UW makes food more than just fare

University of Washington sous-chef Jacob Moyer says the common perception of a college dining experience goes something like this: "It's a senior lady with a hair net, serving turkey tetrazzini with an ice-cream scoop."

But mushy vegetables, mystery meatloaf and sump-oil coffee won't appear on Moyer's menu anytime soon. After winning a Northwest competition for university chefs, Moyer traveled to Toronto recently for a cook-off against the best chefs in higher education. Other regional winners included chefs from the University of Notre Dame, Rutgers University and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Think "Iron Chef," college edition. In front of a crowd of several hundred, the chefs were each given a chicken breast and one hour to create something special. Moyer coated his chicken with a parmesan crust and served it with pan-fried semolina gnocchi and warm tomato vinaigrette.

The pressure got to him a little, he admits. He worked too fast initially and reduced a pot of cream too much. But the judges were impressed enough to place him fourth in the United States. The gold medal and $500 went to Edward Castillo, from Rice University.

Moyer, 33, is part of the UW's catering team — until recently, simply called University Catering. But at the end of a massive, six-year overhaul of UW's food services, the team was rebranded Bay Laurel Catering in March. The staff got new equipment and uniforms.

Business is up 5 percent this year, to an annual $2.5 million — despite state regulations that restrict catering to university-related events. Bay Laurel now has six full-time chefs and two full-time dishwashers. For large events, temporary workers can swell the team to 25. Students are employed to deliver and present the food.

One evening last week, Moyer was back in Seattle, juggling a buffet meal for 50 atmospheric scientists and a post-training "midnight snack" for the Husky football team. The scientists were getting pan-seared king salmon topped with peach chutney; roasted chicken with caramelized onions, bacon, garlic and rosemary; and apple tart for dessert.

The football players? Pizza. But on French bread, served with fresh fruit. At this and other events, the football team gets portions up to three times regular size.

Moyer, who grew up in the Queen Anne neighborhood, got his own start with pizza. For five years, beginning in high school, he worked part time at a local pizza parlor. He thought about art school but found himself fascinated with the taste and creativity of cooking, so he enrolled at the Culinary Academy at Seattle Central Community College. He worked for several years in well-regarded restaurants, including Kaspar's, before deciding six years ago he was ready for a change of pace.

"I worked every night, every weekend and every holiday that people I wanted to be around had off," he said. "That's part of what brought me here."

At the UW, Moyer started by cooking for students before moving to special-events catering. These days, he works in a large, bustling kitchen under the Haggett Hall dorms. Bay Laurel Executive Chef Robert Nash says Moyer brings creativity and experience, but most important, he's calm and measured. That's needed when you're dealing with everything from a lettuce shortage in California to a capsized produce truck.

"It's a wild and crazy environment and, at any point in time, it's liable to spin out of control," Nash said. "It's perfection on demand. You have to get it right the first time. It's a tremendous amount of pressure."

The $30 million overhaul of campus food services came after students repeatedly complained about terrible meals stewing for hours in steam trays, said Paul Brown, director of UW Housing and Food Services. Campus dining halls, now called restaurants, were gutted and remodeled. New ones were added. Eateries got catchy new names such as "Eleven 01." Kitchens were rebuilt in an open style so students could watch their food being prepared — to order. A French chef was hired to revamp the menus.

Offerings for students will always remain restricted by price — Brown said students don't like to pay more than $5 to $7 for lunch and up to $8.50 for dinner. There's competition from the Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants nearby on "The Ave" — University Way.

But in catering special events, where plates can cost up to $50, Moyer gets more creative license.

And Moyer is considering another attempt to become top college chef in the nation. Next year's competition — organized, like this year's, by the National Association of College & University Food Services — will be in Seattle. The common ingredient will be tofu.

"Tofu," Moyer admits, "is a bit of a challenge."

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com