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1950s: Life at the O.U. Campus Food Service
I started to work in food service Oct 15, 1957, for $.75 an hour at Edge
Hill Cafeteria, an old army barracks building. I wanted to learn all I
could, but the older cooks were reluctant to help us since they resented
the fact that we got the same $.05 raise that they did, though they had
been there longer.
Soon, Edge Hill burned to the ground in the night. But Jefferson Hall was
almost complete, so we were reassigned and established in a new
environmnent. Jefferson was the hub-bub of all workshops and visitors.
Companies competing for business put on all kinds of workshops with new
cooking techniques to sell their products. We had the Livestock and Meat
Board of Chicago, Standard Brands, Proctor and Gamble and others submitting
recipes for cooks to try. One of the companies' chefs was John Zinker, who
baked President Kennedy's birthday cake. He stayed with us a week and
taught us all kinds of cake decorating.
We did all our own food preparation, portioning steak, peeling potatoes,
cleaning vegetables. Bakery was fresh from the oven to the food line.
Salads were plated individually. Main entrees were cooked in ovens and
steamers and put in warmers. We worked until everyone was fed and the
kitchen cleaned up-nine hours work for eight hours pay since an hour was
taken out for lunch and dinner.
I'm glad I had the experience.
Ida Mae Stoneburner
Age 89
