Food Service
University of Maryland Dining Services
My three week rotation with University of Maryland Dining Services taught me a lot about the amount of effort that goes into improving the health of students and campus employees. This rotation was packed with projects ranging from weekly employee wellness walls to campus dining student satisfaction surveys. Having the opportunity to shadow and speak with the different members of the dining services team allowed me to understand how each member is essential to making the whole food service system run smoothly and efficiently.
The diverse nature of this rotation taught me just how important it is to be flexible, stay focused, and maintain a positive attitude. Many of my projects and assignments were drastically different from one another and were targeted towards either UMD students or the dining services employees. Each week my partner and I were responsible for creating a "Wellness Wall" to be posted in the hallway near the employee locker rooms. These "Wellness Walls" (posted in both English and Spanish) consisted of: cooking tips, exercise tips, nutrition tips, a healthy recipe, and photos of a healthy plate and an unhealthy plate made from foods in the dining hall. The theme for our "Wellness Walls" was "Rethink Your _______." The intent of these walls were to encourage employees to achieve a healthier lifestyle by making realistic changes to their daily routine.
For our final project, my partner and I planned a Fall Harvest theme meal. It was exciting to plan out a large meal and see it from start to finish. I appreciate all the help we received to make this meal a huge (and delicious) success!
My three week rotation with University of Maryland Dining Services taught me a lot about the amount of effort that goes into improving the health of students and campus employees. This rotation was packed with projects ranging from weekly employee wellness walls to campus dining student satisfaction surveys. Having the opportunity to shadow and speak with the different members of the dining services team allowed me to understand how each member is essential to making the whole food service system run smoothly and efficiently.
The diverse nature of this rotation taught me just how important it is to be flexible, stay focused, and maintain a positive attitude. Many of my projects and assignments were drastically different from one another and were targeted towards either UMD students or the dining services employees. Each week my partner and I were responsible for creating a "Wellness Wall" to be posted in the hallway near the employee locker rooms. These "Wellness Walls" (posted in both English and Spanish) consisted of: cooking tips, exercise tips, nutrition tips, a healthy recipe, and photos of a healthy plate and an unhealthy plate made from foods in the dining hall. The theme for our "Wellness Walls" was "Rethink Your _______." The intent of these walls were to encourage employees to achieve a healthier lifestyle by making realistic changes to their daily routine.
For our final project, my partner and I planned a Fall Harvest theme meal. It was exciting to plan out a large meal and see it from start to finish. I appreciate all the help we received to make this meal a huge (and delicious) success!
Riderwood Village
I had the opportunity to spend 6 weeks within Erickson Living's Riderwood Village community to fulfill my food service rotation requirements. My partner and I planned and executed a Fabulous French Bistro themed luncheon in one of the community's most popular dining halls. Preparation for this meal included: creating a menu and marketing materials, testing the recipes, ordering ingredients, filming a commercial for the local Riderwood TV station, and purchasing and setting up decorations in the dining hall. We also conducted satisfaction surveys to collect valuable feedback on our themed meal.
In addition to the themed meal, I also learned how to complete a meat yield test using beef tenderloins, conduct SWOT analyses, and teach in-service nutrition lessons to kitchen staff. To see all of my accomplishments and projects completed throughout this rotation, please view my Riderwood Binder.
I had the opportunity to spend 6 weeks within Erickson Living's Riderwood Village community to fulfill my food service rotation requirements. My partner and I planned and executed a Fabulous French Bistro themed luncheon in one of the community's most popular dining halls. Preparation for this meal included: creating a menu and marketing materials, testing the recipes, ordering ingredients, filming a commercial for the local Riderwood TV station, and purchasing and setting up decorations in the dining hall. We also conducted satisfaction surveys to collect valuable feedback on our themed meal.
In addition to the themed meal, I also learned how to complete a meat yield test using beef tenderloins, conduct SWOT analyses, and teach in-service nutrition lessons to kitchen staff. To see all of my accomplishments and projects completed throughout this rotation, please view my Riderwood Binder.