Chef Jason Reynolds has been cooking for faculty and students through Ball State Dining for 17 years. Chef Jason and his wife Lynna have been in the catering business for 15 years. They've won Best of Beverage for three years at the Taste of Muncie, and this year they won Best Side Dish, Best Beverage and Best of Overall.
Jason Reynolds has been a chef at Ball State for 17 years. At age 24, he worked at LaFollette. Then when the Atrium at the Art and Journalism building opened in 2001, he changed his working venue.
Chef Jason's wife Lynna calls him during work to talk about the catering business the two run. They've been in the catering business for 15 years. They mostly cater for weddings but are open to anything. They've won Best of Beverage for three years at the Taste of Muncie, and this year they've won Best Side Dish, Best Beverage and Best of Overall.
Debbie Bradburn, right, also helps Chef Jason in the kitchen. Bradburn has worked with Chef Jason for four years. She believes he's very positive and likes to teach. "I can tell he interacts well with the students and staff. They all seem to like him really well, " Bradburn said.
Every time there's poultry or meat, Chef Jason puts it into the cool blast after it's been baked in the oven. He checks the air temperature to document in his records.
Every Monday and Thursday, Chef Jason makes a nice entree such as stir fry noodles with green beans and steak. He never makes the same thing twice; he likes to create a variety of food for the students.
In the morning of April 25, it was "nice entree" day for Chef Jason. He created stir fry noodles with carrots, green beans and steak.
Chef Jason has service helpers such as Lydia Egan, a family and consumer science major. Egan has worked with him for about three weeks. "He's really friendly, and I have learned a lot in the past couple of weeks," Egan said. She enjoys the mac and cheese he makes on Fridays.
Chef Jason works at the Chef's Station 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. He's been in the cooking business for 20 years. This was what he's wanted to do since he was a kid.
Once the food has been prepped, Chef Jason goes to his office and types out the menu of the day for his Chef's Special meal.
For every Chef's Special, Chef Jason makes a dish to put out for display for students to see before they order. He always posts his pictures up on his Facebook page called "Fans of Chef Jason Reynolds."
Chef Jason creates a plate with its own side, such as vegetables or garnish. He calls it "flavor profiling." "You're not eating one item at a time, you're eating everything together," he said. "The flavors flow together, and you have a flavor explosion in your mouth." Shown above is a soy-glazed flank steak. It's served with Asian noodles with pea pods and carrots poured with teriyaki glaze.
Chef Jason talks to his students; he loves camaraderie. He tries to remember everyone's name and get to know the students.
Chef Jason enjoys talking to the students. Instead of standing around, he likes to interact with the students and, if they ask him to, educate them with what is in the food. "It's awesome, it's nice to see that they want to expand their taste of food," he said. Debbie Bradburn hands junior architecture major Hasaan Allen a Chef's Special meal of the day.
DN PHOTOS STEPHANIE AMADOR
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