Week Two in the UP: Fresh Local Food, Meetings and Menus

I'm now used to the Upper Peninsula pace and will find it interesting to adjust back to my life at Purdue come August. My second week interning at NMU Dining has furthered my appreciation for friendly people and fresh, local food products. While the week was full of marketing meetings, parent orientation events, field trips and of course, time in the kitchen, a few reoccurring themes were presented.

1. A passion for food translates to delicious recipes and happy employees & customers. 
On Thursday, Robin and I visited the Sweetwater Cafe in town to interview the restaurant owner about her inspiration to focus on local, healthy, whole foods and how she introduced her gluten-free menu. The owner is a sweet lady who is married to one of the NMU dining staff. They have kept their cozy cafe running for over 20 years with a focus on whole foods and friendly conversation. When I asked the owner why she pursued this type of restaurant despite knowing that she'd be making less than a cookie cutter, convenient, preservative-food purchasing restaurant [McDonalds, Applebees, etc], I was told an inspiring story about adventure and a passion for food. Her parents had lived in Switzerland after college where she grew up learning how to make recipes from scratch. Back in the U.S. she spent time working at a fancy county inn by day and staying with an Amish family by night. Her appreciation for whole, fresh foods has grown over the years and her passion to share her love for making delicious food has only increased. Her passion is so great, you can almost taste it. I had a lovely lentil burger with fresh cheese and alfalfa sprouts on homemade bread and potato salad. The owner prides herself in teaching the staff the joy of cooking and the pleasure of consuming the creation. She even managed to create a gluten-free menu and instills excellence in her employees to deliver. I hope I can create the same enthusiasm for delivering delicious, yet allergy friendly foods with the NMU Dining allergen program.

Lentil burger and alfalfa sprouts 
with homemade whole grain bread and potato salad

2. Work is what you make it.
Friday was fairly quite in the office because over half of the staff I work with directly took the day off. I was pleased with how productive my day turned out to be- I got 4/7 Student 101 Nutrition Presentations completed and ideas for the remaining 3. You see, I had to create a guide for Robin and her support staff to educate NMU students about a specific nutrition product and transform the information into easy to understand messages for the marketing staff. In addition, I planned what props would make the presentation more appealing, the layout of the station and the sample foods to make and handout. At first, I was daunted by the tedious task, but I went into the task with a positive attitude Friday and created easy to follow, educational documents. I wish I could be here to see them pan out during the school year!

I've had a lot of opportunities in the last two weeks to experience and taste excellent food. Paul, an NMU supervisor of all retail operations, gave me the "grand tour" of all 6 retail locations and finished with a deluxe sushi lunch at Temaki & Tea [No, I didn't eat 3+ rolls of sushi, but I did enjoy half!] The fact that he juggles six external locations means he is constantly moving and trying to convey important information to his staff. As other restaurants out grew their previous locations, the NMU Dining staff were able to get creative with a few restaurants. For instance, Melted is a new, fancy grill cheese station restaurant that offers lunch for the main center on campus. As with any restaurant, there are always improvements to be made, but a positive attitude and motivated spirit allows for needed growth. I think it's great that there are always new opportunities to expand and improve operations.

Temaki & Tea sushi

3. Local foods make the community stronger and the individual healthy and happy. 
I recently ventured out to the local Food Coop to purchase local, organic foods to taste test. It was a perfect way to spend a sunny Sunday, next to my morning bike ride. I am quite impressed at how tight-knit and supporting the community is about supporting local farmers and how prideful businesses are in delivering whole foods. The Food Coop is expanding to include cooking and gardening classes to educate the local community and help establish a relationship with the food. When you cook your food, you're more interested in it!

Chicken, Spinach and mushroom pita,
 Kale salad topped with feta cheese, peppers and avocado
and ginger tea with honey

4. [Repeat.] Kayak when you have the opportunity to, especially with your Dad. 
My Dad drove 8 hours (one way) to spend the weekend with me. I'm lucky to have such a caring and adventurous Dad. Although the weather was unpleasant for the most part, we didn't let that stop us from walking around Presque Isle and kayaking in the afternoon. No matter where we went though, BUGS followed. Usually, I can ignore the little creatures, but the gnats swarmed us by the hundreds when we attempted to touch the lighthouse (see picture below) and when we initially jumped into the kayak. I literally paddled to shore, filled the kayak with water and dumped out the black, winged bugs. On the water, I had a pleasant time paddling and observing the houses surrounding the lake with my Dad. I give my Dad credit- he could paddle wayyy faster than I could! I'm glad my Dad is laid back; he's demonstrated that you can have fun and still be successful.

