Summer at Dartmouth Dining Services: Week One

     My name is Hillary Hayes, and I will be spending the summer interning at Dartmouth Dining Services (DDS). I came to New Hampshire all the way from Iowa. I am a Dietetics major at Iowa State University and will be a Senior next year. I'm looking forward to a great summer at Dartmouth!
    It's only been a week and already I feel like I've done so much. From social media to sustainability to learning about the online nutrition system at Dartmouth, I've gotten to work on a variety of tasks. One of my favorites is tweeting the baked goods at Collis Cafe, the cafe in the studen union. There's nothing better than baked goods, twitter, and coffee in the morning! Not to mention, I get to see all the staff at Collis. I have also been writing features for the website on sustainable, local products that are offered through campus dining. The more I learn about all DDS does to help the environment and support regional producers, the more I want to get the word out! Finally, I have been learning about Compnutrition, the online nutrition database for dining services. It has not been without its challenges, but slowly and surely I am becoming familiar with it. I will be working more with Compnutrition in the upcoming week.
     On Tuesday, I got to hear Bill Yosses, the executive pastry chef at the White House, speak. This was an awesome opportunity to listen to a great chef speak about his culinary philosophy. As a Dietetics student, I found his view point on healthy eating most intriguing. He used the French palate as a model for how a diet can be both decadent and nutritious. When desserts are smaller and of higher quality, less is needed to satisfy. Delicious desserts are definitely something I can get behind! Another interesting anecdote was his take on the three most important characteristics of a French palate. They were: proper technique, quality ingredients, and the importance of sharing your meals with others.  When applied, food tastes better and is more satisfying because it's shared. What a great concept!
    The first week brought a ton of new experiences. I'm looking forward to finding out what the next week has in store!

Hillary