This summer is going by quick quick quick!
Here's what we were up to this week at UC Berkeley:
MONDAY and TUESDAY: For the beginning of the week we focused our attention on The Den, the sister retail operation to Crossroads dining hall. The Den consists of a wrap, bagel, and smoothie station, as well as Peet's coffee. After getting a quick training session on the espresso machines and the wrap/smoothie station, we jumped right into serving! The Den serves breakfast and lunch wraps, custom bagels, and delicious smoothies, and we had the chance to learn to make them all. We also were trained on the espresso machine at Peet's and learned how to make cappuccinos, macchiatos, lattes, and more! It was an awesome hands-on experience that we both really enjoyed, and it was nice to see a different side to Cal Dining. As opposed to just serving the food (like in dining halls), the students at The Den make the food and drinks as ordered, which is a whole another component of the food service experience.
(Left) Maddie making drinks at Peet's, (Right) Emily working the sandwich counter!
On Tuesday afternoon we toured Hodo Soy beanery, an Oakland-based tofu manufacturer. Hodo Soy means good bean, which is certainly represented in the tofu they produce; all their products were delicious! From basic firm and silken tofu, to flavored tofu nuggets and yuba noodles, Hodo Soy has a variety of products (though Cal Dining primarily utilizes their regular firm tofu). To make tofu, soy beans are mashed and heated and then combined with calcium sulfate to separate the curd, which is then pressed extensively to make tofu blocks. Soy milk is also a by product of this process, which Hodo Soy sells as well. Hodo Soy utilizes non-GMO organic soybeans, and limits their waste by selling off any used byproduct to local farmers who use the material to feed their animals. The plant is small but still manages to make enough tofu to serve Cal Dining, as well as numerous retail stores, like Whole Foods.
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| Field trip time - our favorite!! |
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| Free tofu samples - our other favorite!! |
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| Touring the beanery!
WEDNESDAY : We worked with Chef Sean in the Café 3 kitchen, as well as with some office work that needed to be done for the new fall menu. First we had a quick tour of the kitchen and introduction to basic food prep. Right away we were given the exciting job of making a giant batch of smoothies to serve in the lunch line that day. After gathering all the necessary ingredients, we learned how to properly create the base of the smoothie and to add just the right amount of ice for a "smooth" texture (pun intended). The immersion blender was the biggest we've ever seen!! It was very fun and challenging to use.
(Left) Emily with the ingredients (Right) This blender is bigger than me!!
  
Getting the consistency just right.-->
Our next job was to take the menu and create signs that will be displayed at each of the dining stations so students know what food is being served each day and if there are any allergens in the recipes. To create these signs, we used a template that is already being used for the current menu, then input the menu items for each day. With 3 meals per day, 7 days per week, and a 4-week cycle menu, this project took us most of the day to do! You can see an example of one of these signs in the photo above! (Emily is holding it next to the smoothie ingredients). Once we finished working on the menu project, we were allowed to pick a few items from the new fall menu to prepare and sample later in the week. After much deliberation, we ended up deciding on a Baked Salmon Filets with Lebanese Sauce, Saffron-Scented Cous Cous, Coconut Creamed Spinach, and for dessert Fried Plantains with Granola and Berries. We had to make up a quick purchase order of any necessary ingredients that weren't in house, and then we were done for the day! It was very productive.
THURSDAY : We started off the day back on the student-run farm on the Clark Kerr Campus. We got straight to work planting the "3 Sisters" crops, which are beans, corn, and squash. The "3 sisters" got their name as an old Native American way of planting hundreds of years ago! They are called the three sisters because when planted together, each crop plays a role in the growth and success of the other two. It is very symbiotic, and quite fascinating! Once we plotted out the area where we would be planting, we laid soil and compost down. Then, we were in for a very cute surprise, because one of the preschool classes came up to the garden for a visit. We got to teach the little kids how to plant the stalks of corn, which they loved!  Little hands helping plant the corn!   <--our beautiful workFRIDAY : Today we got to create the recipes that we had previously picked out (on Wednesday) to sample from the new menu! We were back in Cafè 3 with Chef Sean for the day. Like we mentioned earlier, our chosen recipes were a Baked Salmon with Lebanese Sauce, Saffron-Scented Cous Cous, Coconut-Cream Spinach, and Fried Plantains with Berries and Granola. The first thing we needed to do was to prep, or "mise en place" all of the ingredients. This meant cutting up any produce, measuring out liquids, weighing dry ingredients, and setting aside all herbs and spices to be used. The reason for prepping everything in advance is so that once it is time to actually make the recipe, everything is already ready to go and can just be added right in. It's also important to know approximately how long it will take to make each of the items on the menu, so that you prepare them in an appropriate order that makes sense given whatever time frame you have. It was really great to have some culinary experience, and we both really enjoyed our time working in the kitchen! Here's some pictures of us putting the finishing touches on our recipes, and then the final products.   WEEKEND : This weekend we went our separate ways - both meeting up with friends from back home. From San Francisco to Monterey Bay, California never ceases to amaze us. Cheers to a great week 5! :)   |
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