Ask Kerry Paterson what鈥檚 for dinner and he鈥檒l likely answer, 鈥淲hat are you in the mood for?鈥�
As executive chef of CU-麻豆影院鈥檚 Housing and Dining Services, Paterson and his staff dish out more than 14,000 meals a day on campus. 听His challenge is to rotate exciting and varied menus for a clientele of students that remains the same for nine months of the year.
鈥淲e try to please as many people as we can,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd we listen to their feedback. We鈥檙e constantly thinking of ways to make meals fresh and new."听
During his 13 years at CU, Paterson has planned menus, made food selections, trained staff and apprentices, and helped design new campus dining facilities. While he no longer has much time for hands-on food preparation, he鈥檒l occasionally set paperwork aside, head into the kitchen and cook a dish or two.
Paterson strives to incorporate all the senses into the culinary experience鈥攚hat he refers to as 鈥渟ensory dining.鈥�
鈥淭hey can see the excitement of cooking, smell the food, even hear it before they taste it,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ow we present the food has changed. When I first came here, we cooked the meal, held it in a metal warmer, and served it as needed. Now we do made-to-order cooking in smaller batches.鈥�
Paterson grew up in the food business in his native New Zealand. His grandfather was a baker, his father a butcher, and his mother a dietician. After graduating from culinary school at Auckland Technological University, Paterson worked in numerous restaurants.听 He was regional chef for Nordstrom in San Francisco and he cooked for teams of scientists in Antarctica.
When his wife wanted to return to her home state of Colorado, Paterson came to work at CU because he thought a university environment would be a welcome change.
鈥淎t CU there is a good quality of life,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I have opportunities to try new things. It鈥檚 never boring here. I never thought I鈥檇 get to open a multi-million dollar restaurant like C4C.鈥�
What sets CU鈥檚 dining facilities apart from other universities, says Paterson, is a concentration on organic food and a wide selection of ethnic culinary choices. Vegan, kosher, and gluten-free options are available. Food allergens鈥攅ggs, milk, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, gluten, and wheat鈥攁re identified in menu options.听
CU students are typically well traveled and they can tell if a cuisine is authentic or 鈥淎mericanized,鈥� according to Paterson.
鈥淎sian and sushi are students鈥� comfort foods now,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut they don鈥檛 just want Asian; they want Korean, Indian, Nepalese. And we鈥檙e going beyond Tex-Mex into regional cuisine from South American countries.鈥�
In 2010, Paterson and his culinary staff were the only university cooking team to win a national Achievement of Excellence Award by the American Culinary Federation. For six of the past eight years, they have won the National Association of College and University Food Services Regional Culinary Challenge.
听鈥淲e鈥檙e breaking the mold of a college dining facility,鈥� said Paterson. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 your parents鈥� cafeteria.鈥�
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