The Last Hoorah in Wyoming!

       Hello all! Sorry it's been a while! After my last week in Wyoming my boyfriend had flown out and we made a road trip to Michigan to start our vacation!  So it's been a few couple of days with lots of driving, packing, unpacking, and the best, sunbathing! My last week was one to remember and I will admit I will always have a spot in my heart for this school out west.  I will be thinking of them and their students once winter rolls around.

    Monday, the gang hoped in the car and headed down to Colorado State University to meet with Ben Marks, the former NACUFS director at University of Wyoming.  We had a tour of the campus and got to sit down with Ben.  We toured the bakery, which had a gluten free area! We also toured the one of the main dining halls, one of their retail locations, and another dining hall.  It was really cool to compare and contrast the two schools and it was encouraging to see that directors from other universities don't compete with each other but help each other out.  I was impressed their gluten free dining stations in each dining hall that offered a gluten free refrigerator.

    Tuesday we met with the marketing department and learned how they were involved in dining services.  The summer is their time to plan and organize marketing materials to use throughout the school year.  They also look at what things could be not used and what they could play up.   We also finished editing our nutritional tour of Washakie video with the help of one of the marketing interns.

    Wednesday was our much anticipated tour to the meat science lab.  Needless to say I wasn't very excited.  I went with my courage and a strong stomach and it wasn't as bad as I thought.  I learned a lot there and it helped to know that they take many precautions in the lab and they try to treat the animals as humanly as possible.  Emily has much more to say about this than me but none the less it was a good learning experience.

   Thursday was our sustainability day! We met with Amy in the morning to discuss and go over what the campus does for sustainability.  We even got to help write an SOP (standard operating procedure) for the use of reusable containers for the RA staff.  It was a bit of a challenge at first but we got it sorted out.  The rest of the afternoon we met with ACRES farm staff to learn more about the farm and took a little tour.  We then headed to the farmers market to help the crew and see how their process works.  We weren't much help but it was cool to see the other side of things at the farmers market.  It was also convenient since the girls and I had planned to go to the farmers market anyway and then go get a farewell dinner at Sweet Melissa's.

    Friday!!! Our last day! I can't help but say I was a little excited for this day.  I was just so excited to see friends and family! But we got to test our sandwiches for The Gardens and it was quite a success.  We all had two sandwiches each to make and test.  After all our testing we met up with the rest of the staff to celebrate our last day with a cake Deb made.  It was delicious! I couldn't have thought of a better way to enjoy my last day of the internship seeing mostly everyone who has a played a role during the internship.  We did our final evaluations and said farewell. It's been fun, new, and I learned a lot more about what I picture myself doing in the future.

Yummmm Sandwiches!

Thanks Deb!

   Thank you Amy Bey, and everybody well at the University of Wyoming who made this experience possible! Go S'pokes!

One last hike at Veedauwoo!

The train depot and gorgeous Laramie!

Brendan and I! :)

Thanks NACUFS!

Week 8: Wyoming, It Has Been a Pleasure

The last 8 weeks have been a whirlwind, and I wouldn’t have chosen to do anything else or be anywhere else this summer.  I’m so grateful for the experiences I had in Wyoming; it has become a dear place to me.

This week really didn’t have a common thread: every day was different, so the time moved quickly (which I appreciated because I was excited to see my family).

Monday was filled with a field trip to Colorado State University in Fort Collins.  It was fun to see the similarities and differences to UW.  It was comforting to see how much was familiar, though, because it made me realize how much I had actually learned during the previous weeks.  I was impressed with their bakery there: it’s huge!  They had a cool floor-to-ceiling dishwasher.  

You can roll a whole caddy of dirty dishes in.

The coolest part of the bakery was the gluten-free room, which was completely closed off to the remainder of the bakery and had its own new equipment free of contamination.  It’s neat that they have the means to make gluten-free items from scratch.  We also got to see a couple of the dining halls on campus, and I really liked the décor.  They seemed both cozy and upscale.

On Tuesday, we learned about marketing.  It was interesting to learn how far in advance the different marketing campaigns are planned.  Summer is the acknowledged dead time, so all efforts are focused on gearing up for the fall.

