Monday - Rob helped us set up our KSU email and we are now able to
use the wireless internet (which is kind of a big deal)! We started our
marketing plan for spring 2014 after looking through Melissa’s marketing plan for
spring 2013 and fall 2013. Throughout week two we were able to rotate through
each of the stations and work with the SODEXO employees. The stations include
Piati, Campus Green, Apron Strings, Globetrotter, Highway 41, Wok Your Way, Stonemill
Bakery, and my personal favorite The Grind coffee bar. Kim, one of the SODEXO
managers put me with Billy in Apron Strings where I cut some lamb, and even
tried it for lunch (it would have been good if I liked lamb). I also got to help clear
breakfast and prepare and serve lunch. 
Tuesday - We met with Chef Billy and rotated
through more stations. I worked with Tai in Highway 41 to prepare Reuben
sandwiches. Later I made fries in the fryer and cooked grilled cheese and the Reubens
on the flat top. I worked there until lunch and then headed to the dessert bar
with Michelle where I made smoothies (and had one at lunch :)) and served desserts to
customers (they seriously loved the burnt cookies not kidding). I then helped Alejandro
and Daisy (y Alejandro me ayude con mi espanol) in the Campus Green to cut cucumbers, broccoli, and celery for the
hummus bar. I ended the day at Apron
strings with Billy and Arlene where I was able to prepare and season the sweet and
regular potatoes. I also took orders and grilled cook to order Amber Jack,
chicken, and salmon with the customer’s choice of seasoning. Arlene even gave
me a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the meat since I did
not cook a thick piece of amber jack all the way through (oops)! It was fun working
in the kitchen and interacting with the customers.
Wednesday - Chef Billy showed us Market Connection: Sodexo’s “web-based procurement
system that automates and streamlines the process of inventory, ordering and
invoicing. It provides a single source for all food, services and supplies
procurement.” We saw the entire online SODEXO inventory which included
A LOT of products. This
system allows Billy and Matt to ensure that purchases are accurate
and timely and to follow trends and make future
orders. The Commons primary provider is SYSCO and their
primary fresh produce provider is FreshPoint. Matt explained that the
ultimate goal in purchasing is to maintain a reasonable percent compliance around 50% total and 80% for food. The total percent
compliance includes, besides food and service, the entire Commons
building, utilities, and maintenance (so I can imagine how hard it would be to
keep it low)! We ended the day preparing hot sauce which was a little scary
since Chef Billy and Matt were talking about their bad experiences with
habanero peppers. We peeled many carrots, chopped up some red peppers,
tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime, and chipotle peppers, and added the
habaneros and spices, saving the whole combo for cooking in the morning (see pic above - I never knew carrots are a main ingredient in hot sauce). 
Thursday - I beat the sun and woke up at 530 am to get
to work by 600 am when the big weekly shipment from SYSCO was arriving. Matt
walked us through Market Connection again and explained to us the role he plays
in making sure that the chefs have the correct foods in the right amounts. He let
us check the order in and sign the invoice. We found a couple of damages and
sent them back. I learned that if a product is out, SYSCO will look for a
replacement which is sometimes more expensive, not necessary, or unable to serve
as a substitute for the ordered product. I also found out SYSCO supplies products
for Jimmy Johns (one of my favorite food places at Purdue
:D) We put away products in the dry storage, refrigerator, and freezer. Matt
showed us how to check fish to make sure they are fresh (see pic - we got to hang out with some pretty 'cool' (I need to stop) amber jack in the freezer). The fish should be
scaled and gutted, its flesh should have some elasticity, and its eyes should
be clear and not sunk in (although ice may turn the eyes milky white). The smell should be fishy but not putrid, rotting fishy
(nasty). We spent the rest of the afternoon taking inventory which was 26 pages
long (and it was long)! We finished the entire list besides the frozen
foods (which I did not mind since we only had sweatshirts). It
was a good experience to learn where everything is stored and what products are in stock. Matt does a complete inventory weekly during the
school year which seems crazy since it took us at least 5 hours to do
the summer inventory. 
Friday - We got the day off
because of two tornados in the area. The bad weather caused power outages and damages
on campus Thursday night. Natalie and I went to Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield
Park and ran slash walked the Kolb Farm Loop on Friday morning. We even saw a
salamander (see pic)!
Also got to go horseback riding (see pic) and to the Chattahoochee (aka 'shoot the Hooch' over the weekend. There is definitely always things to do in the Atlanta area and it is so beautiful! Goal for 3rd week: take more pictures since I keep forgetting
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