartford, Grillot, Centeral Warehouse, Commissary, and another one I can't remember Eastern something or another.

Sysco-main vendor

Diana's Bakery- local bakery: bagels and donuts

Fowler/BeanBo- produce

HBC-hartford: meat, cheese, chicken, hamburgers, and hotdogs

Grillot-milk

Centeral Warehouse: toilet paper, chemicals, bathroom stuff, cleansers, and paper-goods

Commissary- deli meats, desserts, breads (from the bakery)

Once the trucks would unload the products Jerry would allow us to check off the inventory that we recieved, he would sign for the sheet, and then we helped him put away the delivery. With FIFO (First In First Out) in mind, we were able to put the food away correctly. A couple of the vendors did not arrive, but due to the Sysco's large order, we had a great understanding of inventory procedures.

Gretchen and I had a good chunk of the afternoon to plow through a large amount of our luncheon project, we successfully obtained cuisines/origines/regions that we will be using. But once again we hit a rock block and realized that we need to talk with John Kuhl on Tuesday to continue moving forward.

Later Friday evening we had an adventurous time trying to rent movies, but after a couple of fails we finally managed to rent 4 movies from Block Buster.

Saturday: we went to Gayle's Volleyball party and later that night we continued with movie night.

Sunday: we took a Rhode Island road trip, now that was an adventure. Once we got there we ate at Joe's Bar & Grill (Delicious!!!!) we then headed out onto the streets to see what was out there. Gretchen and I wanted to visit the Johnson and Wales Culinary Museum, while Mahalia wanted to shop at the Providence Place mall, so we went our separate ways only to meet back in a few hours. Once reunited we took pictures at the State Capitol. All in all today was a relaxing day embraced with the company of each other. Hoping for another GREAT work week, and I can already see that it's off to a great start with having Monday off. Have a safe Memorial Day everyone.

Brittany

I'll take the ER for $100, Alex

Here we are again....

Today we worked on the hot line for the breakfast and lunch shifts. With the help of our trainer Sue, aka "Grandma Sue", we got a good understanding on how to turn the line around during busy (and not so busy sometimes) rushes. There was quite a bit involved from start to finish. We helped set the initial place settings for each hot menu item for the day as well as desserts. We also helped rotate product through, and change out pans as needed to keep the lines full, fresh, and appealing to our customers. After both meal periods, we helped break down and prepare for the next meal. By the end of the shift, I'd say we filled the job of grandma's little helpers quite well.

We also got to sit down with Gayle today and get entered into the Food Pro system, UConn's food inventory program that allows one to order, forecast, check recipes, enter inventory, etc. This will definitely come in handy in the near future as we start choosing recipes for our luncheon. Speaking of luncheon....we met with Eric today and our theme for our meal has been approved (pending catering isn't planning anything like this). Drum roll please........we are going to take the conference attendees on a tour through the nations, highlighting individual countries along the way. We've got lots of creative ideas in the works, and are excited to start the selections of countries and menu items.

After I got off work, I finally decided to have this cold I've been fighting for over three weeks checked out. What an ordeal this turned out to be. I thought I'd be able to hit up the infirmary here on campus and get checked out. Unfortunately, you must be a student (at UConn, I tried the I'm a student at KState business and they weren't having it) in order to be treated at the health center. So, I made a quick call to my insurance company on some tips of what urgent care center I could go to, but still be in network. I got the name of a place in Vernon, CT, punched it into the GPS on my phone, and headed for the doctors. I arrived, at not an urgent care center, but a hospital with an emergency room. I quickly inquired about the supposed clinic, and soon found out that the ER and the clinic were now one in the same. Lucky me! I'd already made the trek, so figured what the heck. My prognosis: bronchitis. Don't worry everybody, I'm not contagious. I did get some medications to help fix me up and get my coughing to stop :). All in all, happy that I'm on the road to healthy. Not so happy about the $100 copay at the ER, or the $50 I spent on medications at the pharmacy.

Check Please!