On Wednesday, we visited the meat science lab/processing plant on campus.  It was awesome!  I didn’t have to witness any slaughtering, and I learned a lot of cool information about how meat becomes the neat little packages I buy at the store.  I was happy to learn how many safety and sanitation precautions are taken when processing meat.  I liked hearing about grass-fed vs grain-fed beef, and I was also interested to learn how precise the process of freezing meat has to be so that the ATP is depleted in the muscles before thawing (or else the muscle will contract and get short and tough – crazy!).  In the afternoon, we met with Eric, the director of dining services, to discuss UW’s budget.  I really enjoyed this part of the internship because I started to get a sense of the big picture of university dining.  I had no idea beforehand, but UW doesn’t try to make money off their dining; they just try to earn enough to cover labor and repair costs, etc.  The raising of prices at dining locations on campus seems arbitrary to students, but prices are actually carefully calculated based on food cost, overhead, and labor.  The university doesn’t charge students any more than is necessary.

On Thursday, we talked about UW’s sustainability efforts with Amy and then appropriately followed that up with a visit to Acres, the student farm.  We got a tour of the farm and then saw how they prepare for the farmer’s market.  I liked hearing the hoop houses explained: they have sides that can roll up or down, and they make it possible to extend the growing season beyond the impossibly short 3 or so months that are usually available.  I was impressed with the diversity of plants growing on the farm, and I got to sample nasturtium, sorrel, and purslane.  And, like last time, we got to visit with Salem. J

Part of Acres

Inside the largest hoop house

The smaller hoop houses

Nasturtium! A peppery edible flower

Peas

An awesome-looking cabbage of mystery variety

And, like last time, we got to visit with Salem. J

Last day, woohoo!  Friday was carb-alicious.  In the morning, we tested flatbread sandwich recipes for Gardens, a restaurant/bar on campus, because Marta wants to expand the menu.  The only cooking equipment they have is a TurboChef, a tiny but very hot convection oven that gets sandwiches all toasty and delicious in about a minute.  Each of us had two recipes to try, and then we tried variations of those recipes.  All in all, I probably sampled eight different sandwiches.  I was full afterward, but it was fun, cheesy, and delicious.  Marta mentioned that the interns last year sampled lots and lots of hot dogs; I was grateful we had sandwiches instead –they don’t get sickening quite as fast.

 

Spinach Artichoke Flatbread Sandwich:
It tasted like spinach artichoke dip in sandwich form

After our sandwich testing, we had a little going away party…with cake!  It was a GIANT cake, and Deb, the head baker, made it look gorgeous!  Even though I was full of flatbread sandwiches, it was one of the best cakes I’ve had in a long time.  So good!  

Beautiful!

Italian Cream Cake with Pecans

People stopped by to share cake and wish me and Claire luck.  Seeing all the faces reminded me just how many people I’ve gotten to meet and learn from over this internship.  It made me grateful not only for the connections and friendships, but also the diversity of experiences that I’ve gained from the last 2 months.  I’ve never gotten to learn about something from so many different perspectives before.

I’m glad I got to be with so many great people this summer.

 

(Sad this is blurry) I'm going to miss these ladies!

Laramie, it has been a pleasure.

Wyoming Week 7: Feeling Wistful

To be perfectly honest, I’ve been excited to go back to California since day one of this internship.  Not that I wasn’t excited to be here, it’s just that I really like my home.  But now that I’m facing the prospect of leaving, it’s sinking in how much I’m going to be leaving behind.  I could not have asked for a better experience here in Laramie.  The people here have made my summer far better than I even imagined it would be.  I have been overwhelmed by their friendliness, helpfulness, and generosity.  For the past 7 weeks, I have been surrounded by good friends - people who have been there for me and people who have inspired me.

Awesome Rainbow View from My Friend's House

Now that all that sentimentality is out of the way with…

Week 7 was all about retail dining!  It was interesting to see how retail operations compare with the dining hall.  At Washakie, it’s all about getting the most bang for your buck.  At retail, budget is definitely a consideration, but if the customers will buy an item (and it’s feasible to produce with the given equipment, etc.), then it can go on the menu.  I felt like there was more flexibility with what can be offered.  Each of us interns got to take turns working in the Rolling Mill Café (a coffee shop/bakery in the union), Panda Express, and the Book & Bean (a coffee shop with a few food offerings in the library).  I had fun in each place.  I would say the highlights were learning to make chow mein and fried rice in the giant wok at Panda (definitely more work than it looks like!) and working in the Book & Bean.  The student manager, Lauren, over at Book & Bean is super friendly and shared a lot of fun trivia.  She also showed me how to use the milk steamer (it’s fun making all the foamy goodness), and I got to make myself some hazelnut hot chocolate.

