Autumn - Ohio State University

My last week at Ohio State was by far the best week. The focus of the week was my theme lunch, which took place on Wednesday. I spent Monday and Tuesday working with the staff at North Commons, where the lunch took place. My duties on these days were to go over recipes and quantities with the chef, ensure that my food items were ordered correctly, and work alongside the kitchen staff so that they would be comfortable cooking for me. All of the knowledge that I gained during the previous seven weeks of the internship was needed during this week, and I feel as if I put it to use well.

The menu for the lunch consisted of Lemon Chicken with pasta, Fish and Chips, and Vegetarian Paella as the entrees. The sides served were Ratatouille, Green Beans Almondine, Garbanzo Bean Salad, and a French Dinner Roll. The best part of the menu, dessert, consisted of Crepes filled with chocolate sauce and fresh strawberries and Cannolis. A total of 435 diners visited North Commons for lunch during my theme meal, and, after completing a small analysis of the leftovers, it was found that the biggest crowd pleasers were the Lemon Chicken and the Cannolis. Below are a few photos from the event:

I only had one hour to decorate the dining hall. Luckily, I was able to utilize the student employees, during their lunch break.

The major group that joined us for lunch was called the "Singing Buckeyes," and they all came to eat at the same time!

The dining hall was decorated with flag banners and inflatable airplanes.

The crepes may have been the most time consuming item on the menu, but they looked delicious!

The cannolis were very tasty (and popular), as well.

A member of the kitchen staff created a decorative fruit display for the dessert station.

Diners could dive deeper into the spirit of the theme by signing this map of Europe in order to let us know where they have traveled.

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I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Ohio State University, and I will miss the Dining Services team. However, I am now back in Michigan, preparing to start my last semester at Michigan State University on August 31.

Thank you NACUFS for this experience!