IU Dining supports the goals and mission of Indiana University by providing a professional and welcoming atmosphere with excellent customer service, affordable options, and innovative cuisine to a diverse university community.
About
Core Values
PROFESSIONAL
Culinary Excellence
Customer Service
Fiscal Responsibility
Professional Development
Transparency
CUISINE
Nutritious
On-Trend
Sustainable
INTERPERSONAL
Accountable
Empowering
Collaborative
Celebrating Diversity
Integrity
Wellness
Meet Our Chefs
Chef Amy Blaisdell
ACF Certified Chef de Cuisine; AllerTrain Certified; ServSafe Certified Chef; Instructor/Proctor
Amy has been in the food industry for 37 years. One of her favorite things to do in the kitchen is when she's developing new recipes. Because she's a mood eater, her favorite meals change on a daily basis. When it comes to fresh, healthy meal options, she believes in the importance of being creative and encourages customers to check out all IU dining locations to build their perfect meal. Amy loves sprinkling a variety of foods all over the house when entertaining, which allows her guests to seek out and find a multitude of options to graze upon. She also loves visiting different cities, states, and countries to try different foods and beverages.
Executive Chef Marcia Corbin-Hays
ACF Certified Executive Chef; Chef—The Restaurants at Woodland; Executive Sous Chef—All IU Dining Locations; ServSafe Certified Chef
Marcia's first love is baking bread and pasta. She believes baking is an exact science and finds it rewarding when a product turns out perfect. She enjoys grabbing a rotisserie chicken breast from Charlie Biggs with fresh veggies she finds at Classic Comforts. She also recommends topping diced chicken breast from Classic Comforts on top of a salad from the salad bar. When she isn't working, Marcia enjoys traveling to Minnesota to visit family. She also appreciates the time she spends with her Golden Retriever, Pro.
Chef Carrie Decker
ACF Certified Chef de Cuisine; Chef—The Restaurants at Woodland
Carrie prides herself on her organizational and people skills and understands the importance of having both an organized kitchen combined with a trained staff to run an efficient operation. Her favorite meal at the Restaurants at Woodland is the Rock Around the Clock burger. However, Carrie believes in the consumption of fresh vegetables, which are available at Caliente, Romaine, and The Clubhouse. She points out that The Stone Grill sells a "Rock Garden" veggie burger, which they serve on vegan Hoosier oat bread. When Carrie isn't working, she spends time with animals as she is an avid animal lover.
Executive Chef Ancil Drake, Jr.
Approved ServSafe Alcohol Instructor; Approved ServSafe Instructor; Certified Culinary Chef; Certified Executive Chef
Some of Ancil's favorite meals at Indiana University come from the multitude of international food choices served across campus. He believes in the importance branching out and trying new foods as IU Dining prepares many of their items from scratch, using only the freshest ingredients. His culinary experience is widespread, which includes one point in his life when he helps open the Florida seafood restaurant, Fast Eddies.
Chef Janice Stam
Chef—The Restaurants at Woodland
Janice enjoys cooking homestyle comfort foods. Her love of learning new recipes and recipe trends shines when she sees customers enjoying a little taste of home when they dine on IU's campus. Growing up in a large family who lived on a cattle farm and operated several restaurants gives Janice a strong background in the restaurant industry. One of her favorite pastimes includes nursing wild animals back to health and is currently bottle feeding a baby doe, whom she has named Baby Girl.
Chef Pat Stogsdill
Administrative Chef; American Culinary Federation Certified Chef—1997
Pat began her career at a vocational school and has been at IU for 32 years. Her first love is to cook. She is no stranger to the kitchen as her duties have ranged from mopping floors to managing and planning catering events. Her real joy comes from making people happy and has made it a personal goal to teach and train others using what she's learned through her own culinary experience. Stogsdill stresses the importance of letting the dining staff prepare a dish customized to meet a customer's taste buds. She encourages guests to explore all available options at more than one location. Lastly, she welcomes customer feedback–both negative and positive.
Executive Chef David Tallent
Culinary Institute of America; Nine James Beard Award Nominations
A native of Bloomington, Indiana and a former Indiana University student, David previously worked as a private caterer for Indiana University, leaving a positive impact on the campus. David obtained his studies at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. He worked at some of the finest restaurants in Atlanta and the James Beard House in New York before returning to Indiana to open Restaurant Tallent with his wife and fellow chef, Kristen. While in New York, David familiarized himself with the Slow Food Movement where he felt inspired to utilize local, organic, and seasonal ingredients.
