"All You Can Eat" is a column by Emerson Prentice '29 that focuses on highlighting and educating readers about dining on campus by interviewing chefs, highlighting menus from various dining halls and diving deep into the processes behind the food. The column hopes to change the way students think about and appreciate the food and team that feeds them around the clock at Stanford.
As the assistant director and executive chef of Arrillaga Dining, chef Mychel Brewster's days are long, hectic and often unpredictable. They are also incredibly essential for the students of Stanford, who often have little to no idea what happens to make their meals possible.
"I don't feel like I'm very aware of what happens behind the scenes, but I know there are a lot of hard working R&DE staff," said August Hazel '29.
Ever wondered what the job of a Stanford chef entails? Here is a day in Brewster's life.
In the morning, he starts off checking in on what he calls "the units" -- that is, the dining halls. On his way in to work, Brewster checks in on Stern and Wilbur Dining, the latter of which being where he started out at Stanford as a cook, and where some of his favorite culinary work is happening. At these dining halls, Brewster said, "I see what they need, check the line, check out the product." He answers a plethora of practical questions: "Did the delivery come? Did the delivery not come? Did I have sick call outs?"
Then, he makes his way over to Arrillaga, where his day really begins. Here, he starts with the same check-in process. If everything is all good, he begins with lunch preparation. The lunch rush is intense and fast-paced, but Brewster stays through peak hours. To keep things under control, Brewster emphasizes communication -- he talks to every person on his staff twice each day -- and ensures everything runs smoothly, down to the placement of food labels.
Afterwards, he heads downstairs to place daily or bi-weekly food orders: some solely for Arrillaga, some for multiple halls. These orders are incredibly important. With Stanford serving upwards of 3,000 diners daily, "We have to make sure that [vendors] can guarantee those products," Brewster said. Even if they are ordered correctly, vendors may still show up without the proper ingredients. This is where the preparation and ability to pivot become crucial in Stanford's dining halls. This might mean switching from steak to chicken breast as the main at dinner, for example -- utilizing what the kitchen has available, rather than their planned menu.
Brewster named a few factors he considers when working with vendors: their proximity to campus, their adherence to Stanford's safety guidelines, the carbon footprint of each option (Stanford is committed to sustainable dining) and more. The variety that comes from this diligent ordering at Arrillaga is an important part of its appeal to students.
"Arrillaga is my favorite dining hall by far. I feel like there are always a ton of options, and I especially love how much variety the salad bar offers," Sophene Avedissian '29 said.
On top of the products from these vendors, the dining halls also utilize crops from the O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm. Arrillaga in particular has made use of bell peppers, chards and cauliflower.
Once the ordering is complete, Brewster reviews financial statements to make sure the dining halls are breaking even. Staying on top of food waste is an essential component of this, as there is no financial room for additional food that isn't used. Wasted food translates to wasted money.
Brewster has hoards of past dining data to look back on. To know how much food to prepare, "We can look at the trends of the week," Brewster said. Say, for example, that the weather's cold and rainy. Based on past bad weather days, he knows the number of diners will likely go down.
After all this is done (and perhaps a few other administrative meetings) Brewster goes back out to visit the dining halls. Throughout the week, he visits all of the different dining halls across campus. He also works with dining halls on their special menus, such as the Hispanic Heritage menu at Stern Dining or Florence Moore Dining's Diwali special. Ultimately, Brewster's goal is for Stanford Dining to improve on past years. From decreasing menu fatigue to adding plant-based options, "it has to be better," he said.
At this point, Brewster checks in with his sous chefs to see how the dinner service is running. The day I spoke with Brewster, there was a chef's table at Arrillaga -- a chance for six to 12 students to experience fine dining at a Michelin star level right on campus. Grilled shrimp with a beurre blanc sauce, lamb with a mint demi glace and a berry panna cotta for dessert were on the menu this night.
During dinner (Arrillaga's peak hours) it is particularly important for Brewster to be available and monitoring what is happening. On Tuesdays, he also hosts office hours where students can voice their opinions about the work the dining hall is doing.
"Primarily, my role is to make sure [students] all have what you need. So taking student feedback is a big thing for us," said Brewster.
At this point, the day closes out for Brewster. By the time dinner ends each day Arrillaga will have served 12,000 meals. Brewster says he loves the challenge -- and a challenge it certainly is.
"The main thing is, we're here for you. I can't stress that enough," Brewster said.