I also got some official cashiering training this week, which was helpful after some stressful experiences of standing in front of the register, completely clueless, and probably ticking off dozens of people.  We were shown how to set up the cash registers in the morning.  The managers learn by experience approximately how much cash needs to be stocked in each machine to get through the day.  I also thought it was interesting to learn about how restaurant chains like Panda Express and Pita Pit have to be run differently from university-run restaurants.  A lot of the food has to be ordered separately, and the different corporations send their own representatives to train student employees and to periodically check up on how the operation is being run.  There’s a reason why Panda Express tastes the same in every location across the country.

On Thursday, Claire, Katlyn, and I were put on sandwich research duty.  J  Marta, the retail dining director, wants to expand the menu for one of the restaurants on campus.  I swore to myself I would never get a pinterest account, but when she recommended using it for inspiration, I succumbed.  It was fun spending the morning browsing food blogs and pinterest for new sandwich ideas.

Friday was neat because we got to visit the UW Early Childhood Education Center and learn about how foodservice (planning menus, following federal nutrition guidelines, dealing with allergies, etc.) works there.  It’s basically UW’s daycare program, but it’s an excellent one because all the employees have studied childhood development.  They do an excellent job with the kids.  One of the classrooms there had a wall dedicated to what the kids were learning about food.  The kids made chocolate chip cookies as a project, and there was a fun quote wall with the kids’ responses to the question, “How do you think we will make our chocolate chip cookies?”  My favorite responses were:

·      “Chocolate chips then flour and then bake them in the oven, then take them out.  I’ve made them before.”

·      “Make the cookie first then add chocolate chips and stir, stir, stir.  Then mix it up with water and stir then bake it!”

Kids are awesome.

After the UWECEC visit, we got to observe a food photo shoot for the new restaurant that’s going to be opening on campus.  Food photography is definitely a detail-oriented art, and it was a lot of fun to learn more about it.

Food Photography - It's Intense

Bread Getting Propped Just So
(Also, there's a squirt bottle with water at his feet to spritz a nice shine on the food)

On Saturday, Claire and I drove up to the Snowy Range. It was gorgeous!  I didn’t take many pictures all week, and then I took 150 on Saturday.  Hence why all my photos are clumped at the end of this post.

It reminded me of Derbyshire.  BBC Pride & Prejudice anyone?

My friend informed me these are Columbine. I love them!

It has been another great week, and I’m excited for what’s still ahead.

Say What?? Week 7?! University of Wyoming

     Hello! Oh my goodness.  I have a hard time believing we are about to venture into our last week here in Wyoming.  It has gone by so fast, faster than I imagined!

    This week was retail, retail, retail! We arrived Monday morning to the Student Union ready for anything, and still a little tired from the week before.  The union offers a variety of retail food service operations including Panda Express, Pita Pit, Snowy Range to Go (a hot dog/ice cream operation), S'Pokes (a pizza joint), Rolling Mills Cafe (offers coffee, made to order sandwiches, and quesadillas, and to-go items), The Gardens (a bar located in the lower portion of the union, and serves lunch), and Cj's, the market on campus.  There is also Book N' Bean which is located in the library right across from the Union.  The three of us got to try working in the 3 locations: Panda Express, Book N' Bean, and Rolling Mills Cafe.

The Book N' Bean!

     My first location was Book N' Bean where I got to work with Lauren, the inspiring Barista.  Lauren worked with me on showing me how to make espresso shots, steamed milk, and other speciality drinks.  Lauren also had a lot of fun facts about coffee. For example, did you know that lighter roasts of coffee are higher in caffeine than darker roasts? That's because since the darker roast is roasted longer some of the caffeine is diminished.  Who woulda know?! I got to spread this piece of news to a customer later on at Rolling Mills.  Book N' Bean was fairly quiet and relaxing for the first day but I learned a lot.
 
    Day two! This day I was Rolling Mills Cafe and excited to try to put my barista knowledge to use.  There were a lot of students to work with and they were very kind showing me around.  Kelsey the student manager explained how the hiring process worked there.  Having some food service background in retail helped me pick things up right away.  I mostly learned to use the cash register and learn how to make drinks for customers.

    Day 3 was Panda Express.  We started off doing vegetable prep and doing temps. One of the other students taught me how to make chow mien and fried rice in the giant wok.  Let me tell you, it wasn't easy.  Panda Express is the most popular location in the union so it kept pretty busy during the shift.  The students and formed an assembly line to serve the food and it was a lot of fun.