Smiley

AM Hotline and a new Grandma

Hello All,

Today was not about working fast, or efficiently even though both concepts are ideal in a kitchen. But today I was taught how to run the main hot line on the buffet, and along the way I gained a new family member.... Grandma Sue, who usually works at South which is another dining unit on campus. Grandma was very thorough about cross-contamination, cleaning as you go, washing hands, sanitation, and lastly the buffet line. She demonstrated how to set-up the hot line from filling it with water all the way to after lunch breakdown. The most important concept/objective that Grandma stressed was cross-contamination due to different food allergies and intolerances. She made us aware of how important food labels are, and how food needs to be handled to avoid any contamination. We were rather busy today, and Grandma Sue explained and visually demonstrated how to restore and refresh the hot line when we start running out of product.

Our learning lesson today was brought to us my Gayle who sat us (Gretchen and I) down and went through the FoodPro software that dining services uses. This software is system that helps with total food production, it provides control of raw food through production, service and provides analysis, from start to finish. She showed us how to begin operating the program, setting up preferences, and will give us more opportunities to work with the program in June.

The three of us, Mahalia, Gretchen and I sat down with Eric and discussed the theme of our luncheon in July, we plan on doing a "tour of the world" (the title/name are still in progress) and having a passport available in order for guests to taste everything. But like most say, "good things come to those who wait".... so the details about this project will begin to surface in the near future.

Brittany

May 27, 2010

Hi everyone,

Keeping it short and sweet today…
I had to rough it out with pots and dishes today. Learning how to break down and set up the dishwasher was the highlight of my day (not really). When it was time to rotate to pots, that’s when the day really got hard and messy. I was left with pots alone without a helper for quite some time. Lets say that did not leave my shoes dry. Anyway help finally came and that was basically my day.

Mahalia

It looks as though we have some very talented and creative writers. They can even make working the pot sink sound like fun.....keep up the great work !!!
Eric

A Party, A Jacuzzi, and A Celebrity...Oh My

Today started with a reception at Chuck and Augie's (one of the retail operations in the Union) to honor and welcome the interns . It was like our very own debutante ball, minus the ball gowns and such, welcoming us to UConn. We had a lovely breakfast and meet and greet with other members involved in the UConn Foodservice Department. We took a picture to capture our morning and the start of something special this summer. And if I'm savvy enough, the picture will be posted with this blog post. :)

We continued onto work shortly after the reception and today's task at hand was learning all about the importance of cleaning and sanitation. In order to help understand, I got to work in pots and pans and the dish room today. I soon found out about the spa like operations that are offered when you work in pots and pans. There is a pot soaker, aka the agitator, that resembles a jacuzzi tub built for the pots and pans. This is quite the luxury sink when it comes to pot washing. It makes the need to scrub minimal because the pots tumble in the soapy water and this helps break down any food build up on said pots. This of course helps in the minimization of wrinkled up dishwater hands, and unless you're Dennis the Menace this is great. I'm not even wrinkled up yet, keep washing. :)

So to all of my readers who don't know, there is a celebrity here on campus. And guess who got to meet her first celebrity today, ooh ooh pick me pick me. That's right kids, I met celebrity chef Rob Landolphi today, who works full time here at UConn. He's known for his work in gluten-free cooking. He even has his own cookbook out. Do you think it would be too much for me to grab a copy and get it signed? You can all check him out on YouTube, just enter his name. Even more exciting, as the other interns and I delve deeper into our summer luncheon project, we will get to work closely with Chef Rob in planning our actual menu. Soooo excited!!!!

So shines a good deed, and it's time for me to go to bed. I've got an early shift in the morning. Peace out.

GSmiles :)

A reception, a dish-room, a pot-sink and a forecast lesson.... all in one day

Hello All,

Today was a G-R-E-A-T day!!!!! Eric managed to have a reception for all the interns at Chuck & Augies, in the morning, this gave us another opportunity to meet other folks we might be working with this summer. I thought it was such a cute little get together, thanks Eric!!

