Catherine Stuck
Café Manager
7:00 a.m.: Catherine Stuck’s day starts — sometimes as early as 6:00 a.m. — when she can be found at her desk answering emails and updating menus for the day. Bon Appétit chefs have some leeway in food preparation, depending on what local food is available, so if a chef wants to create caramel apple French toast for breakfast at the last minute, Catherine’s all for it.
7:25 a.m.: Students can come in earlier for cereal and cold items, but hot breakfast is served starting at 7:30. Just before servers take their stations, Catherine makes sure everything is in place.
9:30 a.m.: The duty of replacing the Covered Bridge Creamery milk falls to any Curtis staff member who notices the crowd favorite running low. “The kids devour it,” says Catherine. “It’s like a milkshake. It’s ridiculous.”
10:20 a.m.: Though the café never closes between breakfast and lunch, Catherine likes to make sure the stations are just as stocked at 10:30 a.m. as they were at 7:30 a.m.
1:00 p.m.: The best part of Catherine’s day? After the rush. That’s when she gets to chat with her Curtis regulars, who keep her laughing.
2:30 p.m.: “I’m blessed,” says Catherine. “These students are incredible. They never cease to amaze me.”
Reprinted with permission from Denison University Magazine