“That guy at Collins who is always smiling,” a student would say. Oh yeah, another would respond, that guy is cool. One face every CMCer with a meal plan seems to know is that of Kevin Callahan, Assistant Manager of Collins since September ‘07.

A New York native, Callahan worked as an Assistant Beverage Manager at the renowned Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas before coming to CMC last fall. Callahan decided to work for Bon Appétit following his brother’s positive experiences as both a chef and manager with the company.

Bon Appétit Management Company is a nationwide catering company providing services and socially responsible and sustainable foods to universities and other organizations. CMC’s and Pitzer’s dining halls are operated by Bon Appétit. Bon Appétit prides itself on using as many local sources as possible to supply the food. The dining halls at Scripps, Harvey Mudd and Pomona are operated by Sodexho. Callahan describes the relationship with this rival food company as a “friendly competition.” He notes that Bon Appétit takes the surveys and input from students very seriously as they are always looking for ways to improve.

Callahan works about ten hours a day for five days a week. He says his favorite meal is brunch on either Saturday or Sunday, where Collins opens for made-to-order smoothies and omelets as well as the usual fare. His daily responsibilities include inputting menus online and preparing for the next meal, but his main job is overseeing his employees and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Callahan is actively involved in the planning for Collins’ special dinners, such as the recent Mardi Gras dinner or the Winter Wonderland dinner in December. He says other employees work together to brainstorm for these events, which are often popular among CMC students.

When not working, Callahan enjoys spending time with his puppy and hiking mountains such as Arrowhead and Mount Baldy. Always happy to talk to students, Callahan takes pleasure in hearing about our achievements and upcoming activities– he was recently spotted at the CMS vs. PP Men’s Basketball game!

Tags: bon appetit, collins, collins dining hall, food, Kevin Callahan, sodexho

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 at 1:36 am and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.