LV Life

Venables brings fresh approach to Davenport

The second ARA employee to be head of Davenport Dining Hall, Norm Venables came to ULV from Chapman University in Orange. In his 31 years in America since he came from his native Wales, Venables has mavaged many university dining halls and has also had a brief career as a restaurant manager. / photo by Amy Borer
The second ARA employee to be head of Davenport Dining Hall, Norm Venables came to ULV from Chapman University in Orange. In his 31 years in America since he came from his native Wales, Venables has mavaged many university dining halls and has also had a brief career as a restaurant manager. / photo by Amy Borer

by Tanessa Dillard
Features Editor

According to Norm Venables, the new director of dining services at Davenport Dining Hall, he had expressed a desire to work at the University of La Verne for several years.

However, the opportunity did not come until last June when former direc­tor Kathy Striggow accepted a promo­tion at the University of Santa Clara.

“(I am going) to stay here for the rest of my working career,” he said. “This is going to be my home.”

Before arriving at ULV, he spent two years at Chapman University as the assistant director of dining services. The students there voted him “Staff Member of the Year” in 1993.

He previously worked at the University of Redlands, Pitzer College, the University of California of lrvine, California State University at Los Angeles and the Velvet Turtle restaurant chain. The reason he left the restaurant business was because he tired of work­ing on Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Venables has already made some changes at his new home in Davenport. Before his arrival, frozen eggs were served. He said they were used because they were low in cholesterol. However, he noted, they were full of chemicals and preservatives. Now only fresh eggs are used.

The vegetables are also fresh, with the exception of snow peas which Venables says taste better frozen.

He credits the recent popularity of Davenport cookies to the fact that the baker prepares them right before meals. Fresh bread will soon be available at meal time. It will also be baked just prior to the meal and served while it is still warm.

Another addition to Davenport this year is a self-serve frozen yogurt and ice cream machine. Due to repairs, it is not yet ready for student use.

“I’ve had very favorable responses so far,” Venables said. He appreciates stu­dent input. He wants students to tell him what things need improvement or what foods should be added to the menu.

The Spot has also made some changes this year. Venables realizes that students cannot always eat at Davenport, so he plans to add more variety and nutrition to fast foods that The Spot serves. He would like to add a salad and pasta bar. Soup has already been added to the menu.

Another plan for The Spot is to move the cashier from behind the counter to speed up service. He wants the cashier to deal only with money and hire some­one who will deal only with the food.

Besides his duties at Davenport, Venables is also in charge of the ARA catering service. “A lot of my time is tied up doing catering events,” he said. During the summer, Venables catered for educational seminars on campus. The groups ate the same food the stu­dents eat.

“They all tell other schools how well they were treated,” he said. “Because these people come, it gives us more money to spend on students.”

Venables also caters for such organi­zations as the City of La Verne, the Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA, YWCA and local retirement homes.

Venables’ parents were in the restau­rant business. As a child, he washed dishes and scrubbed floors. Eventually he worked his way up to peeling vegeta­bles and cooking.

“I was cheap labor,” he said.

Born in Wales, he moved to the United States in 1963. By that time, he had traveled most of the world, to such places as Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Canada and Europe. “The place I liked most was California,” he said.

It was the combination of weather, desert, mountains and beaches that kept him in the state.

Venables also enjoys sports. At Chapman, he was a mascot for the wom­en’s basketball team. He looks forward to seeing the Chapman team at ULV, but says he will root against them. He also plans to attend a home football game.

“I like to watch football, but I gener­ally end up gardening,” he added. Venables grows his own flowers as well as peaches, tomatoes, grapes, figs and apricots.

He and his wife, a nurse, have two daughters. One recently completed junior college. His other daughter is a counselor at the University of California at Davis.

‘Tm really happy to be here. I’ve been made to feel very welcome. I just want to spend more time with the students. I want to know all of them by name. I think that is important,” he said. “I don’t want to be in the dining room with the students, though – until I’m happy with things in the kitchen.”

Tanessa Dillard, Managing Editor
Tanessa Dillard
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Amy Borer, Features Editor
Amy Borer
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