Cornerstone C A MP U S
Carving Out Some Fun // FOOD & BEVERAGE U P DAT E Around this time every year, the Culinary Support Center would usually become a pumpkin carving production zone thanks to Mary Johnson. Mary is the Executive Chef at CSC and has provided her carving expertise over the years to produce one-of-a-kind, intricate pumpkins for Food & Beverage Halloween events. Although the seasonal events have been canceled this year, Mary has been gracious enough to share her carving wisdom and a few tips and tricks of the trade: When carving pumpkins, I think about what I want to accomplish. I do like to create vignettes or have an overall theme. Maybe witches, or traditional pumpkin faces, or several vignettes like the Wizard of Oz, Cinderella’s coach, or haunted ships. After I have decided on what I am doing, I sketch out facial expressions of the emotions I am trying to convey, so that there is an immediate connection or understanding between the creation and the observer. Anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise are all emotions that are needed to deliver a message. The shape of the mouth, gritted teeth, positioning and shape of the eyebrows, and eyes all contribute to the effect. When the sketches are completed, I go in search of the perfect pumpkins and items needed to accomplish what I want. Actually, this is the most fun. I spend hours picking and choosing until I am satisfied. Things to consider when choosing my pumpkins are green thick stems, which indicates thick walls and a heavy pumpkin, perfect for carving. I also avoid pumpkins with blemishes, soft spots or bugs. The shape of the pumpkin, the size, the color, and the shape of the stem for the perfect nose, all contribute to the decision to choose that particular pumpkin. I like to use as many edible items as possible, but while radishes can be used to make mice and kiwi to make rats, using non-edible embellishments like spiders, skeletons, and gauze are a must to get the effects needed. The biggest challenge is keeping the pumpkins fresh and looking good. Mold and dehydration are the two main reasons a pumpkin will rot. You can use petroleum jelly to prevent both or spray daily with a solution of water and bleach.
My last tip is to be safe and have fun!
SE RV IC E S
N E WS L E T T E R
Cornerstone
| C A M PUS S E RV I C E S N EWS L ET T E R
OCTOBER 2020
Michael Bryant - Assistant Manager | 6 years Vernon Burns Jr. - Building and Grounds Asst. | 7 years Diana Byrd - Exec. Mgr. of Retail, Sales, & Market Merch. | 38 years Nicole A. S. Byrd - General Manager of Retail | 9 years Larry Combs - Food Service Asst. | 1 year Rickey Crane - Supplies Asst. | 18 years Tanya Denny - Supplies Asst. | 17 years Marsha Doran - Senior Cook | 26 years Austin Gibbs - Food Service Asst. | 1 year
Brick & Ivy Madness Sale // R E TA I L UPDATE
Mark your calendars! The Madness Sale will start October 12th and run through October 16th. This Madness Sale will be the same as in the past but with a twist. Keep an eye on Brick & Ivy’s social media for updates on what will be on sale, all featured hooded sweatshirts will be only $16.99. All areas will have featured products with vastly discounted prices that include T-shirts, long sleeve shirts, jackets, technology, home decor, and more!
Jennifer Grant - Cook | 13 years Benjamin Green - Customer Services Specialist | 1 year Bryan Gutridge - Sr. Director of Event Services | 2 years
Stop by the store to update your Miami gear or stock up on some great gifts. You can find anything you want during the Madness Sale! All featured products will be displayed in the additional retail area right outside Brick & Ivy across from the admissions office.
Patience Hacker - Building and Grounds Asst. | 1 year Azure Harless - Food Service Asst. | 1 year Sara Hedgepeth - Food Service Asst. | 1 year Kelly Hurd - Food Service Asst. | 1 year Robin Jackson - Asst. Dir. of Food & Beverage | 1 year Blake Jennings - Food Service Supervisor | 1 year Tess Kihm - Food Service Asst. | 5 years Darris King - Building and Grounds Asst. | 1 year Mary Ann King - Executive Chef | 1 year Kimberly Moore - Building and Grounds Asst. | 20 years Barbara Napier - Food Service Asst. | 3 years Brian Nichting - Food Service Supervisor | 7 years Anthony Pena - Building and Grounds Asst. | 1 year Molly Rhodus - Food Service Asst. | 19 years Kristina Rotundo - Director of Catering | 21 years Karen Ruby - Supplies Asst. | 39 years Shelley Rye - Food Service Asst. | 5 years Gregory Scherer - Building and Grounds Asst. | 2 years Thyra Sens - Customer Services Specialist | 12 years
Serving Love & Honor // CATERI NG EMPLOYEE SPOTLI G H T The Miami Experience extends far past the classroom. It includes our lovely campus, athletics, dining, event services, and more. Deborah Benzing is a key factor in ensuring the events hosted by Miami reflect our values, mission, and, most importantly, Love and Honor. As the Assistant Catering and Event Manager, it’s Deborah’s job to manage the event, provide outstanding customer service, and promote Miami University. Deborah’s Miami journey started when she was born and raised in Oxford. Life took her to New York and eventually she came back to Oxford five years ago. After her start as a custodian in Laws Hall, Deborah saw an opportunity to work in catering and jumped at it. Deborah is an invaluable employee because she sees the value in everyone’s ideas. She strives to create a working environment where anyone, regardless of their job title, feels that their opinion and insights are valid and heard. When working with her students, she views it as an opportunity to provide them with real-world education. They are able to work on time management, conversational skills, attention to detail, and other soft skills. She is considered the Miami Catering “Mom” because of the care and mentoring she provides to her student workers and to her team. Outside of work Deborah loves to bike - she rides it almost every day. She loves to travel domestically and internationally and frequently visits New York to visit her two sons. A fun fact about Deborah is she has heterochromia, a rare eye color where you have two different colored eyes - less than 1% of people have it!
