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Cedarville Magazine
Exceeding
Expectations
by Monte Veatch
In my 15 years in college food service, I
have seen dramatic changes in the industry.
Today’s college students have grown up
eating out at restaurants, which shapes their
expectations for food quality and variety.
Our challenge is to produce restaurant
quality food in an institutional setting.
Healthy Options
Although today’s students are more
health conscious about what they consume,
that’s not always reflected in their food
choices. They ask for more vegetarian and
healthy options, which we do provide, but
chicken strips are by far the most popular
itemwe serve (burgers, fries, and pizza run
a close second).
Special Diets
Special dietary needs and food allergies
have dramatically increased over the years.
We prepare and label menu options that
are gluten-free, and we have a staffmember
specifically assigned to prepare these meals.
Meeting students’ needs is a top priority in
our service.
Dining Facilities
Quality food service and facilities have
taken more of a center stage for colleges
and universities. With more than 10,000
prospective students on campus for summer
camps and events, the dining experience is
a recruitment tool. It shapes guests’ lasting
impressions of their visit. We must, at all
times, present the freshest, best-tasting
food available.
These factors motivate all of us in
Cedarville’s food service to continually
evolve, improve, and anticipate the wants
and needs of today’s college students.
Monte Veatch
is the Supervisor of Food
Service at Cedarville. He has worked for
Pioneer College Caterers for 15 years and is a
graduate of The Culinary Institute of America.
You may contact him at
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Fun fact: Began working in food
service at age 16
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Education: The Culinary Institute
of America
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At Cedarville since: 2012
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Stand on shepherd’s pie: PRO!
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Favorite vegetable: Grilled zucchini
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Best kitchen knives: Shun
(Japanese knives)
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Culinary hero: Auguste Escoffier
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Words to live by: “We are only as
good as our last meal.”
More About Monte
Cedarville’s“next top chef”
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650 pounds liquid eggs
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1,020 pounds various cheeses
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1,680 pounds bananas
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250 pounds lettuce
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718 pounds sliced deli meats
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60 pounds pepperoni
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345 pounds bacon
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640 pounds chicken strips
(for one meal!)
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850 whole chickens for the
rotisserie station
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800 pizza crusts
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180 gallons of ice cream
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55 bulk cases of cereal
M
onte Veatch knows a little
something about “feeding the
multitudes,” although at Cedarville,
we begin with a lot more than five
loaves and two fish. Our food service
crew prepares three meals a day,
seven days a week in our campus
dining hall for students, faculty, staff,
and campus guests (roughly 24,000
meals each week).
“Our priority is to serve excellent
food, with plenty of variety, and
always offer it with great service,”
Veatch said. Although it may seem
mundane, the overall quality of the
dining experience can actually help
attract prospective students and
retain those who are already here.
When your weekly grocery list
looks like this, you need 36 full- and
part-time Pioneer College Caterers
employees and 300 part-time
students to serve it up right:
