Intern Life at Ferris State- Week 1

It has been a long and eventful first week here at Ferris State University! Having never been to Michigan (or anywhere in the Mid-West area for that matter), I was excited to see what Big Rapids had to offer. I'm from a small town in Connecticut and graduated from the University of Connecticut this past May with a degree in Nutritional Sciences. Ironically, the other intern, Margaret is also from Connecticut! Our program coordinator, Brenda Walton, is the registered dietitian on campus. She spent the first couple of days showing us around the town/campus and basically explaining what we will be doing during our time here at Ferris.

The only dining facility open during the summer at Ferris is The Rock. This is where we will be spending the majority of our time working during our internship. What's cool about this dining hall is that it is open not only to students year-round, but to locals as well! In fact, we noticed during our first week here that most of the customers consisted of local families rather than students. And it's no wonder The Rock attracts so many outsiders; non-students only pay about $8 for an all-you-can-eat meal at dinner time- what a bargain! 

Customers walk in to plates that display what's being served at each of the stations

The staff here get pretty creative with their garnishes

Both Margaret and I were happy to discover that almost everyone we have come across in Big Rapids is SO friendly and helpful. All of the staff that we have met or worked with have been more than eager to answer any questions we may have, and have really welcomed us on-board with open arms. This is really reassuring considering we are miles and miles away from all our family and friends back on the east coast!

So far I have worked the pizza and pasta station at the Rock, as well as the breakfast station. I felt just like one of the cooks making french toast and omelets to order. One of the student workers even taught me how to flip omelets in the air without using a spatula! I also got to assist Margaret as she worked the "Grill Out" that they do once a week during the summer. She grilled up some delicious steaks, corn, and bread :) I also got to shadow Tiffany, the head cook for the day. Her job is to make sure that all the stations are operating smoothly, so we were constantly walking around to see if anyone needed help. The grill out brought out a large number of locals so we were busier than normal!

Compliments of the grill master

We weren't too ambitious during our first weekend in Big Rapids and decided to keep it pretty low-key. Saturday we explored "downtown" Big Rapids, which consisted of a mixture of local pizza and sandwich shops, some clothing stores (they had a JCPenney!), as well as a few other random businesses (tattoo parlor, dentist office, banks...). We also had a lot of fun checking out all of the animals they had at a pet shop!

So much Bull Dog pride!

   

We were PUMPED to discover a Kilwin's in little old Big Rapids.  The best fudge/ice cream you can get!

 Margaret and I have also spent a good portion of this week planning our big project, which is a themed lunch meal that will take place in July. We will each be designing our own meals and have them served on separate days. We have to plan everything from the recipes to the decor. I have decided on a Mediterranean themed meal that will consist of a lot of lemon, herbs, and fresh vegetables. Although I realize this type of food may not appeal to some of the customers who enjoy a more basic cuisine, I wanted to serve a meal that incorporates flavorful and healthy ingredients that many people may not try that often. Maybe I can inspire a few people to be more open to different types of food!

Stay tuned to see what next week brings us interns here at Ferris State! :D