Students well catered for

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33779, 27 February 1975, Page 10

Students well catered for

Enough food to meet the needs of a small town is provided each day by the catering division of the University of Canterbury Students’ Association.

Using part of the $2 million worth . of facilities in the Students’ Union building the association operates the most efficient, modern and profitable catering unit available to university students in the country. Last year the association had a catering turnover of $250,000 and a profit of $15,000. This met the needs of 6700 students and

more than 40 conferences, weddings, balls and banquets provided for outside groups. The first major test for the catering facilities in the Students’ Union was during the 1974 Commonwealth Games. Then the restaurant, dining-rooms, supper-rdonis and coffee bar were the focal point for Games participants.

All facilities passed this test with flying colours and when the Students’ Association assumed full responsibility for catering early last year the success of a venture, previously run by commercial firms, was assured.

The first permanent catering manager for the Students’ Association is Mr Fred Baird, a graduate of the University of Canterbury and someone who is already noted for his financial and culinary “wizardry.” Mr Baird was the initiator of an afforestation scheme which the Students’ Association operates on a 720 acre property at Mount Hutt. This land released for temporary student use by the Crown will bring in many thousands of dollars. The chef appointed by the Students Association is Mr A. Ovendale who was formerly a leading chef with the British Royal Navy’s chefs’ training school. He has a permanent staff of 30 under his control and his kitchen is one of the most modern commercial ones in the city. A feature of the kitchen equipment is the large steam cookers which are capable of cooking 100 cabbages at a time. A $3OOO micro-wave cooker will soon be installed which will be able to cook food from a frozen state to a cooked state in less than _s_ minutes.