Gratitude to Bon Appétite staff

By Brooke Boniface

I go to the Cellar Market pretty much every day. This is for a variety of reasons, whether it be to get more gum which I simply inhale, to get a snack for my room or sometimes to visit my favorite Bon Appétite employee, Cecilia Carrasco.

Often referred to affectionately around campus as the "Cellar Lady," Cecilia brightens up the day of everyone she comes into contact with. Her greeting of "Hi! How are you?" never sounds fake or forced, and upon talking to her each student leaves with the impression that she sincerely cares about them and their lives.

"Its just so nice to know that someone cares about you that much who isn't your mom," commented junior Chinea Gonzales. This sentiment is shared almost universally among the student population of Santa Clara, and many go out of their way to make sure that Cecilia knows she is appreciated in turn.

I have, on several occasions, had Cecilia pick up some items from the Cellar with my extra points and I have witnessed multiple other students do this as well. It is heartwarming to see these gestures, especially as they do not come out of simple generosity or misplaced pity. The students really love her and want to do something in return for the daily kindness that she extols on each and every person who enters the Cellar.

The thing that makes Cecilia remarkable is that she is so polite and kind all the time. No matter what kind of day she is having, she makes sure that the students have a good experience when they come to the Cellar. "I like talking with the students," she said with her trademark cheerful grin, "Everybody is nice to me. I have been working here for ten years and I have never had a complaint about the students."

Bon Appétite employees as a whole, including Cecilia, do so much for the students here at Santa Clara. They work extremely long days, on their feet almost all of the time, to provide us with food that is miles above the sludge on most college campuses -- and all this with smiles on their faces. The employees who work in the Bronco, in particular, toil away until 2 a.m., often times serving rowdy drunken college students. Yet they are still uncommonly amiable and diligent at all times.

I feel that their hard work, dedication and kindness deserve a little something in return from Santa Clara students.

Whether it be a simple, "How is your day?" to the man with the braid who makes your pasta bar order to perfection, or a smile for Maria Rosa, the Verde salad expert who gives you the best piece of blackened chicken. It really does make a difference, because as Cecilia said, "It makes me so happy when they come in and say 'Hi, Cecilia! How are you?' It just makes my day so good!"

These small gestures are the least that we can do for people who do so much for us each and every day.

Brooke Boniface is a history and political science double major.