Hi everyone! My name is Lilli Kane and I am a Sodexo intern at the Baltimore/Washington D.C. campus. I am also doing the Master’s program through the University of Rhode Island online. I am working as an intern at Prince Georges Hospital Center in Montgomery County Maryland. The hospital recently became part of the University of Maryland so there is going to be a lot of changes in the next couple of years!
I just ended my food service rotation and I start my clinical rotation on Monday, which I am very excited for! I learned a lot during my food service rotation; from working with the cooks, to serving customers in the cafeteria, and to working on the tray line. I didn’t realize how much there was to learn in each different area, but after working in every area in the kitchen I realized it is beneficial because they all connect with each other.
One big experience that I had in food service was my themed meal. I had to put together a meal to sell to the customers in the cafeteria which required me to work with production and retail. My theme was Heart Healthy Taco Bar on October 3rd which is National Soft Taco Day. It was a big hit. I served soft tacos with chicken or fish. There were 2 sides to go with the meal which included rice and beans. I also had a topping bar with many different options. Guacamole was a very popular topping that everyone loved! For dessert, I served churros with dark chocolate dip. The churros were something different that aren’t usually served in the cafeteria and a lot of people commented on how they liked this idea. I think overall, this meal went well. I learned more about costing out items based on food costs and selling costs. I also learned more about forecasting based on the population of customers at the hospital and how many people come in the cafeteria for lunch. I also gave out handouts and talked to customers going through the line about heart healthy foods to avoid heart disease. I answered many questions and got to know more employees who work at the hospital. I think this was valuable as a dietitian because talking to patients and educating them on different foods and disease is an important job of a dietitian. I was also glad that I could meet different employees throughout the hospital because during my clinical rotation I could possibly have to work with them!
I just ended my food service rotation and I start my clinical rotation on Monday, which I am very excited for! I learned a lot during my food service rotation; from working with the cooks, to serving customers in the cafeteria, and to working on the tray line. I didn’t realize how much there was to learn in each different area, but after working in every area in the kitchen I realized it is beneficial because they all connect with each other.
One big experience that I had in food service was my themed meal. I had to put together a meal to sell to the customers in the cafeteria which required me to work with production and retail. My theme was Heart Healthy Taco Bar on October 3rd which is National Soft Taco Day. It was a big hit. I served soft tacos with chicken or fish. There were 2 sides to go with the meal which included rice and beans. I also had a topping bar with many different options. Guacamole was a very popular topping that everyone loved! For dessert, I served churros with dark chocolate dip. The churros were something different that aren’t usually served in the cafeteria and a lot of people commented on how they liked this idea. I think overall, this meal went well. I learned more about costing out items based on food costs and selling costs. I also learned more about forecasting based on the population of customers at the hospital and how many people come in the cafeteria for lunch. I also gave out handouts and talked to customers going through the line about heart healthy foods to avoid heart disease. I answered many questions and got to know more employees who work at the hospital. I think this was valuable as a dietitian because talking to patients and educating them on different foods and disease is an important job of a dietitian. I was also glad that I could meet different employees throughout the hospital because during my clinical rotation I could possibly have to work with them!
