Mr. Andy Welle is the manager of the Hill House dining hall and the Tuck Shop.
For many years, Choate’s dining hall, Tuck Shop, and Lanphier Cafe have operated under SAGE Dining Services. While the dishes may seem to appear miraculously at meal times, staff members work diligently behind the scenes to prepare them for the community.
Here, three SAGE staff members share their experiences of working behind Choate’s servery.
Mr. Richard DeMartino
Mr. Richard DeMartino works both in the Hill House dining hall and at the Kohler Environmental Center (KEC). He follows a similar routine every day, coming into the kitchen in the morning to prepare meals for the next day. His shift usually begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at around 7:00 p.m..
On days when he finishes all his assigned work ahead of time, he is able to catch a break and have some downtime, which is something he likes about his flexible schedule.
“I like that I can sleep in in the morning, and not have to come in real early,” he said. “When I go home at night, I still have time to do stuff — spend time with my wife.”
For Mr. DeMartino, his favorite time of day is nighttime because it’s “less hectic” and “much quieter.”
Mr. Andy Welle
Mr. Andy Welle is the manager in charge of the services in the Hill House dining hall and the Tuck Shop.
He began working for SAGE in 2017 and is approaching his sixth year working at Choate.
Each morning, Mr. Welle checks in with the staff, making sure they are all wearing the proper uniform and are prepared to carry out their tasks accordingly. In addition, he ensures that all the food lines are organized and ready to be served, often jumping in to help out when lines of hungry students get long.
On some days, his shift goes from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but on other days, it goes from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.. Which shift he gets depends on which days of the week he comes in and which meal he is in charge of overseeing.
Since most days are equally busy, Mr. Welle does not have a favorite day of the week. However, on Sundays, which are a bit more relaxed, he enjoys catching up with some of the staff and describes the SAGE camaraderie as “friendly.”
On special occasions, he is also responsible for decorating the dining hall to accommodate holidays and traditions, such as the Mardi Gras celebration.
Mr. Welle noted that if students ever have ideas for new recipes to try or any suggestions on how to improve the Choate dining experience, they should feel free to reach out to him.
Ms. Anita Patel
Ms. Anita Patel works in the Hill House dining hall and is approaching her 20th year working for SAGE. “I love SAGE,” she said. “I love this school, too.”
Ms. Patel works on the morning crew and has to arrive on campus at 6:00 a.m. to prepare for the breakfast rush. Her primary responsibility is to take care of the dishes during breakfast and lunch.
Her favorite part of the job, Ms. Patel pointed out without hesitation, is the flexible schedule. She takes Wednesdays and Thursdays off, but if she cannot come in on one of the other days, there is always somebody else who can substitute for her, and vice versa.
While weekdays can get very busy, Ms. Patel loves working during Sunday brunch time, when she helps out at the omelet and waffle stations.
Ms. Patel and her fellow coworker, Mr. Felix Rayas, have an ongoing tradition where they make each other an omelet and waffle after the brunch rush ends. The camaraderie of the staff extends beyond their working hours, making their job more of an joy than a chore.
