Week 4
New Schedule! Let's dive right in!
Monday
We begin our day with Craig to learn how to write recipes and convert the measurement to pounds, quarts and each. He told us we had to include safety temperatures, what utensils to use, and what preparation needed to be done. This was a challenge for me because I didn't know all the terms for the cooking utensils. He gave us a few common ones to use such as the kettle and the different pan names, which definitely helped. Last week, I decided to get a head start because I already knew how to write recipes, for the most part, and knew the steps to convert measurements. I had four recipes converted and three with directions. The one without directions, we tackled first.
Craig suggested starting with the directions first. I thought this was a little weird because when you look at a recipe, you most likely will look at the ingredients first. Well, we're not looking at a recipe, we are creating it. I learned that when you write a recipe, the ingredients should go in order in which they are used, makes complete sense to write the directions first. You have to know the order of appearance. After constructing the directions step-by-step, we looked up the ingredients in FoodPro to get the inventory number. To make the process easier for the cooks, we tried to get produce pre-cut or pre-peeled. Why do have to go into inventory for the ingredients? If we have the special numbers, we can order straight from the recipe because all we need are the inventory numbers and measurements of each product.
After Craig showed us the ropes of recipe writing, we got the hang of it. We took a quick lunch break and got back to work. The rest of recipes weren't too tricky, it was just the writing part that took a while. We ended up finishing around 1:00pm so we brought our finished products out to Craig before he left for his meeting at Snelling. Only one correction needed to be done but besides that, they looked good to go! The rest of the day was ours.
Tuesday
For some reason, it was hard to get up today. Everyone else seemed to have the same problem. This morning we met with most of the HR team of Dining Services. First, we met with Rachel, who works with student employment. When new student worker fills out the application, it goes to Rachel who looks over it and figures out when and where the student can work. She said she accepts 99% of students who apply because they need the help and it's a great first job for a student to learn from. It is required you have a Social Security Card, but what about the foreign exchange students? Well, if they show a special office on campus an email from Rachel saying they will be working for Dining Services, they can receive a Social Security Card. Pretty neat, right?
We also spent some time with Kathryn Flores another HR representative for Dining Services. She works with the department when jobs are opened and closed. She can see how many applicants are in a pool as well as who applied and when. It's not as easy as you think opening and closing applicant pools because once it's closed, it's closed. She has a system to keep the pools open until a successful candidate actually starts working to ensure the position is secured. Kathryn explained how the software worked but there's no way I could relay it back to you and it make as much sense as when she did.
It was about time to head over to Snelling to help Craig with interviews for new part-time employees. Kathryn was so kind to drive us to Snelling, keeping us out of the rain. We weren't quite sure what they wanted us to do so we followed the managers around. Gregg let me sit in on one of his interviews. It was cool to be on the other side of the interview for once. The woman seemed nervous, as would I, so we started with the basic questions. "Tell us about yourself?" "Do you have any experience in food service?" She mentioned she was a hard worker and worked for Caterpillar, but was laid off. She also kept talking about being late but calling ahead and taking responsibility. It was mentioned multiple times throughout our meeting. I kept myself from cringing because this isn't something you'd focus on during an interview, pull out all your positives, not so much the negatives. She has worked with food before and seemed a little more peppy about it compared to talking about Caterpillar. Gregg took noticed of this and focused on the positive in her, straying her mind away from a bad experience. Whenever she and I made eye contact, I gave a comforting smile meaning she was doing well and could relax. Slowly, her personality came out and we saw the real her.
As we went deeper in the interview, her body language changed as we asked about experience with food service. She was up for any challenge but we could sense she'd prefer to work in the kitchen rather than with customers. Being in the back would also allow her to move constantly, which is what she liked. Other questions were asked and notes were taken, but before we wrapped up our interview, Gregg told her something I wasn't expecting. He told her he didn't care if she was late as long as she was ready to work, but not everyone in the world is like that. In fact, Gregg used to be just like her, showed up 15 minutes late every day to work. That is until one of his managers sat him down and explained that those who come in late have to work a lot harder than the ones who come in on time or early. Why is that? Those who are late aren't cut as much slack as those who aren't, meaning the others get away with a crappier job or a few slip ups. So Gregg went from being 15 minutes late every day to 15 minutes early. He noticed people treated him differently, with more respect and less negativity. The world is full of different people living different lives. We don't know what everyone is going through but when we have a job to do, we are expected to do it. Gregg explained this to the woman and hoped this would be something important she would take away from this interview. We thanked her for her time and wished her luck with the rest of the process.
