fresh ideas – The Hilltop Monitor

New pastry chef revamps pastries and desserts

Sarah Crosley — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 02:47:54 +0000

Students may have noticed a distinct change in the desserts both in the cafeteria and the coffee shops on the campus of William Jewell College. The pastries and other goodies are much different from the baked goods of last semester, and we have Robyn Miller to thank.

“The biggest change to the coffee shop items has already been made at the beginning of the semester; all baked goods have been switched to scratch-made items,” said Miller.

Miller has already integrated her scratch-made baked goods into the displays at @theBeak, with muffins ranging from the classic blueberry to a refreshingly new lemon raspberry. Previously, these baked goods were pre-made and only needed to be baked before being ready for purchase.

Shelby Anderson, junior elementary education major, has had the opportunity to sample some of the new desserts.

“I had a quality brownie during Jewell time. It was really warm and gooey, like all brownies should be. I think I advertised it to everyone, it was that good,” said Anderson.

In the cafeteria, students may have seen and tried some of the new desserts made by Miller.

“What you can see in the cafeteria will be the move to all scratch-made items. I am slowly moving through the stock of mixes and pre-made items that we have on hand. Even now the majority of items that you are seeing are scratch-made or items that I have enhanced in some way,” said Miller.

Anderson noticed the change.

“This semester the desserts seem fresher, which is a nice change. It also looks like they’re trying new things,” said Anderson.

Miller has been baking from a young age with her grandmother, who helped guide her passion for pastries and baked goods.

“[My grandmother] knew that there has to be the balance in baking that you don’t have to use when cooking. Because of her, I always enjoyed baking more than cooking so whenever I was needing to take food to an event I would make bread or desserts,” said Miller.

Before coming to Jewell, Miller was a personal chef for a couple, worked at Latteland, which was later taken over by Khaldi’s, and worked in retail. She graduated December 2011 with her culinary degree, specializing in baking and pastries.

“Up until eight years ago, I was a retail store manager and wasn’t happy doing it. After a string of events, I decided that it was time to make a career change, so I had the opportunity to attend culinary school and I took it,” said Miller.

Miller has also thought about the future of baked goods on campus and what she would like to make for students, specifically looking at a made-from-scratch granola bar.

“I’m always looking for new items to try and see how they are received. If they go over well then that will make a return, and others may never show up again. My feelings are never hurt if someone doesn’t like it; we all have different tastes and what we enjoy. I only hope to learn more of what people like and look forward to seeing on the table,” said Miller.

Students should remember that there is a box available for comments at the entrance of the cafeteria if they would like to leave suggestions for Miller.

Miller spoke about the source of inspiration for her baked goods.

“My inspiration comes from your classic home, feel-good desserts and also your high end classics. I’m always willing to listen to suggestions and looking for things that are new and different. Mostly I just love making food that people enjoy eating. My son always tells me I don’t make food that people have to have which is completely true. I want to make food people are willing to feel a little guilty for eating. I want it to be hard for you to pass by the table and not take one of something,” said Miller.

Photos by Cole Allee.

Sustainability in the Dining Hall: Where does your food go?

Stephen Herrera — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 03:31:25 +0000

Every day, Jewell students choose a side of the dining room, eat their food, laugh with friends and scrape their plates into the small trashcans by the tray line. But what happens next? Fresh Ideas Food Service at William Jewell College has fully committed itself to sustainability through recycling, expediency and collaboration with the community. The process begins in the kitchen.

As the culinary staff prepares our food before every meal, they have the entire kitchen area organized to accommodate two waste receptacles. First are the “black bag” trashcans. The black bags are specifically used to contain all non-recyclable items that cannot be used any further by the school. Before being disposed of, these bags are taken to a small room in the bottom floor of the Union and sorted to ensure that no recyclable items are missed. The remaining items in the black bags are then taken directly to the trash receptacle behind the Union.

