Silvano Espinoza has been a part of the Pepperdine dining staff for 38 years, working his way up from dishwasher to head chef.
Espinoza has stayed so long because he loves what he does. He loves creating and cooking more than anything and the only thing he said he might love more is being back in Guadalajara on his family’s farm with all of the cows and chickens.
“I like my job,” Espinoza said. “(My role is) first in the kitchen, I love to be in the kitchen.”
He comes in at 5:30 every morning and said the hardest part is standing for so long. His knees sometimes can’t take it.
Espinoza is just one of the many dedicated and hard-working faces behind the Waves Cafe. Staff members care deeply for each other and the students but the students they serve often overlook and under appreciate them, General Manager Randy Penwell and Operations Director Elizabeth Nepute said. The Waves Cafe employees impact student life in a way no other organization on campus does.
“I can’t say enough good things about them,” said Isabel Klein, a junior theatre and media production major. “(They are) generous, fun, good at their job. They keep Pepperdine running and they are striving for healthy options and striving to meet everyone’s needs.”
Underappreciated care givers
Pepperdine is known for having students who are overcommitted and rush through their day. Klein said this leads to students overlooking some of the most crucial individuals who impact their day-to-day lives. The people who provide the main source of nourishment for everyone on campus receive little to no recognition for the countless hours they put in and for the remarkable people they are.
“It’s the main source of food on campus and there are two people running the grill,” Klein said. “That’s insane. They are so underappreciated because their job is huge. I just get so angry when people don’t respect them.”
Kyle Krutenat, a junior business administration major, is one of many who overlook the impact the Caf employees have on the Pepperdine community.
“I’d say they have been alright,” Krutenat said. “They are kind of dull to be honest, I’m neutral.”
Mckenna Olson, a junior psychology major, said she she does tend to overlook the work that they do. But upon further thought, she acknowledged the impact the Waves Cafe employees have on her day.
“Honestly, when I am in the Caf, they are such a big part of my day,” Olson said. “… They definitely add a special something to my meal time.”
Ozzie Amadi, junior business administration major, spends a lot of time socializing in the Caf. His favorite time is when there isn’t a lot of people in the Caf or in line for food. When the guys at the grill don’t have a bunch of people backed up or the check-out is pretty empty, the personalities of Caf workers are able to shine through even more.
“They are always cracking jokes or asking me about my day,” Amadi said. “When I give it back to them they love it. It seems like they are always touched when they feel like they’re connecting with the students.”
The Waves Cafe staff’s No. 1 goal is supporting the students and doing what they can to make their busy lives a little easier, Waves Cafe Supervisor Jeff Rapp said. Through this service the employees have grown to care for the students deeply.
“One of the coolest things is watching the students grow up, they start as first year students and go onto graduate,” Rapp said. “Every year you get a new batch, and during New Student Orientation I tell the parents, if they’re not eating right, I’ll give you a call.”
Staff go the extra mile
Klein said she feels deeply impacted by the Waves Cafe employees and recognizes them for the people they are and the work they do. She has taken the time to really bond with many of the employees.
“There are so many nice things,” Klein said. “When they used to have fish, Will (Bell) would save a nice piece for me. Sometimes I just say make me whatever and they make me what they had and it’s always delicious. They also ask me how theater is going and they remember who I am.”
The employees said they are motivated to serve the students.
“The students, the view, just coming here makes me happy,” Waves Cafe employee Aurora Romero said.
Romero is originally from Mexico and has worked for Pepperdine for almost four years.
“Even if sometimes I don’t feel good, like, physically, when I’m here I just think when I was younger I wish I could have the same service,” Romero said.
The employees see their work as so much more than just a job. Romero said they see everything they do as something that impacts the students and they want to ensure that they can be there for the student body in the best way.
The attitude they have impacts the students just as much as the food they are providing.
“Doing the best that you can do and always keeping my mind positive,” Romero said. “That energy you can transmit to the students. I don’t see it as just a job, it’s something I really like to do.”
With thousands of students coming through, the chefs must also accommodate several student’s eating restrictions.
“The people behind the line cooking are always willing to try new things,” Ryan Abulon, retail manager for Pepperdine Dining Services, said. “They help everyone with dining restrictions, help people make one part of their day easier, and give students that one part of happiness and enjoyment in their day.”
Their work is so much more than providing food
When they come into work, these employees aren’t allowed to have a bad day.
“The one thing that Randy Penwell has always emphasized is achieving perfection,” Rapp said. “The idea of perfection is a lot of work. It’s a lot of repetition, and you’ve got to be congenial. You’ve got to be able to operate with a level head in general, with employees and customers, always handling yourself in a professional manner.”
Fidel Aquila has worked for the Waves Cafe for 35 years, now working the register. He keeps coming back because it feels like home.
“The place is unique, the people are very friendly, and I’ve met a lot of people from around the world,” Aquila said. “I feel like I come home to a family here, after so many years.”
Their passions outside of the kitchen
Although the only side students see is the effort they put into feeding the entire campus, these employees are individuals with lives and interests outside of the kitchen. Abulon and the two employees running the grill, Devin Kennedy and Will Bell, all collect sneakers. They bond over that and whether or not their football team is winning that night.
Rapp loves supervising the Waves Cafe employees but said if he wasn’t working he would be sailing through Indonesia as a tour captain.
“All these shirts you see me wear are batiques,” Rapp said. “I’ve gone to Bali and surfed there for like a month.”
Whether it be in the kitchen or or any other workplace, Romero said she feels called to help others.
“I would want to be a nurse, always trying to help others,” Romero said.
Their hard work has led to an incredible community amongst the employees.
“Typically the turnover in food service is so high,” Rapp said, “but I have people that have been here for over 30 years, the longevity of some of them is what is so special.”
The Waves Cafe employees provide such a crucial service to the Pepperdine community and they work hard each day to improve the lives of the students.
“At one point or another everyone will go through the Caf,” Klein said. “It is crucial to Pepperdine life and they do an amazing job with what they have. If the Caf shuts down, we all shut down.”
Audrey Riedel completed the reporting for this story under the supervision of Dr. Christina Littlefield and Dr. Theresa de los Santos in Jour 241 in fall 2017. Dr. Littlefield supervised the writing of the web story.
