Is your job stressful?
“It all depends on how you maintain yourself,” said Lawrence Sanchez, the Senior Executive Chef of the University of Arizona.
Chefs in white coats quickly walked around him as he stood in their way. Some were empty-handed, on their way to the nearest walk-in fridge. Others came out of the deep, silver walk-in, speeding back to their station carrying food in some heavy container.
“It’s always going to be there no matter what. It’s just how you control it. Remember, you can only control your fate,” he said.
If Old Main is the heart of campus, consider the Student Union Memorial Center (SUMC) the stomach; they feed students, faculty, Tucson residents, and travelers from all over.
Sanchez’s sixteen years of creating diverse, nutritious food at the Student Union brought consistent awards for the past ten years, highlighting their inclusive efforts to accommodate food allergies.
“We are ahead of pretty much a lot of universities right now,” he said. The National Association of College & University Food Services has recognized restaurants like Cork & Craft and ‘85 North for their variety and quality production.
“There’s some universities that come check us out to see what we’re doing different,” he said. The previous executive chef, Michael Omo, presented culinary ideas at the SXSW Wonder House in 2023.
“We have to keep up with the trends,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez’s ability to adapt to new ideas started young, at about seventeen.
That’s when the Tucson native began his journey in the food business. He started cooking in hotel kitchens to pay his tuition at Pima Community College.
With only a few months and some credits left before graduating with an engineering degree, Sanchez decided to leave it all behind and start his culinary education.
Sanchez worked his way up to managing kitchen staff in airport hotels and new city restaurants before joining U of A in 2009.
As he moved from department to department with each promotion, he learned the best way to set U of A up for success is through openness.
“That’s our religion —we have to be able to be open to suggestions,” said Sanchez, who oversees the production and menu creation for all the campus-based restaurants and also Arizona Catering Company.
When creating menus for new restaurants like Cafe Bolo or catering orders for a party of 200, Sanchez uses Tucson as his inspiration.
“A lot of it has to do with the variety of food that we have here in Tucson,” he said. Tucson, a city of gastronomy, prides itself on its food diversity.
U of A’s signature dishes are inspired by old, traditional Tusconan recipes cooked with locally sourced produce and spices. This includes all homestyle meals mixed with culturally diverse flavors to bring a modern twist that younger generations will love.
To cater to U of A’s diverse population, Sanchez aims to find the students’ comfort foods. He combines in-depth research of global cuisines with Tucson’s iconic Mexican and Southwestern flavors.
“We don’t have cafeterias here,” he said. “We have eateries. We have concepts.”
U of A students’ need food to maintain the motivation and focus to become successful individuals. Not only is it fuel, but it’s also an experience.
With over twenty-three restaurants on campus and tens of thousands of mouths to feed daily, how does a team manage it all?
While students were traveling from home to prepare for a new semester, sixty-five to eighty workers waited for their arrival. In the meantime, they kept themselves busy.
“It’s a 24/7 process,” he said.
The kitchen, located on the first floor of the SUMC, splits into three sections: bakery, hot food, and production; each section is different, but all with a deadline.
While the city sleeps, the bakers start their shifts, some arriving at midnight, others joining at five a.m.
By seven a.m., the rest of the cooks stand at their stations chopping, grilling, and labeling, all in a neatly organized frenzy.
The twenty-three establishments place orders for their needed ingredients and signature meals two to three weeks in advance.
The kitchen prepares nearly 25,000 items from scratch and must also complete today’s catering orders.
Each section is run by their warboard, a brown cork board covered in catering orders that must be completed before the events start later that day. On a slow day, this means one or two dozen to complete. On a fun day, this means nearly fifty.
“If you can see the table, we’re dead,” said Daniel Luca, the Senior Sous Chef. The team operates like a beehive, constantly busy.
Luca explained that by being willing to ask for help and give help, the team can get through the moments of kitchen chaos.
“As long as you maintain focus, you can overcome it,” Sanchez said. “We’re here for the students, it’s not about us.”
This mentality earned five awards relating to food allergen innovation.
It also helped students like Locke Curfman, 21, a sophomore who doesn’t eat wheat, dairy, sugar, and gluten-free products.
“There’s a lot less restaurants I can go to because I can’t have the food,” Curfman said, referring to growing up with his diet.
When he arrived at the U of A, he struggled to find a place on campus that didn’t give him stomach issues and was undernourished his freshman year.
In response, the Student Union started preparing pre-made meals separate from other food. That way, Curfman had a variety of meals and never had to worry about cross-contamination risk.
“I got the special meals and now I always have something to eat,” said Curfman.
Curfman isn’t the first student to receive special meals, and isn’t the last.
The Student Unions also opened Radicchio, a plant-forward restaurant, in an effort to accommodate dietary needs.
While the pressure of making and delivering thousands of different meals across campus may fall heavy at times, the endless dedication to serving delicious, nutritious quality food makes the load lighter.
“That’s the rewarding feeling,” Sanchez said. “Stress is big, but you can overcome it.”
For more information, visit union.arizona.edu.