Though the process adds a significant level of time commitment to the process, “the process is worth it in the long-term,” said Kiki Strecker, catering director at Jewell.

Second are the “green bags.” These same bags we scrape our uneaten food into in the cafeteria are taken downstairs to check for items that will make recycling more difficult. Because glass is both a safety concern and a liability issue, the College makes sure that all glass is disposed of with the black bags.

Fresh Ideas encourages students to take part in the sustainability of their cafeteria and the food that passes through it.

“Leftovers that cannot be utilized in other ways are composted, along with paper products. When in the dining hall, please place organic waste in the blue ‘compost’ waste cans. This will be diverted from the landfill, composted and returned to campus for use in our landscaping and community garden,” according to the Jewell Dining Services website.

According to Dining Services, every aspect of the jobs in the Cage, Perch and cafeteria is influenced by sustainability policies. Students are encouraged to put on their plates only what they believe they will eat to avoid increased waste of food and any unnecessary additional preparation for future meals. In order to aid in this process, Dining Service members all eat their meals after the dining hall has closed in order to avoid unnecessary leftovers.

According to the World Resources Institute, approximately 33 percent of the food produced across the globe every year is wasted. In the U.S. alone, up to 40 percent of our food goes completely unused. In the end, this can total up to 20 pounds of food per person per month.

The Jewell cafeteria reportedly takes every opportunity it has to “stay green.”

“Every aspect of the dining process at Jewell is designed to promote sustainability. While other schools use styrofoam plates on visitor days, a far cheaper alternative, we ensure that every item that can be recyclable will be recycled,” said Strecker.

Jewell’s “Green and Go” program seeks to ensure that any item used by Jewell Dining Services, from boxes to tumblers, are recycled or reused. The process isn’t always easy to maintain. Because the company that handles the waste from our cafeteria has strict limitations, Dining Services managers have to put in extra work to ensure that what we send to be recycled will be responsibly managed.

“Glass and misplaced non-recyclable items have to be sorted on a daily basis. Although it adds a significant amount of work to sustain this process, we believe that it is worth every cent,” said Strecker.

For more information, you can visit the Fresh Ideas website.

Fresh Ideas, Fresh Outlook

Alexandria Acord — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 23:52:55 +0000

Though mainly known for its cafeteria work throughout campus, Fresh Ideas is currently seeking to expand its horizons to create a more sophisticated dining experience for students. Through analysis of current dietary trends and an emphasis on sustainability, the company aims to create a socially conscious, higher-end cafeteria system available for all William Jewell College students. Due in part to its ambitious executive chef, Matt Chatfield, Fresh Ideas is easing into numerous changes, which will include inventory expansion at the Cage and an increased emphasis on student awareness of cafeteria workings.

Unlike many K-12 dietary services students have experienced in the past, Fresh Ideas does not rely on packaged products to run its business. Chatfield estimates that 80 percent of items found in the cafeteria are completely handmade on the Jewell premises, including such items as “sauces to bakery [goods] to fresh produce,” with some of the herbs used in meals even grown on site in a garden outside the Yates-Gill Student Union.

In addition, Fresh Ideas has a deal with a produce company that sources only sustainably grown, in-season fruits and vegetables from local farms. As farm-to-fork and similar local farming movements grow in popularity, Chatfield aims to promote Jewell’s easy access to ecologically sound, guilt-free produce as a selling point for both college and cafeteria alike.

Another way that growing trends in the culinary world influence Fresh Ideas is through direct planning of dishes. The majority of those in the cafeteria are trained chefs who came to Jewell for greater job flexibility and shorter work weeks. A few have been executive chefs before coming to the College, giving the cafeteria the ability to craft more complicated meals that other facilities would not have the aptitude to create. Just as high-end restaurants constantly research new ethnic dishes and other items in great demand with their clientele, the Fresh Ideas chefs rely on dietary trends to create an ever-changing menu. For instance, one of the newest additions is the option for dessert sampling. At most meals, miniature versions of cakes and other baked goods are available so students can taste multiple flavors and pastries without having to worry too much about portion control.

