The University of Idaho Argonaut

Relocating to a city across the country would be a big change for anyone. Mary Abele, an executive chef at the Wallace Food Court, known by students as Bob’s, did just that.
Abele and her husband, Ed, made the more than 2,000-mile journey from their home in Pittsburgh, Penn., to Moscow last month, so that Abele could begin work at Wallace. They arrived the day before Vandal Friday and Abele started in the food court the next day, helping serve crowds of prospective students, parents and actual students.

“I haven’t run away screaming yet,” she said.
An executive chef, Abele is in charge of the kitchen. In addition to other things, Abele said she oversees general food preparation. She has 25 years of experience in the food service industry, 17 as a chef and eight more in managerial positions. Tim Wheeler, the manager of the Wallace Food Court, said he believes her years of expertise will help the many young cooks on the staff develop in skill, as well as increase the quality of the food.

According to Christian Smith, a cook who works under her, Abele immediately took over operations when she started her position and no one had a problem with it. Smith said she is very well coordinated and has helped pull things together in the kitchen.
“We were kind of chaotic,” he said.

Abele instituted the daily preparation of food and materials, Smith said. She pushes for fresh, made-from-scratch food as much as possible and when implementing changes — such as to the menus or in ordering more vegetarian products — she makes sure the crew is comfortable and aware, and waits to move on to something new until everything runs smoothly, he said. Abele also brings interesting, non-traditional dishes to the food court, said Smith, and ensures the cooks are free to ask for spices they want and anything else they need.

“She’s orchestrating this kitchen like a symphony,” he said.
Food is important, said Abele, and encompasses everything — nutrition, happiness and comfort. She said she wants to change the stigma against college dining and make Bob’s an enjoyable place for students to eat. One of her goals, Abele said, is to begin incorporating more alternate sources of protein into the menu, such as seitan, a wheat gluten; textured vegetable protein, dried soy that acquires the texture of ground beef when rehydrated; or tofu, which attains the same texture when frozen, and which absorbs the flavor of whatever juices it’s cooked with when dehydrated. Being a vegetarian herself, she said she doesn’t think vegetarians should be stuck eating only vegetables.

“I don’t eat anything with eyeballs or that had a mother,” she said.
Abele said she is a firm believer in eating locally — she tries to eat only the food which is grown within a few hundred miles of where she lives, though she said it can be difficult. She and her husband are also avid backpackers and two of her favorite treks are the Appalachian Trail and Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon.

“It’s an appreciation for nature,” she said.
Abele enjoys what she is doing at Bob’s and both the people she serves, and those with whom she works, are already reaping the benefits.