Log Lunch: Behind the Scenes with the Log Lunch Cooks

Brittany Chung ’18 and Elowyn Pfieffer ‘18

Running Log Lunch this past year was fun, chaotic, and exciting, in all the most wonderful ways. Every Friday morning brought its own set of surprises and excitement, as we always set ambitious goals for our crew. Waking up early every Friday, knowing there was a large task ahead was always a bit nerve-wracking. But leaving the Log, after having watched about 125 community members enjoy the food that we planned and cooked, was one of the most heartwarming, satisfying feelings in the world.

What has been the most surprising has been the sense of solace and community we’ve found through Log Lunch this year.  For 8 hours every Friday morning, we got to forget about everything else and engage in wonderful conversations with great people while chopping an enormous amount of vegetables.  Looking back, our time in the kitchen has helped ground everything during what proved to be a crazy busy senior year for both of us.  Every Friday we were reminded that things will work out even in stressful moments and that with a supportive loving community all working hard to cook the lunch, we could not fail. We can’t sing enough praises about the Log Lunch student workers,  who we believe to be some of the kindest and most enthusiastic people we’ve met at Williams.  We can’t thank them enough for their dedication, patience, and creativity.  Cooking for 100+ people is not an easy job.  Yet, every single member of the crew was able to do it every week with energetic enthusiasm.  Having made a conscious effort to hire a range of class years and backgrounds, we were pleased to have a strong, close-knit staff community. 

In addition, we would like to recognize all of the Dining Services Staff for helping us out this year.  So many people worked to make our transition from cooking at The Log to our temporary use of Paresky kitchen as smooth as possible.  Our transition was flawless and we are so grateful to everyone involved.  In addition, working next to the Paresky staff every Friday has been a humbling experience for all of us.  There were many times we would glance over and realize that a member of the Dining Services Staff had fully devoted their attention to rolling out the bread we were making, or layering some elaborate dessert we had planned.  We want to thank them for helping us, and also for feeding the entire student body, every single day!

Lastly, we want to thank everyone who came to Log Lunch this year. As we graduate, we hope that Log Lunch will continue to reach more people on campus and be a community space that is enjoyed by all Williams community members.  From the connections we’ve forged in the kitchen, to the relationships we’ve built with farmers, we know that Log Lunch is a place where strong relationships are made among people who are passionate, caring, and kind.  Elowyn recently had the opportunity to meet someone involved with Log Lunch when it was just starting up in the 1970s.  It is great to realize that the community around Log Lunch is not only limited to the group we see on Fridays but also spans across almost 50 years!