As Union students, we’re all familiar with the atmosphere and food of Cobo, but we may not be familiar with the people who work behind the scenes. Cobo is staffed by several welcoming individuals, all dedicated to serving the student body here at Union. One such person is Alonzo Dixon, who has been Sous-chef at Union for nearly seven years.
As I walk past the counters of Cobo where I’ve received so many meals from and walk through the kitchen that I’ve only ever glanced into, I realize there is a part of Union that perhaps goes overlooked sometimes. Although I smile and say “thank you” to the employees I see in Cobo, I rarely give a second thought to what happens on a daily basis behind the walls of the dining hall–not just the meal planning and preparation, but also the lives people live and the relationships built.
As Sous-chef, Dixon is responsible for preparing and organizing the meals served to students. Despite his busy schedule, he’s still ready to make time for students when he can.
In addition to his responsibilities at Union, Dixon recently competed in a nation-wide Annual Chef Lab Competition hosted by Creative Dining, a company that cooperates with Union and other colleges across the country. He has been involved with Creative Dining since he first started at Union.
Dixon recounts with a smile how his boss recruited him for the competition this year.
“He asked me if I wanted to go, I said yeah, and he said good, you’re already going,” said Dixon.
It’s obvious from his demeanor that this light-hearted banter is a staple of the cooks in Cobo.
The competition itself began with some brief training to familiarize the contestants with the tools and people with which they would be working. The competition consisted of 44 chefs organized into teams of four. The teams went head-to-head in a food preparation and presentation competition. Dixon’s team decided to fix a breakfast-style bibimbap.
I, of course, have no idea what a bibimbap is, so he graciously explains that it’s a traditional Korean rice dish as he pulls a large binder packed with dozens of recipes from a shelf near his desk. He points it out among the other dishes that I don’t recognize.
It was this dish that won Dixon and his teammates first place overall, and he mentions the win came as somewhat of a surprise to him.
“I wasn’t expecting to win,” he said humbly.
Originally from Milwaukee, Dixon moved to Tennessee in 2012 with his fiancé and now-wife. Dixon says he favors the smaller city lifestyle over the cold weather and busyness of Milwaukee.
After working at the Twist Midtown Grill in the DoubleTree Hotel, it was only a matter of time before a coworker told him about an open position at Union.
“He’s a good worker,” said Barbara D’alvia, his coworker at Union. “He’s very fair.”
It’s clear that he’s built many relationships with the people he works with and with the students he serves.
Cooking is what Dixon does. It’s what he knows and loves to do. This is evident by the effort he puts in every day and by his attitude toward competing in a creative outlet like the Annual Chef Lab competition.
There’s more to his job than just cooking, and it’s not just his attitude towards his role as sous chef. It’s his attitude toward the people he works with that truly shows his character.
Even in the midst of his daily duties, he mentions what he enjoys most about his job. It’s not the awards he wins or even the opportunities he has. Instead, it is the people.
“What’s important to me is these kids,” said Dixon. “If they say hi, you know you’re doing something right.”
Photo courtesy of Neil Cole