Dining

Fresh Food Company plays host to national chef training

Donning their distinctive white chef hats and with spatulas in hand, they descended on the University of Houston campus.

From all regions and corners of the country they came, from Florida up to Delaware and over to Minnesota and everywhere in between.

Whether by plane or car, they arrived with smiles on their faces and one major goal in mind: elevate their talented culinary skills even higher than before so that hungry college students everywhere could reap the benefits.

Altogether, 37 chefs representing 21 colleges and universities were at UH for the annual national Fresh Food Company training, which was held Feb. 25-27. Like UH, they all work at institutions whose food service is provided through Aramark.

During the three days they were here, they trained in the Fresh Food Company in Moody Towers, experimenting with new recipes and menu items and learning ways to improve techniques and service styles.

Their handiwork didn't go to waste - students, faculty and staff who ate at the dining hall those three days were served their creations. Those who got to enjoy the food did not leave disappointed. The word apparently spread fast, as the dining hall was consistently crowded during the lunch and dinner hours.

"I have seen and heard nothing but rave reviews from students about the menu items," said Geoff Herbert, resident district manager for UH Dining Services. "And judging by all the positive comments that were made through social media, they were really eager to share their opinions with everyone."

The university was granted the honor of hosting the training this year due to its size and support.

"The Fresh Food Company at Moody Towers is a great facility with great equipment that was easily able to accommodate the large number of chefs who came for the training," Herbert said.

The training was conducted under the watchful eye of Aramark's Dick Cody, who has been involved in the creation and expansion of the Fresh Food Company brand here at UH and other schools. The chefs who participated experimented with a total of 45 new recipes, many of which will be added to the national Fresh Food Company menu this coming fall.

They also were able to test the trend-setting initiative of table-side service, which involves pushing carts around the dining hall to serve diners directly at the tables.

While the chefs were here, they not only created new menu items - they ended up elevating the culinary skills of the front-line employees at the Fresh Food Company. That will help UH Dining with its goal of continually improving service here on campus.

"The Fresh Food Company training is geared toward getting us out of our comfort zone," Herbert said. "It asks us to really focus on innovative new ideas for our customers. Afterward, our team is energized and ready to create new experiences for students."