I can still remember the first time I worked at Hope College’s Cook Dining Hall.  I was in 5^th or 6^th grade, an age considered appropriate by schools and parents for participation in “Bring Your Kid to Work Day.”  My mom Chris, who has worked at CDS for over ten years, showed me around the kitchen and introduced me to all of the staff.  Chef Todd slapped one of those tall white paper hats on my head.  This kind of hat looks fine on, say, a full-sized man, but I can guarantee that it looked ridiculous on a smaller-than-average preteen girl.  I dutifully served French fries alongside my mother from the first hot line, smiling shyly up at the college students who peered down at me and probably wondered how many child labor laws were being broken.  The paper hat slid down my forehead, the disposable gloves barely fit my small hands, and I was swimming in my white chef coat and apron, but I loved every second.  I felt big and important to be working like an adult, to be serving hungry students, to be making sure that every stainless steel surface shone at the end of the day.

I officially began working at Cook Servery and the adjacent Haworth Inn and Conference Center in 2006, during the summer in which I turned 16.  I started out doing back-of-the-house duties during catered events.  Another girl and I shuffled awkwardly in place, too shy to speak much, just waiting for the dishes to start coming back so we could scrape the uneaten food into the garbage (composting hadn’t quite caught on yet) and stack the dishes on carts to bring to the dishroom.  We were so young that we could only work a few hours at a time and had to be punched out before 10:00pm.  But it was my first real job, and I loved it.  I loved the hustle and bustle of the kitchen as the chefs plated up delicious meals that were arranged just so on the clean white plates.  I loved the banter between the catering staff.  I loved the challenge of clearing trays as quickly as possibly and neatly stacking the dishes to maximize cart space.

Fast forward to 2011.  I’m nearly halfway done with my senior year at Hope College and my sixth year of working at CDS.  Chefs, managers, and student workers have come and gone.  I’ve done just about everything, from catering serving to working almost every station in the dining hall (deli, salad bar, hostess, etc).  I am also the current Marketing & Promotions intern at the CDS home office.  Working at CDS has given me years of invaluable experience.  I feel truly blessed to have grown up with such a great company!

-Katelyn Hemmeke, CDS Marketing & Promotions Intern