The temperature rises monumentally as you cross from the seating section of Eugene Lang’s cafeteria into the feeding area where sushi is neatly rolled and food bakes under florescent heat lamps. Amidst the madness of college students striving to satisfy their hunger cravings sits Joy.
Her auburn pony weave loosely bound with a hair net, her unrelenting jolliness, and her “thank you my ladies” with every credit card or meal plan transaction defines the dining experience to the students at The New School. However, if you were to ask Joy who was responsible for the endless trays of baked zitti, the tantalizing spicy mayo, the pre-packaged sandwiches, or the veggie lo-main she would not say herself. Joy would casually tell you, Heath Braunstein, the head of dining services. Or she would tell you “the Purdue chicken man,” a nick-name Joy has given Braunstein because of his uncanny resemblance to Frank Perdue from the Perdue chicken commercials.
Braunstein strives to make the dining services department as professional as possible. He arrive’s to work in a crisp suit more than willing to answer any questions a student may have, even though many students do not know who Braunstein is. Whether it’s a question involving his marriage of nineteen years, his Doberman that’s terrified of his Chihuahua, his sixteen-year-old son or thirteen-year-old daughter, or his area of expertise: food.
Braunstein started working at The New School in April of 2011after he applied for the job through the New York Times. This was not his first campus dining job. Before working for The New School he worked as an area manager supervising food services Dominican College and Pace Pleasantville. Since he started working for the university he has made some changes to the dining services. Without Braunstein there would be no to-go sandwiches and salads, a hot food menu filled with regional and American cuisine, or a Moo-Bella ice cream machine.
One aspect of the food services at The New School that Braunstein did not initiate but still strongly implements is the university’s use of local and organic foods. According to Braunstein the meat and fish come from a local distributor called AFI. They provide the university with sustainable seafood, and antibiotic free, organic meats whenever they have them available. When the vegetables are in season, they come from local farmers as well. When a vegetable is not in season or unavailable, the chefs use high quality frozen ones instead. “We hired an outside company to take care of the sushi station,” Braunstein said as he peered into the cafeteria. “They are the same company that makes sushi at Yankee Stadium.”
Braunstein and the head chef work together to create the menu based on student requests, and current trends. The menu is created at the beginning of the semester and rotates on a four-week cycle.
Braunstein takes great pride in the food that the New School produces. “The Health Department does not require us to dispose of our pre-wrapped sandwiches or salads for a week after they are made,” Braunstein explained. “However, in order to maintain their freshness we throw them out at the end of the second day they have sat on the shelf.”
Not only does Braunstein take pride in the food, but he really cares about the way the food services department functions. Arriving to work around seven am, he makes his rounds from kitchen to kitchen. He makes sure everything is being made correctly, and neatly. He makes sure everything gets out on time, and that all catering orders are set. He makes sure to greet each employee and check to see that they have arrived to work and are not in need of anything. If you ask Joy, she’ll tell you that she has never seen someone in Braunstein’s position so involved in every aspect of the food services. So while joy patiently wraps Murray’s bagels early in the morning, you may be able to catch Heath Braunstein popping his head in to check up on her. You may see him monitoring the drink case or having a conversation with the sushi chefs. You may catch a glimpse of Heath Braunstein just in time to see him heading on to the next kitchen or back to his office. And if you don’t get to see Braunstein, there’s a good chance you can always find Joy.
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