Sacramento State’s Food Service Management class, FACS 110, opens the world of food service to nutrition students.

The class teaches the students various intricacies that go into operating large-scale food management services in industries like hospitals or restaurants.

Instructor Julie Tharalson said students learn how to oversee food production at a mass level.

Unlike other classes that rely on theories, FACS 110 provides students with an extensive, hands-on experience through its labs and class projects that allows them to get more from working in a professional setting.

Family and consumer sciences major Jessie Doan, 22, said the experience received from the class has proved to be invaluable because she was able to gain a more in-depth feel about what it takes to manage large-scale food operations

“I love the class because it’s not just exams and essays, it’s more hands on,” Doan said. “It’s probably one of the most fun classes I’ve had.”

Doan said the class has provides students with knowledge they otherwise may not get a chance to gain before entering the professional world.

Senior nutrition and food major Lorie Hodel, 39, said the class gave her an in-depth look at managing certain aspects such as maintaining budgets and marketing a business.

Hodel said her experience with the class was daunting at times, but quite rewarding, as she saw what goes on behind the scenes to ensure quality food service gave her more knowledge than she previously held.

“I’ve worked in food services, but not like this,” Hodel said. “Having that whole restaurant experience, you don’t get that in other classes.”

During the course of the class, students embark on projects that test how well they can handle working in a food industry environment. They take on tasks such as creating diet plans for clients or creating menu options for people with food allergies.

The projects pushes students to be creative and to develop quick thinking skills in order to meet whatever demands may arise while working in a restaurant setting.

“It’s about learning how to work in all aspects of the field – from clinical to restaurant to everything in between,” Hodel said.

One of the class’s biggest projects is the pop-up restaurant, held at the end of the semester. During the project, students establish their own restaurant complete with menus. The participants manage budgets, schedule reservations and market the business.

“It really sort of caps off everything we’ve learned in class,” Tharalson said. “How successful the pop-ups are really depends on the student.”

The pop-up restaurants can prove to be a challenging experience because students are faced with a multitude of obstacles that may be occur, like last minute cancellations or creating impromptu dishes in order to meet a client’s particular diet.

The project is designed to evaluate how well students are able to work under pressure as well as with a group, an endeavor that overwhelmingly was described as chaotic, but ultimately triumphant.

“Everyone was actively participating. We all want each other to have a good grade,” Doan said. “[It] shows how much people really care – it’s rewarding.”

Tharalson said working with such a large and diverse group of people can be problematic for some students, but maintains that it is an essential skill should any of class members hope pursue jobs in the food industry.

“A lot of times students have difficulties working with other students, but I tell them this is part of the process,” Tharalson said. “If you can learn to deal with it now, you can handle [it] later.”

As the semester winds down, students feel a sense of accomplishment for completing the class effectively and credit much the success to dedication and the guidance from instructor.

“It’s been a great experience,” O’Neil said. “ I think the class has given me the tools if I want to open up my own restaurant or my own business.”

Kevin Hendricks Jr. can be reached at [email protected]