Feeding hundreds of hungry students at Mid-Pacific is not a walk in the park. Yet, Sodexo General Manager for Mid-Pacific, Erin Awai, makes the production look effortless.

New to the Mid-Pacific School’s Sodexo team but not to the Sodexo company, Awai is eager to start a new chapter in her career.

“I have been working with [Sodexo] for 14 years. The opportunity opened up for me here to develop the food service program,” Awai said.

Since her arrival, Awai’s main focus has been learning the ropes of her new environment.

“This semester is really just about learning what the students like, dislike, and what the students eat. Also seeing what my staff is capable of doing as they work really hard to do a good job,” Awai said.

Sodexo’s production of food begins early in the morning until the middle of the afternoon.

Jahmin Cezar shares his daily routine as the Plate Lunch Chef for Mid-Pacific’s Sodexo.

“I live in Ewa so I have to get up early at around 4:00-4:30 am. Then I leave the house by 5:00 am to beat the traffic. Once I get to Mid-Pacific, I begin to start getting ready for the day, then towards the end of the day I make sure that everything is set for the next day,” Cezar said.

Cezar’s love for cooking is filled with passion.

“There is creativity and freedom that you get while cooking. While cooking, you can make a mistake but you can always turn that mistake into something. That’s the reason why I got into cooking,” Cezar said.

There are many new advancements being planned as Sodexo is working to develop the Owl Cabooses around campus.

“The cabooses are definitely underutilized outlets here,” Awai said.

Including this plan, Awai hopes to develop the school’s menu to bring different flavors to the Mid-Pacific student body.

“[I’m] reworking the menu to put a little more local influences into our cooking,” Awai said.

Recently introducing Filipino food to the menus is one of the examples of the diversified menu Sodexo wants to bring.

“Because I am Filipino, I have been starting to cook more Filipino food since it’s something I’m used to,” Cezar said. “I can show Mid-Pacific more Filipino dishes and transition into cooking more local Asian food.”

With all the work that Sodexo provides for Mid-Pacific, making their job easier by using the ID cards when purchasing food is something the student body should be more responsible for.

“Bringing your ID cards helps expedite our lines a lot quicker and minimizes mischarging. We want you to enjoy your lunch period and expediting our lines will help get everyone in and out quicker,” Awai said.

In addition, student feedback is very valuable as Awai plans to create a bulletin board in Scudder for student input.

“We will put a lot of post it notes and post a question like ‘what do you love to eat’ then we will leave it up for a period of time then try to see if we can incorporate it into our menus,” Awai said.

Food is very important for a learning environment and without the endless hard work from the Sodexo team, the Mid-Pacific community wouldn’t be able to enjoy the delicious meals provided day by day.

“I’m just glad to be feeding you guys. If you guys are going home hungry, then I’m not doing my job. This is me doing my part for the future generation,” Cezar said.

F
eeding hundreds of hungry students at Mid-Pacific is not a walk in the park. Yet, Sodexo General Manager for Mid-Pacific, Erin Awai, makes the production look effortless.
New to the Mid-Pacific School’s Sodexo team but not new to the Sodexo company, Awai is eager to start a new chapter in her career.
“I am not new to Sodexo as I have been working with them for 14 years. The opportunity opened up for me here to develop the food service program,” Awai said.
Since her arrival, Awai’s main focus has been learning the ropes of her new environment.
“This semester is really just about learning what the students like, dislike, and what the students eat. Also seeing what my staff is capable of doing as they work really hard to do a good job,” Awai said.
Sodexo’s production of food begins early in the morning until the middle of the afternoon.
Jahmin Cezar shares his daily routine as the Plate Lunch Chef for Mid-Pacific’s Sodexo.
“I live in Ewa so I have to get up early at around 4:00-4:30 am. Then I leave the house by 5:00 am to beat the traffic. Once I get to Mid-Pacific, I begin to start getting ready for the day, then towards the end of the day I make sure that everything is set for the next day,” Cezar said.
Cezar’s love for cooking is filled with passion.
“There is creativity and freedom that you get while cooking. While cooking, you can make a mistake but you can always turn that mistake into something. That’s the reason why I got into cooking,” Cezar said.
There are many new advancements being planned as Sodexo is working to develop the Owl Cabooses around campus.
“The cabooses are definitely underutilized outlets here,” Awai said.
Including this plan, Awai hopes to develop the school’s menu to bring different flavors to the Mid-Pacific student body.
“[I’m] reworking the menu to put a little more local influences into our cooking,” Awai said.
Recently introducing Filipino food to the menus is one of the examples of the diversified menu Sodexo wants to bring.
“Because I am Filipino, I have been starting to cook more Filipino food since it’s something I’m used to,” Cezar said. “I can show Mid-Pacific more Filipino dishes and transition into cooking more local Asian food.”
With all the work that Sodexo provides for Mid-Pacific, making their job easier by using the ID cards when purchasing food is something the student body should be more responsible for.
“Bringing your ID cards helps expedite our lines a lot quicker and minimizes mischarging. We want you to enjoy your lunch period and expediting our lines will help get everyone in and out quicker,” Awai said.
In addition, student feedback is very valuable as Awai plans to create a bulletin board in Scudder for student input.
“We will put a lot of post it notes and post a question like ‘what do you love to eat’ then we will leave it up for a period of time then try to see if we can incorporate it into our menus,” Awai said.
Food is very important for a learning environment and without the endless hard work from the Sodexo team, the Mid-Pacific community wouldn’t be able to enjoy the delicious meals provided day by day.
“I’m just glad to be feeding you guys. If you guys are going home hungry, then I’m not doing my job. This is me doing my part for the future generation,” Cezar said.