Facebook Intern Dishes Up Deliciousness

Facebook Intern: Stephen Owens
Ever wondered what it’s like behind the scenes at Facebook? JWU student Stephen Owens can tell you: he recently interned at the company's headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., and it expanded his perception of how good high-volume food can be.

Stephen’s Facebook adventure starts in the small town of Red House, West Virginia, not far from where he grew up. “I’d always loved to cook, but there weren’t a lot of opportunities at home — there's no food culture. So I took a job at the Buffalo Diner, which is nearby.”

The Buffalo Diner turned out to be an incredible match for Stephen. From the start, he and Chef Billy Desimone were on the same creative wavelength. “We began cooking more experimental, creative stuff on the weekends. I was working 16 hour days, but totally loving it,” he recalls.

From JWU to Facebook
One day Billy’s brother Joseph Desimone '02, a Charlotte alum who runs the kitchens at Facebook, came to visit. “He took me aside and said, ‘If you want to cook, you need to go to JWU.’”

“Charlotte was the right choice for me,” says Stephen, who praises the campus’ small size and great facilities. “I went from a small town with no culinary culture to an incredibly diverse one. It was eye-opening.”

While Stephen was working hard at school, he kept in touch with Billy, who reminded him that he had an open invitation at Facebook. That's how he found himself flying to California. “I got off the plane and went right to work!” he laughs. “The next morning I was helping the whole crew prep for a charity event. It was crazy!”

Behind the Scenes
Facebook’s kitchens serve a mind-boggling 4,600 meals during a single day. “To cook for more than 1000 people in 2.5 hours, you need to be efficient and quick, but you also need to take pride in the food and make it taste good,” Stephen points out. “Once I got acclimated, it was amazing!”

“On the line they were always showing me new and better ways of doing things,” he says. “And they were so positive about it: ‘That’s good, but what if you did it this way?’”

Even with menus changing every day, the food was never institutional. “I was amazed at the quality,” he says. “Chef Josef always says, ‘You get out what you put in.’ And his crew absolutely does.”

Around the World in a Single Meal
Facebook's ever-changing menus incorporate flavors from all over the world. Stephen loved the challenge of trying new techniques and flavor profiles.

At JWU, learning about global delicacies has been a big part of his education. “I learn about different cuisines in my Culinary Arts classes, and then I try them out in Charlotte,” he marvels. “I couldn’t do that at home.”

That experimentation may be why JWU students are in hot demand at Facebook. “Chef Josef would love to have more JWU interns — in fact, he prefers them!”