Wrapping Up Week 3 at Ferris State

Another week has passed us by here at FSU! Margaret and I got to do a lot of different and interesting things this week:
We started off the week on Monday by meeting with Gary, the business manager, about our themed meals (which are quickly approaching!). Gary does all the purchasing for dining services, so we had to consult with him about what kind of dishes we're planning on doing so he knows what types of food to order.
We also had a labor relations meeting with the President, Vice President, and Director of the local union at Ferris State. I personally had very little prior knowledge about organized unions, so it was really interesting getting an inside perspective. The majority of people we work with in dining services are covered under the union, and most seem pretty satisfied with the benefits it has given them. The President emphasized the importance of good communication among all different levels of employees in order to reach peaceful compromises and understanding in the work place. 
Later that day, Brenda took us on a little field trip to a nearby asparagus farm (Gregory's Asparagus Farm)! Bruce and Colleen who own the farm took us on a tour of the area and even gave us the opportunity to ride the tractors that are used to pick asparagus! Let me tell you, I was seriously impressed by the young workers that were out on the field doing all the manual labor. Most of the kids who work here are no older than 16 and are out in the beating sun every day for as long as it takes to pick through all the rows of asparagus. That's some hard work! Luckily for them, it's only about a 6 week period where asparagus are ripe for picking and their hard work is rewarded well by pay.

A beautiful day for asparagus picking!

The tractor that the kids ride to pick asparagus

deeelicious! 

After the asparagus are picked, they undergo a whole  washing and sanitation process

I was up bright and early Tuesday morning for my 5:30 a.m. cook's shift. Patty, head cook for the morning, showed me how to make sausage gravy to serve at breakfast. Once service began, I worked the omelette station and then later switched over to the Mongo Station (Mongolian stir-fry) for lunch service. Lunch has gotten pretty crazy lately since orientation and camp groups have started up. Working at the Mongo grill gets really hot and tiring as more and more people line up. I also worked the Wok area, which is where they make a specialty combination of some sort of protein, vegetables, and sauce.

Garlic sesame chicken with peppers and onions- made by yours truly

On Wednesday, both Margaret and I got to work the "Island" together. I really enjoyed working in this area because there's a lot going on; they have desserts, salad and fruit bar, a condiment station, as well as a specialty salad/sandwich. During the first half of the day, Margaret and I both worked together to make chicken caesar wraps to order, which were hugely popular! We also cut up enormous amounts of vegetables and melon that would be used to replenish the salad bar during dinner service. We ended getting a lot of groups come in for dinner that night (one group of 200+ showed up!), so we were constantly running around to make sure all the stations were full.

On Thursday, Brenda, Margaret, and I adventured out to Big Rapids to visit Gordon Food Service (the main food supplier for FSU). Here we met up with the interns from Michigan State University, Megan and Jeanette. It was really nice meeting other NACUFS interns and I'm looking forward to seeing them again in the near future when we get to visit each other's schools!

We got a really in-depth tour of the distribution center- never have I seen a bigger facility

After the tour, we were shown over to GFS's new headquarters, which was enormous and so impressive!

Wouldn't mind going to work here every day!

My favorite part of the day was when we got to meet with a young RD named Allison who gave us a presentation outlining her basic duties as a dietitian at GFS. She talked about how she is responsible for writing menus and recipes, as well as the importance of being really aware of  such issues as gluten intolerance and other allergies. It was really encouraging seeing someone so new to the field doing really well for herself in this profession!

Friday, Margaret and I got the day off :) We decided to check out the local farmer's stand in downtown Big Rapids

They had everything from homemade soy candles to baby cactus plants- one which Margaret took home with us! We're still deciding on an appropriate name for it.

 

 

 We also stopped by this cute little dog treat bakery; we both got our dogs something to look forward to when we arrive home :)

Saturday was our first time working with FSU's catering company! We helped cater a wedding reception (150 people) that took place at a nearby golf club.

Margaret and I looking dapper in our catering uniforms

lovely reception set up! overlooking the gold course and water

 I had a great time working with the catering staff; everyone was really nice and helpful as usual. We soon figured out that the real work comes after the reception's over- all those dishes to clean!! I'm looking forward to working with catering again in July.

What better way to wrap up a long week than a 2 1/2 hour tubing ride down the Muskegon River...possibly one of the most relaxing and serene activities I've ever done. Definitely gonna have to make this a regular thing!