Athletic Director Bobby Williams wins Aramark guest chef challenge

Sam Houston State University administrators fired up their grills Monday night at Old Main Market in the second annual President’s Culinary Challenge, where each administrator created their own “culinary masterpiece”.

Over 600 student diners voted on their favorite dish, making Athletic Director Bobby Williams the winner with 27 percent of the votes with his beef flank satay.

Students deemed the event a success and raved over the quality of the food, as well as the general atmosphere of the event. The event also featured a DJ to play the latest music, which students said gave Old Main a more upbeat vibe.

Seth Wrights, a freshman Criminal Justice Major, said that he had a great time at the event.

“The food was absolutely wonderful,” Wrights said. “It was also really nice to see the administrators other than in passing or at events.”

Wrights’ comments about administrators seemed to be the shared attitude among students, as many of people commented on how much they appreciated being able to see “a more human side” to campus administrators.

Morgan McGee, a freshman Instruction Management and Architectural Design major, felt that seeing the administrators at the students’ level was a really good thing for the campus.

“They were really interacting with students,” McGee said. “I think it shows that they do care about us, and I think it’s really great that they’re so important but they still take the time to come down and serve us.”

Adena, a senior Criminal Justice major, was also glad to see the administrators serving the students, but for a different reasons.

“I work as a barista at the Starbuck’s in the library and I’m used to seeing a lot of these people as I serve them their coffee,” Adena said. “It’s a nice change to see them serving me tonight.”

The administrators and their dishes featured on Monday were President Dana Gibson with her Texas dream cake, Vice President of Academic Affairs Jamie Hebert with chicken pinwheels, Vice President of Finance and Operations Al Hooten with muffaletta sandwich, Vice President of University Advancement Frank Holmes with ceveche, Vice President for Enrollment Management Heather Thielemann with teriyaki salmon, Vice President of Student Services Frank Parker with pot stickers, Vice President for Information Technology Mark Adams with fish tacos and Williams with beef flank satay.