Bloch Cafe Manager Katie McKurdy
Who is someone you admire and why ?
My mom. I know it’s a cliché’ choice, but she has worked hard her entire life and yet she never stops setting new goals for herself. Instead of retirement, she is working to earn her masters and, possibly, a doctorate degree. She is positive, beautiful and really just everything I aspire to be as I grow and define myself and my role in this world.
Describe your typical work day:
I arrive around 6 a.m. and go through all the opening tasks, including brewing coffee and setting up the serving line. We open for the masses at 7 a.m. to begin serving breakfast. After breakfast, we start setting up for lunch. If time allows, our café team will sit down for a family meal between the two services. I've always felt like that was a practice that really helps bring a team together. During lunch service, I will either be working the serving line with my assistant sous chefs, putting in to-go orders, scheduling, adjusting menus or handling other administrative tasks to keep the cafe moving along.
What makes the Bloch Café special ?
So many things! First, we make good food from scratch as often as possible. We customize menu items for specialty diets, and try to keep plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options available. We also provide a personal interaction through every step of your dining experience. Someone takes your order and typically asks you how you are that day, we interact with customers about their days, talk about food, life, and we hand deliver your order to you at your table or at the end of the counter. Chauncey and Ted bring the jokes, Anastasia is known as the kind heart, and Sam and I get mistaken for the same person a lot. But regardless we learn a lot about our customers. Some of the patients that come in on a regular basis will stop by to give us hugs before they leave. It means a lot to know they appreciated us helping them throughout their journey here. It’s a special place where we get to touch so many people.
