Dillin dining hall is unlike other college food services not just in the food that it servers, but in the chefs that serve it. Unknown to many students on campus, Linfield’s own Executive Chef was actually named a Rising Star Chef of Chicago in 2005.

Rising Star Chefs are named due to their outstanding culinary philosophies and their commitment to enhancing the overall culinary community.

Noah Bekofsky became aware of his calling as a chef at the age of 14 while making salads and washing dishes at a four star restaurant. Although he was raised in the Pacific Northwest, his passion and talent has taken him all over the world.

When he was still fairly young, he travelled to Europe to expand his ideas and ended up working at a hotel in Germany before returning to Oregon.

In 1994, Bekofsky attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where he would later graduate with honors. This education paired with his other experiences would open many doors for him in the culinary world.

Jobs prior to his current position include Executive Chef at two resorts in Hawaii, a lodge and golf resort along the Oregon coast, Aria restaurant at Chicago’s Fairmount Hotel and the Fairmount Scottsdale Princess in Arizona.

The transition from high end resorts and restaurants to a college dining hall was due to the 80 plus hour work weeks that kept him from spending time with his wife and two children.

Bekofsky deemed Linfield a “great opportunity” with the added bonus of being closer to family and where he and his wife grew up.

He recalls thinking that he “could make an impact on a college food operation in a positive way and influence it in a way that it had not been done in the past.”

Bekofsky has also sat on the Chef Advisory Board of Common Threads, a not-for-profit program teaching at-risk children about tolerance and diversity through food and nutrition.

Star Chefs described his style as “both culturally inspired and comfortably American, reflecting culinary and cultural traditions that transcend any one cuisine.”

This style is exemplified at Dillin, where Bekofsky creates menus that appeal to both the natural comfort palates of the Pacific Northwest, as well as the more adventurous palates of international cuisines.

One of the more unique traits that Bekofsky brings to Linfield is his dedication to producing eco-friendly meals, using as many local food suppliers as possible in meal preparation and ensuring that food wastes turn into compost that go back to local farms.

Sous Chef Kevin Bakerson has been working with Bekofsky for the past four years, and says that “[Bekofsky] brings a higher end quality to the meals than what we’ve had in the past.”

Hundreds of students go to Dillin multiple times a day, almost every day of every week of the school year. Bekofsky reports that Dillin serves upward of 1,800 meals per day.

It is of the utmost importance that the food provided is prepared with quality and is nutritionally and environmentally beneficial.

The impressive background of Dillin’s executive chef often comes as a surprise to students, who do not necessarily feel that the food exemplifies the same restaurant quality that they may expect from such an experienced chef.

However, Bekofsky’s skills become significantly more apparent during special occasion meals, whether it is for staff meetings or for the annual Thanksgiving or Christmas feasts.
Despite menu rotations and the addition of new meals every now and then, students are bound to find their meal options a little repetitive and less than exciting at times.

Bekofsky once said in a past interview with the Review, “if you eat at your favorite restaurant every day for two years, it’s not going to be your favorite anymore.”

However, there is no doubt that Linfield is lucky to have such a well renowned and friendly chef with such innovative ideas and practices to keep its populace sustained, happy, and healthy.

As Bekofsky says, “We can all make a difference and have great food at the same time.”