Editor’s note: ‘Day in the Life’ is an occasional series chronicling the responsibilities of the newsmakers, characters and public figures on campus.

Patrick Mahar always had a drive to be in the food industry. Pursuing his passion at a young age led to feeding the likes of Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones through his work at a local hotel.

‘The Rolling Stones were performing at the Dome,’ he said. ‘Their concerts were over Thanksgiving, and I and the staff was working on the Thanksgiving buffet, and they came down for dinner. Here I am, 18 years old, carving meat for Mick Jagger.’

Mahar fondly remembers the band’s extra tip for the meal: tickets to the sold-out concerts at the Carrier Dome.

Mahar, a Syracuse native, has never strayed far from the Dome, as his career has flourished within the city’s limits. His business ventures, including catering companies and being a partner of four restaurants, began in Syracuse.

Mahar also grew up surrounded by people in the food industry. His mother was a bakery manager and his brother managed fast food restaurants. He currently spends his days feeding the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity brothers, something he’s done on and off for seven years.

Looking back at his successful career, such as helping to cater 10,000 private banquets, Mahar can’t complain.

‘I’ve already accomplished a lot of my career goals, now it’s kind of like relax and enjoy life,’ he said.

What once began as satisfying the general public shifted to satisfying those in greek life. He’s also done brief stints at fraternity houses Tau Kappa Epsilon and Delta Kappa Epsilon. Mahar not only feeds the brothers on campus through a food service management company, he also pervades his business model, such as a la carte lunches, to other campus chapters.

Mahar, who credits his successful business model to his background in owning restaurants, offers a little tough love to his clients.

‘I know you’ve been doing this way forever, now we’re going to do it my way,’ he said.

What’s his way? A fairly laid-back day. A la carte lunches. Buffet dinners. Preparing menus and ordering and receiving stocks of food.

‘Some days I wonder, ‘I’m surprised they actually pay me to do this,” he said.

10 a.m.:

Mahar stands calmly nearby a silver counter. It’s quiet in the basement kitchen, except for the occasional banter between Mahar and the brothers who walk by to say hello or grab their lunches.

A louder noise, a phone’s vibrating tone, breaks through the kitchen, and Mahar grabs his cellphone to read a text. A brother has ordered pancakes.

Mahar’s model consists of three options: a meal plan consisting of two meals a day for five days out of the week, 40 lunches for $200 or a single meal for $7.

But the brothers have an advantage: the option to text their order.

‘They roll out of bed, order their lunch, take a shower, thank God and then come down,’ he said.

As he starts preparing the pancakes, he says he never knows what he’ll be asked to make for lunch.

He smiles and says, ‘My first order was chicken fingers, and my last order can be pancakes.’

When the order is done, Mahar places the meal on one of the Styrofoam plates stacked on the counter. He puts the meal on another counter beside the door for the brothers to eventually pick up.

11 a.m.:

More orders pile up. Eggs. Toast. Chicken Caesar wraps. Bacon cheeseburgers.

When the brothers pick up their meals, they politely thank Mahar, and many stop and make small talk. Mahar credits his happiness toward his job to his positive relationships with the men in SigEp.

‘It’s really rewarding, I think, and I also get to watch these guys mature and have successful careers.’

Their comfortable nature with each other is seen by constant teasing, such as when a brother asks if he could have an omelet, and without missing a beat, Mahar responds with a cheeky smile and says, ‘No.’

Noon:

A deliveryman arrives later than expected. His fellow worker has fallen out of the back of the truck, meriting a hospital visit. Mahar talks with the man, signs a form and begins unpacking the boxes.

One of the first items he pulls out is a huge bucket filled to the brim with chicken.

He smiles and says, ‘I go through an average of four of these a week.’

To put it into clearer terms, Mahar claims to use up to 80 pounds of chicken breast a week.

It’s the busiest time of the day as many brothers file down to order wraps, paninis and more breakfast items.

1 p.m.:

Scoping out the boxes, Mahar finds there are items missing. He makes a phone call to the supplier and leaves a message recounting what’s missing. Before he hangs up, he pauses and remembers to say, ‘Oh, this is Pat from SigEp.’

‘Probably should have told him that before,’ he says with a smile.

He begins unpacking large quantities of food to stuff into the two refrigerators located in the kitchen. As he grabs a large bag of ravioli, which requires him to use two hands, he laughs and says, ‘They are growing boys.’

2 p.m.:

Mahar doesn’t serve any food to the brothers past 2 p.m. For the next three hours, he begins prepping and preparing a dinner buffet.

He turns on a classic rock radio channel and becomes immersed in his cooking. He is constantly moving, putting items in refrigerators and placing things in the oven or on the stove. A pile of boxes, which once held food, is stacked outside the door.

He needs this time. Although he says he mainly prepares chicken and eggs for lunch for the brothers, these next few hours let him actually do what he wants to do: cook.

‘I get to be creative,’ he says.

Hours later, he proudly smiles as the brothers dive into his buffet line consisting of salad, rolls and linguini with clams. Through continual compliments and conversations, Mahar’s presence is easily seen. And he knows it.

‘When the pledges start, the brothers explain to them, the person not to piss off is me,’ he says. ‘Not if you want to keep eating.’

cbidwill@syr.edu

Published on April 11, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Colleen: cbidwill@syr.edu