My assignment today was dishes and pot-sink, I had the chance to work with Steve in the dish room, as well as student Mike. Steve was very helpful and giving me a better understanding of how to operate the dish machine. Student Mike, showed me how they clear/scrape the plates off into the trash and separate all the dishes into different racks. Steve then gave me a demo on how to load the dishwasher, and how to put away the clean dishes. After lunch was over, he showed me how to clean the work area and the machine for the next shift.

My next adventure lead me to the pot-sink, 3 compartment sink, and because of the agitator a 5-star clean machine. My trainer Jason, was very informative about the sink, and how to operate it. He demonstrated how to test the pH level of the sanitizer, which should be 200 ppm (parts per million), he then showed me how the machine detects if the temperature of the water decreases, the machine will flash a red light and this indicates that you need to drain the water and refresh. Once we got a few pans that had tough on junk, he showed me the agitator and warned me not to stick my hand or arm in the water, even though it looks like a jacuzzi and seems tempting. Once the pans were ready to put away Jason, was nice enough to show me where everything goes, instead of me playing marco polo by myself.

Overall, today was a wet, sloppy, fun day washing dishes. It was a great learning experience, but it was not the only thing I learned today. During down time Eric, taught us how to do an inventory analysis to see if our inventory report matches. If not it's our responsibility to see where there were mistakes. Next he taught us about forecasting for guests in the near future. What Eric does is look at last summer's numbers and compare.

EX: last summer they served 385 guests, this summer 125, so the difference would be approx. 3, which means he would need to divide his numbers from last year by 3 to project this year's forecast. his is helpful to know because it helps Eric have an idea of how much food to purchase for that day/meal/menu. It was awesome to learn so much in a short amount of time.

Brittany

May 26, 2010

Salad/Deli Line

Hi :,
I really need to start getting more sleep or I won't make it through this internship. I had a reception in my honor today and I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. The reception was great though, Roslyn did a good job with the food and making us feel really welcomed. Many of the food service managers and workers were there to welcome us to the campus. I am really happy that Eric takes the time out to make us feel welcomed and at home here on the UConn campus. However, after the reception is was back to work. I was placed with Penny today on the salad and deli line. Cutting up all the vegetables for the line was really fun. I really liked that Penny and the other assistants allowed me to take part in their work. I was suppose to make a potato salad but I think there was something wrong with the potatoes so maybe later we will move on to something else. Working the Salad and deli line is a pretty laid back job. All I had to do was make sure the line was clean and full at all times. During the hours that the dining hall was closed I got to prep for the next meal. Working the evening shift is one of the best times to learn because you get to do it all, break down and set up.
Eric also pulled us aside and showed us how to do forecasting in FoodPro. We actually got to do the task as well as watched Eric do it. Eric explained how forecasting is important in food service and some of the things that can go wrong. Forecasting is used to generate food cost/purchase, along with other things. So it is really important that employees are recording correct numbers and managers are checking on a consistent basis. Overall, my day went pretty well.
On a side note, the girls and I are bonding pretty well and the summer is shaping up to be a fun one. Anyway my break is over so I got to run.

Mahalia

May 25, 2010

Hi Guys,
Today was such a long day. I worked at Mcmahon Dinning Hall again as a KA (kitchen assistant). I was a little late for work which was partly my fault but it was a really bad way to start a day. Anyway, the day went on as usual with the setting up of the line and making sure everything was in place for the morning breakfast. My trainer April, showed my how to operate the beverage dispensers and how to clean and break them down correctly. The job took a really long time so April and I had a chance to talk about the serving line. She taught me how to proportion items on the line and correct serving utensils. After cleaning and refilling beverage dispenser we talked about how to properly break down and set up the condiment areas and serving line. Jenny gave me a quick tour of each of the stack rooms and a lecture on how important it was to place things back where they belonged.
After running around with April all day, I took lunch with the other interns and chatted about our mornings. Lunch went fast and soon it was time to work the floor.
Eric the Mcmahon Area Manager went over inventory with the other interns and I. Standing in those cold refrigerators doing inventory was not fun but it is a very important job in food service. The four of us took inventory of the refrigerators and the dry stock rooms.The fact that Eric allowed us to take charge of inventory meant a lot to me because I believe that it is one of the best ways to learn something new. Overall, my day turned out ok.
Tomorrow the other inters and I have a reception in our honor at Chuck & Augies so I am really looking forward to that.

