New faculty: Kevin Roberts moves from dining room to classroom

Tuesday, August 21st, 2007

Kevin Roberts can step into a restaurant kitchen and pick up any job, from boss to dishwasher. Since his first restaurant job at age 13, Roberts has been prep-cook, lead grill cook, food buyer, salad maker, wait staff trainer, food safety consultant and restaurant manager.

Hands-on experience is a plus in the classroom and in research, emphasized the assistant professor in Hotel and Restaurant Management.

“In research, experience focuses me to be applicable. I always think ‘How will this benefit the restaurant industry?’ ’’

In research funded by USDA, he investigates restaurant employee behavior about food safety. He hopes to learn why workers, who have been trained about hand washing, cross contamination and time/temperature abuse, don’t all follow food safety rules they have been taught.

“With students, I am able to give real life examples to show why their studies are important,” Roberts added. Before returning to the classroom, he managed two restaurants in Amana, Iowa. One specialized in local German cuisine.

Roberts is the first person designated as the Mary Ruth Bedford Faculty Scholar in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management and Dietetics. The honor goes to a faculty member with expertise in food service management.

As a doctoral student last year, Roberts taught and spearheaded the campus Food Safety Month. He worked with students on the successful 2007 Travel and Dining Auction that drew his Iowa fan club – his parents and twin sister Kay drove driving 400 miles for the event.

He also became engaged to Camilla Jones, Residence Life coordinator for the Strong Complex at K-State. They will marry June 28.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 21st, 2007 and is filed under Dean's Blog.