The Academy of Culinary Arts students and staff are so fortunate to have connected with Chef Chris Scrivano, The Culinary Network Senior Manager of Chartwells Higher Ed, as he has provided an abundance of support and learning opportunities over the past year. Most recently, he arranged for a tour of two back of the house and front of the house Chartwells Higher Ed contracted dining halls located on the University of North Florida campus. As part of the tour, students participated in a Burrito Challenge where they each took a turn building a burrito following specific portions without using the proper portioning utensils. The recipe called for 3 ounces of chicken, 3 ounces of beans, 2 ounces of cheese, and 1 ounce of rice. The ingredients were then rolled into a 1 ounce tortilla and placed on a digital scale with the hopes that it weighed 10 ounces. Students quickly learned that “eye-balling” portions was misleading as burritos weighed in any where from 8.5 ounces up to 14 ounces! These second year culinarians quickly learned about the importance of using measuring utensils to maintain portion control, the impact of operating costs, and customer satisfaction. Afterwards, students toured one of the larger back of the house kitchens where they entered into a subzero walk-in freezer and met several of the Chartwells chefs and staff who have been with the company for several years. Most certainly though, the highlight of the visit was enjoying a smorgasbord of delicious savory, sweet, and fresh options in the Student Center for lunch. Bellies and minds were full when we departed! Thank you again, Chef Chris Scrivano, UNF Campus Executive Chef Brook Adams, and the UNF Chartwells team for having us! We learned there are also great opportunities for part-time employment as a future UNF student or as a full-time Chartwells Higher Ed employee.
