Warning: Long post, I’ve never been very good with brevity. Read the whole thing or skip to the bottom where I’ll review what I’m asking for. Next semester I am starting a new job as a chef for a sorority in California. The chapter has about 150 women in it, and I am responsible for cooking Lunch and Dinner Monday-Thursday and providing a Friday “brunch”. The lunches apparently host for about 80ish women from 11:30-1:00 and the Dinners normally are for about 80-100 women from 5:00-6:30. The meals are served buffet style, with the one exception being their formal dinner on Monday which is served family style and the whole chapter (all 150!) eats alongside their “House Mom”. I guess they can bring guests over consistently except Monday dinner, but apparently they keep the numbers in control (mostly boyfriends, etc). I am going to be using Sysco for most of my food needs, as there is already an account set up through the house that I can easily modify. I am looking for suggestions for menus. My strategy will be to provide meals that allow for “comfort foods” but also give allowance to girls who might be willing to experiment. The chapter seems like it is full of very friendly and intelligent women, but definitely more on the stereotypical side in terms of looks: every member seems to have the body of a goddess and, I fear, the dietary habits accustomed to keeping such figures. Here are the basic details to help guide your suggestions: Right now the cook has a hot entrée for every lunch, alongside with a “Deli Tray” and a salad bar. For dinner the salad bar is still available, along with a hot main entrée and a couple of healthy sides. The salad bar was rather boring the days I visited. My plan is to improve it by having stock ingredients every day as well as stock dressings mixed in with “rotating” homemade dressings, mainly interesting vinaigrettes. There would also be rotating ingredients everyday in the salad bar (artichoke hearts, feta cheese, nuts, broccoli, etc) to keep it interesting and allow the girls who enjoy food to experiment. I also want to establish a “fruit salad” station. These fruits would also follow the salad bar pattern: two or three “normal” fruits, spiced up with seasonal treats like kiwi or berries. I also want to eliminate the Deli Tray and switch it into a “daily soup” that would be available for both lunch and dinner, and it would be primarily vegetarian. The reason being that the Deli Tray seems to be a way for girls who don’t enjoy the entrees to have a comfort food, but they have supplies to make grilled cheese and peanut butter & jelly at all times so I think that could substitute. For dinner it is a "main entree" (usually meat) with a couple sides (starch & veggie) with a salad bar. I want to keep this with the addition of the "daily soup" (at least when the weather calls for it). The kitchen is large and industrial and is perfectly designed for cooking for large groups. The girls are only allowed in the kitchen for meal times, as that is where the serving station is located. Otherwise it is locked for liability purposes, but a 24-hour “Little Kitchen” (as they call it) is adjacent and features a panini maker, microwave, juice machine, coffee/espresso machine, small fridge and loads of snacks and teabags. Luckily the house mother is responsible for stocking those foods and not me so it doesn’t eat my budget at all. I luckily have assistance in the kitchen and a very large budget so I can easily experiment. What I’m looking for is ideas. I read Malawry’s EGullet food blog which was slightly helpful, except there are many differences: I am cooking for more people, I have assistance, and it’s not a short-order lunch but rather a set lunch. Also I get the feeling that her girls were more down to eat anything…I am getting the suspicion that my girls will only want the healthiest foods. So, in conclusion, I am looking for: 1. Menu ideas for lunch and dinner for that many girls, with an emphasis on health, as well as offering both comfort foods and experimental foods, and also an option for vegetarians. 2. Salad bar ideas for the “rotating” items, dressings and fruits. 3. Ideas for the brunch. 4. Fun daily soup ideas that would be healthy and mostly vegetarian 5. Ideas for the formal dinner on Monday night where it is served family style and the whole chapter shows up. And anything else, really…I am very excited for the job and I have cooked for large numbers of people before, but it will still be different in that they are all the similar demographic. I am looking for menu ideas mainly, because I can find recipes pretty easily and can cook a wide variety of options already.
