By Katie Jannotta
Staff Writer
Everyone on Sewanee’s campus knows Chef Rick Wright, the man behind the thoughtful menus and nutritional tips that pop up in Sewanee email each day. Students and faculty are also amazed by the inventive, wholesome, and tasty meal choices he provides in McClurg regularly.
However, did you know that Chef Rick’s position at Sewanee has changed? Don’t worry, you will still see your gluten free, vegan, and chicken-fried tofu, but he now carries a dual role as an executive chef and the interim director of Sewanee Dining. In this new role, Chef Rick believes that he will have a lot more flexibility in executing new ideas for McClurg. Chef Rick’s new role in Sewanee Dining doubles the amount of employees he works with, totaling about 110. After building his staff for six years, Chef Rick says “I have a great team, and it takes a team to run such a good program.” In his new position, Chef Rick finds training, educating, and lifting up his staff even more important for retaining high quality team members who have grown into great resources.
Another member of the team, Director of Sewanee Businesses Rich Berlin, says in deciding on Rick’s position he asked himself “What is the one consistent thing that I have?” Berlin identifies that Wright is “very engaging and personable, and has all of the elements that students appreciate.” Berlin hopes that Chef Rick enjoys the new position and that it will become permanent. Rich expressed having great confidence in Chef Rick and his ability to manage the position well. Chef Rick noted that as part of his new position, he looks forward to seeing “an innovative diverse food program” and hopes to see students more involved to “take control” of their dining experience.