The debrief. Much of Gregg and I's debrief consisted of what I mentioned above, the body language, the focusing on positives, and the story. But Gregg's brain of infamous knowledge had more to give. He asked if I had heard of the "Bank Account Method." I knew what a bank account was but not the "method" that went along with it. Prepare yourself. The "Bank Account Method" is a type of leadership style. You have a worker or student, they start out with a balance of zero. In order to increase this balance, you praise, compliment, give small kind gestures, do anything positive you can think of. Before you know it, the balance increases. You want to have a secure (high) balance in order to make a withdraw, something negative. It depends on how you approach the negative comment to ensure a positive response. For example, "Hey Charlie, you are doing a fantastic job! Have you tried looking at this way? It might work better. Keep up the great work!" Even though you're still making a withdraw, you're also depositing as well.
Food for thought. What do your "bank accounts" look like?
After this deep philosophical/psychological experience, we headed back to Bolton to test out a few of our recipes. We weren't sure if we would be making them or just tasting the final product. We went to the back and said, "We're ready!" Randy (chef) showed us to our spot where four sheet pans were covered with ingredients for each of the recipes. He said they were measured out according to our recipes.
**What you are about to hear will include sneak peaks of our menu for the special event.**
**I also forgot to take pictures.** Except for one**
The first recipe we started out with was the quickest, Chilled Strawberry Coconut Soup. Now, I know what you're probably thinking, chilled soup? Gross. Don't judge a food by its name because this soup was absolutely amazing! With the right amount of strawberry kick, orange tang, coconut creaminess, and a hint of mint, this delight left us craving more and more. The only utensil we could use to eat the soup was a tasting spoon, I think I used about six... So. Good.
Recipe #2: Seafood, Chorizo, and Vegetable Stew. This fish included were shrimp and cod, both offering different textures to the soup. No broth was used so the flavor we tasted was a savory taste of the juices from the various ingredients we cooked together, chorizo (spicy sausage), garlic, celery, crushed tomatoes, and wine/vinegar. We tasted it right after we were done cooking it. I have to admit, we overcooked the shrimp a little bit so they were on the chewy side but the flavor of the soup was very good. I think it would be even better after it sat for a while, really letting all those flavors seep into each other.
Recipe #3: Creamy Vegan Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes. This was a challenge, but a challenge we were willing to accept for the sake of the guests we would be serving. We split this one up because there were steps were could conquer at the same time. Lexie cooked the whole wheat pasta and I cut, tossed and roasted the tomatoes. While waiting for the tomatoes to finish roasting we attempted our sauce. I have never made a true sauce so the thought of mixing our roux (garlic and onion) with flour and almond milk seemed a little too good to be true. Chef Randy walked us through it and assured it was going to make a sauce. We kept stirring and still very liquidy. Took it off the heat and it thickened up at little bit then added it to the pasta and threw in the tomatoes. Stirred it good so the tomatoes broke up and made the masterpiece flourish in color. The first taste was not what we were expecting, bland. It's not my favorite thing to do when cooking but we added salt, more than I would like but it's part of the process of bringing a dish to life sometimes. Still, something was missing. Ah ha! Basil! Chef Randy went to the back to chiffonade some basil (my favorite way to cut basil). The little ribbons gave it the essence it needed. YUM.
Recipe #4: Ham and Potato Rosti. It's basically a big hash brown pancake. It wasn't too tricky to make. We mixed all the ingredients together then put them in a pan to cook then transferred it to another pan to bake. Oh lawdy was this thing good. Bring more tasting spoons, please! The rosti had a crispy bottom with perfectly cooked potatoes. To get the full experience, put that country ham on that tasting spoon, too. You won't regret it.
If you were to ask me which one was my favorite, I couldn't tell you because all the dishes are so unique yet compliment each other. Sorry, this was the only picture I took, you're just going to have to use your imagination for the other dishes.
