Breakfast all day. Meals that cater to vegan/plant-based, gluten free, kosher and halal diets. Fresh Mex. Black Angus Smash burgers. Micro markets that feature made-to-order salads and sandwiches. Monthly pop-up concept cooking. And “dirty” sodas. All of that and more is coming to Salt Lake Community College this fall.
The professional food service management company Taher Inc. is taking over all of SLCC’s food services and catering at each of its campuses. Taher at SLCC will be led by Jason Talcott, whose claims to fame include being the executive chef for William Cohen and Donald Rumsfeld when each was the Secretary of Defense.
Jason is looking forward to bringing healthy, fresh, locally sourced options to the food offerings throughout the SLCC system. With Taher, he says, corporate and regional chefs who work for the company develop recipes and concepts that are executed the same at every location throughout the company, which has 2,900 employees serving more than 300 clients around the country. “That consistency will be the big piece for this school,” Jason adds.
The Minnesota-based Taher provides services to business, industry, K-12 schools, universities and community colleges in California and across the Midwest. The chef-driven approach Taher takes means food that is a cut above – in-house made dough for pizza; a Chef on Display concept that will feature southern fried chicken, Indian curry, Japanese street food, Vietnamese and Italian favorites. The Shack, a first-for-Taher concept Jason is spearheading, will offer “dirty” sodas made to order by a mixologist as well as “plain old boring soda” at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus. It’s notable, he adds, that there won’t be a self-serve soda fountain during the pandemic.
"Our goal in outsourcing food services is to provide healthy, affordable and convenient food options for our students and staff," says Jeffrey West, SLCC Vice President for Finance and Administration. "We are pleased to partner with Taher and are excited to introduce new food delivery concepts that fit the various schedules of our busy students. The general manager, Jason, brings years of experience and enthusiasm to make our partnership successful. Jason is local to Utah and is excited to join the College community."
Fun sweets – like cereal bars made out of Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Krispies – will be available. Micro Markets placed at multiple locations at several campuses will offer fresh, healthy food options to students, staff and faculty on the go. And prices, Jason says, are actually going down, with combo meals at about $5 or $6 and salads at $5 and under. As Jason and Taher take root at SLCC, he hopes to develop relationships with local vendors to provide Utah-based honey, cheese, bread and more.
Catering for events will be under the direction of a familiar face, Trina Frandsen, who has been with SLCC for many years. Johnny Schumacher will be the chef/manager at the Miller Campus, which also features a café with a full menu. Other familiar names include Senthil Krishnamurthy, an adjunct instructor in French and Indian cuisine through SLCC’s Culinary Arts program (he will be Campus Executive Chef) and Brandon Udy, who will take on chef duties at South City. Taher’s in-house team at the college now becomes the go-to caterer for SLCC staffers looking to cater events, and that means Jason will be taking his current workforce of about 15 to upwards of 40 as school resumes and, eventually, the pandemic subsides.
SLCC’s Culinary Institute has trained many successful chefs, and Jason says he’s looking forward to incorporating current students into his staff as paid interns to help them fulfill the requirements placed on them to gain experience in a real work environment in order to graduate. "
College staff interested in catering services are asked to email trina.frandsen@slcc.edu or call her at 801-957-4520.
Comments
Post a Comment