Iron chefs of Oregon
Trio of UO culinary artists share creativity, passion for cooking and years dedicated to outstanding cuisine
The caliber, variety and vitality of the University of Oregon’s dining and catering options are all top-notch, and the secret sauce has many ingredients.
Dishes are made from scratch using fresh, local foods. Staff members painstakingly plan for consistent execution every day. Leadership, resources and high standards also add to the mix.
This recipe for success won’t work without a passion for cooking. UO chefs love food — learning about it, making it and serving it.
By welcoming creativity, fostering independence and embracing change, the UO has managed to recruit and retain crackerjack cooks who could work (and have worked) at stellar restaurants. Lucky for the university, they choose to work here.
Here’s a look at three chefs cooking and creating across the Eugene campus.
William Mullins
Associate director of dining services
Education and Training
Culinary Institute of America, NY
What makes UO Dining so great?
Teamwork. Regardless of the recipe, it all comes down to the people cutting, chopping, cooking and serving. We always push each other to do better.
Go-to comfort food
Pot roast and mashed potatoes
What do you do when you’re not cooking?
Hunt, fish, crab, clam and forage for mushrooms
Pro tip
Heat half-and-half, cream and butter before adding it to mashed potatoes (If they’re cold, you’ll “lock up” your spuds).
Visiting Tamarind at Unthank Hall is like dining at a fine Indian restaurant: Smoky, creamy chicken masala and spicy curries; hot, handmade naan flatbread lightly brushed with ghee; steaming Jerra rice with cumin.
Dahls, marinades, raitas and chutneys are all made by hand. UO cooks toast, grind and mix more than 20 different spices to create a diverse palette of flavors.
Mullins spent two years developing the Tamarind concept, which was inspired by the Indian food he enjoyed as a child growing up in Northern California.
His hometown of Yuba City boasts the largest Sikh population in the U.S. For Mullins, dinner at home was Salisbury steak or chicken pot pie. But visiting friends meant north Indian dishes.
“I was always game to try something new,” Mullins said. “I fell in love with Indian food — the textures, aromas and everything about it. I have fond memories of playing at my friends’ houses, eating curry and rice around the family table.”
Many Tamarind dishes are based on recipes from Mullins’ childhood buddies and their families. But scaling recipes for 10 servings into recipes for 500 was a feat.
Another challenge: Consistently sourcing Kashmiri peppers for Rogan Josh and finding a steady supply of asafoetida, a potent, pungent spice that’s essential for Indian cuisine.
Mullins got interested in cooking at a young age picking corn and watermelon on his grandparents’ farm, helping his mom create wedding cakes (a side business) and watching “The Galloping Gourmet,” Julia Child and Jacques Pepin on PBS.
At age 14, he landed a job at Mr. Steak putting baked potatoes on a plate with sour cream, bacon and chives. He’s worked with food ever since. In 2005, Mullins enrolled in what was then the Culinary Institute of America’s flagship school.
Mullins lived in New York to learn the art and science of cooking while his wife and kids stayed in Oregon. Every two weeks, he’d fly the red eye home to be with his family.
He’s not sure he’d make the same choices now, but he’s glad he made the sacrifice to attend a top school.
“As corny as it sounds, I love what I do,” Mullins said. “For nearly 34 years, every day I’m enthusiastic about work. I grew up watching my mom doing what she had to do for her kids. She always told me to find something you love and, if you’re going to do it, then do it right.”
Through his food, Mullins said, he takes her advice to heart each day.
Terra Stock
Assistant director of dining services for culinary operations
Education and Training
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Portland, Oregon
What do you love about your job?
Bringing new ideas to life.
Anything new in the works?
Students have asked for gluten-free soups, so I’ve been exploring with roasted cauliflower and garlic. Also new sandwiches and a wild rice and blueberry salad.
What’s the secret to an excellent dining program?
Instead of creating obstacles, we say “Why not?”
Crust consultation
You can’t rush pie dough. All your ingredients must be cold, and you must be patient.
Slices from Hearth & Soul come hot with melting cheese and zesty sauce. However, this campus pizzeria is different by design.
Flames dance in the open oven where rectangles of pizza al taglio are baked, then cut with scissors. Your square slice can be carried in a pouch, like fair food.
Thicker than New York style, but definitely not Chicago deep dish, Stock’s signature pizza crust is special. Simultaneously chewy and crunchy, the six-cheese pizza is a delicious, unusual slice.
