Spring 2020

During the spring, I completed my food service rotation within the Coventry, CT Public School System under the mentorship of the district food service director. This valuable experience provided a comprehensive overview of managing food service operations across high school, middle school, and multiple elementary school cafeterias.

A pivotal component of this rotation involved developing a Return on Investment (ROI) project. Detailed information on this project can be found in the "Projects" tab. The project was centered around establishing a smoothie program intended for implementation in the high school cafeteria kitchen, aiming to increase the consumption of dairy products among the student body. Securing funding from the New England Dairy Council proved instrumental, as it provided resources such as signage, recipe ideas, and smoothie label templates.

Crafting the smoothie options involved careful consideration of student preferences and the cost-effectiveness for the school. Two main smoothie options were developed: a chocolate peanut butter smoothie consisting of chocolate milk, low-fat vanilla yogurt, banana, and peanut butter, and a berry banana smoothie comprising strawberries, blueberries, low-fat strawberry yogurt, low-fat milk, and banana. Utilizing the label templates, I designed and affixed labels for each smoothie, enhancing their presentation for students. To align the smoothie as a reimbursable meal, a grain component was included by serving a halved whole grain pastry placed on the straw atop the smoothie lid, finished with a dollop of whipped cream.

The implementation exceeded expectations, with daily sales far surpassing the original plan of 30 smoothies, reaching an impressive 125 smoothies sold each day.

Moreover, this rotation provided insights into the intricate aspects of food service, encompassing ordering and catering specifics, while also offering exposure to emergency procedures during the COVID-19 outbreak. Transitioning to remote learning in the latter part of the rotation did not detract from the learning experience. Instead, it facilitated the completion of various online courses, interviews with diverse food service directors, and assignments aimed at achieving the competencies essential for the rotation.

This unique experience has been instrumental in shaping my understanding of food service operations within educational institutions, and I am immensely grateful for the invaluable insights and skills gained through this opportunity

Fall 2019

For a few weeks in the fall I had the opportunity to work in the food service kitchen at UConn Health Hospital. At this location I was able to learn about the managerial aspects of working in food service, as well as how each subsystem worked in synergy within the hospital. It was a great experience in learning health and safety standards, along with financial controls and buying power. 

Spring 2019

This semester we learned to alter recipes deemed "unhealthy", and transform them through the NutriBase system to make them healthier in all aspects.

As a program, we also created a French themed intergenerational meal and prepared and served it to over 65 guests. My role in the meal was to be a server to the guests, as well as the production manager for the preparation of the meal. I created a master production schedule, equipment production schedule, and personnel equipment schedule. 

As a program, we completed an Ethic Foods Lab and a Funky Grains Lab. In these labs we prepared recipes using ingredients that we may have never cooked with before. 

We were also able to shadow dining services at Hartford Hospital and UConn Health Center. In pairs, we shadowed Buckley Dining Hall at the University of Connecticut.

Intergenerational Meal

Funky Grains Lab