New ESU chef introduces flashy menu

By Miranda Davis
ESU Public Affairs and Marketing

ESU Faculty and staff are abuzz about the new look -- and taste -- of the Skyline Dining Room at ESU's Memorial Union.

The lunchtime crowd has embraced the new selections of beef vera cruz, seafood fajitas, chicken artichoke pasta, prime rib crawfish étouffée and other gourmet dishes. At the table, linen napkins and fresh flowers complete the experience.

"I'd compare the Skyline to a high-class restaurant," said Dean Flechs, head of the multicultural center. "Of all of the different college campuses I've visited, I would put this on the level of the "Faculty Club" at Harvard University."

The culinary upgrade is the brainchild of Chef Harold Jensen, the new general manager of Sodexho Campus Services at ESU. Sodexho is a private company that manages dining programs in schools, universities, hospitals and other institutions around the world.

Jensen comes to Emporia from Las Vegas, where he was the chef de cuisine at Caesar's Palace, serving as the personal chef to celebrities such as singer Celine Dion, Wayne Newton, Lee Greenwood and magician Lance Burton. Jensen also ran his own restaurant, the Café de la Cour in Springfield, Mo.

But his previous work demanded that he sometimes spend months at a time without a day off for his family. "One day, I looked at my daughter at 12 years old and it dawned on me that I never really watched her grow up."

Jensen has settled down on a 120-acre ranch in Americus, where he enjoys getting to spend evenings and weekends with his wife and four children, whom he hopes will one day share his "passion" for cooking.

His easygoing manner and expertise have made a good impression on his staff. "He has had a wide range of experience and he's very personable. He's done a great job turning around what we had four months ago," said exhibition chef Chris Bussjaeger.

Jensen hopes to change people's minds about institutional dining, not only in the Skyline, but also in the Lakeview Cafeteria, which primarily serves ESU students. Students have noticed similar upgrades to the menu, including Bussjaeger's live demonstrations.

"You can tell they spend more time in the set-up of the food," said sophomore Crystal Carnehan. "There is more variety in the selection of the desserts."

The numbers of customers at the Skyline has doubled over last year, Jensen estimates, and he thinks ESU's new menu will attract visitors from outside the university. Officials are working on a way to allow the community to park near the Memorial Union during lunch hours without the worry of a parking ticket.

"If we give a good product at a great price, there's no reason why people wouldn't come out for it," says Jensen.

Last Updated July 2, 2007>