Volume 25 · Number 3 · Spring 2008
Dirty Work and Dream Jobs: Eileen Peyton
(Photo: Karin Higgins/UC Davis)
Junior in community and regional development from Santa Barbara
Job: Kitchen supervisor at the Coffee House
Maybe it’s the weekly dishwashing shifts, regular turns at food serving and other democratic work practices of the Coffee House that keep Eileen Peyton’s new position of authority from going to her head. But thousands of people on campus — students, faculty and staff — are affected by Peyton’s decisions when it’s her turn to decide the menu — Hungarian goulash or tamale casserole, chili or Mulligatawny soup, Cubist cookies or Tatros. Peyton’s kitchen shifts can start as early as 6 a.m., depending on her class schedule. She oversees up to six student employees at a time. And, like restaurant workers everywhere, she finds that getting food out in time to hungry customers can be a mad scramble. But she takes pride in the food they produce and in being part of a 40-year-long student tradition. “I really like the Coffee House because it’s sort of the center of campus. . . . It’s a really big part of the school. It’s good to be part of that.”
On-the-job training: When Peyton started working as a CoHo kitchen employee in fall 2006, it was her very first job. A friend who worked there had encouraged her to apply. After making tray upon tray of cookies, chopping mounds of vegetables and serving countless servings of pasta, Peyton’s still there. This past quarter she was promoted to supervisor, one of about 20 part-time student supervisors who oversee the daily operations of the CoHo’s three kitchens. “It’s a challenging job, because it really tests my organizational skills, time-management in the kitchen. We have only a select amount of equipment we can use, only a select number of burners for the food.” But she says the work atmosphere remains fun. While student supervisors have to organize the kitchen and take responsibility, “You’re not the boss of your peers at all. . . . I think it’s best to keep that camaraderie.”
Batches big and small: After working 16 hours a week in the CoHo kitchen, Peyton finds she still likes to fix meals at home, but has yet to try any of the CoHo recipes for herself. She said she likes nearly all the dishes — sopa Azteca and Ecstasy bars are among her favorite and only one recipe that she might not bake at home. “Maybe not the scones” because they are too butter-rich for her taste, though clearly not for many customers. “In the bakery, I was scooping out 5-gallon buckets of scone batter. The scones are all sold by 12 at the latest.”
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