One On One With: Determination and a sense of adventure guides dining director through ups and downs of college dining in 2020

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On this episode of One On One With, we catch up with Van Sullivan, executive director, Faculty Student Association at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y. Sullivan and the CulinArt dining team have been making it work this year, and we talk a bit about what operations have been like for the school and also the hospital associated with it. Since Sullivan has had such an interesting career—working at UMass as his first college foodservice job—we talk about how he got there. And also, Sullivan has an incredible wealth of knowledge about the different food neighborhoods in Queens, N.Y., where he lived for years.

Sullivan has found that his sense of adventure prepared him for this year, also his determination. When it comes to sustainability and doing the work there, he’s firm that “you’re either in or out.” That means even though the pandemic forced a return to disposables, he’s kept up with finding better alternatives and is planning for the future constantly. In terms of tech and communications, Sullivan thinks the pandemic has streamlined a lot of unnecessary noise.

Food Management · Determination and a sense of adventure guides dining director through ups and downs of 2020

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