It seems obvious that it would take a massive amount of dedication by our culinary staff to prepare anywhere from 7,000 to 10,000 meals a day. However, Executive Chef Tim Gump wants to make sure that the students at Illinois State are aware of the true commitment and care that goes into preparing all of their meals.
After completing a European-style chef apprenticeship, Chef Gump spent years working in the hotel and restaurant industry, and even spent a time as the Corporate Chef for U.S. Foodservice, before he came to Illinois State in 2007. In addition to leading the department’s day-to-day culinary operations, Chef Gump can often be found in the test kitchen working on new recipes, some of which he showcases in the dining centers at our Tuesday Tastings events. (Be on the lookout for these events throughout the semester!)
When he isn’t cooking up something special in the dining centers, his friends and family are always requesting his signature dish: chilled cavatappi marinara salad and roasted sausage with grilled red peppers and onions. Thanks Chef Gump for sharing your talents with all of us here at Illinois State and for your dedication to serving the students not only the best foods, but new and exciting ones too!
You better not be late for Sunday night dinner if you’re invited to Chef Shamon Bell’s house! After trying a few of Chef Bell’s dishes you wouldn’t want to be late though. Every Sunday, Chef Bell and his family take the time to sit down, enjoy each others’ company, and try a new dish (along with some old favorites). Since he came to Illinois State in 2008, his love of food and family has helped make the dining centers a place for students to not only chow down on their favorite comfort food but expand their palette by trying a variety of new dishes. Cooking runs in the family as Chef Bell trained under his father, Chef Milt, for ten years and then attended the Culinary Arts Program at Illinois Central College. During these years, Chef Bell was able to perfect his art of cooking and even took some tips from his Japanese college roommate, Taizo Homizake, who taught him how to cook rice and eat with chop sticks! Today his family and friends constantly request not his rice, but his famous Baby Back Ribs. So don’t be late --- head down to Marketplace at Linkins and enjoy one of Chef Bell’s meals!
If you love seafood, then you definitely have a friend in Watterson Commons’ Chef Mark Buckley. He loves “anything that comes in a shell!” But he also has a passion for food that goes beyond just his seafood favorites. After a 3-year apprenticeship through the American Culinary Federation, Chef Buckley became a Certified Executive Chef and carried his passion for food with him throughout his career. He has worked at a number of (surprise!) seafood restaurants including time spent as the Kitchen Manager of The Wharf Restaurant and The Sea Merchant Restaurant, both located in Peoria, IL, as well as the Executive Chef at Crestwicke Country Club here in Bloomington. Thankfully, Chef Buckley joined Illinois State in 1999 and has been sharing his passion and knowledge of food with students and staff alike. And if you ask nicely, maybe he will share a plate of seafood with you. Nah – better get your own! Check the Campus Dining Web site menus to see when some of Chef Buckley’s seafood favorites are being served.
With the exception of a brief stint as a wire guidance installer for forklifts and a computer printer salesman, Chef Adam Feaman’s love of food has kept him in the food industry for much of his career. In 2002, Chef Feaman joined Illinois State as a Sous Chef in Catering. A Normal, Illinois native, he now works as an Assistant Unit Chef at the Southside in Feeney dining center where working with the students and helping them to learn more about food is his favorite part of his job. And what about his favorite dish at Illinois State? “Garden Risotto. I love a good risotto,” he said. In addition to his love for risotto, Chef Feaman has a passion for exploring new cuisines and lately has been experimenting with Oriental and Middle Eastern. Stay tuned to the dining centers to see if any of Chef Feaman’s new dishes show up on our menu.
Darin Ganci began working for Campus Dining Services in 1996 as a student worker when he was just a freshman in college. While working for CDS he earned a B.S. in Business Management with a specialization in Organizational Leadership. In 2001, during his final semester at Illinois State, he was promoted from Student Manager to an Administrator and now works at Marketplace at Linkins Center. Darin loves anything Italian, but his favorite dish served in the Illinois State dining centers is Chicken Monterey. At home, he makes sure his refrigerator is always stocked with plenty of ranch dressing and sliced cheese. You will never find him eating tuna out of a can, though …it’s “just nasty!” So leave your canned tuna at home and come down to the dining centers to say “Hi” to Darin and taste his favorite Chicken Monterey!
Hey Cubs fans at Illinois State, did you know that Watterson Commons’ Chef Scott Rowan was a former Executive Dining Room Chef at Wrigley Field?! Not only has he worked at the famous Wrigley Field, but after receiving his Professional Cooking Certificate from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, Chef Scott worked as a Sous Chef for a number of Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurants including locations in Schaumburg, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and even San Jose, California. Before coming to Illinois State in September of 2008, he worked as the Sous Chef for the Biaggi’s in Bloomington. Today when Chef Scott isn’t working at one of the Illinois State dining centers, you can find him making some of his famous lasagna or tomatillo salsa for friends and family. He stated that, “(I’m) just trying to make the world a better place to eat.” Thanks Chef Scott – you definitely are making Illinois State a better place to eat!
If you are looking to hear about interesting culinary experiences, look no further than Southside’s Unit Chef, Jim Wall. Chef Wall brought his creativity and love of food with him while working in some interesting places. His long list of training even includes the Coast Guard Food Service Specialist School. Chef Wall worked as a Cook, Baker, and Procurement Manager with the Coast Guard in Seattle, WA and also worked with the Coast Guard as a Cooking and Baking Instructor in Petaluma, CA and New London, CT. He even served American Sailors in Hokkaido, Japan where he was the Chef and Manager of a small kitchen of Japanese staff at the Loran Station. Since coming to Illinois State in 1996, Chef Wall has contributed his many talents by not only creating new recipes and menus, but also by having an integral part in the training and development of the culinary staff. Be sure to stop by and check out one of Chef Wall’s dishes at Southside --- and who knows, he may just have an interesting story to tell you too!
