February 7, 2023 Kitchen Cabinet Minutes

February 7, 2023 Meeting Agenda/Minutes

7am – 8am : Presidents Dining Room, Campus Center
New Member/Guest – Welcome and Introductions:

Committee Business:
Review January Minutes: January 10 Meeting Agenda https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xUpIYAlcxkD4pK09oX7L9NVDQ8kLDBgI/edit?usp=share_link&ouid=115170792292522718593&rtpof=true&sd=true
Try It! date and organization for February and ongoing. (How frequent is sustainable?)
Theme – Black history month? Reach out to Pasol African Studies? 11-1pm 2-23rd try it date. Lisa will contact other offices to see if they are interested in helping. Heritage theme? Notes from the past:
We started Try It in the year 19/20 (unbelievable) and I sent out this form (sending you the version that can be edited)
It generated these volunteers, some of whom got to participate before things slammed shut. Here’s the schedule from that year; some of those groups that didn’t get to go might be interested. Gosh, my ambition and optimism were cute….
Arboretum collaboration/s – examples and opportunities (50th anniversary this spring)
Arb is now under Auxiliary Services – how do we re-engage the Arb. Bring people back in. We have a connection now. 50th Anniversary this year. Highlighting that in the Quarterly. Maybe have breakfast at the Arb during Chapel time. Have some skis? ICC is trying to do smaller events before larger events (Diversity Ball). Dates in mind? Talk with Sam to get them booked. Lunch and Learn? Shop Talks?
Molly – report on Earth Day project via Kris H.
Kris H.is planning a campus clean up on earth day or earth week. Will have lead people to clean up a certain area. Light lunch – just a chance to get the campus cleaned up and be outside. Maybe a chance to do some planting in the greenhouse. End of April. More to come. Group of 150 or more hopefully.

From Co-Chair: Lisa Heldke (eating in Italy vs eating on the sled dog trail)
Lisa teaches a class in Italy – Slow food movement. Gustavus Alums went last Spring. Famous Raw Sausage – even the vegetarian tried it and said and it was delicious. Town of the size of St. Peter. Farm market each week. Hazelnuts are a specialty of the region. Home of Nutella. Wine growing region.

Each month, the group that went first the previous week will bat last this month. We’ll rotate within the group and also rotate the overall order of the three groups. Here’s what February will look like:

From the corners of campus: (bottom to top)
Auxiliary services: Karen Yess, Danielle Burger
Counseling Center: Aaron Geringer


Student life: Mark Hanson Mark has been working with students. Group went to Ely – food was good and clearly what brought people together. Three groups that made food. They got creative. Breakfast, lunch, supper – Authentic Spanish food was different. He had diverse students. Students didn’t really know each other. It was fun watching them interacting, talking stories, a student was on the phone with mom – cooking something she hadn’t cooked before. Lisa – Geology students have a Spring break where they cook for other students. Learning about dietary needs. Chuck was with 30 students for two weeks learning to cook Australian items. Plan meals, cook it, serve it. Good times for conversation. Steve – Professional days last week – how do we enhance students, how do we get students to feel belonging here. Do we use the Chapel and Arb? Do we help with programming this? Molly – her staff was in the Nobel Kitchen last week and they all made meals so everyone could take meals home. Each staff brought food and they all prepared meals. Can we get something like that together for students. Students – Lukas -really cool to hear their stories about the Australian trip. Cristina – went to some businesses and they all gave them food – talking about childhood memories, International housing, there is always someone cooking – all of the students come down and start helping and bringing dishes together and making that connection.
Steve – any thoughts on belonging on campus – class, gender, geographics? That is the whole thing about Gustavus, we either lost something or how do we get it back? What is a belonging thing? A student mentor? A commonality? How do we get back that this is a community? Lisa – instead of getting back to something we move forward. The things that were always the collecting points, there’s nothing that brings all of us together. Cristina – she is very involved, has some connections, but she still goes to bed and maybe feels lonely, not that she doesn’t belong, but what else is there? We need more off campus activities. Nature? A break to see that there is hope in the world. Steph – with everything going on in the environment, there is still a part of you that you think “I could be doing more”. You kind of lose yourself. Lukas – went to a small high school and he liked knowing everyone. Kevin – do you have a best friend at school, is that belonging?
Steve – another theme that came through – the way we are approaching it, it is not going to be helpful until we don’t have earbuds and phones. We need a phone free zone. Karen – has students that come to the post office just to hang out and have fun and talk.
Steph is working on posting things on Canva. Just taking it slow.
Steve is excited to have us meet the new chef. Starts February 27th.
Chuck – climate teaching again – March 29th? – an evening event in Nobel Hall. Mostly a hands on event.

Physical Plant: Tammy Gingles-Baum, Peter Maiers
CIE students/Int’l Ed: Cristina Sirbu
E/S students: Lukas Lennartson,
Admission: Alan Meier
Marketing: Anna Deike
Johnson Center and Sustainability coordinator: Kari Wallin, Chuck Niederriter
Aspirational groups:
Student senate
Athletics
PAs
First year students
From the DS staff:
Office manager: Jeri Miller
Staffing: Kevin Birr
Dietician: Jen Donkin
Chef: Adam Stewart
Catering: Stephanie Marsh
From the director: Steve Kjellgren


Attendees:
Jeri Miller
Stephanie Marsh
Molly Yunkers
Lisa Heldke
Mark Hansen
Anna Deike
Steve Kjellgren
Kevin Birr
Alan Meier
Karen Yess
Cristina Sirbu
Lukas Lennartson
Chuck Niederriter