Wednesday
What a learning day! So much was absorbed in the few hours of today. First off, we took an Uber to work today... We tried to figure out the bus system they have here but it's very complex and we didn't want to risk being lost/late for work. We started our day at the Central Food Storage with Brooks Oliver, a man of great insight. He told us how the food system has evolved at UGA, from expansions to new ways of tracking information. Because of the recent additions of retail options on campus, they needed to expand the dry storage and rebuild their freezer and cooler. He told us they go through hundreds of pounds of chicken A DAY! Most of the freezer is different types of chicken, chicken fingers, chicken wings, chicken breasts, etc.. I feel like Bubba from Forrest Gump naming off his shrimp dishes. Anyways... They have a lot of chicken and plenty of room to store it.
Brooks went on to explain how they get their food. Don't they just buy it from a vendor? Yeah, that's what I thought too but that's not the case. UGA has a bid system where different vendors compete to be the supplier of UGA. Whichever one has the lowest bid is the one UGA buys for the quarter or whatever the agreement stated. The low food cost allows for a more affordable meal plan for the students. Though it is a business, they are feeding the academic success of the students.
Next on our schedule was to meet with Craig to talk about his position. Man does this guy do so much. Craig is the Training Specialist but I don't think this title does justice for all that he does. Morphing the training system into what it is today, new Dining Services employees are better prepared for what they will experience in their units. He has created several training modules managers can assign their employees. They consist of valuable information pertaining to specific units as well as quizzes to test the knowledge of the employees. The managers can see their grades which will help them further train the employee because they know what they struggle with.
Craig does the orientation for new full-time employees as well as initiate job fairs, opportunities for Athens community members to apply to become a UGA Dining Services employee. What else is on Craig's list? Well, he leads employee and manager retreats, days to learn and help develop yourself as a leader and a person. I will get to experience one of these retreats firsthand on Friday.
Craig also teaches meditation, not yoga though. Meditation allows you to become more intact with your inner self as well as what is around you, concentration and mindfulness. He told us he originally had 3 classes of 15 and people thought he was thinking too outside the box. Learn from Craig, never let "too" outside the box stop you because his 3 classes soon grew to 10.
During our conversation with Craig, there were a few quotes that stuck out to me that truly spoke for who Craig was. "Treat your employees right and they will take care of you." Deep. Take a moment of silence to fully absorb it. This can be applied to the workforce, to friendships, relationships, and yourself. Another quote Craig mentioned, "great leader + great manager + people skills = move up." There are multiple ways to lead, manage, and work with people. Figure out your custom formula to help you move up the ladder.
Fun facts about Craig:
He did karate back in the day.
He is a Nightwish fanatic.
He is a certified barista trainer but doesn't like coffee.
He loves Shakespeare.
His email has nothing to do with his first or last name.
He is full of infamous knowledge about infamous topics.
After getting to know Craig and his position a little bit more, it was time for our midterm evaluations. Last night, I sat down and wrote everything out I wanted to talk about in the meeting, this way I wouldn't forget and was well-prepared going into it. I was super excited for this meeting! We sit down and go through a checklist but Craig and I agreed that a month was a very short amount of time to truly give a good evaluation. Most of the "grading" was from word of mouth of other managers who worked with us throughout our time here. We came to the section where is talked about assertiveness. He explained that a few managers perceive me as quite. "I know and I understand why they may think that," I told him. Yes, I may be on the quieter side, but don't mistake my quietness for shyness or timidness. As you sit there explaining something to me, I am absorbing and processing everything you are talking about, trying to gain as much information as I can. Sometimes I don't have questions at the time but I'm not afraid to reapproach an individual at another time to discuss a question. Quiet has a negative connotation, but I want to assure you that when I want to say something, it is said, and it is backed up with thought and passion. Craig told me to not change myself because of what other may perceive me as, but to be aware of this perception.
I'm you can see, I have gained so much valuable information from this internship. As you quietly read, you have the opportunity to imagine, ponder, and act upon some of the marvelous experiences I have learned from the last few weeks.
Continuing with our meeting... We went on to talk about ideas for the second half of my internship. Like I said before, I had my list ready to go. There was a slight ranking system to it but all very important. I won't go over what exactly was on that list but in the weeks to come, we both will find out what Craig has planned for me. Lastly, to finish up our meeting, I had one last question for Craig. "People have asked me several times why I chose this internship, but why did you choose me as your intern?" I was curious! Next February, I will be participating in an internship panel to talk about my different experiences evolving around, you guessed it, internships. I felt that having the knowledge of what set me apart can not only help me in the future when I promote myself in another interview or a scholarship application but help those students attending the panel looking for guidance as they venture closer towards their goals. Craig and I will be going over my interview in weeks to come. Breaking it down to help me understand his thought process better. Stay tuned!
