Service leadership project a success

On Friday, Nov. 1, both FYS 100 classes gathered together in Lawson Auditorium and had the chance to sit down and ask three adults some valuable questions on the subject of the business and education of food. Head chef Diana Norris, Dr. Alexa Shutt and our local Wal-Mart general manager Boyce Smith were there to answer all questions to the best of their abilities.

Norris went to Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Art School in Orlando, Fla. After completing her education there, she returned back to her hometown Knoxville, Tenn., where she got hired to work for the company ARAMARK. Later in her career, she received the job for being chief for Maryville College Dining services. She says that a major part of her job is feedback and that is how she caters to different people’s needs. When they receive out-of-date items, said that they send it right back to the company they received it from. Her job rarely ends up with a lot of leftover food, and Norris says that presentation and quality of the food are both equally important.

Shutt graduated from University of Knoxville and received her degree in nutrition. She is currently a teacher at Maryville College and she teaches nutrition as the official Visiting Instructor of Exercise Science.

She said that the challenge of being healthy has to do with flavor, time, cost and motivation concerning personal food choices. She also said that shopping at local farms gives you to chance to find out more about the food that you put into your body.

Last, but not least, Boyce Smith said he started his career off just working at a local Wal-Mart with only two things on his mind. He was broke and wanted to make money and that he had nothing else to do with his time. He worked his way, all the way up the ladder to become the general manager. As a company they do a system called trays, which is a computer program that tells them their top sellers by age, sex and gender.

That is how they decide what to put on their shelves. To Wal-Mart product production is a key point in great costumer service.

Overall, I would have to say that sitting down as a student to be able to listen to these three adults talk to us about eating habits and also some key tools to life was beneficial. It was a great event that both FYS teachers came up with, to be able to give their students the chance to ask people some helpful advice, who have been through the same steps that we as current college students are going through.

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