Winding down at Plymouth State University!

After reading a few of the other posts, the same sentiments are echoing here--where has the time gone?!  It seems like just yesterday we were working our first shift and had no idea where anything was or how to accomplish our given tasks.  While I am not by any means an expert here, to compare where I was at the beginning of the summer to now, I really feel like a different person.  This internship has been challenging, frustrating, exciting and rewarding all at the same time.  Sami and I have done a lot this summer so I'll briefly try to capture as much as possible :)

Field trips:
Sami and I went on five field trips as part of our internship as well as visiting two different camps.  We checked out our local produce supplier, Saunder's Produce in Somersworth, New Hampshire.  He took us on a tour of the facility, we were able to taste test apples and grapes, and he explained a bit about the challenges of running a produce company.  He was such a nice guy and had a lot of great life advice for us and impressed upon us the importance of staying humble and getting to know yourself really well before settling down.  He was such a neat guy to visit!  After our visit, we were able to go to York, Maine and see the beach.

Next up on our field trip list was a visit to two universities in the Boston area--Babson College and Suffolk University.  Babson has a gorgeous campus.  One of their dining room managers took us on a tour of the different serving areas.  They really make an effort to make their stations look great with thoughtful garnishes and decorations.  I appreciated their dedication to providing excellent choices for those with food allergies, and being innovative with recipes by letting students and/or faculty submit family recipes or suggestions of what they would like to see served.  

 Babson dining hall

I was personally very proud of myself this day because I navigated the Transit Connect in Boston, which is a city I had never been to before that day.  The scariest part of driving in Boston is that the tram drives right through all of the traffic streets.  At one point, it seemed like it was inches away from the Transit.  Sami was a terrific navigator and after trying to park in three different parking garages, we were finally successful!  The general manager of dining at Suffolk, Bob Cirame, took us on a great tour of the campus and city.  We were also able to meet a few members of his team and discuss their jobs and advice they have about starting a career/the food service industry.  

The Transit Connect

Next up, we visited two different summer camps that are Sodexo accounts.  The first was Rockywold-Deephaven.  It has been described to us as a camp similar to the one in the movie, Dirty Dancing.  Here's the website if you're curious:  http://rdcsquam.com/

I also worked at Wolfeborro Camp for a day.  Sami is there today.  Wolfeborro is a summer boarding school for bright students wanting to go to an Ivy League school.  They attend classes during the day and have special activities on the weekend.  http://www.wolfeboro.org/

Just call me chef Kali

Our next field trip was to visit a preparatory school, St. Johnsburry in Vermont.  We met with the production manager, Hue Weatherby and discussed the challenges associated with a government supported operation.  St. Johnsbury is unique in that it is both publicly and privately funded. 

Our trip to Vermont was short that day because there was a manager's meeting back at Plymouth.  It was also a farewell celebration for the dietitian, Sara.  She was offered another great opportunity in Rhode Island.  We weren't able to shadow her before she left, but I learned a lot from her through conversations and working at different events with her.  Her absence is definitely felt!!  

The lighting in Union Grill isn't the best for a picture.. :)

Our next field trip was back to Vermont to Tyler Place camp.  It was three miles away from the Canadian boarder.  It took about three hours to get there from Plymouth, and the Ben & Jerry's factory happened to be right on the way, so we decided we had to stop.  We had a great time touring the factory and trying a sample of Salted Caramel Brownie.  It was delicious!

We drove a little bit further and stopped for lunch in Burlington, VT.  It was beautiful!!  We ate at a great restaurant called the Skinny Pancake.  They served all locally grown food and had a huge selection of different crepes, paninis, salads, etc.  Sami and I both ate our lunches really quickly because they were so tasty.  I would definitely recommend it if you're in the area!  

So good I had to snap a picture

After a little bit more driving, we reached our destination.  The camp had a lot of great things to offer.  They have a garden where they get some of their produce from for their meals, a completely nut free kitchen, and a lot of different areas to enjoy meals or snacks.  My favorite was their huge campfire area where they have smores.  The camp hosts a lot of affluent families, even celebrities!