Don't worry, not too much more!
After lunch, we took the Strengthsfinder test to figure out our top five traits out of 32. Following the 180 questions, our answers appeared on the magic screen, aka the computer. My top traits came out to be futuristic, responsibility, strategic, arranger, and learner. This explains so much about me. I'll give you a brief overview of each one (according to Clifton Strengths School).
Futuristic: someone inspired by the future and what could be, inspires others with their visions of the future. We are fascinated with tomorrow and love talking about the inspiration that comes from dreaming.
Responsibility: someone who takes psychological ownership of what they say they will do and are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty. We are often trusted to get something done. Craig mentioned that these types of people like lists. I couldn't help but laugh because I had a list ready to go for our eval earlier in the day.
Strategic: someone who can alternate ways to proceed. When faced with different scenarios, they can spot relevant patterns and issues. We like to consider all possibilities to gain the best result and are totally okay with making a mid-course decision.
Arranger: someone who can organize but also be flexible as it allows. We figure out how all the pieces and resources can be arranged for the best result. We are comfortable with many things going on at once. We work efficiently and effectively in a dynamic environment.
Lastly, the learner: someone with a desire to and learn and continuously improve. We enjoy the experience that comes along with learning new things. We like to live on the frontier or cutting edge.
Reading through my cards and their various descriptions, I could see how they formed their own spider web. Like said before, it explains a lot about me.
To finish up our Wednesday, we met with the final member of the HR team in Dining Services, Katrina Pittman. She deals with the incidents inside the units, the documentations, terminations, FMLA (medical plan), and conflicts between managers and employees. She emphasizes how she has an open door policy if someone needs to talk. Katrina told us some stories of employees who have pushed the line and done some crazy things, wouldn't have even thought of some of these situations. She supports the managers and their roles when it comes to enforcing the policies. We want to keep the work environment as calm and smooth as possible.
"Don't let the grass grow under your shoes." Keep looking to move up and learn more, she told us. She was comfortable with her job but was looking to advance to another position. She loves how different it is day-to-day, the challenges it offers. Though it has it's negatives, Katrina appreciates the variety and success that comes with the role. HR is not scary, it is actually quite comforting until policies are broken and action needs to be taken. Still, there is nothing to be afraid of because with proper communication the relationship with HR is good.
Thursday
Another field trip day! Lexie, Katelynn, Craig, Andrew, Adam, and I drove to Atlanta to tour Royal Food, where they get most of their produce. I made sure to bring my King Henry IV book to read because I knew we would be hitting some heavy traffic in the morning. We have our manager retreat tomorrow and that is the theme.
We arrive at Royal Foods and quickly find myself needing my jacket. Good thing they told us to bring something because we'd be spending our day in a cooler. In fact, the majority of the building was a cooler, 25 different ones to be exact. The first cooler we went in consisted of tomatoes, bananas, and avocados. These three were placed in the same cooler because the ethylene gas that is produced by tomatoes helps the ripening process of avocados and bananas. The bananas they receive are green but in about two days are ready to be shipped out to schools and other places around the state. This cooler was about 55 degrees, but not all the coolers were the same temperature.
Because they are working with produce, it is normal for the prices to vary and the locations in which the produce comes from also varies. For example, around Cinco de Mayo, the price of limes can skyrocket because they come from Mexico and the limes are in high demand. Rich told us if a case of limes would normally cost about $16, it could cost around $110 around Cinco de Mayo. Though it might be outrageous, everyone else has to pay the same for limes. A little fun fact to think about the next time you go to a Mexican restaurant for Cinco de Mayo.
To make the process as quick as possible, items that are ordered all the time, potatoes and onions, are kept near the loading docks for easy access. Also, the order sheet is in order according to the cooler, that way you only have to go through one time to get all the produce.
Rich told us the employees don't have to worry about grocery shopping because once a week they're allowed to make a basket of various fruits, vegetables, and herbs that weren't used during the week to make smaller portions. Not only does this save on food waste but ensure that the employees really do put the food on their table.
