As a made-to-order burger sizzled on the stovetop of The Grill, George Washington University Executive Chef Ernesto Pabico examined the dishes while checking in with Sodexo culinary staff members and greeting students.
Since Mr. Pabico joined the university in August, his sunny disposition has become a fixture of J Street, the Foggy Bottom Campus Dining hub.
“Have you been helped? How about you?” Mr. Pabico asked, motioning to students in line. “Looking good, Israel. Smile!” he said, turning toward a staff cook.
When he’s not setting the menu or leading culinary staff meetings, Mr. Pabico is explaining the dishes to curious students—“It’s called rainbow lo mein because of the different vegetable colors”—and offering suggestions to those with food allergies.
“We want students to have a comfort level about the menu because we have many options, and we can help them make choices,” Mr. Pabico said. “And it’s always good because I tasted it,” he added, laughing.
The Philippines-born chef started his career as a dishwasher at Hawaii’s historic department store, Liberty House. Inspired by the leadership of his boss Executive Chef Louis Budai, he quickly moved up to cooking stocks and later became a breakfast cook.
“At Liberty House they asked if I could cook, and I said, ‘You tell me what to make, and I’ll cook it,’” he said.
Executive Chef Ernesto Pabico cooks a grass-fed beef burger at The Grill, one of the made-to-order stations at J Street, the Foggy Bottom Campus dining hall.
By 1984, Mr. Pabico had come to the mainland where he worked for Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Hotels and Resorts and, most recently, fueled U.S. Marines through training as a chef at the base in Quantico, Va.
After 25 years working in kitchens, he has one rule: “If it’s good, don’t change it.”
“I try out most of the dishes,” he said. “I want to make sure the staff understands the recipes, and I give them recommendations if something is too flat or too dry. My goal is to make sure we get it right and put out a high quality product.”
Mr. Pabico said recipes are guidelines, not rules. When setting the weekly menu on Fridays, he tweaks recipes to taste by adding a teaspoon of paprika for spice or lemon juice for tangy flavor. He also has introduced new menu items, such as a fresh, grass-fed beef burger with red onion confit and a periodic “premium menu” featuring richer dishes like chicken breast stuffed with crabmeat.
Students with food allergies often go to Mr. Pabico for assistance in choosing safe, nutritious meals.
“The students will call or text me to come by to pick up gluten free pasta or whatever else they might need,” he said. “They don’t ask everyday, and if it will help them, then sure, why not?”
Managing Director of Campus Support Services Nancy Haaga said that the Campus Dining staff members work together with students and parents to come up with strategies to meet the specific needs of students.
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences freshman Matt Roberts was diagnosed with phenylketonuria, a metabolic disorder, when he was a baby. The disorder makes him unable to digest phenylalanine, an amino acid found in foods with high protein such as meats, eggs, beans, nuts and dairy products.
Mr. Pabico greets Matt Roberts, a freshman in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Mr. Roberts, who manages a metabolic disorder, often texts the chef before stopping by to pick up his meals from J Street.
Mr. Roberts comes by J Street each week to pick up food from Mr. Pabico.
“I started talking to [General Manager of Campus Dining] Bernadette Thomas who directed me to Ernesto probably the first week I was here,” Mr. Roberts said. “I had someone during my junior and senior year of high school and it simplifies the whole process to have one specific person to work with instead of multiple people who have different levels of understanding of the disorder.”
“Working with Ernesto makes it a whole lot simpler,” he added.
Ms. Haaga said that Mr. Pabico has just the right amount of creativity and passion to create meals that appeal to the 2,500 university community members who visit J Street each day.
“Ernesto takes great care and pride in his work preparing meals for the university community, and we’re excited that he is committed to enhancing the student experience,” she added.
Mr. Pabico said that he has a few menu additions in the works, such as themed international dishes at the Thyme station. He also will continue cooking demonstrations with ingredients from the Take Home Market, a new addition to J Street where students can buy market price local produce.
“At the demonstration held last month, I showed students how to cook summer squash simply with a little bit of olive oil, fresh garlic, salt and pepper,” Mr. Pabico said. “We showed students that it is easy to cook on a budget.”
Mr. Pabico describes the "market price" system at the Take Home Market. "I know the price is a little heavy, but if you go to an outside market it's probably a dollar more," he said of the Asian pear sourced from the Mountain View Orchard in Stafford, Va.
When students are not whipping up meals of fresh produce in the residence halls, Mr. Pabico encourages them to stop by J Street and see what’s new to the menu.
“We work hard to put together dishes that will catch students’ eyes,” he added. “When they are hungry, we want them to think of us first.”