Chef Dan Thomas
ACF Certified Culinarian; Chef—Gresham Dining Hall; (Working on Sous Chef Certification)
Dan relishes in pairing the precision of Japanese chefs and the techniques of French chefs with flavors from all around the world. His experience with many different cuisines includes vegan and vegetarian cooking. His primary objective is to bring education, freshness, and sustainability to the ingredients and technique to Indiana University Dining. One of Dan's favorite foods are the Tibetan steamed dumplings with a tomato-curried dipping sauce.
Chef Darren Worth
Certified Chef de Cuisine; Certifications in Sanitation; Chef—The Eateries; Culinary Arts Instructor at Ivy Tech; Degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University; Nutrition and Management; ServSafe Proctor/ Instructor
Darren began cooking at 14 years of age. At 17, he attended culinary school before working his first professional chef position at age 19. He has been teaching Culinary Arts for 13 years with a great deal of experience in classical French and international cuisine. He loves The Traveler and believes anything from both campus locations is always an excellent choice. Darren explains that IU Dining consistently works to cater to their customers' needs and are even willing to create off-menu items to fit a healthy lifestyle.
Our Administrative Staff
Diana Dominguez, Associate Director
Bachelor of Science in dietetics; Certified ServSafe Manager
Diana’s career with Indiana University spans over 35 years, not including her time as a student employee earning her degree. Working her way up through the ranks, she reports learning new things every day and feeling like each day is an adventure at IU Dining. Diana implores students to take full advantage of the diversity of dining options offered, and to remember to reach out to managers as needed for assistance exploring those options – including the Mac and Cheese at the Cut Above at Woodland Restaurants at Forest, her personal favorite comfort food!
Ancil Drake, Jr., Associate Director
Bachelor of Arts from IU; Certified Executive Chef; American Culinary Federation Certified Culinary Administer
Both an Indiana University alum and IU employee for more than 36 years, Ancil continues to find new passion and fulfillment in his roles at IU. He most enjoys working with students and keeping up with new trends in the food industry. Finding inspiration from all over, including from peers and his own family, spicy international dishes are often featured fare both at home and in the dining halls.
Susan Herr, RD, System Support Manager
Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science - Dietetics; Registered Dietitian Certified
Originally from Bloomington and an IU employee since 2007, Susan’s current role oversees the food service operating and support systems including nutrition, information technology, and marketing. Susan loves providing students the ability to learn new experiences in the food industry and urges students to take time to eat at every dining location to find their favorite dish (hers is the Jackfruit Tacos at the Traveler). She also promotes the use of NetNutrition, an online tool with filters for dietary needs and preferences, to search daily menus at all IU Dining locations.
Bari Kuhlman, Catering Director
ServSafe Certificate in Food Safety
Bari has been working within the Indiana Memorial Union in catering since 2002, and now provides direction for the IU Catering Department. Planning a wide range of events such as wedding receptions, conferences, student and academic gatherings, and galas, she says every customer and every diner is unique. Bari particularly loves ethnic foods she gets to enjoy in her varied work, especially during the Diwali Festival held each year.
Rahul Shrivastav, Executive Director
Bachelor of business management, hospitality
With 18 years of dining and catering experience, Rahul loves working on a college campus because of the tremendous energy it brings. He is a large proponent of farm-to-table options, including IU Campus Farm, and utilizing local vendors whenever possible to ensure meats and produce are as fresh and healthful as possible. Rahul encourages all students to actively engage in learning more about their food and where it is sourced. His favorite IU Dining concepts are Hoosier Homestyle in the IMU and Farmer’s Table in Wright Food Court.
Rachael Splain, IMU Director of Retail Dining
Bachelor of Science in recreation park and tourism management; Master’s Certification in Lean Enterprise Solutions: Project Management
Joining the IU Dining team in May of 2018, Rachael is helping to create all new dining concepts and experiences within the Indiana Memorial Union. She loves working with students and student groups, and is impressed by the observations and feedback they have offered. She recommends that all students be open-minded with new foods, and invites them to offer constructive feedback to help shape their own dining experiences. When she needs nourishment, you can find her enjoying the Fried Nashville Hot Chicken with hand-cut fries from the Crimson Grill.