Man, was this trip packed full of information! I wish I could remember all he told us but I can't!
Friday we had our manager retreat but it will have its own post!
Monday
We begin our day with Craig to learn how to write recipes and convert the measurement to pounds, quarts and each. He told us we had to include safety temperatures, what utensils to use, and what preparation needed to be done. This was a challenge for me because I didn't know all the terms for the cooking utensils. He gave us a few common ones to use such as the kettle and the different pan names, which definitely helped. Last week, I decided to get a head start because I already knew how to write recipes, for the most part, and knew the steps to convert measurements. I had four recipes converted and three with directions. The one without directions, we tackled first.
Craig suggested starting with the directions first. I thought this was a little weird because when you look at a recipe, you most likely will look at the ingredients first. Well, we're not looking at a recipe, we are creating it. I learned that when you write a recipe, the ingredients should go in order in which they are used, makes complete sense to write the directions first. You have to know the order of appearance. After constructing the directions step-by-step, we looked up the ingredients in FoodPro to get the inventory number. To make the process easier for the cooks, we tried to get produce pre-cut or pre-peeled. Why do have to go into inventory for the ingredients? If we have the special numbers, we can order straight from the recipe because all we need are the inventory numbers and measurements of each product.
After Craig showed us the ropes of recipe writing, we got the hang of it. We took a quick lunch break and got back to work. The rest of recipes weren't too tricky, it was just the writing part that took a while. We ended up finishing around 1:00pm so we brought our finished products out to Craig before he left for his meeting at Snelling. Only one correction needed to be done but besides that, they looked good to go! The rest of the day was ours.
Tuesday
For some reason, it was hard to get up today. Everyone else seemed to have the same problem. This morning we met with most of the HR team of Dining Services. First, we met with Rachel, who works with student employment. When new student worker fills out the application, it goes to Rachel who looks over it and figures out when and where the student can work. She said she accepts 99% of students who apply because they need the help and it's a great first job for a student to learn from. It is required you have a Social Security Card, but what about the foreign exchange students? Well, if they show a special office on campus an email from Rachel saying they will be working for Dining Services, they can receive a Social Security Card. Pretty neat, right?
We also spent some time with Kathryn Flores another HR representative for Dining Services. She works with the department when jobs are opened and closed. She can see how many applicants are in a pool as well as who applied and when. It's not as easy as you think opening and closing applicant pools because once it's closed, it's closed. She has a system to keep the pools open until a successful candidate actually starts working to ensure the position is secured. Kathryn explained how the software worked but there's no way I could relay it back to you and it make as much sense as when she did.
It was about time to head over to Snelling to help Craig with interviews for new part-time employees. Kathryn was so kind to drive us to Snelling, keeping us out of the rain. We weren't quite sure what they wanted us to do so we followed the managers around. Gregg let me sit in on one of his interviews. It was cool to be on the other side of the interview for once. The woman seemed nervous, as would I, so we started with the basic questions. "Tell us about yourself?" "Do you have any experience in food service?" She mentioned she was a hard worker and worked for Caterpillar, but was laid off. She also kept talking about being late but calling ahead and taking responsibility. It was mentioned multiple times throughout our meeting. I kept myself from cringing because this isn't something you'd focus on during an interview, pull out all your positives, not so much the negatives. She has worked with food before and seemed a little more peppy about it compared to talking about Caterpillar. Gregg took noticed of this and focused on the positive in her, straying her mind away from a bad experience. Whenever she and I made eye contact, I gave a comforting smile meaning she was doing well and could relax. Slowly, her personality came out and we saw the real her.
As we went deeper in the interview, her body language changed as we asked about experience with food service. She was up for any challenge but we could sense she'd prefer to work in the kitchen rather than with customers. Being in the back would also allow her to move constantly, which is what she liked. Other questions were asked and notes were taken, but before we wrapped up our interview, Gregg told her something I wasn't expecting. He told her he didn't care if she was late as long as she was ready to work, but not everyone in the world is like that. In fact, Gregg used to be just like her, showed up 15 minutes late every day to work. That is until one of his managers sat him down and explained that those who come in late have to work a lot harder than the ones who come in on time or early. Why is that? Those who are late aren't cut as much slack as those who aren't, meaning the others get away with a crappier job or a few slip ups. So Gregg went from being 15 minutes late every day to 15 minutes early. He noticed people treated him differently, with more respect and less negativity. The world is full of different people living different lives. We don't know what everyone is going through but when we have a job to do, we are expected to do it. Gregg explained this to the woman and hoped this would be something important she would take away from this interview. We thanked her for her time and wished her luck with the rest of the process.
