By: Syd Bickers Photo by: Sarah Underwood
Pasta bowls were served for the first time last Friday after the Tennessee Department of Health told Milligan’s cafeteria to discontinue them.
But cafeteria manager Mark Henry said the staff will need another “trial run” in keeping the pasta ingredients out of the “danger zone” before he promises the bowls are back for good.
The bowls of made to order pasta with vegetables, sauces and meats were found to be potentially hazardous during a biannual surprise inspection last November. The inspector said the vegetables’ temperatures were too high.
“When you have food out on the line it has to be a certain temperature, either hot or cold,” said Henry.
Henry said he was ordered to “immediately” shut down the pasta bowl bar right before noon. The inspector found that the bar’s temperatures were not up to code. According to Henry, workers hurried to make pizzas to replace the pasta before the lunchtime rush.
The Tennessee Department of Health requires refrigerated ingredients to be kept below 41 degrees Fahrenheit and precooked foods to be kept above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The pasta bar included refrigerated and precooked foods, and the heat from the cooked foods warmed the cold vegetables, particularly the broccoli and onions, to a temperature high than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. The vegetables were said to be in “the danger zone.”
According to Henry, the ingredients were being brought up to a safe temperature when they were run through the oven, but they must be stored on the line at that temperature to meet code. There was no reported case of illness due to the pasta bowls.
Henry said he and his assistant, Cory Edmundson, were not sure they would try to fix the problem and bring back the pasta bar.
“Cory and I had talked about it before we opened last week,” said Henry. The two had not heard of any students missing the bar. “We didn’t know if people missed them or if people thought pizza was better.”
Since Henry and Edmundson heard about students’ interests at the beginning of this semester, they decided to look into giving the bar a second try.
Sophomore commuter Lydia Lockner was one student who was sad to see the pasta bowls go. Lockner, who is not on the meal plan, said “pasta bowls were the only reason” she paid to eat in the cafeteria.
“I knew when pasta bowl night was, and I would go with my friends,” said Lockner.
Junior Nick Jimenez was another student who noticed when the pasta bowls were discontinued. Jimenez said he was on the meal plan, and he called the bowls “one of the few edible things” the cafeteria served.
Pasta bowls were served during the dinner hour last Friday, which Henry said was a slow time in the cafeteria. This was intentional. During the slower mealtime, the cafeteria staff could be sure to keep the cold and hot ingredients separate on the line and monitor their temperatures.
Henry said the test run went well, but he would like to see another Friday night trial or two next month before he promises that the bowls are back for good.
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