Presque Isle Lighthouse

Presque Isle Scenery

Always excited for adventure,

Cassandra

Dietetics/Nutrition, Fitness & Health

Purdue '14

Week 2 as FSU Bulldogs

Week two at Ferris State flew by extra quickly. This past week I worked more closely with two of the main cooks, Patty and Tiffany, and got to help prepare a few recipes (alfredo sauce, hummus, mashed potatoes, etc).

At the beginning of the week Emily and I teamed up to make roasted red pepper hummus, and although super delicious, it was very very messy! We made a large batch of 23 pounds, and were probably wearing a 1/2 pound of it!

23 pounds of homemade hummus

During one of my shifts I had the opportunity to jump on the Mongo Grill station, a made to order stir fry station that is very popular with locals and students (and one of my favorite dinner go-to's).

I would have to say the highlight of my experience so far was this past Saturday on our day off (although I'm really enjoying working too!). Emily and I ventured out to Traverse City, a cute and populated little city on the northern coast of Michigan about 2 hours north of Big Rapids. We hiked Sleeping Bear Dunes, a natural sand dune that is about 200ft high and has a 60 degree incline. People come from all over Michigan and the midwest to hike the dunes, and when we were there we saw people of all ages ranging from toddlers to grandparents-- all who braved the hike!

Here is the view from ground level....

Us at the top!! (It was quite the climb and required a few "sight seeing moments" aka rest stops...)

Once on top of the main dune, there are numerous trails and mini dunes for people to explore. We climbed a few, which were much steeper (~70 degree angles) but shorter in height.

Being at the top of Sleeping Bear made for one of the most serene and amazing views. The dune overlooks part of Lake Michigan (as seen below). It was so peaceful just sitting up there and looking out onto Michigan-- everything gets quiet and you can really appreciate the beauty of nature. Sleeping Bear was not only one of the most amazing views I've ever seen, but will probably be one of my most favorite memories for years to come.

After our hike we drove over to the local wineries, Black Star Farms and Left Foot Charley's. On our way we passed a roadside Iris Farm and decided to stop. I never even knew there were so many varieties of iris', and the flowers went on for rows and rows.

Black Star Farms and Left Foot Charley were great, the bartenders were very nice and answered all our questions as we tasted (ie what's the difference between Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio?) We even got to take home our wine glasses from Black Star as a nice souvenir!

Cabernet Franc, a mixture of cabernet and merlot- my new favorite red!

This past week was great, I can't wait to see what this week will bring!

First Week at FSU

Today marked one week exactly since I arrived at Ferris State in north west Michigan. The drive coming up from Pennsylvania was beautiful-- lots of farms, open fields and great landscaping. Once Emily (my internship partner) and I arrived, Brenda (our internship coordinator) and Abigail (Brenda's student assistant) drove us around the campus and surrounding the town. For being in such a small town there's a lot to do and see-- I've already made of bucket list of things to do before the end of July!

At the Michigan Welcome Center-- after 9 hours of driving!!!

Awesome goodybag courtesy of Brenda :)

After touring the campus and dining facility ("The Rock") for a day or two, we were put to work! I've gotten a chance to meet with the overall director of The Rock as well as managers, cooks, and student workers. Every day our schedule is packed full of fun, unique, and sometimes exhausting activities (Thursday I was at the bakery at 4am!!). Our internship is centered around The Rock, and by the end of the 8 weeks we will have been put in charge of supervising and managing the facility, so to get acquainted Emily and have been working different stations within The Rock. The Rock is set us as an all you care to eat facility with differnet themed stations; students with meal plans can come and go as they please (unlimited access for one price). What makes The Rock unique from other dining halls in college is the large amount of locals that dine there as well. We've been told that people have driven 50+ miles just to experience FSU's dining program and sales have increased almost 150% because of the community diners.

Display plates of all the menu items are arranged 3 times a day.

On Friday night I worked at "Grillin' Out", cooking up some great steaks as well as garlic toast and corn.

Yumm!

After a long week of hard work, Emily and I decided to explore the downtown area. Not too far from campus there are a few blocks filled with great places to eat, fun thrift stores and regular clothing shops. Probably what stands out the most about FSU is the pride the community has for it. FSU's mascot is a bulldog, and different statues and interpretations can been seen all throughout campus and downtown.