The debrief. Much of Gregg and I's debrief consisted of what I mentioned above, the body language, the focusing on positives, and the story. But Gregg's brain of infamous knowledge had more to give. He asked if I had heard of the "Bank Account Method." I knew what a bank account was but not the "method" that went along with it. Prepare yourself. The "Bank Account Method" is a type of leadership style. You have a worker or student, they start out with a balance of zero. In order to increase this balance, you praise, compliment, give small kind gestures, do anything positive you can think of. Before you know it, the balance increases. You want to have a secure (high) balance in order to make a withdraw, something negative. It depends on how you approach the negative comment to ensure a positive response. For example, "Hey Charlie, you are doing a fantastic job! Have you tried looking at this way? It might work better. Keep up the great work!" Even though you're still making a withdraw, you're also depositing as well.
Food for thought. What do your "bank accounts" look like?
After this deep philosophical/psychological experience, we headed back to Bolton to test out a few of our recipes. We weren't sure if we would be making them or just tasting the final product. We went to the back and said, "We're ready!" Randy (chef) showed us to our spot where four sheet pans were covered with ingredients for each of the recipes. He said they were measured out according to our recipes.
**What you are about to hear will include sneak peaks of our menu for the special event.**
**I also forgot to take pictures.** Except for one**
The first recipe we started out with was the quickest, Chilled Strawberry Coconut Soup. Now, I know what you're probably thinking, chilled soup? Gross. Don't judge a food by its name because this soup was absolutely amazing! With the right amount of strawberry kick, orange tang, coconut creaminess, and a hint of mint, this delight left us craving more and more. The only utensil we could use to eat the soup was a tasting spoon, I think I used about six... So. Good.
Recipe #2: Seafood, Chorizo, and Vegetable Stew. This fish included were shrimp and cod, both offering different textures to the soup. No broth was used so the flavor we tasted was a savory taste of the juices from the various ingredients we cooked together, chorizo (spicy sausage), garlic, celery, crushed tomatoes, and wine/vinegar. We tasted it right after we were done cooking it. I have to admit, we overcooked the shrimp a little bit so they were on the chewy side but the flavor of the soup was very good. I think it would be even better after it sat for a while, really letting all those flavors seep into each other.
Recipe #3: Creamy Vegan Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes. This was a challenge, but a challenge we were willing to accept for the sake of the guests we would be serving. We split this one up because there were steps were could conquer at the same time. Lexie cooked the whole wheat pasta and I cut, tossed and roasted the tomatoes. While waiting for the tomatoes to finish roasting we attempted our sauce. I have never made a true sauce so the thought of mixing our roux (garlic and onion) with flour and almond milk seemed a little too good to be true. Chef Randy walked us through it and assured it was going to make a sauce. We kept stirring and still very liquidy. Took it off the heat and it thickened up at little bit then added it to the pasta and threw in the tomatoes. Stirred it good so the tomatoes broke up and made the masterpiece flourish in color. The first taste was not what we were expecting, bland. It's not my favorite thing to do when cooking but we added salt, more than I would like but it's part of the process of bringing a dish to life sometimes. Still, something was missing. Ah ha! Basil! Chef Randy went to the back to chiffonade some basil (my favorite way to cut basil). The little ribbons gave it the essence it needed. YUM.
If you were to ask me which one was my favorite, I couldn't tell you because all the dishes are so unique yet compliment each other. Sorry, this was the only picture I took, you're just going to have to use your imagination for the other dishes.
Wednesday
What a learning day! So much was absorbed in the few hours of today. First off, we took an Uber to work today... We tried to figure out the bus system they have here but it's very complex and we didn't want to risk being lost/late for work. We started our day at the Central Food Storage with Brooks Oliver, a man of great insight. He told us how the food system has evolved at UGA, from expansions to new ways of tracking information. Because of the recent additions of retail options on campus, they needed to expand the dry storage and rebuild their freezer and cooler. He told us they go through hundreds of pounds of chicken A DAY! Most of the freezer is different types of chicken, chicken fingers, chicken wings, chicken breasts, etc.. I feel like Bubba from Forrest Gump naming off his shrimp dishes. Anyways... They have a lot of chicken and plenty of room to store it.
