Beyond Food: Ms. Jakkey's Plan to Redefine Delicious and Accessible Gluten-Free FoodBy: Rosabella Mvemba
When I first started college, one of my main worries was not having home-cooked meals, especially a balanced diet, because I knew my hectic schedule would make it difficult to find healthy food alternatives. And my worry intensified when I noticed that the dining halls served more fried food than healthy veggies and fruits. So I began to explore different stations at the dining hall and came across the gluten-friendly section, where I met Ms. Jakkey.
Jacqueline Robertson lived in northwest DC with her grandmother, who had her stay in the kitchen and watch her cook. "I had only ever prepared cakes in a toy oven," Ms. Jakkey explained, so when her grandma started teaching her, she exclaimed, "Finally!" Her grandma had an apple, peach, and grape tree from which she made jelly since she made everything from scratch. As Ms. Jakkey grew up, she realized that others close to her had food allergies that stopped them from consuming candy. So, with inspiration from her grandmother, Ms. Jakkey developed handmade sweets for her friend Tashima, who had an intestinal illness, so that they, too, could enjoy wonderful cuisine while being healthy. Before coming to UMD, Ms. Jakkey worked at Easton Senior High School as an attendance counselor, where she gained a love for working with students. Because of her warm energy, students would come to Jakkey with advice or encouragement. "Aunt Jakkey is what they called me," Ms. Jakkey said, and they would seek advice on relationships and family issues, which motivated students to graduate. “Come sit down and talk to me about it.” ‘You can help without being a solution." is just a few phrases of encouragement she'd tell her students.
Her journey at UMD involved working at the North Campus Dining Hall in the Ellicott Community, where in May 2021 she met Paul, the manager of the Yahentamitsi Dining Hall (the Y for short) in the Heritage community at UMD. She told Paul that she wanted to cook at the Y, and so he told her to come in for an interview and gave her a couple of hours before the school closed to come in and cook. Paul told Ms. Jakkey not only that she could cook, but she puts a lot of love into her food and was given a position at
Ms. Jakkey began as a C1 chef (server) at the gluten-friendly section in the Yahentamitsi dining hall, where I met her. Usually, C1 chefs are servers and just provide students with food, but Ms. Jakkey knew she had more to offer, so she asked to cook and was regularly recognized for her hard work, tasty food, and warm welcomes to students, faculty, and guests. This hard work led Ms. Jakkey to earn Employee of the Month in April 2023, and she was promoted to different sections at the Y to cook. This recognition didn't stop, as at the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester, Ms. Jakkey was asked to work at Purple Zone at the 251 Dining Hall, and she accepted the position.
The Purple Zone, "not to be confused with the gluten-friendly section at the Y where we could cook shellfish and salmon, 251 is gluten-free period, and we can’t cook shellfish." Ms. Jakkey emphasized that, located in the Denton Community, the food does not contain dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, sesame, soy, fish, shellfish, or gluten, the eight most common allergens.
This means that any outside clothes or food cannot come into contact with the food in the Purple Zone because the allergens can easily contaminate the gluten-free food. So when entering the Purple Zone, wait for a chef to greet you or ask if no chefs are on site, and they will serve you the food of your choice.
As a result, my interview with Ms. Jakkey had to take place outside the Purple Zone, and when Ms. Jakkey exited the zone, she had to change her outfit to protect the food and students with gluten allergies.
Don't let this stop you from trying the food at the Purple Zone because, just as every section of the dining hall offers, if you have concerns or want to know what is in a dish, ask the server, and they will ask the chef to provide you with the ingredient list.
One thing I appreciate about the Purple Zone is that although the section is small, it has fruits, vegetables, protein, and more, which encourages me to try different things and include vegetables. Also, the food is seasoned, so when I do eat vegetables, it doesn't taste bland and pairs well with the other dishes.
And if you don't know what to get, there's a presentation plate that shows you one example of how to pair the different food options.
But the section doesn't stop there, the Purple Zone also offers gluten students a fridge full of gluten-free food to try.
