Heavenly
Food on Angel Island
Article
cby Jean-Paule d'Amou
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Preparing
food on an island is tough enough, but combine that with limited
days and hours of operation and satisfying the public lands agency
that oversees the island, and it's evident why operating the food
and beverage concessions at Angel Island State Park
is one devil of a job.
Dee
Wagner is general manager of concessions at Angel
Island State Park for The California Parks Company. In
addition to overseeing tram tours, bike rentals, gift sales and
Segway Tours, Ms. Wagner directs a staff of up to 20 food service
professionals who operate the island's café and cantina,
and cater company picnics, group outings, wedding receptions and
meetings. F&B World caught up with her recently to ask how
concession F&B on an island varies from operating a shoreside
restaurant.
Q.
What are some of the problems of preparing foods in parks and
particularly on an island?
A. Vigilance and diligence
is how I approach this one---absolutely everything we touch has
to be brought over by boat. I do one big transportation order
at the beginning of the season to bring over drinks, paper products,
charcoal and canned goods. After that, all fresh or frozen product
has be delivered to Tiburon, then loaded into our company boat,
unloaded on the island, they carted to the cafe. Any equipment
change has to be brought over the same way. And, when problems
occur, repairmen have to be scheduled and brought over by boat,
as well. It makes everything cost more and you learn to combine
projects on the same trip.
Q.
Park concessions have been among the first to address healthy
eating in concession food, because of their connection to public
lands agencies. How have you seen this evolve, recently?
A. Each season, our guests
seem increasingly aware and appreciative of quality food. When
I first took over the operation, convenience rather than quality
was the order of the day for the most of the menu items. I made
immediate changes to shift the food experience, eliminating items
such as processed nacho cheese sauce. We didn't serve nachos while
I sourced alternatives. I have also transitioned much of my produce
from conventional to organic and inform our customers which menu
items are local and organic. They appreciate this attention to
quality and detail.
Q.
How do you see your mission as a park food service professional
as different from other food service operations?
A. We are the visitor services
partner of the California State Parks on Angel Island. That means
we don't just represent ourselves, we represent the State of California
and share responsibility to embody everything California State
Parks represents. Angel Island is a place of historical significance
and amazing natural beauty; I want my operation to compare favorably
to that guest experience.
Q.
What issues are affecting park food concessions today?
A. The most challenging
issue this season is the escalating price of food, beverages and
paper goods. The lackluster economy is an ongoing challenge that
forces any operator to think creatively about attracting and retaining
customers.
Q.
How are you addressing those issues?
A. At the beginning of
the season I evaluated all my menus at the cafe, cantina and catered
events for portion and price. Once I had that information in hand
I made some changes. One example is that last year I served a
vegetarian curry that we made in house. But, the cost of coconut
milk has gone up 30%! So, I took that dish off the menu and substituted
it with a vegetarian sesame noodle salad that utilizes items we
already have in house and is also healthier. I did raise some
prices but I also lowered a couple by changing portion sizes.
With the event menus I made sure that everything crossed over
as much as possible with the cafe/cantina menus and once again
raised some prices. I also decreased the size of the cafe menu
just to make controlling everything easier. Sometimes you have
to invest to save money. That's the case with a vacuum sealing
machine we bought that extends shelf life of fresh food especially
in the shoulder seasons and helps with portion control.
Q.
How have you changed your menu in recent years?
A. When I took over the
operation 3 years ago the cafe menu consisted of hot dogs, processed
soup, three sandwiches made with pre-sliced meats on tasteless
bread and processed potato salad and pasta salad. The cafe space
was in sore need of a facelift. During the first winter I hired
a green designer, Shawn Hall, to help change the look of the space.
She and her team built custom pieces from salvaged wood, painted
and changed the lighting. The most impressive piece is a 14 foot
counter top that was salvaged from a hardware store in Sebastopol.
I had a staff person with an art background and I used her skills
to create all the signage for the operation on chalkboard giving
the space a historical feel that really fits well into a place
like Angel Island. As for the menu I began slowly by upgrading
the ingredients: artisan bread for the sandwiches, natural turkey
for the sandwiches, better hot dogs and buns. You have to understand
in the beginning we had very little kitchen equipment because
they hadn't been preparing food. I had to beg, borrow and buy
equipment: pots, pans, a slicer, knives, containers--you name
it and we didn't have it. So with the slicer we were able to slice
our own meats, with the pots and strainers and containers we were
able to start making our own potato salad, with the food processor
we were able to start making our own salad dressings, hummus and
guacamole. I added additional vendors so we could have access
to organic produce, hog island oysters, micro brewed beer.
Q.
What kinds of items are you most proud of, from a preparation
standpoint, flavor standpoint, public acceptance standpoint and
cost standpoint?
A. Honestly some of the
most productive changes have come with equipment changes---which
is a challenge all its own. Equipment is almost always heavy (remember
the boat) and usually you are replacing something also very heavy.