UO chefs are constantly experimenting with new variations, like Yukon potato with mushrooms.
When Stock started the yearlong effort to develop Hearth & Soul, the team’s goal was to create something unique. After all, pizza is everywhere in a university town.
Stock tested at least 20 different dough recipes before settling on a technique using Italian 00 pizza flour and a biga, a fermentation akin to sourdough. The whole process takes five days.
You start with four clean, simple ingredients and let nature do the rest, Stock said. However, one simple mistake could mean you lose a day’s worth of pizza dough.
“Baking is science, and science is cool,” Stock said. “When you get it right, it’s like — chef’s kiss! Mess it up and it’s not at all what you intended to create.”
Prior to her current role running the central kitchen on the Eugene campus, Stock led a transformation of UO Dining as a pastry chef. She expanded the team, added more scratch baking and elevated baked goods across the campus.
Stock’s decision to pursue a culinary career came from an epiphany inspired by catastrophe.
After high school she worked at Home Depot, starting as a cashier and working her way up. Stock gained a reputation for the heavenly cupcakes she brought to work for birthdays or to help fundraise for co-workers facing medical bills.
She loved transforming simple ingredients into something beautiful and delicious. For Stock, the best part of baking is watching people enjoy her creations.
But it wasn’t until after her car was struck by a drunk driver that Stock considered a culinary career. Over months of recovery, she reflected on her life and researched options for training and education.
As a 26-year-old homeowner with a family and a promising career, she was standing at a crossroads. Then she took a sharp turn toward her passion and never looked back.
“I almost died,” Stock said. “You may as well go down the path you want to be on versus doing what’s safe.”
Dan Irvin
Catering chef
Culinary training
Johnson & Wales University
What do you want people to know about UO Dining?
We make so much from scratch, create our own recipes and buy local ingredients.
Go-to comfort food
Braised short ribs — so much love goes into braising a tough cut of meat for hours and transforming it into a delicacy.
Most elaborate catering event
For a wedding on campus, I researched and tested many Haitian dishes for my clients. If I’m not familiar with something, I’ll dive in to understand the culture, ingredients and techniques.
Let’s talk turkey: any advice?
Go to pieces! Forget the whole roasted turkey and deconstruct that bird. Spatchcock, cook the parts separately and go bold.
Crispy, crunchy, juicy, tangy — the Nashville style hot chicken sandwich at Drake’s Deli consistently earns top marks on the Eugene campus. Irvin spent a year developing the flagship sandwich inspired by celebrity chef Sean Brock.
Oregon chicken brined in buttermilk and pickle juice is hand-breaded twice then cooked to order with pickles and a zippy sauce on a fresh bun from Portland’s Grand Central Bakery.
During his tenure with UO Dining, Irvin also spearheaded the renovation of Carson Dining and the Fresh Market in Global Scholars Hall. All-day breakfast and upscale comfort food at Hammy’s Diner are also Irvin’s brainchildren.
“I love creating,” Irvin said. “We have the freedom to create our own food and focus on the quality. This passion for food shows through the flavors. I love putting art on a plate.”
Irvin’s zeal for cooking was sparked at an early age while helping his dad with barbecues for community events and fundraisers. As a ranger for the Modoc National Forest, Irvin’s father worked with ranchers, farmers and sheepherders throughout the northeast corner of California.
By his first year of high school, Irvin had a clear picture of his future. He loved painting and drawing, but his calling was the culinary arts.
At age 15, he volunteered at a restaurant owned by a family friend. After a couple of months, they hired him and he worked his way up the ranks, taking on more responsibilities in the kitchen.
During his senior year, Irvin entered a contest sponsored by the culinary school at Johnson & Wales University. A family that reared sheep and was friends with Irvin’s father donated lamb so he could test ideas and develop his recipe.
Irvin was among the top ten of 500 applicants chosen to fly to Providence, Rhode Island, and prepare his menu: leg of lamb with rice pilaf and vegetable medley. He won a four-year scholarship.
After culinary school, he worked at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans under celebrity chef Jonathan Wright.
“That was the lightbulb moment for me,” Irvin said. “I learned what food could be, how I could take it to a whole new level and combine my artistic skills with my culinary knowledge.”
In 2005, Irvin came to Oregon for a friend’s wedding. Hurricane Katrina hit the day he was scheduled to fly back. So he stuck around and eventually Oregon became home. He was destined to be a Duck chef.