Our last field trip of the internship was to Augusta, Maine to tour the distribution center where Plymouth gets its food from.  It's three hours from Plymouth so we were on the road at 5:30a to make our 9am meeting time.  It was pouring our entire journey, but we made it on time!  NorthCenter was very impressive.  We were given a very thorough tour of the facility from Ray and Cade.  They are the director and manager of national accounts, respectively.  We were able to meet and chat with a lot of the warehouse and office staff.  We even got to meet the company president!  They also sat down with us and answered any questions that came up and treated us to lunch at a local favorite spot.   

Happenings at Plymouth:

It's been a busy summer at PSU!  We have hosted numerous different groups this summer.  One of the groups that came here this summer were 18 women from Pakistan.  The US State Department hosted groups of people from Pakistan at several different universities around the country.  It was really neat to learn about another culture and to research their typical diets.  One of our special projects was to cater a lunch for the ladies.  We surveyed the group, developed a menu, set-up a dining space, cooked the meal, and baked the desserts almost entirely on our own.  The director of catering, Keith Botelho, helped us make the dining space look great and also whipped up a lovely lemon sauce for our grilled, halal chicken.  We also served the ladies two different salads, naan, stuffed red peppers with halal ground beef, pineapple cheesecake with a  chocolate drizzle, brownies, and tea.  The event was a great success and we received a lot of compliments.  

 Dessert/tea

 Table settings

 The ladies enjoying lunch

Our main entrees, halal roasted red peppers and grilled lemon chicken

Our summer at Plymouth has also included shadowing the vending manager, Mark, working in the kitchen to produce a meal with Mary, learning how to bake all on our own, making bulletin boards, catering for the Alumni Weekend, independently learning how to be the opening and closing manager, attending a catering conference, and working at different stations during service time.

 The baker's corner

 "Fancy" brownies that I baked and decorated!

 The entrance of the dining hall

Sami's great bulletin board about antioxidants! 

My bulletin wall (it's huge) about navigating the dining hall

Sami and I have been determined to make the most of our down time.  PSU was pretty much closed for the 4th of July weekend, so Sami brought me home with her to upstate New York!  We had a great holiday weekend. We were even able to visit Niagra Falls, Canada!  It was one of my favorite vacations ever.  I tried my first clam and got to try a garbage plate (see picture)!  

 Celebrating the 4th!

My lovely hosts :)

                                                         

                                                         

                We got to see fireworks @ Niagra!  The U.S.A. and Canada had a firework duel. 

Clam bake! 

Garbage plate!  Mac salad, homefries, and cheeseburger with condiments slathered on top--Yummy!

We have also had fun exploring our surroundings in New Hampshire.  We climbed Rattlesnake Mountain and explored a few towns in the lakes region.  

The gorgeous view of Squam Lake!

 One of the splendid sunsets we were able to see.

Dining lakeside has sort of become our thing ;)

The town of Plymouth is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year.  As a tribute, PSU hosted a free cookout for the town.  It was part of the universities annual Summerfest celebration.  It was a HUGE event and it was a lot of work to set-up and tear down.  It was also one of the hottest days we have had here.  All of the staff were very tired by the end of the event!  There were festive activities and live music.  Sami and I were in charge of games.  There was candle making, a pie eating contest, a penny scramble, and a water balloon toss.  We wore snazzy tropical shirts that could definitely be seen from far away.  Sodexo heard a lot of really positive feedback!  

             Ice sculpture and dessert table 

 The pie eating contest and penny scramble.

 Hanging out with Pemi the Panther

The BBQ set-up

The last big event to celebrate Plymouth's birthday was a town parade.  Sami and I helped floats and participants line up in the right area and then donned chef's coats and we carried Sodexo's banner in the parade.  Also in our crew were Pemi, Lucky the Leprachaun, the Pillsbury Doughboy, and driving the golf cart was Pat.  It was a really hot and humid day, so kudos to the kids who dressed up in the costumes.  

Walking in the parade.

Our last day is tomorrow and it feels very surreal.  I have learned a lot this summer and though it hasn't always been easy, I am very glad I was an intern this summer.  I owe a huge thank you to a lot of folks at Plymouth and Sodexo.  Each one of you has made this an experience I will never forget.  To my fellow intern, Sami--words can't describe how grateful I am to have shared this adventure with you.  Wishing all of the other interns a great rest of the summer and best wishes always!

Representing the University of Minnesota, Plymouth State, and the Rochester Institute of Technology