Brooks went on to explain how they get their food. Don't they just buy it from a vendor? Yeah, that's what I thought too but that's not the case. UGA has a bid system where different vendors compete to be the supplier of UGA. Whichever one has the lowest bid is the one UGA buys for the quarter or whatever the agreement stated. The low food cost allows for a more affordable meal plan for the students. Though it is a business, they are feeding the academic success of the students.
Next on our schedule was to meet with Craig to talk about his position. Man does this guy do so much. Craig is the Training Specialist but I don't think this title does justice for all that he does. Morphing the training system into what it is today, new Dining Services employees are better prepared for what they will experience in their units. He has created several training modules managers can assign their employees. They consist of valuable information pertaining to specific units as well as quizzes to test the knowledge of the employees. The managers can see their grades which will help them further train the employee because they know what they struggle with.
Craig does the orientation for new full-time employees as well as initiate job fairs, opportunities for Athens community members to apply to become a UGA Dining Services employee. What else is on Craig's list? Well, he leads employee and manager retreats, days to learn and help develop yourself as a leader and a person. I will get to experience one of these retreats firsthand on Friday.
Craig also teaches meditation, not yoga though. Meditation allows you to become more intact with your inner self as well as what is around you, concentration and mindfulness. He told us he originally had 3 classes of 15 and people thought he was thinking too outside the box. Learn from Craig, never let "too" outside the box stop you because his 3 classes soon grew to 10.
During our conversation with Craig, there were a few quotes that stuck out to me that truly spoke for who Craig was. "Treat your employees right and they will take care of you." Deep. Take a moment of silence to fully absorb it. This can be applied to the workforce, to friendships, relationships, and yourself. Another quote Craig mentioned, "great leader + great manager + people skills = move up." There are multiple ways to lead, manage, and work with people. Figure out your custom formula to help you move up the ladder.
Fun facts about Craig:
He did karate back in the day.
He is a Nightwish fanatic.
He is a certified barista trainer but doesn't like coffee.
He loves Shakespeare.
His email has nothing to do with his first or last name.
He is full of infamous knowledge about infamous topics.
After getting to know Craig and his position a little bit more, it was time for our midterm evaluations. Last night, I sat down and wrote everything out I wanted to talk about in the meeting, this way I wouldn't forget and was well-prepared going into it. I was super excited for this meeting! We sit down and go through a checklist but Craig and I agreed that a month was a very short amount of time to truly give a good evaluation. Most of the "grading" was from word of mouth of other managers who worked with us throughout our time here. We came to the section where is talked about assertiveness. He explained that a few managers perceive me as quite. "I know and I understand why they may think that," I told him. Yes, I may be on the quieter side, but don't mistake my quietness for shyness or timidness. As you sit there explaining something to me, I am absorbing and processing everything you are talking about, trying to gain as much information as I can. Sometimes I don't have questions at the time but I'm not afraid to reapproach an individual at another time to discuss a question. Quiet has a negative connotation, but I want to assure you that when I want to say something, it is said, and it is backed up with thought and passion. Craig told me to not change myself because of what other may perceive me as, but to be aware of this perception.
I'm you can see, I have gained so much valuable information from this internship. As you quietly read, you have the opportunity to imagine, ponder, and act upon some of the marvelous experiences I have learned from the last few weeks.
Continuing with our meeting... We went on to talk about ideas for the second half of my internship. Like I said before, I had my list ready to go. There was a slight ranking system to it but all very important. I won't go over what exactly was on that list but in the weeks to come, we both will find out what Craig has planned for me. Lastly, to finish up our meeting, I had one last question for Craig. "People have asked me several times why I chose this internship, but why did you choose me as your intern?" I was curious! Next February, I will be participating in an internship panel to talk about my different experiences evolving around, you guessed it, internships. I felt that having the knowledge of what set me apart can not only help me in the future when I promote myself in another interview or a scholarship application but help those students attending the panel looking for guidance as they venture closer towards their goals. Craig and I will be going over my interview in weeks to come. Breaking it down to help me understand his thought process better. Stay tuned!