Mahalia

May 21, 2010 Chuck & Augies

Hello Friends,
I worked at Chuck & Augies today which is UConn’s restaurant style dining right here in the Student Union. The staff was great and so was the food (had chicken wings for lunch). I worked with the head chef and when I got there he was taste testing new recipes so I got to be apart of that. Derek tested a grilled pizza and a Korean style fried chicken, both of which were delicious. We had a bit of trouble trying to think of a sauce to serve with the chicken, maybe I will go online later and pull up something for Derek. Around lunch time, we got really hit with the lunch rush so I got to help at the salad station. During the lunch rush I helped Derek with some expedition. After lunch, it was really slow so we cleaned up and that’s when I found out one of the chefs are getting married on my birthday this summer. Cool right? Anyway, I am really excited about Monday because I will be in the front of the house and I never worked the front of the house in a restaurant before.
Mahalia

May 20, 2010

Words of Wisdom

Hi Guys,
The bible instructs us as believers to use wisdom habitually, not only to succeed in our walk with Christ but to succeed in life period. In fact, it is quoted in the bible “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.James 3:17(NKJV).It is this wisdom that should be carried out in the workforce and one I hope to practice everyday while here at UConn. Because this one rule will make ones work experience far better. This advice goes for both managers and employees. I am happy that this is a lesson I was able to learn so early in my career.

Mahalia

May 19, 2010

Hi :),
Well my time is ending here at Mcmahon Dining Hall then I have to move on in the internship. Here are 10 THINGS I LEARNED and will never forget while at Mcmahon:
1. UConn has the best chocolate cake on any collage campus, second only to SUNY Plattsburgh of course lol.
2. Never argue with an experienced chef or even hint that you disagree with them lol
3. The best way to increase recipe yield is,
Amount of ingredient listed divided by the given serving size then multiply by the desired yield. Follow this formula to the T when baking and use common sense and cooking experience when calculating in other cases, for example spices.
Simple Summer Smooth
Original Recipe Yield 4 cups: New Yield 8 Cups
Ingredients
· 1 banana
· 1 cup frozen strawberries
· 1 cup frozen blueberries
· 1 cup frozen cherries
· 4 ice cubes
· 1/2 cup orange juice
· 3/4 cup vanilla yogurt
· 1/2 teaspoon honey (optional)
· Calculation Example: For first items
· 1/4=0.25*8=2 bananas
4. Never forget to use a pot holder
5. Always Glove it.
6. Portion control, storing and reusing leftovers
7. Inventory, proper internal temperatures of various cooked items
8. Large-scale kitchen appliances and how to clean them: favorite steam kettle, least favorite slicer
9. Clean while you cook
10. Love what you do. It may sound simple but it goes a long way in food service.

Mahalia

May 18th 2010

Hi :),
Now taking my 15 minutes from a long morning of work. I have been working with both Mindy and Luis, the head chef on staff, all morning and once again I started at six. Today was another day of preparing breakfast however, I learned a lot from both Mindy and Luis in my short time here. Common sense is very important when working in any profession however here in the kitchen at McMahon Dining Hall it comes very handy. While preparing the day’s lunch menu of vegetable tacos, I noticed that Luis opted not the make the tacos even though all the ingredients were right in front of him (prepared of course by the one and only me). He asked me why I thought he didn’t make the tacos and said that this was my daily quiz. My education at SUNY Plattsburgh came in hand here because immediately I knew the answer to his question. You see, it was only 9 o’clock and the tacos were for lunch. If Luis had made the tacos there and then common sense would tell you they would be very soggy and unappetizing by 11 when we open for lunch. This is one of many things Luis stressed in the kitchen today. Luis also said something that blew my mind . He said that 30 years ago when he worked in dining services there was not a lot of emphasis placed on food safety. Today in 2010 he is amazed at how far we have come as an industry and I have to say that I agree. Anyway I have to run Eric is starting to eye the length of my self proclaimed break lol.

