The Great Northern Wilderness
Thursday, October 18 and November 15, 2012
Lauren Kening, Nick Flechsig, Catrina Hill, Anthony Ramsaran, AJ Soerens
AJ Soerens
My name is AJ Soerens. I am 21 years old and born and raised in Illinois, however I do have a Wisconsin background. I am the youngest of my siblings and the only girl. I will be graduating in May 2013 with a degree is Hospitality Administration and a minor in Business Administration. I have worked in the food industry on and off for the past 6 years. I started in a pizza shop and learned the ropes of making all sorts of pizzas, pastas, salads, and some Italian desserts. From there, I worked and still work in stockroom as a trainer. This past summer I worked at a ballpark and cooked on 14ft outdoor grills. The best part of the experience of the outdoor cooking was hearing how delighted people were with the food almost immediately after serving them. We cooked food for over 2,000 people on some game days and only once ever ran out of food out of 52 outdoor events.
In the future, I hope to own my own bar. I have no real reason behind this passion besides my fascination about how almost every bar that I have been to is set up in its own unique way. I like the atmosphere and being around people. The environment fits my personality to a tee, and I can see my bar being successful and around for awhile! Like any entrepreneur I know there will be many different challenges that I will face, but I know in time, I will be able to accomplish my dream. Maybe not right out of school, but within a ten year period I plan on having a layout and a business plan.
Nick Fleshsig
Hi, my name is Nick Flechsig and I am a junior Nutrition and Dietetics student at Northern Illinois University. I am the executive chief of The Great Northern Wilderness restaurant. After I graduate, I plan on working towards getting my masters degree. I am excited to learn about the kitchen and what each positions has to offer. I look forward to serving you this semester at Ellington’s.
Lauren Kening
My name is Lauren Kening I am a Hospitality Administration Major and a Business Administration Minor here at NIU. I plan to graduate in May 2013. I am employed as a server at Molly’s Bar and Grill here in DeKalb. I have also interned at Walt Disney World Florida and for Professional Sports Catering at the Kane County Cougars Ballpark. After graduation I hope to find either a full time job or an intern to hire position with a company in the hospitality industry. I am hoping to work as an event planner or a front desk manager at a hotel.
Anthony Ramsaran
My name is Anthony Ramsaran. I am 22 years old and live in Oak Lawn, Illinois. I was born in Toronto, Canada. I will be graduating in the fall of 2013 with a degree in Hospitality Administration. I have worked in the food industry for the past five years. I worked at The Patio, PGN, Lincoln Dining, and Neptune Dining. At Lincoln Dining I was a student manager for two years. I did everything from prepping food, cooking, and cleaning to administrative tasks such as: hiring, terminating, payroll, and setting up meetings.
After graduation I would like to open up my own used car dealership. I have worked for Chevy for the past two years working my way up the ranks and have good knowledge of the car business. After running a successful used car dealership I would like to open a tropical themed bar with a large outdoor patio. I really want it to be tropical themed because I am from the Caribbean and I love it when I visit there that I can’t wait to go back.
Catrina Hill
My name is Catrina Hill and I am a Nutrition and Dietetics student at Northern Illinois University. I grew up in Union, Illinois but currently live in DeKalb while I work on my degree. After college, my goal is to become a Registered Dietitian in the field of pediatrics. Over the summer, I enjoyed working with children at Zion Lutheran School and Church helping with their community garden, teaching healthy cooking classes, and participating in their Summer Feeding Program. In my free time, I love to spend time outdoors backpacking, hiking, tent camping, fishing, and canoeing in the north woods.