Eric Wagner, a cook at the Chase/Duckett dining hall (better known as Chuckett), has garnered a reputation among students for being a well-loved and jolly presence. One user on the Smith Confessional summed up this affection toward Wagner, writing, “Eric from chuckett my pride and joy. Godfather of my firstborn. Next mayor of Northampton. Next president of the United States.”
Though this humorous statement anticipates a future in politics, Wagner originally went to school for music education and later became a cook. He is now in his fourth year working for Smith Dining. “This will be my first turn of students who I saw as first years,” he said. “There’s a couple in particular who I’ve known either from their first or second year who are now graduating.”
Wagner fell in love with the cooking world when he began working in a kitchen after his second semester of college.
“I met some people who shared the creativity for (cooking) and talked about it and we started doing more things together. Talking about food and reading cookbooks and going out to eat, or just exploring the world of restaurants… It dug in and just sort of trapped me,” he said.
As the same students have dining shifts at Chuckett each week, and residents of Chase-Duckett often eat breakfast there, Wagner enjoys seeing the same people every week. For this reason, his favorite thing about Smith college is decentralized dining.
“I love the social interaction and the fact that Smith is so unique with having the majority of the dining halls be in dorms… I see a lot of the same faces and you’re able to cultivate relationships,” he said.
“I’ve also had interactions with first years, especially within the first month or two of school, who might not be having the easiest time adjusting or haven’t really found their friend group yet” Wagner added, explaining that he loves to sit with new people at breakfast or lunch and talk to them about Northampton, as he grew up in Massachusetts himself.
Beyond making connections with students, Wagner loves the job itself. His favorite dish to cook? Soup.
“I really like making soup, which isn’t the most popular item but as far as getting the satisfaction out of cooking that I like having to satisfy my soul as a creative person, I find soup is the most open canvas,” he said.
In his free time, Wagner still loves to be in his own kitchen, where he enjoys making Paella and various breads. He likes to make “things that involve time, something that you’re putting some extra care and love into making it nice.”
Wagner explained that “make it nice” is a phrase often repeated in the culinary world, and words that he has taken to heart while working at Smith. As the menu cycle repeats itself he asks himself, “How can I make that (dish) a little bit of a higher caliber next time?”
When Wagner was asked if there was something Smithies could do to make his job easier, his response was simple.
“I love my job,” he said. “The interactions I have with Smithies I feed and see on a regular basis are fantastic…everyone is appreciative and that goes a long way.”
Wagner noted that one of the reasons he loves working at Smith is Smithies, and their tendency to be proud and open with their beliefs.
“I love…the way most people here think and the social justice on campus…I share a lot of the same worldviews as most of the student body here and it’s nice to be in an environment where it’s so forefront,” he said.
Wagner echoes these shared beliefs in the ways he goes about his job. “I like to do more than just cook. To listen, to help, anyway I can really,” he said.
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