Chef Dan’s Return
When students came back to school this past August, so did Chef Dan. He began working at Nerinx Hall in January of 2015 and felt instantly at home. The students, the atmosphere, and the staff were overwhelmingly welcoming and friendly. Unfortunately, at the end of last year, his company sent him to work in food services for John Burroughs. He did not want to leave and explains, “It had nothing to do with Nerinx… It wasn’t ‘I want to leave Nerinx to go to John Burroughs,’ it was I had to go where I had to go.” He would soon be back to the Hall.
As he suspected, the company was not going in the direction he wanted. He found out someone would be buying the company he was currently working at, and the two of them got in touch immediately. After talking with the gentleman who would be taking over the company, he discerned this would be a great opportunity and somewhere he would be comfortable working. Chef Dan requested that his new boss send him back to where he felt most comfortable; working for Nerinx. “So, obviously, I was very excited. [So was] everyone I know because this is where they all wanted me and where I wanted to be.”
Students missed Chef Dan and his delicious lunches everyday while he was gone. It was not only the wonderful food he made, but the atmosphere he brought to the cafeteria that made lunch so enjoyable. Students from every grade level wanted him back, even freshmen who had only heard rumors. “Nerinx, to me, as an incoming freshman shadowing, was even more appealing because it had food I actually liked and would eat all the time,” said Hayley Knapik, a freshman, who finally understands why she has heard so much about him.
Students noticed how he made Nerinx lunches better prior to his departure and return. Farris Green, a sophomore, said, “He just made lunch better. It was already delicious, but when he would make conversation and talk to me, it just made my whole day better.” From the tortellini with pesto sauce to southern fried chicken strips, Chef Dan has made many school favorites that he himself has become a school favorite.
