Cooking for a houseful: sorority chefs love their jobs

Life is pretty sweet for sorority house chefs at UNC, and it’s not just because they get to make desserts. As rulers of their kitchen kingdoms, sorority chefs have the freedom to get creative with food and make relationships with the members of the organizations.

“I get to create new things. At a lot of restaurants, you have to cook the same thing over again, but here you get to be more creative,” said Mark Snyder, who has been the chef at Alpha Chi Omega for 16 years.

Phi Mu chef Mark Jones said the business of creating three meals a day takes a lot of planning and prepping. From ordering produce and making daily menus, to actually cooking the food and serving it to the girls, the kitchen stays busy.

“You have to get creative with cooking today because you want to have what they call variety, you want to make sure that it’s items they’re gonna enjoy, as well as healthy ... I do cook on a health-conscious slant, keeping things that are high in nutrition and lower in fat,” Jones said.

Chefs work in collaboration with sorority members to make food fit their dietary needs as well as their preferences.

“I do a lot with gluten free and dairy free and vegetarian and that kind of stuff, and it makes me grow as a chef,” said Kristin McCarthy, the chef at Kappa Delta.

In order to use the freshest ingredients possible, she said she works with local farmers and dairy workers.

The chefs all said they have a good idea of how much food is needed, but when there is an excess amount, it usually doesn’t go to waste. Snyder said he will use leftover chicken in the next day’s salad bar, and he will turn leftover bread into croutons.

“If there is a fair amount of volume that is not being consumed, I will bring leftovers to the Ronald McDonald House,” Jones said.

Sorority chefs give back to the community in other ways as well. McCarthy sells monthly meals for Kappa Delta’s annual Shamrock ‘N Run race to help fundraise.

“The Shamrock ‘N Run 5K benefits the Prevent Child Abuse America, so I do a lot of philanthropy events for that and I do it throughout the school year,” McCarthy said.

Despite their packed schedules, chefs also build relationships with the members. In Phi Mu, members often come into the kitchen to chat with Jones.

“He’ll get so excited about some things, like he’ll tell us about what he has for dessert one night and he’ll just be like, ‘wait for dinner tonight!’” said Lindsey Sparrow, a member of Phi Mu.

Jones said chatting with the girls is part of what makes this job great.

“It makes what I do here worthwhile for me because I like what I do,” Jones said. “That’s my motto of life. I see too many people in this world that don’t like what they do and they’re miserable.”

McCarthy also embraces the social connections that her job offers. She has developed lifelong friendships with members she’s cooked for.

“Some of my best friends are girls that were (Kappa Delta members) or even (Pi Beta Phi members),” McCarthy said.

Snyder said this job has no downside.

“Most of the time I’ve spent here has been a gift from God,” he said. “It comes natural, which I’m thankful for.”

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