Omelets with a Side of Smiles
STORY By sam murphy
At 5 am, the average person is in bed, fast asleep and has been for hours. But Cheryl Elmendorf is anything but the average person; she has already been up for a couple of hours, prepping for the hundreds of students she fuels every day.
As we set up for the interview in the Cabaret on a rainy Thursday morning, the mood was dim until Cheryl walked into the room. She greeted everyone with a hug and a welcoming smile, completely changing the atmosphere of the room as if the sky cleared up and the sun was now shining down on us.
I must admit, I don’t frequent the main dining hall, so this was my first time meeting Cheryl. But before I could even ask her a question, I knew why she’s considered a campus celebrity.
“She’s always super positive and gives a great boost of energy in the morning,” Chris Erickson ‘22 explained. “She brightens my day and makes me a more positive person.”
Cheryl joined the Marist community in 2016. Her husband, a groundsman at Marist for 41 years, introduced her to the campus.
“I was hired on the spot, and I’ve been grateful ever since,” said Cheryl.
From the time she arrives to the time she heads home, Cheryl has this energy about her that is infectious.
In her sixth year at Marist, Cheryl finally found her spot: the omelet station.
“I started out actually at the deli, then I worked my way up to pasta, then pizza, now I’m at the omelet station,” said Cheryl.
In one morning, Cheryl confidently says she sees at least 180 students and goes through three cases of 15 dozen eggs – that’s 540 cracks. She says bacon, cheese and spinach are the most common ingredients, but she also has all kinds of veggies and meats for students to try. She’s even started innovating beyond omelets: “I’ve introduced some wraps so they can have a breakfast burrito in the morning. I always tell the kids, I don’t want you getting bored with me too early.”
While the omelet station has always been a popular spot in the dining hall, students now flock there for more than a yummy breakfast. With every omelet, a student gets a hello, a smile and encouragement for the rest of their day. Cheryl is always whipping up more than just breakfast.
“I love the service I’m providing to them,” said Cheryl. “Seeing them walk away happy with a smile and just grateful that they’re able to properly get a meal so early in the morning, it really makes my day.”
Even though Cheryl sees more faces in a morning than she can remember, she still tries to leave an impact on all the students that come her way.
“My greatest joy is really the job of service, being able to take care of each and every student, whether it’s individually or collectively,” says Cheryl.
When a student is stressed out with school, injured from sports or just tired, Cheryl sees them. So often, students walk briskly through a college campus and never look beyond the surface of the person they see in passing. However, Cheryl takes the time to recognize every student's triumphs and struggles: she's a true people person.
Last Christmas, Cheryl made care packages for students containing soaps, Q-tips, toothpaste and other essentials that a college student would quickly run out of. Why would she do that? Not because she felt she had to, and definitely not because she was told to. She wanted to show her genuine appreciation for what all the students do for her.
“They do so much for me. That’s why I wanted to give back just a little appreciation.”
When Cheryl says she appreciates everything the students do for her, she means it wholeheartedly. She shared how the students keep her energy up, remind her to drink water during her shift and are even helping her accept the recognition for the extraordinary work she does.
“I’m not one to brag on myself; I’m behind the scenes,” said Cheryl. “They’re helping me accept that I’m worthy of some things.”
Illustration by Madison Lisowski
When Cheryl gets home 12 hours after she wakes up, she only gives herself about one hour to relax before she goes to pick up her four-year-old grandson, and the energy picks back up again.
Cheryl hopes to move up into a senior cook position in the Marist dining hall before she plans to retire in about five years. But even once retired, she won’t stop giving. In retirement, Cheryl wants to run a small daycare for working parents during the 12 to 8 shift, one of the toughest times to find a sitter for, which she knows all too well.
Cheryl’s other idea is to open her own little restaurant, “Just Omelets.”
“I would love to set out on my own business, just a small shop, ‘Just Omelets’ and a free smile to go with it,” she says.
So, what is the secret? What makes Cheryl’s omelet station the go to spot on campus?
“I know that every day she’s there, I’m going to start with a good day,” said Logan Farmer ‘22.
“When we walk up to her, she says hello and gives us nicknames; it’s the highlight of the morning,” said Liam Cusack ‘23.
“You can get anything you want on it and it’ll make your morning,” said Henry Bishop ‘25.
Now for the most important question, does Cheryl eat omelets?
“I don’t,” she reveals. “But I will be honest, I made myself a little broccoli and cheese omelet on Monday; it was rather delicious!”
Although she doesn’t frequently eat her own omelets, she is always accepting student feedback on her cooking. Every day, she arrives at work and tries to be more creative, happy and driven than the day before. It seems that Cheryl has found the secret ingredient to life and omelets.
According to Cheryl herself, this secret ingredient is “lots and lots of love.”
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography by Archie Coueslant