Free hot meals cooked by the Food Service Management class here at Fresno City College are being served at the Ram Pantry starting Oct. 21 to Nov. 18, 2021. 

Before the pandemic, the Food Service Management class primarily provided these types of lunches to faculty and staff. 

However, since most are off campus now, Food Service Management instructor Jonathan Davey said students needed a crowd to serve. 

This crowd is made up of FCC students like Ramon Banks, who learned about the opportunity after overhearing one of the working FCC chefs talk about it. 

After tasting the student-made food, Banks said he would recommend students attend and come try it out.

“I find it nice that they do this, getting more meals out there to see if the students like it. It gives the students a chance to show their skills without being too high in the workplace,” he said

This is an accurate interpretation for Food Service Management student Alyssa Chaporo who said she is happy to be cooking for people since she hopes to become a chef one day and open her own bakery.

“I love it when people eat my food and I love to see their reactions to different types of foods,” she said. 

For Chaporo, the most challenging aspect was the mathematical elements, such as metric conversions, measurement accuracy for tablespoons and more, of cooking in large bulks. 

The experience and value of learning has a lot to do with the drive for these student cooks as Jasmine Perez Lozano said she is taking the FSM-38 class for the skills, experiences and a certificate. 

Perez Lozano said she doesn’t cook much elsewhere so some things in the class are challenging but it is all about learning so she is able to go at her own pace.

In addition, Perez Lozano said that by providing meals, students in the class are helping feed people on campus who might not have a lot of money.

According to Davey, students enjoy this assignment very much because knowing that the food will be consumed by people other than their instructors makes the experience more real.

For the most part, the assignment is just meant to give students a chance to cook larger quantities of food but he said feeding the community is a great side benefit.

Davey also said he hopes to continue the FSM-38 and Ram Pantry partnership even after faculty and staff return to campus.

Students must sign up at the pantry using their name and student ID to receive the free meal consisting of regional American recipes like BBQ pulled pork, Clam Chowder, Philly Cheese Steak and many more