Chef’s Connection
Operator Interviews
Chef Bernard Russ
Chef Matt Kline
Chef Todd Foutty
Steve Hammel
Chef Jonathan Dye
Chef Jonathan Dye
Chef Jonathan DyeHillcrest Market Place
Greg Black, Director of Residential Dining
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Dishes: Tamale Pie, Hawkeye Black Bean & Corn Salad, Hashbrown Potato Quiche Lorraine, Citrus Black Bean & Jicama Salad, Hashbrown Tamale
Interview:The best recipes often come from the old-fashioned, in-the-trenches type of work that reminds chefs why they got into the business in the first place: to have fun creating foods people love. That certainly is true for Chef Jonathan Dye and Greg Black, Director of Residential Dining at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, who recently rolled up their sleeves and developed an array of recipes at the Basic American Foods test kitchens. “I had a great time with it,” says Black of his creative sessions at Basic American Foods. “I came back here to school with the same kind of attitude, so we got together and looked at our current menus and specific Basic American Foods products and said, ‘How can we combine them?’” To start with, Black and Chef Dye used recipes that students were already familiar with and elevated them with innovative modifications. For instance, Black recalled a crust-topped beef stew that he once liked and used that as a starting point to create a cornbread-topped tamale pie featuring Quick-Start® Home Style Chili. Several other new recipes followed that focused on bold flavors, convenient ingredients for the foodservice staff and accessible formats for the diners themselves. Many recipes are designed for daily lunches and dinners, while the Hashbrown Potato Quiche Lorraine, with its golden crispy crust, is a fixture on the campus’s Sunday brunch menu.