Sharon Coulson, Director

Sharon began working at the ASUCD Coffee House in 1983. At that time, the Coffee House was located in the east wing of the Memorial Union and had a staff of 75 student employees. Since then, as Food Service Director, Sharon has overseen the relocation and growth of the CoHo, and has been instrumental in creating the most popular retail dining operation on the UC Davis campus.

Sharon grew up in Placerville, California and attended Ponderosa High School in Shingle Springs. Family economics and tradition meant that her family sat down to a home-cooked meal every night, and Sharon happily helped her mother cook for the family of seven on a regular basis. A hobby emerged at an early age as Sharon developed a fondness for reading cookbooks, spending hours going through her grandmother's extensive collection of recipes. By 20 years old she produced a 75-page hand-written and bound cookbook of her favorite recipes as a wedding present for her oldest brother.

Before coming to the Coffee House, Sharon graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where she complemented her love of food with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics and Food Administration. After graduation, she worked for one year as the Food Service Manager for a convalescent hospital in Oxnard, California, where she learned a great deal about the basics of food service management; such as high-volume cooking, dish washing, menu writing, ordering, and day-to-day kitchen management.

From there, Sharon moved to Sacramento, where she worked as Food Service Manager at McGeorge School of Law. It was at McGeorge that Sharon developed her skills at high-end catering, as well as expanding her knowledge of the other aspects of college and university food service. After five years at McGeorge, Sharon was offered the Food Service Manager's job at the Associated Students of UC Davis, Coffee House, where she happily directs daily operations today.

In addition to working within the campus community, Sharon has been active in the National Association of College and University Food Service (NACUFS) for the past 25 years. NACUFS has over 600 colleges and universities as member schools. She served as regional publication officer for two terms, publications officer for the NACUFS board of directors for four years, and served a three-year term as the president of the association.

Darin Schluep, Out-Front Manager

Darin grew up in the town of El Dorado Hills, California and began attending UC Davis in the fall of 1995. In the fall of 1996, he was hired as a student employee in the kitchen of the Coffee House. Darin worked his way up the ranks, filling the role of employee for two quarters, student supervisor for two years, and student manager for one year. In the summer of 2000, Darin applied for, and was offered, the full-time position of food service manager. His role at the Coffee House includes day-to-day supervision, hiring, and scheduling of the out-front student staff, training development, marketing, and safety and sanitation.

As food service manager, Darin continued his college education on a part-time basis, completing his degree in 2005. He continues to develop his management skills by attending conferences and workshops through the National Association of College and University Food Services.

Ed Andrade, Facility Manager

Ed was born and raised in Woodland, California, where food was always a part of his life. His grandmother taught him how to cook at the age of nine, and his family started a retail food sales operation as well as a Mexican restaurant in 1970. This created a love of cooking that eventually led to Ed opening his own restaurant, styled after his parents' cooking techniques and unique menu. He owned his Woodland restaurant for nine years, and briefly opened another restaurant in Davis. After years of working in the private sector, Ed decided to sell his restaurants and look for opportunities in college and university food service.

In 2001, Ed brought his exceptional cooking skills and infectiously positive attitude to the Coffee House management team. As Facility manager, Ed is responsible for all equipment upkeep, inventory and ordering, as well as overall Coffee House maintenance. Ed currently lives in Woodland, where he enjoys Bar-B-Queuing with his friends and teaching the family cooking techniques to his children, Matt and Samantha.

Elisa Garcia, Kitchen Manager

Elisa grew up in Alameda, California, and began her college experience at UC Davis in Fall of 2003. During her second year she began her Coffee House career first as a kitchen employee and then Student Manager in Summer 2006. Elisa graduated in Spring 2007 with a double major in History and Communications.

Elisa's passion and dedication, as well as her wide knowledge of the interworking of the CoHo was obvious to all of her co-workers. In the Fall of 2007 Elisa was promoted to full-time Kitchen Manager. Her job duties include ensuring food quality, regulating kitchen sanitation, and making sure that all kitchens run efficiently. Along with these duties, Elisa is a mentor and friend to those working at the Coffee House and works to keep morale positive in the workplace. Her hard work and commitment to making the ASUCD Coffee House a success is evident just by observing the amazing food served on a daily basis and the enthusiasm of all the employees working at the CoHo.

Jose Velez, Production Manager

Jose was born and raised in Northern California. He grew up in Sacramento, spending a large amount of time in the kitchen as a child learning to cook by watching his mother prepare meals for the family. After high school, he was given an opportunity to cook at Chops Steakhouse in Sacramento, and excelled under the tutelage of his Chef and mentor, Shawn Menard. With no prior experience beyond home cooking, Jose became the lead line cook as a result of his hard work and determination to provide the best service possible. His time working in the restaurant allowed him the opportunity to gain a management position at the Sacramento Natural Foods Cooperative. In his time there, Jose gained knowledge of organic foods, sustainable farming, and alternative diets.  In September of 2010, Jose was hired as the new Kitchen Production Manager. In his short time at the Coffee House, Jose has shown an appreciation for the history and tradition upon which the business was built. As Production Manager, Jose ensures that the kitchens operate efficiently; food is readily available to our customers and also makes sure that all employees adhere to sanitation guidelines.  Jose also plans on attending UC Davis in 2011 to complete his degree in English.

Meet our Student Managers!

Kitchen

(Left to Right)  Marissa Ward, Austin Smith, Susie Houlden, Camille Magno

Out Front/Cashier

(Left to Right)  Danny Leung, Missy Whitney, Angelica Rom, Steve Phan