So, once you get it to the island you had better like it because
if you don't, you are pretty much stuck with it for at least the
entire season. I saw a demo of a greaseless fryer at a trade show
in Las Vegas last winter and I bought one so we could offer French
fries, one thing the public really, REALLY wanted. However, the
complexity of transporting fryer oil onto and off the island was
something I just couldn't ever solve, until I found a greaseless
fryer. It cooks 10 orders of fries in 8 minutes (we added garlic
fries last season). The fryer paid for itself in the first three
months of the season. The other thing I replaced was a deli case
that, because of its size, pretty much defined the menu at the
cafe. The staff would make 300 prepared sandwiches (remember the
original menu) and put them in the deli case along with plastic
containers of prepared potato salad and pasta salad. I replaced
the deli case with a sandwich cooler that holds all the ingredients
for our "made to order" sandwiches and wraps. I'm really
proud of our Latin American items: tamales, fish tacos, shrimp
ceviche, salsa and guacamole. My kitchen staff is 100 % Latino,
so I wanted them to feel invested in the menu, especially with
all of the changes so I let them add items that they were comfortable
creating.
Q.
Describe your staff, their experience and how common that is for
park concession operations.
A. I feel so blessed to
have my core kitchen crew -- two women have worked on the island
for the past ten years, returning each season. However that is
not the norm. If lucky, you might have a few employees who are
able to sustain seasonal work. In general, concessionaires have
to rebuild their kitchen staffs, each and every season. New cashiers,
new tram drivers, new Segway guides... it's expensive and nerve
racking. You have to retrain and you have a very limited window
to recruit, hire and train.
Q.
What are you doing at Angel Island that stands apart from other
park concessions?
A. We are committed to
really good food at affordable prices. We also started a small
organic garden on the island. We grew salad greens and herbs for
the café last year and I hope to expand that this year
and begin composting in the garden.
Q.
Your company, The California Parks Company, operates food concessions
in national, state, regional and local parks... and prides its
innovation of "Famous For." Tell us about it.
A. At each of our company's
food and beverage units, we prepare an item that is identified
as one we're "Famous for," like the Volcano Cone at
Lassen Volcanic National Park. At Angel Island State Park, we're
"Famous For" our Way Down South Barbecued Pulled Pork
sandwich, which is made with a secret recipe. Here's the story:
I'm originally from Louisiana and my grandmother's barbecue sauce
is kind of legendary in our family. It was her "secret recipe"
for many years. However, when I was in college, she divulged the
secret. The sauce is made with Coca-cola, beer and coffee, plus
spices and such things as you might expect would be in a barbecue
sauce. What's secret about this is that my grandmother was very
religious. She didn't drink. So, where she got the beer for the
sauce, I still don't know. Perhaps that's why the recipe was a
secret. Our "Way Down South Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich,"
is identified with The California Parks Company's "Famous
For" logo and has been reviewed very favorably in the food
section of our local newspaper.
Q.
Similarly, you offer a program called "FitKid." Tell
us about "FitKid" and how it works.
A.
The California Parks Company developed FitKid out of concern over
childhood obesity and inactivity. FitKid is designed to reward
kids that make healthy eating choices and get outside to play.
We do it by making it fun, tasty and rewarding for kids and their
parents to make the right choices. The program is implemented
differently in each of our locations but basically children earn
prizes by making healthy choices in food and lifestyle. On Angel
Island we have Fit Kid menu items. These are snacks that are identified
as fitting nutritional guidelines and we include Fit Kid menus
in our event packages. The FitKid program is married with the
California Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights, which lists ten
outdoor things every child should have the opportunity to experience.
Q.
What are some of the nutritional guidelines involved in FitKid?
A. Low fat, low sodium,
low sugar with an emphasis on whole grains and organic foods.
Q.
How have FitKid menu items been accepted by parents and by kids?
A. We added a "Fit Kid" display rack last season that
offers healthy snack alternatives. Several items on the rack were
great sellers especially dehydrated fruit snacks and organic snack
cookies. I also noticed a decline in regular candy sales after
we added the rack. So much of any retail operation depends on
display and signage. I've found if something isn't selling that
moving it around or creating new signage sometimes can do the
trick.
Q.
I understand that you've turned the small concession stand (Cantina)
on Angel Island into a weekend hot spot for millennials. That's
saying a lot for an island that you have to take a ferry to reach.
How did you do it?
A. We added live music
on weekends last year and it was a great success. It improved
sales in the cantina dramatically and introduced the island to
a younger demographic. That made us look long and hard at our
use of social media, website, blog and Facebook, keeping them
fresh and current. Then, I refocused on providing excellent customer
service in an effort to increase repeat visitation. The music
series was sponsored by Lagunitas Brewing Company, a local microbrew,
and we served barbecued Hog Island Oysters. Live music, beer and
barbecued oysters by the bay - what millennial wouldn't want to
be there? We're constantly faced with the reality that lots of
folks in the Bay Area have never been out to Angel Island. By
making it a trendy weekend destination for exercise, inspirational
views and good times, we're changing that. Suddenly, it's a really
fun place to be in the summer.
Q.
Please share with us a recipe that exemplifies the new standard
you're bringing to park concessions.
A.
Sesame Noodle Salad
Ingredients:
1 pkg rice noodles (cooked al dente)
1/2 cucumber diced
12 cherry tomatoes sliced
1/2 head romaine hearts chopped
2 tablespoons crushed cashews
1 green onion chopped
1/2 carrot shredded
Dressing
1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger
tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp diced pickled ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of brown sugar
pinch of salt
squeeze of lemon juice
1/4 tsp sesame oil
Procedures:
1. Whisk ingredients together
2.
Add 1/4 cup canola oil
3.
Whisk some more taste for seasoning
4.
Set aside
5.
Combine vegetables with dressing, toss, sprinkle with cashews
and drizzle a bit more sesame oil on top