Ever wonder who comes up with ideas like Stir-Fry Night at Carmichael? Or whose job it is to make sure the pizzas are hot, the Reese's Pieces on topping night are out, and the Lactaid is flowing like wine? Little do students know, but behind the scenes at Carmichael works a man of few words and much culinary expertise.
This man listens to the angriest of students - the girl who demands to know why the frozen yogurt machine isn't working and the guy who complains that there are no clean knives. This man takes complaints like these in stride. He's the guy with the tie who isn't pledging AEPi. You can catch him lunching with other Carmichael employees and making sure too many pieces of fruit don't walk out of the dining hall in students' pockets.
He is Steven Poole, the Carmichael Dining Hall supervisor.
A service supervisor at the University for two years, Poole has been working at undergraduate institutions since 1979. His work in the dining services sector began at Westfield State College, where he served as a general worker. Since then he has worked at colleges throughout Massachusetts, including Bentley College, LaSalle College, Emerson College, and the Boston Conservatory of Music.
Working for dining services is a demanding job. Managers like Poole work ten hours a day, for a total of 50 hours each week. His day typically begins at 10 a.m., when he arrives at Tufts.
Poole starts his day at the uphill dining hall, Carmichael, where he is in charge of what dining services calls "the front of the house." Although most of his day to day activities involve general office work, part of Poole's daily duties include sanitation - ensuring that the dining room and serving areas stay clean - and taking care of dining hall cashiers and workers. He also responds to the concerns and complaints of students.
Every morning when Poole arrives, he begins his day by making necessary checks of instruments in the kitchen. "After I arrive I input service records, check on refrigerator temperatures and water temperatures of dish machines and pot washing machines," he said. He also makes sure that all the equipment works, that the workers are set for their day, and that the food is in the dining halls.
According to Poole, the most hectic times in the dining halls are usually the rush times for lunch and dinner and also when the kitchen is short staffers. Poole generally stays at his job until around 8 p.m.
These days, Poole works mainly at Carmichael, but in the past he has worked at Dewick. He has eaten in both dining halls, but says he enjoys Carmichael more. "Carmichael and Dewick are unique in their own ways," he said. "I would have to say Carmichael because of the students and the people I work with."
While Poole's current job involves mostly administrative work, he is actually a chef by training and has been one for 20 years. He has taken many cooking classes in the past.
"My passion is cooking; I love to cook," he said. Poole said he enjoys working here at Tufts because of the attention he can give to individual students.
"It's more of a family atmosphere," he said. He also likes working with the staff here, saying that they care about their jobs. Schools like Tufts are more flexible and offer more choices he said.
And as a chef, Poole likes working at Tufts because of the quality of food and the high standards. "We buy good quality stuff," Poole said.
Since coming to Tufts, Poole has seen several changes. He says things are getting better at the University because people are very open-minded towards new and different ideas. He says that dining services treat the students well here.
"Students are 'guests' here, not customers," Poole said. "Everyone wants to make their experience a positive one."
In his time at the University, Poole has been involved in the implementation of several new programs in the dining halls. He helped implement Stir-Fry night, Mediterranean foods, individual-omelet making and cultural dinners like the recent African night held in Carmichael.
"I enjoy cultural dinners," Poole said. "I like to interact with the different groups."
According to Poole, the most frustrating part of his job is the fact that he is not able to please everyone. He wants to hear student's comments on the dining halls and tries to deal with everyone's requests.
There have been many changes in the food services at colleges over the 20 years that Poole has been employed. The biggest difference is the variety of food that modern dining halls and cafeterias offer students.
"There used to be two entr?©es, a starch and two vegetables," he said. In the past, dining halls were much more cafeteria-oriented. Now students have so many options, it sometimes is difficult to choose.
Working in the dining hall means that Poole eats a lot of meals there. He says his favorite meals include macaroni and cheese, stir-fry, omelets, and pizza.
And at the end of the day, Poole understands that students can get very sick of the food by the end of the school year. He wants to develop and implement a new menu cycle to increase the amount of variety in the dining halls.
"I'm constantly trying to find better menus," Poole said.
