A: That’s a well-phrased question, because I believe an effective director does, indeed, work with people, not only for them. The aspect about the job that is most satisfying is the mutual respect that I share with the folks who live here. I find myself humbled every day in the company of so many of people who have been doctors and deans and teachers and correspondents and politicians and even a former restaurant tycoon; and regardless of what occupied their passions and demanded their focus and priority as they made their way in this world, each one of them has so much to share—in observations, in experience, and in creative ways of looking at things.
Q: How big is the dining services staff?
A:
We have a staff of 450 employees in Dining Services here at Greenspring. About 300 of these employees are between the ages of 14 and 18. We look for young people that demonstrate good character and scholarship (our student servers must maintain a grade-point-average of C or better), and young people that we believe will enrich our community with their enthusiasm.
Our other 150-or-so employees make up the backbone of our team, hailing from dozens of countries from around the world. Though I have been fortunate to live abroad and to have traveled extensively, I now work and live in the most humanly diverse area that I have ever known; when I sit around a table of employees at lunch, men and women that espouse and advocate from virtually every point of our collective world view, I am truly in awe—and thankful to work with each one of them.
Q: Do you offer menu options for people with dietary restrictions?
A:
We have gluten free, cholesterol free, and low fat menu options available every single night. We also provide recipe binders available at the podiums of each of our restaurants. These binders provide the recipes of about 85% of the items that we serve every night. We also have vegetable options and many rice and potato dishes which are perfectly acceptable for many diets throughout the week at all of our restaurants.
In recent months, we have even gone so far as to procure products from a company who specifically develops specialty dessert mixes for individuals with dietary restrictions, including gluten free diets.
Q: What do you think is a diner's biggest benefit from dining services?
A:
That we buy good food, prepare good food, serve good food, clear the table and do all the dishes— 365 nights a year. And that we do it with a smile. Now I think that’s six things— but that's all part of the service that we provide over 800,000 times every year, one resident at a time.
Q: Finally, could you please include your favorite Greenspring recipe?
A:
That’s a tough question: I have many favorites. But I particularly like pasta dishes, so I guess I would have to say our Chicken & Pasta Chardonnay (see below for recipe).
Chicken and Pasta Chardonnay
Yield: 4 for dinner. Add a salad, some bread, and a bottle of Chardonnay for the table and you're set!
Ingredients
3 cups, dry: use rice pasta, or other substitute, for gluten-free Penne pasta, cooked in chicken stock (3:1 ration, stock to pasta)
12 ounces chicken breast, boneless skinless, cut into one-ounce strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Flour for dredging: omit for gluten-free diet
2 cups chicken stock (plus extra for cooking pasta)
1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup Chardonnay
1/4 cup carrots, julienne cut
1/4 cup summer squash, julienne cut
1/4 cup asparagus tips, fresh
1/2 cup spinach, fresh, chiffonade cut
2 tablespoons green onion
1 tablespoon basil, fresh, chiffonade cut
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated fresh
Method
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Heat chicken stock; steep peppercorns, thyme, and bay leaf in simmering stock for 30 minutes, or until stock reduces slightly.
3. Dredge chicken in flour, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Heat olive oil in large sauté pan, medium heat; sauté chicken for three to four minutes in batches, making sure not to overcrowd; hold.
5. Add half of wine into hot sauté pan; swirl around in pan and gently “scrape up” the bits of chicken in the bottom of the pan (this is called deglazing)
6. Strain stock into sauté pan and continue simmering, another ten minutes or so, being careful to scrape-up the bits of chicken in the bottom of the sauté pan with a wooden spoon: there's flavor in those bits!
7. Wash and cut all vegetables; cook in order in chicken stock: carrots: four minutes. (Carrots take longer to cook than the other vegetable) squash and asparagus.
8. Mix the rest of the wine and cornstarch until you make a cloudy “slurry” with no lumps; slowly pour into stock until fully incorporated and slightly thickened.
9. Add reserved chicken, cooked pasta, spinach and scallions; stir in heavy cream and simmer gently for five minutes.
10. Spoon into dinner plate/bowl, being sure that every plate gets three pieces of chicken! Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan, pour yourself a glass of wine—and enjoy!