Fresh Ideas will also continue to promote their accommodation system, which provides special services for a diverse number of circumstances and diets. After consulting with Student Life, a student with a particular need meets with the cafeteria staff in order to reach a mutual agreement on how to proceed. Customization options range from specific food allergies (gluten, dairy and nuts are some allergens the chefs commonly deal with) to doctor or coach-prescribed diets. From there, the chefs continue to work with the students and often ask them for input as to which food items they might want for the future. The system is designed so that even if items meeting a particular client’s sensitivities are not directly on the buffet line, the chefs will still be able to make a meal that coheres to these needs.

Above all, Chatfield emphasizes, what he hopes will separate Fresh Ideas from other school cafeteria systems is a particular emphasis on kind, understanding employees willing to forge relationships with their diners.

“[I] really want to let students know that we are here for their meal needs, that we really care about the quality of the experience,” Chatfield said.

In Fresh Ideas’ perspective and in his own, meals are just that: an experience. Through an emphasis on authenticity, cleanliness and sustainability, Chatfield hopes to cultivate an environment of trust and familiarity within the cafeteria.

Fresh Ideas dishwaster malfunction leads to health code violation

Caitlin Troutman — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 20:02:52 +0000

Thursday, Feb. 12 through Wednesday, Feb. 18, the William Jewell Dining Hall used paper products for a period of days following a visit from the Clay County health inspector and problem with the dishwasher.

The night of Thursday, Feb. 12, the dishwasher malfunctioned and was briefly fixed before breaking again Sunday. The repair involved replacing an electrical component in the dishwasher, a rather expensive piece. This concern was a health department issue because if the dishwasher does not reach a certain temperature, then the dishes could not be cleaned and sterilized properly. The Clay County Public Health Center representative who ran the inspection used a test strip and found that the dishwasher was not safe for use. As a result, the Dining Hall has been using paper products and a three vat sink while waiting for the repair.

A representative from the Clay County Public Health Center visits all eating establishments on Jewell’s campus twice a year, including the dining hall, both coffee shops and the Cage. There is no warning before he visits campus. During his visit, he makes inspections and recommendations based on what he observes. After his Feb. 12 inspection, he noted some violations, most of which were addressed immediately and corrected on-site. Most of these violations involved temperature control and food display. The staff reacted to these violations by placing a sneeze guard over the deli section and providing ice for buffet items.

“We have a really good working relationship with the health department. They’re really our partner. We don’t freak out when they walk through the door,” said Taylor Strecker, director of Dining Services.

In addition to these visits, Fresh Ideas Food Service, the management company behind Jewell’s eating establishments, has a “Fresh Eyes” inspection program in place to help the Dining Hall maintain health and safety standards. An outside representative from Fresh Ideas, generally the director of another college’s program, also comes in once a month without warning to make the Fresh Eyes inspections.

Fresh Ideas requires that the temperature of food items be taken twice per meal and that cleanliness inspections take place every day. This information is logged.

“It’s a win-win,” said Kiki Strecker, assistant director of Dining Services. “Fresh Eyes come in and make sure standards are upheld. It’s nice to have someone come in and identify something so that we can keep doing the right thing.”

Both also emphasized the importance of communication with students.

“We’re always open for suggestions. We’re proud of some of the changes we’ve made, and a lot of it has been based 100 percent on student feedback,” said Strecker. “If there’s a concern, tell us.”

More information about Fresh Ideas can be found on their website: http://www.freshideasfood.com

More information about the health inspection can be found here: http://www.decadeonline.com/insp.phtml?agency=cly&violsortfield=TB_CORE_INSPECTION_VIOL.VIOLATION_DEGREE&violsortorder=desc&record_id=PR0000945