Ryan’s story: focusing on fun and family

My interest in catering began when I was still in high school. From the age of 14 I was working summer and after school jobs as a busboy in local restaurants. I immediately liked the attitude; everyone was really hard working, but it was fun and I felt part of a family.

I went to Vermont to study Economics at university, as it was a place I loved. This was where I really started to feel inspired and develop a passion for cooking. I took a job in an Irish pub, and they got me involved in ‘real’ cooking. Until this point I had been mostly waiting tables, prepping or making salads – now I was getting to the fun stuff!

In 2021 Covid hit, and the industry shut down. It was hard and I thought ‘is this the time for a career change?’. I applied for a few jobs in the economics field, but my heart was telling me it just wasn’t what I wanted to do any more. I’d recently married and was starting to think about a family and what the future could look like. If I stayed working in restaurants then the ultimate goal would be to own one, and that would take over my whole life. I needed something more balanced, where I could do the job I love and enjoy a family life.

That’s what led me to Sodexo, and to a role working in the University of Vermont, back where I’d originally studied! I love the high standards and level of professionalism here.

The campus has four residential halls and I run one of those, working with a culinary team of 20 supported by front and back of house teams. I’m responsible for all menu planning across seven different food stations, including pasta and pizza, vegan/vegetarian, grills and salads. I’m still hands on in the kitchen and we’re open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving 17,000 meals every week in term time, and are active in the summer months catering for visiting kids’ camps and the like.

Using local produce is a passion for the University and Sodexo chefs on campus. We’re always keeping our eyes out for new suppliers and there is a lot of farmland in Vermont. Sometimes the volumes we need are too large but where possible we buy local meat and veg.

Last year I travelled to Paris to take part in Sodexo’s sustainable chef competition Cook for Change. All the finalists shared a passion for sustainability and were there to promote the message. It was a great bonding experience with other chefs, and the vibe was really positive.

It’s a global challenge and as chefs we are sometimes told ‘this is the produce you can use.’ But we should challenge that if the quality and sustainability aspect isn’t right. If a chef looks at an ingredient and thinks ‘wow, I can turn this into something I can be proud of,’ then that will shine in the dish they serve to a customer.