Queen of Leftovers

Growing up with a single mother taught Merrill Collins, director of the Office of Events and Catering at 1,900-student Connecticut College, in New London, how to use leftovers wisely and juggle many jobs.

“I grew up in New Haven, Conn., with a single mom. My mother was, and still is, the queen of leftover cooking. I used to tell people who came to the house for dinner that they’d be fine if they didn’t know what was in the refrigerator before dinner and what was missing after because the food was always excellent. That’s the way I cook.

My mom always did the most and the best with not a lot. From her, I learned about flavor combinations and looking at things differently. For instance, I made ‘bruschetta’ from leftovers that were in our fridge. My husband really liked it, and I was like ‘yeah, if you add melted cheese, chopped bacon and artichokes anything is going to be good.’ We have a running joke in our house when we order Chinese food about what we can make out of the leftover rice since they always give you six times the quantity that you need. That rice becomes a cheap version of risotto. If you add a bunch of cheese, you can do pretty much anything you want with it.

I went to Brown University where I majored in international relations and Latin American studies. I joined the rugby team my sophomore year and my best friend from that experience was a student caterer. Not only did she suck me into rugby, but she also sucked me into catering. It was one of those instant loves. I went from being a student caterer to a student supervisor to a student manager within my first year working there.

I’m still addicted to the pace of catering. I love coming up with something new and different even if you are serving the same thing. The reality on a college campus is that you have a core set of customers that you have to win over, but then you have an element that is always different because there are visitors coming or something. I also love the decorative element of catering, trying to make something creative out of the same old ingredients or the same old linens.

My mom had an extraordinary ability to organize lots of things at the same time. I learned from that. I think catering is a sickness. You have to be a little bit crazy.”