On the left side of the fridge is a microwave, where students may warm their food and consume it at the Purple Zone table outside the Purple Zone. The extra steps and attention of the gluten-free staff are incredibly thoughtful, yet they sometimes go unrecognized since few students visit the gluten area or have gluten sensitivity. And, while I am not sensitive to gluten, eating at the section taught me how important the allergy is, and the stereotype that gluten food is uninteresting is not accurate, thanks to the Purple Zone team and Ms. Jakkey going above and beyond to change and make gluten cuisine delightful.
Ms. Jakkey would like to thank Paul, one of the managers of the Yahentamitsi dining hall, for allowing her to cook. As well as Jason, Associate Director of Resident Dining, and Chef John, Senior Executive Chef, who described Ms. Jakkey as a "rising star" during my interview. And everyone else who recognized her talent offered her the chance to pursue her passion. Ms. Jakkey hopes to work at Hell's Kitchen at The Whaft in Washington, D.C., after UMD, creating a gluten menu and raising awareness that gluten-free cuisine can be nutritious and tasty.
ABOUT:
One of my primary concerns when I first began college was not having home-cooked meals, particularly a balanced diet, because I knew how busy I was would make it difficult to find healthy food alternatives. My concerns were heightened when I realized that the dining halls featured more fried food than healthy vegetables and fruits. So I started exploring other stations in the dining hall and ended up at the gluten-free section, where I met Ms. Jakkey. Ms. Jakkey stands out from the rest of the dining hall staff because she remembered my name, asked how I was doing and what my major was, and encouraged me to reach out to people outside of UMD because she knew I had the potential to go above and beyond. As strange as it may sound, this made me look forward to going to the dining hall since I knew I could rely on her amazing meals and discussions. When I first started the essay, I just took photographs of Ms. Jakkey's current workplace, 251 Dining Hall, but I also mentioned other locations she worked at, like North Campus Dining and Yahentamitsi Dining, so I returned there to take images as well. This improved the flow of my picture essay since people who were unfamiliar with the sites I described could see what I was talking about.
The lesson I learned from producing a visual journal is that the images must be captured in such a manner that the viewer feels as if they are present in the area that you are describing. This is an important feature of journalism because having the audience feel like they are a part of the narrative and connected to it will help them take the action that you want them to take. Furthermore, share the word about the story with others because the way you delivered it was so powerful. On the other hand, this is a difficult task to complete when attempting to summarize a personal experience since you must be authentic and impartial for your account to look genuine. Taking everything into account, I learned that photojournalism is a difficult career since you must ensure that the images and words convey the story in the most entertaining way possible. If you can make the viewers feel like they are a part of the story and are connected to it, it will be easier for them to take the action you want them to take. Furthermore, share the word about the story with others because the way you delivered it was so powerful. On the other hand, this is a difficult task to complete when attempting to summarize a personal experience since you must be authentic and impartial for your account to look genuine. Taking everything into account, I learned that photojournalism is a difficult career since you must ensure that the images and words convey the story in the most entertaining way possible.
Fortunately, I had known Ms. Jakkey for over a year before writing this article, so reaching out to her and understanding her objective was easy. This also made me want to do the piece since I've always wanted to understand more about Ms. Jakkey and why she chose to specialize in gluten-free foods. And making that connection allows for more authentic and powerful photos. Next, I discovered that every detail counts when delivering a tale, so it is critical to anticipate how others will react to those elements. Making sure I only included what was relevant and retaking images made the whole diary more interesting and significant, from subtle emotions to the overall arrangement. Finally, I intended to photograph Ms. Jakkey, but scheduling difficulties prevented me from doing so, so I interviewed her first. This was the best approach to ensuring that what I wanted to write had context and significance. So, interviewing Ms. Jakkey first was the ideal approach to creating the diary since she could tell me anything she wanted, and then I could pick the most significant things.
CREDITS/REFERENCES:
Rosabella Mvemba was the photographer for all of the images.