Here we are finishing up our 4th week here at Ferris State- time really is flying by! This was our last week working as "cooks"; next week we will begin the management phase and see what it is like to be a manager of dining services.
Something different that I got to do this week was work at one of Ferris' retail stores, Starbucks, which is the only retail outlet open during the summer. I really enjoyed this experience; being an avid coffee drinker myself, I've always sort of fantasized about working in a coffee shop. Laura, who is the campus retail stores manager, showed Margaret and me everything from the computer program that is used for service records and purchasing to the full line of breakfast sandwiches that Starbucks normally offers on a daily basis. She even let us try the egg white and spinach breakfast wrap with feta (I highly recommend it), and let us try one of Starbucks' new Refresher drinks called Orange Spice Iced Coffee (also amazing).
It was clear through our meeting with Laura that Starbucks holds quite the high standard for both its products as well as its employees. All of their products must contain natural ingredients, and their cafe sandwiches must be below 500 calories. Our coordinator, Brenda, was actually helping the Starbucks retail store find a bread that did not contain high fructose corn syrup (a more challenging task than one might expect), that also fell within the caloric parameters that Starbucks holds. All employees must go through 32 hours of training as well...and after working there for about 2 hours I could see why! All of the staff have to know how to make all of the different specialty drinks (how much milk to use, how much espresso to add) and all of the abbreviations for these drinks. Believe me, it gets overwhelming- especially when there is a long line of customers waiting. My experience at Starbucks made me realize that the steeper prices that you pay for many of their products are well worth it when you consider the high quality of ingredients and customer service that they work hard to maintain.
Friday was my day to work the "grill out" at the Rock! On the menu was cajun sausage with grilled onions and peppers, and turkey burgers with bacon and swiss cheese :)
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| I won't lie, I did drop a couple of patties- ooops |
Although it was really hot working behind that grill, I had fun! I also got to test out two recipes for my upcoming themed meal with Craig, the culinary specialist at FSU. Craig, Margaret, and I tested my Lemon Chicken dish as well as the Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, since these are both recipes that they have never served before. While quinoa has gotten to be a pretty popular dish back on the east coast, I find it so hard to believe that most people here have never even heard of it! I'm looking forward to exposing a lot of the staff and customers here at Ferris to this healthy starch alternative for the first time; maybe it will even become a part of the Rock's menu cycle if enough people like it!
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| the lemon chicken breasts came out delicious! |
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| lots and lots of prep to be done for the quinoa salad |
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the final product- contains green peppers, red onion, olives, feta cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, chives, and balsamic vinegar; both healthy and flavorful!
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This weekend Margaret and I were determined to check out one of the beaches on Lake Michigan! Saturday was pretty miserable and rainy, but Sunday ended up being the perfect beach weather.
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| the white sands of Stearns Park Beach in Ludington! Free parking too! |
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| Almost got blown away it was so windy |
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| headed towards the lighthouse! |
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| It wouldn't be a beach day without ending it with a little ice cream! House of Flavors was delicious |
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