In an effort to completely understand our campus cuisine, Generation decided an interview with one of our hard working campus cooks could give us a little insight as to the people that cook the food we eat and how they think it stands up to off-campus food. We talked to Dan Wate, one of the cooks at Putnam’s Wildfire Grill, and asked him a few questions about life as a campus cook and, well, food in general.

G: How long have you been working at UB?

DW: A year last February.

G: Do you enjoy it?

DW: It has its moments. There are some nice students that show respect. There’s a few students who know me by name and say hi. But some you can never please.

G: Do you have any other experience in the culinary industry?

DW: I went to vocational school to cook, and I’ve been working for 25 years in the hotel industry. I’ve done everything from hotels to pizza places to here. I work on the weekends with a caterer in Elba. My mother taught me how to read a recipe when I was 12, and when I first started cooking, I needed to stand on a chair.

G: In your opinion, what is the best dish you make at the Wildfire Grill?

DW: I like the Tennessee Turkey sandwich. That and the chicken finger subs are our best sellers here. The subs are good too.

G: What is your favorite food in general?

DW: (without hesitation or elaboration) All Italian cuisine.

G: Are you Italian?

DW: No, I just enjoy Italian food.

G: What do you like to cook at home?

DW: I like to cook a lot of Italian. I’ve always liked Italian.

G: Do you have a favorite local restaurant?

DW: I don’t really go out to eat much.

G: How would you rate the food you serve compared to the food in the “outside” world?

DW: For this type of food, I’d give it a nine. If you compare our quality to McDonald’s and stuff like that, it’s good. Everything we use is quality. You get good ingredients for the price.

G: What wouldn’t you eat here at UB?

DW: There’s nothing really that is bad here. I mean, there isn’t really a possibility for a bad dish. Subs are subs and sandwiches are sandwiches.

G: If you had the choice, what would you introduce into your menu?

DW: A weekly sub special.

G: Do you only work at the Wildfire Grill?

DW: I’m trained to do a lot, so I’ve been pulled over to make subs or do bagels. I helped upstairs with the corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day.

G: Pepsi or Coke?

DW: That’s Dale Earnhardt, Jr. vs. Jeff Gordon; you’ve got to go with Earnhardt.

It should be noted that Dan was kind enough to sit down with us after working a nine hour day. After close at 7:30 p.m., his student help had to leave to go to a meeting. He basically single-handedly cleaned his workstation and came out to talk to us as soon as he could. He said it happens all too often that a day can turn ugly and long. Most of us probably never think about the preparation before and cleaning after a shift that these people endure. So next time you order up something from the Wildfire Grill or any campus restaurant for that matter, make sure to catch Dan or whoever may help you and give them a simple “Thanks.” It just might make their day.