PVCC Puma Press: October 2003

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	Photo by Stephen Harding
	Chef Moon and John Kettnich, asst. food service director, enjoy working at Paradise Cafe
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Is Velveeta really a cheese?

Should chocolate be considered its own food group?

John Kettnich, assistant food service director at the Paradise Café, PVCC's cafeteria, shares a glimpse of his personal journey into food service, provides restaurant advice and answers tough food questions.

Kettnich began his career with Aramark Corporation, which holds the contract for management of Paradise Café, in February 1997. In March 2002, he began working at PVCC. Initially, he split his time between managing the books for cafeterias at both Glendale Community College and PVCC. However, he was soon promoted to his current position as assistant food service director and now devotes his time exclusively to Paradise Cafe.

Kettnich is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NJ. Although training at the Institute focused primarily on the cooking side of food service, as director he is now primarily responsible for the management side (budgets, books and staff). That doesn't mean he's content to sit behind the desk; during the busy lunch crunch, he can often be seen manning one of the café's cash registers.

Kettnich speaks proudly of Paradise Café, touting its value, variety and convenience. The café's new chef, Chef Moon, continues the tradition of excellence left by his predecessor, the popular Chef Del Reese. Moon's philosophy is to keep the customer happy by cooking from scratch and using fresh ingredients.

Both Moon and Kettnich value customer's comments. They urge customers to make their specific wishes known by taking advantage of the suggestion cards located at the entrance to the café.

After graduating from culinary school, Kettnich worked briefly as a restaurant chef but was soon attracted to the normal schedule and 40-hour work week offered by corporate and institutional food service.

Have you ever wondered who makes those airline meals? Kettnich once had a hand in that. He calls it, "one of my less creative jobs."

The creative side of cooking is what first attracted Kettnich to a career in food service. He describes one creative moment in culinary school when the assignment was to carve a block of ice.

"I had a class in [ice sculpture] and we attempted it once. It's not the best thing I've ever done," he says with a laugh. "We had to do some kind of animal theme. The guy I was working with and I tried to do some kind of jungle cat, and it didn't really turn out very well. . . it was like a block of ice with legs on it."

As a boy, Kettnich prepared most of the meals for his family. He confesses to a big disaster once when he was attempting to hard boil eggs. "I forgot to keep an eye on things," he says with a boyish grin. "The eggs exploded. There was egg stuck on the ceiling for quite some time."

Kettnich admits that despite his collection of over 50 cookbooks, most of which are in boxes, he doesn't often cook at home anymore. If he makes a sandwich, it's likely to be turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese and lots of mayonnaise. "Mayonnaise," he says with conviction. "It has to be Best Food Mayonnaise. No other mayonnaise."

He is such a fan of mayonnaise that his sister once convinced him to eat a mayonnaise and pickle sandwich. "I hate to admit this," he confesses, "but when I was younger, my sister made pickle sandwiches with mayonnaise and sliced dill pickles. I thought that was the nastiest thing. I tried it once though, and it wasn't too bad."

What is Kettnich's restaurant advice?

When it comes to pizza, Kettnich recommends Paesano's a very small neighborhood place located at 4356 W. Thunderbird. He describes their pizza as having "very thin crust, thin but not crispy."

Where should a struggling student take a date for an inexpensive but impressive meal?

Kettnich ponders this for a while before naming one of his favorite places, China Chill at 3501 N. Central. He admits it doesn't have much ambience but recommends it because of the friendly people and spicy Chinese food.

What's his favorite dish?

Salt and pepper calamari tempts him because it's "very light, with a batter on it and just a little bit of salt and pepper and a few jalapenos."

For a man who is willing to eat squid, he is uncharacteristically squeamish when it comes to tofu. "It's the texture thing that bothers me," he says seriously. "I can't handle slimy things."

What about Kettnich's answers to those tough food questions?

Is Velveeta really a cheese?

"I have no idea," he answers honestly. "I never liked it."

Should chocolate be considered its own food group?

"Absolutely!"