Mahalia

First Day of real work May 17th

Hi Everyone,
Today was an early start, 6 am to be exact. Eric started me off at the one and only Mcmahon Dining Hall here at UConn. I roamed around with Mindy the assistant chef for a bit trying to get over the fact that I felt completely lost and I was half asleep. However, Mindy was great she allowed me to do everything from, cooking, cleaning, inventory, and portion control. My favorite part had to be the pancakes; I never thought I could make so many pancakes in my life. After breakfast I did odd jobs around the kitchen. I really liked the fact that all the other workers were very happy to include me in their cooking and preparation. I learned today that food service is a very demanding field and it is not for the weak at heart and body. I am excited to see what the rest of the week will bring, until then…


Mahalia
Posted by Mahalia at 4:59 AM

Hello World, It's Me Gretchen

Hello.....is this thing on?

Okay, let me introduce myself. I'm Gretchen Smiley, one of three interns at the University of Connecticut this summer. It's been a long journey out to Connecticut for me, but I arrived on Saturday after a 12 hour car ride from Indiana, which was preceded by a 10.5 hour car ride from Kansas to Indiana. I'm staying in a dorm suite with the two other interns (who are Phe-nomenal) and I'm just starting to get settled into my new home.

Day one for me was filled with lots of emotion. I was anxious to get started, nervous about the unknown, and excited for the journey that the next eight weeks were going to take me on. Day one went off without a hitch. I spent the day going through orientation with Brittany, one of the other two interns (Mahalia, the other intern, arrived two weeks prior to Brittany and I). We sat down with Eric, my internship director and the area manager of one of the dining halls here at UConn, and went over the guidelines for our summer and introduced us to what some of our special projects for the summer would be (more on this to come). Eric took us on a tour of the campus and we got to meet many people involved in the dining service operations. We got our ID's for the summer, our meal plans all worked out, and our uniforms for the summer. We ate lunch at one of the retail operations run in the union, and then finished up by getting my parking pass for the summer. All in all a good day.

Day two (which was 5/25) was the start of the journey. I arrived for my first real day of work at 8:30 and found I was going to be a KA (a kitchen assistant) for the day working in salads. I worked with Pam, another KA, for the day. She showed me the ropes, and I helped with chopping vegetables, prepping dressings, and the actual set up and layout of the salad bar line. After lunch, we met with the IT department and got all set up to use the computers on campus as well as have access to the internet. Brittany and I ended the day by starting to brainstorm for our main project for the summer. We are to plan and execute a themed luncheon for a large conference coming through later this summer. First on the agenda...figure out a theme and get it approved. Much more on this to come as the summer progresses. :)

Random side note...we got our schedules for the summer today, and I'm very excited that we will have all but one weekend off this summer. I think I'm going to like it hear (sung in the tune of Annie). Can someone say excursions? My roomies and I are already conjuring up plans to hit up Boston and the Cape for a long weekend sometime this summer. Also on the agenda....Six Flags, the beach, and touring Yale's campus. I promise I will become an avid amateur photographer by the end of the summer and will have plenty of photos to share of our adventures. This is unknown territory to all three of us, so any suggestions from all you wonderful readers, will be highly considered. Credit to be given to the best suggestions later :)

For all of you who know me well, let me put a second side note in here. There are ALOT of wineries out here in Connecticut. And we all know my love for wine. Eric is going to take us on a trip down to the coast where we will visit a winery and go and have lobster afterwards. In the words of Rachel Ray, YUMO! I also was given a wine guide to all of New England, so maybe I can convince my roommates to branch out and go on a wine tour with me one weekend, as well.
I'm out for now. More fun updates coming soon......

Gretchen

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