OCTOBER 2020
MIAMIOH.EDU/CAMPUS-SERVICES
To everyone on the team, I would like to express my gratitude for the hard work everyone of you has shown. Without you, we would never have gotten this far so quickly tackling the restrictions that Covid-19 has put upon us. I want to
Save Those Pumpkin Seeds!
encourage each and every one of you to keep
// F& B UPDATE
on doing your best for the continued success of
Halloween is approaching and you’ve just finished your Jack-o’-lantern masterpiece but, wait! You have one more fun and tasty job to do. Create a delicious (and addictive) snack out of all those pumpkin seeds. It’s easy and packed with good stuff like protein and fiber.
Campus Services. Fall is a beautiful time of year, especially on Miami’s campus. Aside from the red, gold and orange leaves we have the sight of students once again filling the sidewalks. It is a sign of our normalcy that we have missed for so many months. I encourage you to take some time out and enjoy the festivities of fall; fresh air, pumpkin patches, hiking, golf, soccer games, Octoberfest celebrations. Remember to turn your clocks back October 31 and enjoy the extra hour that this month brings. Love & Honor Geno Svec Executive Director of Campus Services Chief Hospitality Officer
First you’ll need to get rid of all the pumpkin guts that are mixed in with the seeds. Pick out the biggest pieces and then place the seeds in a big bowl of water. The seeds will rise and you can just scoop them out and leave the goo behind. Next pat the seeds dry – you don’t need to get too persnickety but they won’t crisp up if they’re too damp. Now you can start having fun. I’ve listed the basic process below and then there’s a world of variations. Preheat your oven to 300F. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment. Toss seeds with seasonings and an oil of your choice (olive, canola, etc.) – about 1 teaspoon per ½ cup of seeds. Place seeds in even single layer on sheet pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. They’ll be a little chewy right out of the oven. Tried and true flavor profiles include: Simple salt and black pepper Ranch Garlic powder, salt and cayenne Wasabi and salt Pizza (Grated Parmesan, dried basil and oregano, garlic powder, salt) Cinnamon Sugar (Brown sugar and cinnamon) If you’re feeling really ambitious, check out these great recipes on the website Serious Eats:
Brick & Ivy Fall Promotions Youth Sale 20% Off All Youth, Toddler, & Infant Items 10/5 - 10/11 | Online & In-Store: M U YO U TH
Brown Butter and Sage Soy and Furikake (Japanese seasoning) Ginger and Orange Zest Chorizo and Smoked Paprika
Chef Ginny Thiell Executive Chef of Catering
Outerwear Sale 20% Off All Jackets & Coats 10/10 - 10/16 | Online & In-Store: C O L D W E AT H E R
Trick Or Treat: 10% Off Skullcandy & Wicked Products 10/24 - 10/31 | Online & In-Store
Flash Sale: Halloween Save 31% On Clothing & Gift Items 10/31 | Online & In-Store: HALLOWEEN31
Garlic powder, salt and cayenne and cinnamon sugar flavors shown
Cornerstone
| C A M PUS S E RV I C E S N EWS L ET T E R
OCTOBER 2020
Halloween Blue Moon The next Halloween full moon occurs this year! We’ll see two full moons this October: the first occurs on Thursday, October 1, and the second occurs on Saturday, October 31. Halloween’s full moon will be extra special, since it will be the second of the month and, therefore, a “Blue Moon.” A full moon on Halloween, blue or not, only happens every 18 or 19 years. Since a Blue Moon is the second full moon of the month, it's even rarer for Halloween to line up on the same day as a full moon.
Open Enrollment // UNI VE RS I T Y UP DAT E Open Enrollment is the one time each calendar year, historically the month of October, that you can make changes to your benefit elections without having experienced a qualifying event. This year, in being consistent with Miami's Healthy Together initiative, we are combining open enrollment with what was our annual one-day, in-person benefits and wellness fair as the Open Enrollment Virtual Fair, that will run through the entire month of October.
Although we will miss you all at the in-person fair, we will be available to answer questions during business hours (M-F, 8-5), and all of the information you will need can be found online 24/7. Visit the Open Enrollment Virtual Fair beginning Thursday, October 1, for online vendor "booths," resources, live webinars, informational videos, and more. Visit often to see updates and changes!
Miami PUZZLE
What are you likely to find on a haunted beach? Click the image to play!
A sand-witch