The Connection is swooping in and visiting some of our campus community members’ day-to-day lives in our new photo essay series. This time–we’re focusing on not one hawk, but many that help our campus run.
The third installment of The Connection’s series “A Day in the Life” follows the cafeteria workers as they feed the campus in the Hawkeye Grill and the Oasis Cafe.
The Hawkeye Grill is open Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The dining options on campus are run by Pacific Dining, following the cafeteria renovations in fall 2023. Pacific Dining is a family-owned, California-based food service provider that focuses on serving the community colleges in the state, according to a news update on the Cosumnes River College website.
Victoria Estrada, 26-year-old general manager of food services, said the busiest days for the cafeteria are Mondays and Thursdays, seeing as many as 300 students and staff to as few as 50 on Fridays.
Along with overseeing the cafeteria, Estrada is also in charge of catering. She said anybody can order for catering as long as they are a part of the campus. Estrada said those who order can choose what they want for their menu and the cafeteria will cook it.
The Oasis Cafe, connected to the cafeteria, is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. While the cafe offers snacks, bakery items and drinks, it is also partnered with Nestle who provides contracts with Starbucks including many familiar beverages from the Starbucks menu.
Estrada said that the cafeteria team this semester is smaller than usual with a total of four workers, meaning she and her team have to work multiple stations to keep up with food demands.
Victoria Estrada, a 26-year-old general manager of food services, cutting onions to prepare for the sandwich station before the cafeteria opens for the day on April 10. Estrada said she comes in between one to three hours before the cafeteria opens to prep for the day depending on if she has catering orders to fulfill. She joined the team in February as a transfer from Sacramento City College, where she was also the general manager. Estrada oversees all services, including the Hawkeye Grill and the Oasis Cafe and handles all the catering requests. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Estrada hands a ticket number to a customer after taking his order. To begin an order, customers tell any of the service workers in the line station what they want, and they receive a ticket with a number that’s called when an order is ready for pick-up. Once ready, orders are kept under a heat lamp to keep warm while awaiting pick up. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Ticket orders are displayed so line workers can see what they need to make in time order from left to right. The receipts range from online orders and in-person orders and include the food name and any modifications requested. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Ethan Verley, a 21-year-old line service worker, putting the finishing touches on an order. Verely said he has always worked in kitchen-based jobs, but said this one is one of his favorites due to having more of a connection with his coworkers. Verley said he always loved food and working around that environment, like cooking and prepping meals. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Students and customers waiting in line for their order outside the cafeteria’s kitchen area. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Scott Murray, 36, places an order of chicken tenders with fries under the warmer, ready for pick up. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Estrada rings up a food order for Vice President of Student Services Tadael Emiru. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Murray uses a pizza dough docker to flatten the dough in the pizza station. Murray said he is in charge of making all of the pizzas, including pepperoni, cheese, and pesto chicken. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Estrada closes the cafeteria gate at the end of the service day at 2:30 p.m. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Estrada logging any food items that need to be ordered for restocking. During slow days, which Estrada said are typically Fridays when fewer people are attending the cafeteria, she said she goes around to the dry storage, freezer, and out in the cafeteria to count inventory to see if there are any items to order for a restock. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Verley, collecting all portion spoons and lids off the line to take to the dishwasher. He said they throw away any leftover foods, including soup, bacon, and sausage, and then wrap and keep everything else, including the rice, beans and chicken. To use the leftovers safely, Verley said they store the chicken in the freezer within two hours of being cooked and steam it until it is reheated to a minimum temperature of 165°F. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Murray, cleaning all the dirty dishes used throughout the day at the dishwashing station. Depending on whether it is a high-volume day or not, Murray said he tries to clean the dishes throughout the day to avoid a pile-up. However, earlier in the week, he said there’s little to no time in between to work on dishwashing, resulting in an hour of dishwashing before he leaves for the day. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Estrada piling up the trash and recycling on a cart to take out to the dumpster. When she comes back, she said she and the crew finish their cleaning duties, including cleaning the employees’ restroom and wiping down the kitchen prep areas. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)Estrada counting the drawers in the cafeteria’s office. She said this is one of her final tasks before leaving the cafeteria. After the drawers are counted, she turns off the lights and the crew leaves. (Ivan Zorilla Reynoso)
Check out our previous photo galleries following photography instructional assistant Raymond Neuharth and sports information officer and social media content creator Jonathan Wong.
Kathryn Sears
