Dining Hall Highlight

This is a piece I wrote for a journalism class in my senior year of college. Interviewing Candace and Autumn was a wonderful experience-- I typically shy away from prying into people's lives, but they both had wonderful things to say and with their help, the article practically wrote itself

PERSPECTIVES FROM CHUCKS

When asked what word they would use to describe the dining hall, students gave answers that ran the gamut from “ew” to “loud”, from “greasy” to “unpredictable.” 

While the majority opinion is mixed, the minority, then, are Chuck's loyalists and Chuck's workers.

“I think it gets a bad rap, and I don't know why, because it honestly is a positive work environment,” said Autum Sellars, who has worked the breakfast shift most mornings for over a year.

"[Chuck's workers] are there with the right mindset-- and that is, that we're here to serve the student body.”

In her year of working at the dining hall, Autumn has served breakfast to thousands of students, and built lifelong friendships to boot.

Chuck's employees certainly take their job very seriously — and with only six weeks at Cedarville under her belt, Candace Watkins is already hoping to change the stigma around the dining hall.

Watkins has 15 years of experience in food service. With jobs spanning Dairy Queen to award-winning hotels, her love of food and hospitality has led her to her current position as the executive chef at Cedarville’s dining hall. In the next few months, she plans to shake up students’ expectations of Chuck’s.

“My goal for Chuck’s is to make it the best dining hall on campus,” Candace said. “I don't want it to be looked at like a dining hall or a cafeteria. I want it to be thought of kind of like a Dorothy Lane or something. I want it to be an awesome food court experience for our students.”

Watkins is aware of the student body’s opinion of dining hall food. Her solution? Listen to what they’re asking for, and then do it.

“You guys want me to change it up? Let's go. You want some more ethnic food? OK. You want me to dumb it down a little bit? I'd be happy to,” she said.

Another thing Watkins says is critical to connecting with the students is to identify with them individually.

“I was always taught that a kitchen is a family,” she said. “You spend more time with these people than probably your own family... I've been trying to get to know what their majors are, what classes are stressing them out. I'm really, really trying, because it's still a kitchen.”

One of her other favorite parts of the job is the opportunity to work with students as they grow.

“It's hands on and I get to coach people and I get to teach people and I get to learn about other people's lives,” she said. “I'm glad that we can offer another kind of learning. It's kind of like home ec on steroids.”

To Watkins and Autumn, the dining hall is more than just a place to work. To Watkins, kitchens are the place where she learned endurance and hospitality, and forged relationships that have lasted beyond career changes. To Autumn, Chuck's is a place where she met some of her best friends, and an avenue for her to serve her fellow students.

“I think if people weren't so afraid, they would just go work at Chuck's,” Autumn said. “It's not going to be like home, and so if people expect true ‘home cooking,’ to make a pun, they're not going to get that 100 percent of the time. But we really do put in our effort."