#chef joann

Do we really want Chef Joann cooking in the kitchen at Dewick Mac-Phie Dining Center today?  It looks like she's a little preoccupied at the moment.  Don't mind Eric, he's just trying to be helpful.

Chef Joann went to the Boston Food Truck Festival and got in the news, rightfully so since she's our resident food truck fan!

    What are her favorite food truck eats?

Chef Joann says, "Roxy’s is #1 favorite, the Short Rib Grilled Cheese is to die for!! KickAss Cupcakes has their brick and mortar right in Davis Square and has great, fun flavors. Bon Me has great food, but their Basil Lemonade was incredible!"

Looking for a new restaurant to try around Boston?

Here at Tufts Dining, we asked our chefs which places they love. 

Chef Justin: Craigie on Main in Cambridge http://www.craigieonmain.com/

Chef Fred: Café Escadrille in Burlington http://www.cafeescadrille.com/

Chef Joann: Tre Monté in Woburn http://tremonterestaurant.com/

Chef David: East Coast Grill in Cambridge http://eastcoastgrill.net/

Chef Carlos: Highland Kitchen in Somerville http://www.highlandkitchen.com/

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the doors of the Tufts Dining kitchens? Do you think about who chops those veggies in your salad or makes the delicious soups? We've answered all these questions and more in this behind-the-scenes video tour of the kitchens. Meet our amazing crew and see what it takes to get food on your plate. 

If you take a second to ask any of the dining staff what they watch on the television, many of them will respond Bravo (Top Chef) and The Food Network. A Tufts Dining favorite is Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (DDD), a show in which the luckiest man alive drives around the country discovering little known yet delicious restaurants.

Chef Joann, DDD expert and restaurant Pioneer herself, was gracious enough to make a list of DDD any Jumbo can check out!

·         Boston Burger Company, Davis Square ·         Mike’s City Diner, Boston's South End ·         Lobster Shanty, Salem ·         Bartley’s Burger Cottage, Harvard Square

We asked the Chefs what their favorite fruits were and here's what they had to say:

Chef Toby: Apples

Chef Fred: Melons, Cantaloupe in particular

Chef Peter: Fresh figs, but not from the US.” (He probably means freshly picked off the trees in Greece knowing Peter!)

Chef Joann: Blackberries

Chef Justin: Watermelon and Apples

If you ask Chef Peter (Carmichael) or Chef Joann (Dewick) what their favorite thing about working with Tufts Dining is, they’ll respond with a crazy cool answer: YOU! For many of our chefs, working around us Jumbos not only “keeps one young” but also adds an important sense of purpose to their cooking. As Chef Joann notes, “Eating is a huge part of feeling at home,” so our chefs know their crucial part in shaping our college experience. As for Chef Justin, one of his favorite things about the job is the knowledge and appreciation our community has for food. Chef Peter agrees, “Students know food… they know and appreciate the work. I’m very impressed by how much students know about food.” Eat on, Jumbos! And Jumbo Chefs, we love you too :) 

"Eating is a huge part of feeling at home."

Though Chef Joann grew up next door to one of the best culinary institutes in America, she didn’t discover her calling in food until later in life. Lover of the Food Network and hole in the wall restaurants, there’s no greater pleasure for Chef Joann than discovering a great new restaurant. She even planned a road trip from Boston to Tennessee with the only stops in the agenda being restaurants featured in Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives!

What's something people wouldn't know when they meet you?   I’m currently re-dating my boyfriend from when I was sixteen—we found each other on Facebook!

Favorite food? I know it’s so basic, but I can’t help it: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!!

Favorite thing to cook/bake? Roasted chicken dinner, it just fills the house with a delicious scent.

Best thing about working with Tufts Dining?  It’s a nice atmosphere to work in, I especially enjoy working around young people. I used to work at the kitchen in a hospital and had a team of high schoolers working with me and I loved it!

Best memory while working with Tufts Dining? I can’t think of just one, I just think of us all laughing—we’re always laughing ‘till we’re crying! We recently got music in Dewick.  And at night, when we’re cleaning up, sometimes we put on Italian music and the ladies at the front, I call them my little Italian Mommas, they get so happy—that may be my favorite!

As the pioneer of little-known restaurants, what has been your greatest discovery? When my boyfriend and I went on our Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives road trip, we couldn’t find a DDD stop in West Virginia, so I did a little research and I found a tiny place only known to the locals called Blue Grass Kitchen. It was amazing! I had a cheeseburger with homemade pimento cheese!