Detailing their years at Campus Dining and workplace camaraderie, employees at Saint Mary’s College’s Noble Family Dining Hall reflected on the workplace community they have built.
Alan Pecze shared that he has been with Campus Dining for about 30 years, beginning with Notre Dame’s North and South Dining Halls before shifting to the Saint Mary’s campus.
Another employee, Christopher Jones, who helps to prepare dishes, shared that he has worked in the dining hall for “a long time, but [he] was off for probably about six years, and [he] decided to come back.“
“This is me. This is what I do. This is my living,“ Jones said.
Chef Gwen Mottl, who leads the morning shifts of the day, explained her earlier work experience at Café de Grásta, a former Notre Dame dining location in Grace Hall.
“They shut down de Grásta after Covid, and then we were placed here,“ Mottl said, explaining how she was able to grow her skillset with the opportunity to engage with the different quantities of food and menus that came with the change in location.
She continued, noting she learned how to provide food for 500-600 people rather than 300, and prepare food in bulk as opposed to individually.
Morgan Fredericks, an employee who tends to the salad bar, had a similar experience when she was moved to Saint Mary’s from Notre Dame’s Huddle Mart in August 2020.
Fredericks explained that she found herself a lot happier in her current position at the Noble Family Dining Hall, saying, “I love all the good vibes and all the good energy.”
“I have amazing coworkers, and they make the shift better,” Noemi Calihua, a sophomore who also works at the salad bar, said.
Cook Neil Russell expanded upon this camaraderie between the team, noting that the sense of community is strengthened with the people he serves.
“You see a lot of people you get familiar with, so when you see them, and you kind of know what they want … little things like that … it’s probably the best job I can do to serve the students,” he said.
The students at Saint Mary’s have also taken notice to the passion of the cooking team.
“They’re so nice, and you can tell that they actually care about their jobs and that we have good quality food,” junior Morgan Zack said.
Sophomore Amira Olivas shared a similar opinion regarding the dining team, noting the employees are sweet.
“They definitely keep a spirit. Y’know?” she said. “They always seem to be really happy, and it kind of reflects on the people.”
Other students have noticed the team’s camaraderie.
Sophomore Sophia Waddell noted the team has a “connection with each other that’s unspoken.”
“When they’re interacting with the other students here, they usually get them super excited or more ready to go to classes,” Waddell said.
Junior Maddie Jones expanded on Waddell’s point, expressing that the team’s energy “makes people want to come to the dining hall.”
“It can be scary, especially when you first come to Saint Mary’s and just come to a new place that you’re either eating alone, or you meet new people in the dining hall.” But, Jones noted, “[The dining hall team is] always nice, and that’s positive.”
In turn, the workers at Campus Dining pick up on the gratitude the students feel for them. Pecze, for example, said his favorite part of working at the dining hall is “when I have interaction with the students. When they like something, and they come, and they tell me.”
Mottl shared a similar sentiment about what she likes the most about her job.
“When the girls are really grateful, when they come through the line, and as they’re getting their food, there’s a random thank you,” she said. “You know? And it’s like, that’s really nice to hear that we’re appreciated for what we do.”