An awesome country store with homemade fudge and candy apples.

I've already learned and seen a lot at Ferris State, I can't wait to see what this upcoming week has to offer!!

First Week in the Upper Peninsula

The first week in the Upper Peninsula at Northern Michigan University has been an entirely new venture from the start of my summer. Just prior to arriving, I studied abroad in China at the Beijing Sport University, so adjusting to the United States 9 hours from my hometown Lowell, Indiana in Marquette, Michigan has definitely kept my eyes open to adventure and change. In 5 days,  I've been sent through a whirlwind of information, tours and fun in the office.

As the week progressed, I had a better idea of my role with NMU Dining Services. Robin Rahoi, the Dietitian in Food Service that I'm working for, has created many great changes with the dining services. Her goals intertwine with the food service staff to provide nutritional information about the menu items online, provide exceptional customer service and most recently, transform the menus to accommodate those with food allergies. That's where my role comes in. My primary task these next 8 weeks is to take apart what allergen program that exists and build it up so there's a solid plan to provide hot and cold menu items for those with food allergies. This plan will also include solutions to problem areas that have arisen as I've interviewed food service staff that carried out previous procedures to deal with food allergies. Prior to being assigned this internship, I had no idea how underdeveloped food allergen programs were at universities across the United States. Now, I'm determined to create a simple, yet effective way to ensure the allergen students safety. Did I mention that I have my own desk to create this plan to?!

My Summer Internship Desk

From day one I got my hands gloved and working in the kitchen. This is a dietetic/food service internship of course! Monday, Robin and I prepared gluten-free meal items to stock the allergen-free station aka the mighty mini-fridge. Currently, Robin takes on the responsibility to make them dishes, which might change after I develop the allergen manual. It was quite fun to get creative and think of ways to use the gluten-free food products. We even made vegan blueberry muffins for the upcoming student orientations. Thursday we were back in the kitchen to make black bean brownies for our official afternoon "retreat." Many of the staff were skeptical about these brownies, but once taste tested, all of them were sold! Who doesn't like[black bean] brownie sundaes?

Black Bean Brownie Sundaes

As I said, the staff of NMU are outgoing and friendly. Tuesday we had a luncheon that allowed me to introduce myself to the staff formally. They were most shocked by the fact that I hate bacon and teach kickboxing at Purdue. I am thankful to have a great staff to work with and I appreciate the welcome lunch.

The luncheon

On Thursday morning and Friday afternoon, I got to explore the town with my coworkers, Robin, Sue and Lexie. The surrounding area itself was surprisingly gorgeous- with clear water, green glass and well-kept buildings. I've scoped out a few places with Sue where we can host the annual staff picnic. [A side project I have is to plan, budget and organize an awesome picnic for the staff- how fun!] The bike trail area takes you through some amazing scenery too. I found out the Temaki and Tea restaurant, created by Robin and now run by Paul of NMU, has fantastic sushi at an affordable price! I was pleased to have a great lunch with awesome people and the opportunity to see another part of Marquette, Michigan.

Delicious Tamaki & Tea

Beautiful Marquette, MI

This weekend, I had the pleasure of being outdoors- enjoying the sunshine and gorgeous inland waters in Big Bay. Robin has a cute house right on the beach. The water is practically her backyard- it's great! Leisurely sitting in the sun in Big Bay has changed my perspective about always having to be busy. That's the most obvious difference I can establish between the Upper Peninsula and the Chicago Region area. I'm used to always moving, completing a task or going somewhere; after all, something always has to get done, right? The people of Marquette have really  [indirectly] challenged me to appreciate that days don't always have to run on a timeline, yet acknowledging that some boundaries need to be made, like going to work on time. I have to admit, I've been frustrated at times here- it takes ten minutes to check out of a store anywhere which I initially translated as people "dilly often." Nonetheless, things get done and people seem happier, so they must be doing something right. I have decided to embrace the difference in perspective and enjoy the unique opportunities I get to experience outdoors and with great people. After all, when you have an opportunity to jump in a kayak and enjoy the settling sun, why wouldn't you go? I might have been uncertain how to navigate the kayak since the last time I was in one was 12 years ago, but once I was settled on the water, I had a relaxing paddle. I'm excited to look beyond the "end of my kayak" and experience the environment around me.

Awesome view from my kayak

Kayaking with Robin

Excited for adventure,

Cassandra