Monica Joseph has been with BC Dining for 15 years. She started off as a student worker and is now a third cook at Corcoran.

"I barely cook at home. My mom spoils me and cooks for me all the time, so there’s no reason for me to actually cook unless there’s something I want to eat and I cook. She normally cooks Haitian food. Beans, rice, but it’s hard to describe because it’s different from American food. On Easter, she cooks fish entrees and dishes since we can’t eat meat. On New Year’s, we have this soup we make with squash that’s called “Soup Joumou.” You boil the squash, blend it, make it with beef, noodles, carrots, celery, cabbage, and that’s all the ingredients I can remember. 

Alberto permanently moved to the United States from Puerto Rico when he was 18. “I was really welcomed,” Alberto explained when recalling his start at Boston College. “My uncle brought me to BC after I arrived from Puerto Rico and it was a very beautiful family atmosphere. It continues to be a great place to be, to work… I have family members working at Boston College as well. I got my brother working… for facilities and I got my son working at the bookstore.

Meet Emmanuel (Manny) Milfort, a Utility Lead at Stuart, has been working with BC Dining for 20 years.

In 1994, Manny moved to the US from Haiti and experienced the football craze for the first time. “When I just came to the United States, I didn't know anything about football. And Tom Brady makes everyone involved in the game… If you come from a foreign country you don’t know about the game, and then everybody is like ‘Patriot, Patriot, Patriot,’ and then like everybody knows about football.”

Derek Sehepici is a third cook at Corcoran. "Initially, I learned about the health factors of red meat and how that’s bad for you, but then I just went fully vegan after that and I’ve been vegan ever since. It wasn’t very hard. I definitely ate a lot of the same things initially, but the longer it went, the options in food and knowledge of what I can make expanded. I think knowledge is your greatest ally – knowing you can eat this, but not that. Not everyone can go vegan at the turn of a dime, but any little thing is good in terms of sustainability.”

Leona Greene, a general services worker who has been with BC Dining for 5 years Leona was born in Korea, where she lived until the age of 20. One of Leona’s favorite hobbies, rock climbing, which she enjoys with her husband and son. “Like five years ago my son started doing [it] so I helped him because they needed a partner and finally my husband is doing [it].… Our family activity is indoor rock climbing.”

Leona’s son is 19 years old. “He had gap year and went to Korea to learn the Korean language so I was very proud of him because he want to learn. He was born [in Korea] but he came here at 4.5 years old so he forgot. Now he’s in Korea to learn Korean language.”

Maria Arevalo, a food service worker at St. Mary’s, has been working with BC Dining for 26 years. To Maria, food is everything. “[Meals are] the time when we can talk. We can share everything; how we spent our weekends and our days.” Maria, who is from El Salvador, loves Spanish food and prepares it often. “My traditional food is pupusas, and we make it with mozzarella cheese and corn tortillas… Beans, rice and cheese are always in my house. Always.”

Charles Gonsalves, a utilities worker at Corcoran, has been working with BC Dining for almost 6 years.

Charles grew up with many beautiful memories around food. As a young boy, Charles learned how to cook from his mother and grandmother. “When I was younger my mother would cook. She’d put it on and tell me to watch it, tell me to stir it. I started to bond with that… The first dinner I made was when I was 11 or 12 years old and I made a spaghetti dinner… As I got older I just started to cook, I started doing different things… I was 16 years old and I made a Thanksgiving dinner.”

Ka Wong, Catering Lead, has been working with BC Dining for 5 years.

Like any adventurer, Ka loves to travel. “I like to travel outside of the country, if I have the opportunity. I’ve traveled a lot in Asia, but I still haven’t had the chance to travel in Europe so hopefully Europe is my next destination.” Ka has a long list of European countries he would love to visit including “Spain, France, Amsterdam and Switzerland… and Germany.”

Joy Casey joined BC Dining as a student worker before making the switch to a full time food service worker at McElroy. She has been with us for 15 years

Joy is a big food lover and has shared that love with her family throughout the years. “Every year on Thanksgiving we all have a task to do something that we like to cook. I would be stuck doing things like the yam and bakery food items. Always the sweets for me. That was the best thing we did.”

Rafael Cobb, Cashier/ Student Supervisor, has been working for BC dining for 7 years.

"A lot of people say to me, “Why do you care so much, this is not your own business?” But I am getting paid to do the job and I act like this is my business. If I had my own business, I would want the employees to work the same way that I work here. I treat BC Dining as if this is my own business because regardless of who is in charge, you should complete the tasks to the best of your ability and the way that they are supposed to be done.