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Compliments to the Chef
L esa Holford

rowing up, Lesa Holford, corporate executive chef at the position and I ran
GThe Ohio State University in Columbus, was exposed the catering department
to a lot of great food. and menu development
“My parents were both foodies,” she said. “My mom had for their marketplace
the best-stocked pantry this side of the Mississippi. She was operations,” said Hol-
always open to us experimenting in the kitchen and giving ford. “That was really
us opportunities to create whatever we wanted. When it got my first opportunity to
to the point where I could cook dinners for the family, she step into this different
would take me to some of the more exclusive interesting venue where I was re-
grocery stores to be able to get things. At that time it was ally making an impact
halibut, saffron and duck, and I would cook for the family.” on a large scale.”
When she was old enough to get her driver’s license, she From there, she was
got a job that put her on a path to a culinary career. “I was looking for a new op-
able to find a job under Dan Remark, a CIA [Culinary Institute portunity. “I wanted to
of America] graduate. He turned out to be my mentor and know how to cook food for 5,000 or 10,000 people, and the
encouraged me to go to the Culinary Institute of America,” only real opportunity I had to do that outside of Akron, but in
said Holford. “He worked at a little place called the Mustard the state of Ohio, was Ohio State or the Columbus Convention
Seed Market and Café, which was primarily an organic, natural Center,” she said. “I moved my entire family to Columbus to
foods grocery store that had a restaurant. We made everything be the executive chef at the convention center. I really fine-
from scratch. I worked there in high school and on and off tuned my logistics skills. At that point, it wasn’t so much
when I would come back into town. He really is responsible about cooking, it was about forming community relation-
for directing my career and where I went. Going to the CIA ships, doing tastings, working with a contract company, and
was a big leap, to go off to a culinary school in New York.” watching food costs and labor costs to a T. There were really
After graduating from the CIA, she worked in a variety of huge, large-scale events of up to 15,000 people. Then the job
restaurants and corporate foodservice, and eventually moved at Ohio State came up and I always said that the only other
back to Ohio, where she is from. “That is when I had the op- place I would ever work would be Ohio State.”
portunity to be the executive chef at the Mustard Seed again,” She had the opportunity to work with Ahmed again. “If I
she said. “They came to me and asked if I wanted to run one ever had a second mentor in life, it would be Zia,” said Holford.
of their new operations.” “He has taught me a lot. He is so thoughtful and so strategic
After three years there, she was looking for something and smart. He has a great team. He focuses on accountability
else. “The restaurant business can be grueling, especially for and trust. I’ve never worked anywhere where everyone is so
a mom,” she said. “A job came up at the University of Akron. forthright and honest with each other. It is fantastic.”
I thought it was time to get out of the restaurant industry and Her culinary philosophy fits in with that of Ohio State,
do something different and see what kind of influence I could which is working to attain a goal of 40 percent local/sustain-
have with college students. I think I was very interested in see- able purchasing by 2025. “My personal philosophy with food
ing what culinary skills I could take to the college platform.” is that it has to be clean and fresh,” she said. “I think that
At Akron, she interviewed with Zia Ahmed, who is now personally, I always try to put fresh in front, and focus on
the senior director of Dining Services at Ohio State. “I got bright vegetables and vegetable-based food and plant-based
foods, and I think that we are getting that more and more
here at Ohio State.”
She truly enjoys feeding and interacting with the students.
“It is awesome to hear their perspective, and that is why we
are here to provide for them,” said Holford. “That is our No.
1 purpose in Dining Services at Ohio State: to serve them
what it is they are looking for.”
She appreciates the feedback. “It is great that outside my
door, I have thousands of students. You don’t get that in a
restaurant. You don’t get to throw something out there and
see if it sticks and have the open-door policy that you have
with the students. I find them to be a tremendous resource. I
enjoy working with them. I enjoy their perspective and their
feedback.” —OCH

To see Chef Holford’s recipe for Curried Cauliflower
with Cashews, visit www.oncampushospitality.com.

8 | MAY 2017 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY