Week 3 at Cal !

   

Week 3 has come and gone so fast we can hardly believe it!

 This week was different from the first 2 weeks because instead of being together the whole time, we parted ways and had some individual learning time with the CalDining crew. Each day of the week we took turns shadowing at the 4 main dining halls on campus (Crossroads, Foothill, CKC - Clark Kerr Café, and Café 3). Since each day differed between us, we decided to compile what we learned at each place and compose the blog that way. 

Madeline (left) and Emily (right) tabling at Crossroads for student orientation

Dessert bar at Crossroads

Crossroads: Crossroads is easily the biggest dining hall on campus, and during the summer it is by far the busiest. Sometimes serving up to or even over 1,000 students per meal, managing this place is no simple task. Here we spent the day shadowing the GM on staff. Besides learning about daily operations, we also got to observe how GM's handle student and career staff, including the scheduling of lunch and breaks. Additionally, since it was the end of the month and fiscal year, we got to watch the GM input end of year financial reports (including cost per meal and total revenue per month). We also got to observe pre-meal preparation that occurs before the dining hall is open to the public (e.g. putting up allergen signs, prepping food, staffing serving lines, etc.)



Foothill: Nestled in the Berkeley hills next to the football stadium, it's no question how Foothill earned its name. Although much smaller than Crossroads, Foothill still gets its fair share of student traffic during the summer. At Foothill, we learned about COGs (or cost of goods), which included cost per meal. The cost per meal is essentially the total revenue divided by the number of customers served. Since it was the end of the month, we also got to learn about inventory management. The inventory at the beginning of the month is recorded, then purchases throughout the month are also documented. At the end of the month, the final inventory is again recorded to see how it has changed (and make sure there are no red flags) throughout the month. This process helps GMs limit waste and can help them observe trends in demand.  We then learned about the hiring and scheduling process for Cal Dining, and got to observe the GM as he ensured the accuracy of employee's time clocks. 

             Pictures of Foothill dining area:
               


Café 3: Another residential dining facility, Café 3 is where we will be working on our plant-forward makeover project this summer.  We learned a lot about the preparation that goes into meal service and got to help out with serving food for new student orientation and conference groups. We worked with a general manager to create the menu signs for each meal, listing allergens and other important ingredient information for students to see when they go through the lines. In the afternoon, it was time to set up for a student orientation group that was to be coming in for dinner. The idea was to have a really nice meal presentation for the people visiting campus, to make a good impression on them and welcome them to Cal. For this job we needed to set up quite a few round tables both outside and inside the dining area to create additional seating for the expected large crowd. We then placed nice tablecloths over all of the round tables, and placed silverware and glasses at every seat. The last task of the day was to go around the entire facility and count every seat to make sure we had enough room for everyone! It was fun to see how nicely everything looked in the end. 
 

                        

CKC: Clark Kerr Campus is separate from the main portion of campus, about a 10 minute walk away. It used to be a school for the blind and deaf, but when the building was damaged in an earthquake UC Berkeley purchased the facility. Now it is mainly freshman dorms, as well as a dining facility (Clark Kerr Café), and a conference/event center. At the CKC, we observed the inventory management process with the GM and executive chef and learned more about COGs. The exceutive chef also taught us how to go into Eatec (their food service management software) to track inventory and make purchase orders. We also learned about the responsibilities of the shopkeeper in a food service operation. The shopkeeper is a crucial position; they receive all deliveries, compare the invoices to purchase orders, and make sure all that was ordered is accurate and in good condition. CKC is unique to all the other units at Cal because it houses the catering department as well as functioning as a normal dining facility. It was interesting to learn about how the catering team prepares for events by forecasting, creating the menu, purchasing, and setting up the tables/chairs/food for the event.

Outside the CIA in Napa Valley

FRIDAY - We took a field trip to the Culinary Institute of America, where one of Cal's executive chefs used to work! The CIA is nestled in Napa Valley, and is surrounded by a stunning landscape of numerous green vineyards and mountains. The building is an old castle-like structure from the 1800s, with tunnels leading into the mountains, an herb garden, orchard, and a student-run farm and vineyard for learning! We got a personal tour of the facility, including the wine barrel room, wine tasting classroom, cooking and baking classrooms, and restaurant and cafe.  

During our tour, we learned about the different culinary programs students can be in at the institute. Besides associates and bachelors programs, there are also accelerated 7-month long culinary and wine programs. Apparently these programs are popular with registered dietitians who are looking to expand their knowledge of food and cooking to bring back to their practice and patients. So cool! We also learned about the strategic initiatives at the CIA, including their partnership with Harvard's School of Public Health. This partnership helped establish the Menus of Change principles, which are business-friendly food service guidelines that help address environmental and societal issues in America. Many universities throughout the US are part of the collaborative, including Cal! Some of the principles include simple changes like reducing salt, limiting red meat, and increasing the portion of plant-based protein found on a dining plate.

         

WEEKEND - This weekend we put our hiking shoes on and explored some of the scenic trails near campus. Both provided amazing and beautiful views of the landscape and pacific ocean. We also went to the farmer's market and tried delicious local berries, peaches, and nectarines. Not a bad place to spend our holiday weekend, thats for sure. Happy 4th of July!!