Harold Jensen, Emporia State University’s executive chef, will leave Friday for his new job as a district executive chef at California State University in Monterey Bay, Calif.
Jensen will leave behind a legacy of creating exciting meals on ESU’s campus.
Before moving to Emporia in 2002 Jensen was chef de cuisine at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, as well as a personal chef to celebrities including Celine Dion, Wayne Newton and Lee Greenwood.
Jensen used his culinary experience to bring gourmet food to the university. It was not uncommon to find prime rib, seafood and gourmet dishes being served for lunch in the Skyline Dining Room.
Jensen introduced fusion cuisine to the university.
“Fusion food is where I would blend different cultures into one cuisine.” Jensen said “It can be anything from a nut-crusted fish to a cognac-glazed salmon.”
The high quality of the food has dramatically increased the number of people dining on campus every day.
During the past year, Jensen had been spending less time on the ESU campus as his employer, Sodexho, was sending him as a guest chef to other campuses around the country. He also spent time cooking for high-end events.
In his new job at California State, Jensen will be responsible for managing the food operations for 1,400 students who are on meal plans. He also will run a large retail operation and a full-scale restaurant service.
The search will begin for a new chef for ESU. Sodexho will post the job nationally and people will fly in to go through the interview process.
The question now is what will happen to the quality of food on ESU’s campus now that Jensen is leaving?
“I hope what I have done with the culinary team by training them is to bring them up to a level which they are comfortable of serving.” Jensen said. “Hopefully they won’t go back 10 steps, but will continue to stay competitive and be on the cutting edge of cuisine for this area.”
wanderer (anonymous) says...
I'm sorry to see "Chef Harold" go. Good luck in California.
April 9, 2008 at 1:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Emporia_Spartan (anonymous) says...
Well, we will miss Chef Harold. He is legendary in Emporia and the area. I wish him well and thank him for his 6 years of dedication and culinary delights here in Emporia. I find it very interesting that so many of the icons at ESU have moved on since President Lane came onboard......I can't help but wonder if there's a connection. Boyce Baumgardner, John Schwenn, Virginia Dold, Roy Mann, and now Chef Harold, to name only a few. I fear that others will be added as the new regime takes over. People have noticed that Dr. Lane doesn't like to keep ties to the past at ESU even though there's a rich heritage and many wonderful people that should not be ignored. Many see the handwriting on the wall and are choosing to move on to something else when the opportunity arises.
Thanks, Chef Harold for what you have done over the years to elevate ESU to fine dining. We will have high expectations for your successor!
April 9, 2008 at 5:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sciguy (anonymous) says...
The difference between the Skyline food in 2000 and the Skyline food in 2003 was substantial. I actually looked forward to eating there once Chef Harold was established at ESU.
He'll be missed. I hope that ESU maintains the advantages he's given them.
April 9, 2008 at 5:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rcakmon (anonymous) says...
Chef Harold has not been around much lately. The Skyline Room will continue to offer great food to the community.
April 9, 2008 at 6:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kscrusader (anonymous) says...
Academia has always embraced the notion that people move on to bigger and better opportunities. ESU is no different. While some presidents wield their power with vigor, I can assure you that Dr. Lane listens, weighs the pros and cons, and makes the best decision. He has integrity, vision, and humility.
These are qualities that our last president simply lacked. Please take a short trip back in history and think about all the "icons" who left during the years 1997-2006. During those years, ESU employee morale was eviscerated by micro-managing elements on campus who sought to build individual vitae at the expense of the whole. The vitriolic approach to decision-making excluded a vast majority of the campus. Our existence was jeopardized by poor personnel decisions and then compounded by monumentally incompetant fiscal project decisions (visit the "elegant" walking mall sometime).
ESU will endure, though we will miss many of the people mentioned in Emporia_Spartans' post. Our heritage and rich traditions were woven by past students, staff, faculty, community, and friends. These traditions and heritage will continually be enhanced by new ideas and lofty goals. Dr. Lane is poised to lead us in our quest for greater accomplishments.
April 11, 2008 at 11:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )