On the rainy afternoon of Sat, May 17, 2008, Sodexho decided to have it's 2nd annual picnic for its employees at Market Central Dining located under the basement of the University of Pittsburgh Litchfield Towers that houses students in Oakland.

I walked all the way from Carnegie Mellon University to the entrance of Schenley Park's Veteran's Pavilion until my eyes caught a sign that read 'Due to rain, the employee picnic has been moved to Market Central'. Before that I had walked from Forbes Ave to Wightman Street to catch a bus.

Now, it was rainy and damp not to mention that I was not a happy camper to find out that the picnic had been moved but it was nobody's fault but mine because I did not check my voicemail last night. If I did, I would not have been in this predicament.

But, I was not going to let a long walk from the Veteran's Pavilion to Market Central stop me from enjoying the picnic with the rest of the managers but especially the employees from all the units of Sodexho who work at the University of Pittsburgh.

I thank the Lord that I have been blessed to work for Sodexho for many years and the top-management have always looked for ways to help me improve and excel in the company as we do our best to serve the students, staff, faculty, and all those that come our way to eat at one of the best dining services in the nation.

As I entered Market Central, I was greeted by Rachel, the manager at Cathedral Cafe and Ray, the manager at Taco Bell and Quick Zone who prompted me to sign up for the games.

I decided to sign up for the Scavenger Hunt and especially the Watermelon contest. Due to a lot of work, I had not had a chance to eat all day except for a little bit of cereal at home. The walking I had done and the scavenger hunt made me more tired.

Tod Shoenberger, the director of operations was nice enough to wait for me as the watermelon contest was about to begin. It is there, I put on my contest eating face unsure if I could win but depended on the Lord and decided to give my best.

I was so touched by the amount of cheering and support I got while I kept my hands behind my back and tried to gobble up 1/4 of a watermelon quicker than anyone else could.

The intense watermelon contest with supportive employees cheering can be seen by clicking on the picture.

Photo by Kenneth Cook

The contest ended with a nickname given by Market Central Dining's General Manager Keith Bauman who nicknamed be 'The Beast'. It was an appropriate nickname because I was indeed a beast that gobbled up that watermelon and it looked like I could have eaten the green too with a lit more time.

Other nicknames such as Watermelon Man and Watermelon Ringer were given to me as I became the first Watermelon champion of Sodexho at the University of Pittsburgh.

It was a good feeling as handshakes kept coming too from Steve Zisman, my Market Central unit manager, Mamoud, the unit manager of Einstein's & coffee carts, etc.

The handshakes and cheers eventually had to wait because I had to go to the restroom not to throw up but it felt like my lips froze due to the coldness of the Watermelon! I gurgled water to take away the numbness and it worked. Overall it was a fun experience and my body was nourished by having a healthy food such as Watermelon with all it's water and Vitamin C.

My former General Manager Abdou Cole, who oversees Cathedral of Learning, Schenley Cafe, Einstein Bro's, and Coffee Carts had called it for me even before the contest began. After working for Abdou for many years, he usually gets things about me right and calls them. This was no different.

It was so exciting to win an IPOD since I have never owned a IPOD but have heard so many people talk about IPOD's. I hope to fill it with Contemporary Christian Music classics, Praise & Worship Music especially from Vineyard Music, Country Music, Bollywood Music, etc.

I was so thankful to the Lord for providing me with a IPOD through Sodexho. Watermelon contest was not the only fun event there but it was my highlight of the summer so far. Thanks to all who made it possible for me to win it by their support, cheers, and enthusiasm. Mostly, I thank my Lord and Personal Savior Jesus Christ for the opportunity to be there at the picnic.

If you are a student at the University of Pittsburgh or anywhere, I encourage you to come and apply to work at Market Central Dining in the fall because you will definitely have a blast working here, serving all the customers, and making them happy. But, please only customer-oriented ones who like to make customers happy always should apply!

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Nov 1941 - Dec 2007

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"Watermelon Winner Seeks Sodexho's Prize Promptly!"

By Ramesh C.ReddyPittsburgh Standard

Monday, May 19, 2008

Editors Note: I serve as one of the floor managers of Market Central Dining Services and am the publisher of http://www.pittsburghstandard.com

By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard