Confessions of Nona Golledge

Nona Golledge, director of KU Dining at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, and current NACUFS president, fears drowning, loves homemade spinach lasagna and wishes she could stop worrying.

Q. What is the best part of your job?

Partnering with students on class assignments. I glean a lot of useful information from the students serving on project teams.

Q. What is the worst part of your job?

Keeping up with the ever-changing needs and expectations of our customers.

Q. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

Taking the lead on merging retail dining/catering and residential dining into one department.

Q. What is the most unusual foodservice/catering request you have ever received?

Organic rice and beans in a five-gallon bucket for a hunger banquet.

Q. If you weren't in foodservice what would you be doing?

I’d love to be a grade school teacher.

Q. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I’m a worrier. Over the years I’ve been working on letting the small and uncontrollable things go.

Q. What is your greatest fear?

Drowning.

Q. What is your favorite meal?

Homemade spinach lasagna; herbed baby salad greens tossed with toasted almonds, dried cranberries, feta cheese drizzled with poppy seed dressing; and toasted cheese bread.

Q. What is your guilty pleasure?

A sampling of cheeses, red grapes, strawberries and a glass of Riesling.

Q. What food fad do you wish had never started?

I’ve always thought dessert pizzas were odd.

Q. What do you consider to be the most overrated foodservice trend?

Fried high-calorie foods like Twinkies.

Q. What are your words to live by?

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” —Winston Churchill