Don't worry, not too much more!
After lunch, we took the Strengthsfinder test to figure out our top five traits out of 32. Following the 180 questions, our answers appeared on the magic screen, aka the computer. My top traits came out to be futuristic, responsibility, strategic, arranger, and learner. This explains so much about me. I'll give you a brief overview of each one (according to Clifton Strengths School).
Futuristic: someone inspired by the future and what could be, inspires others with their visions of the future. We are fascinated with tomorrow and love talking about the inspiration that comes from dreaming.
Responsibility: someone who takes psychological ownership of what they say they will do and are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty. We are often trusted to get something done. Craig mentioned that these types of people like lists. I couldn't help but laugh because I had a list ready to go for our eval earlier in the day.
Strategic: someone who can alternate ways to proceed. When faced with different scenarios, they can spot relevant patterns and issues. We like to consider all possibilities to gain the best result and are totally okay with making a mid-course decision.
Arranger: someone who can organize but also be flexible as it allows. We figure out how all the pieces and resources can be arranged for the best result. We are comfortable with many things going on at once. We work efficiently and effectively in a dynamic environment.
Lastly, the learner: someone with a desire to and learn and continuously improve. We enjoy the experience that comes along with learning new things. We like to live on the frontier or cutting edge.
Reading through my cards and their various descriptions, I could see how they formed their own spider web. Like said before, it explains a lot about me.
To finish up our Wednesday, we met with the final member of the HR team in Dining Services, Katrina Pittman. She deals with the incidents inside the units, the documentations, terminations, FMLA (medical plan), and conflicts between managers and employees. She emphasizes how she has an open door policy if someone needs to talk. Katrina told us some stories of employees who have pushed the line and done some crazy things, wouldn't have even thought of some of these situations. She supports the managers and their roles when it comes to enforcing the policies. We want to keep the work environment as calm and smooth as possible.
"Don't let the grass grow under your shoes." Keep looking to move up and learn more, she told us. She was comfortable with her job but was looking to advance to another position. She loves how different it is day-to-day, the challenges it offers. Though it has it's negatives, Katrina appreciates the variety and success that comes with the role. HR is not scary, it is actually quite comforting until policies are broken and action needs to be taken. Still, there is nothing to be afraid of because with proper communication the relationship with HR is good.
Thursday
Another field trip day! Lexie, Katelynn, Craig, Andrew, Adam, and I drove to Atlanta to tour Royal Food, where they get most of their produce. I made sure to bring my King Henry IV book to read because I knew we would be hitting some heavy traffic in the morning. We have our manager retreat tomorrow and that is the theme.
We arrive at Royal Foods and quickly find myself needing my jacket. Good thing they told us to bring something because we'd be spending our day in a cooler. In fact, the majority of the building was a cooler, 25 different ones to be exact. The first cooler we went in consisted of tomatoes, bananas, and avocados. These three were placed in the same cooler because the ethylene gas that is produced by tomatoes helps the ripening process of avocados and bananas. The bananas they receive are green but in about two days are ready to be shipped out to schools and other places around the state. This cooler was about 55 degrees, but not all the coolers were the same temperature.
Because they are working with produce, it is normal for the prices to vary and the locations in which the produce comes from also varies. For example, around Cinco de Mayo, the price of limes can skyrocket because they come from Mexico and the limes are in high demand. Rich told us if a case of limes would normally cost about $16, it could cost around $110 around Cinco de Mayo. Though it might be outrageous, everyone else has to pay the same for limes. A little fun fact to think about the next time you go to a Mexican restaurant for Cinco de Mayo.To make the process as quick as possible, items that are ordered all the time, potatoes and onions, are kept near the loading docks for easy access. Also, the order sheet is in order according to the cooler, that way you only have to go through one time to get all the produce.
Rich told us the employees don't have to worry about grocery shopping because once a week they're allowed to make a basket of various fruits, vegetables, and herbs that weren't used during the week to make smaller portions. Not only does this save on food waste but ensure that the employees really do put the food on their table.
Man, was this trip packed full of information! I wish I could remember all he told us but I can't!
Friday we had our manager retreat but it will have its own post!
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