By Former Bon Appetit Fellow Taiyo Scanlon-Kimura
Working with Sous Chef Loren Larson, [former Fellow, Taiyo Scanlon-Kimura] invited three groups on kitchen tours this spring: the Community Garden Outreach class, the Sustainable Business Strategies in Hospitality class, and student leaders from the Sustainability Club. A total of 32 students and two professors meandered through the dry pantry, chillers, and prep tables as Chef Loren explained the inner workings of a Bon Appetit kitchen. Students were especially interested to learn cooks bid on meal stations according to their expertise, and that more than five languages are spoken across our team. Questions included: how much/what kinds of food do you prepare ahead of mealtime? How do you maintain food safety standards across the whole team? Buying bumper crops is a great way to support small farmers, but how do you balance this with planning menus in advance? Everyone expressed gratitude to see the behind-the-scenes: “We spend so much time in the Caf yet have never seen this other side of it.” For a potential future trip, the Sustainability Club would love to visit a Farm to Fork vendor and see the entire production chain.