   Thursday the three of us met with Marta, the head manager for the retail food service operations.  She had us work on a recipe development project for The Gardens.  We were to come up with some new sandwich ideas that could be used.  After doing some research and picking out a few recipes we wrote out recipe forms for each sandwich idea.  Later that afternoon we joined the rest of the dining staff for a culinary meeting.  We discussed the finishing details of their new retail location, Rendezvous, and some yummy bread options.  Marta took us on a little tour of Rendezvous and we got to see the progression it had made since the last time we visited.

    Friday, I was unable to come into work due to a case of pink eye. Of course, it comes at the very end of the internship.  Thankfully I will be fully recovered and non contagious for Monday.  I got my self to the urgent care center in Laramie and got myself some antibiotics.  It was really a bummer since we were to be going to work with the kids that receive packed lunches provided for Washakie, and helping in the photo shoot of some menu items.  But I obviously couldn't bring my pink eye around the kids or food.  I am happy to say I am pretty much fully recovered now!

     This weekend, Emily and I were determined to go to the Snowy Range Bypass.  It was amazing.  We got to see the Snowy Range Mountains, Mirror Lake, and Lake Marie.  All gorgeous spots.  It was wonderful way to spend our last Saturday in Wyoming.  We also got dinner at our favorite place Sweet Melissa's.  SO GOOD.  You must go if you have the chance! I also went hiking at Veedauwoo again Sunday morning.  Now time to pack, and get ready for our last week!

Me at Mirror Lake!

Look at those clouds!

Lake Marie... or Mirror Lake?

Gorgeous view

Emily being adventurous!

Until next time,  or the last time! :P

Wyoming Week 6: Bakery

This week flew by in a cloudy haze of sugar and flour.  I’ve had more butter than I want to admit, less sleep than I want to think about, and lots of fun.  (Word to the wise, though, the first time you try cronuts, try not to stay up all night before doing so, and then definitely do not eat 3 within the space of 5 minutes.)

It was great working with the masters over at the bakery this week.  Deb, the amazing head baker, gave us the run-down of the equipment needed for their operation.  Having never been behind the scenes of a commercial bakery, I was amazed by the size and variety of equipment.  This was my first experience with walk-in ovens, mammoth mixing bowls, and donut robots.  It was also my first time using non-digital scales.  All the bakery recipes use weights, so I got lots of practice, but I still didn’t entirely master it by the end of the week.

Giant Mixer

Donut Robot

This thing can form about 30 rolls in 10 seconds

It was fun hearing about the special challenges of serving high-class desserts.  Deb creates a new dessert each year for an on-campus gala, and she has made some amazing, but stressful-sounding dishes, including a baked Alaska with 3 different layers of gelato and a 2-layered flan baked inside mini pumpkins.  As if these don’t sound challenging enough, keep in mind that about 500 people go to these galas.  Also, she has to transport the desserts a long distance, sometimes to places without adequate freezer/refrigerator space.  Yikes!

The projects we got to work on this week included baking cookies, decorating cakes, making dinner rolls, frying donuts, and cronut (croissant donut) testing!  The bakery is trying to develop an ideal recipe so they can start selling cronuts at the retail operations on campus.  The cronut testing was by far my favorite, even though I had to do two midnight-8am shifts to be involved.  We got to make the croissant dough (including, yes, spreading a half-pound of butter over the dough), cut and fry the cronuts, and toy around with fillings and glazes.  Some of the flavor combos we tried were lemon blueberry, pumpkin maple, and cinnamon chocolate.  SO GOOD!  I think I’m permanently spoiled for normal donuts.

Katlyn's beautiful frosting flowers

Cronuts Before Frying

After Frying: Behold that layered goodness.

This weekend was awesomely fun too!  Claire, Katlyn, and I checked out the farmer’s market downtown on Friday.  Then on Saturday, I met up with some friends and saw a parade then went to Sybille Canyon.  On the way, we saw buffalo, antelope, elk, cattle, and llamas!  Then in the canyon, we went swimming, cliff diving/jumping and shooting.  It’s not every day that I get to jump off a cliff, shoot handguns and rifles, and ride in the back of the truck.  I was stoked.

The lake we swam in (the rocks in the far background on the left are what we jumped from)

I can't remember the name of this rifle, but it was super fun to shoot (and a bit painful, haha)

Until next week!