Escapees March-April 2019 Vol 40 Issue 5

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inventory, ordering, nutritional planning, menus, budget- ing of food costs and making sure everything gets used. “We have to make do with food from all the sources, such as the US Department of Agriculture and the Food Bank,” says Joseph. “We try to keep costs low while competing with restaurants for quality food in the area.” “We also try to cater to the residents’ favorite flavors,” he says, “and when it gets quiet in the dining room and everyone’s eating, we know we’ve done a good job. As we receive more residents and the staff becomes more seasoned, we have plans to offer a greater variety. This facility is always growing and, with the addition of some minor equipment, we can prepare for a lot more. It’s a work in progress.”        

     Born and raised in Houston, Texas, where his mom worked for Conoco, Joseph Munson recalls helping his older brothers “prep the meals,” so it would be easy for his mom to fix dinner when she got home. “My first job was waiting tables and cooking to get through college,” says Joseph. “I later worked for restaurants, doing everything from manning the front desk to serving as waiter, bartender or cook.” He’s now been in the restaurant business for 28 years, coming to Escapees CARE as a part-time cook in February 2018. Joseph remembers most of his menus from the many places where he’s cooked, including Bergstram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. There, he was one of the numerous cooks providing “better-than-av- erage-quality food” to some 35,000 people a day in 13 dining halls. He’s also cooked for fine-dining establish- ments, such as the Estrella Steak and Lobster House, in New Orleans; the Magnolia Caf é, in Austin, Texas, and Jimmy Walker’s Seafood Restaurant, in Kemah, Texas. A third-generation RVer and second-generation Escapee, Joseph was working in Colorado before coming to Texas to be near his dad, who was battling neuroen- docrine pancreatic cancer. He worked in Humble, Texas, until a part-time job opened at CARE and he applied. “When I arrived, Dad was still mowing the lawn,” he says, “but it was soon obvious he wasn’t doing well.” He died on Fathers Day weekend in 2018. Joseph hadn’t intended to stay, but found some talented people in the kitchen and realized professional organization was needed. Now, as CARE’s food service manager, he utilizes each person’s strength and area of expertise, organizing and setting up standardized recipes. “If it’s really good,” he says, “we want to be able to make it again.” And CARE had a full house for Thanksgiving. “We wanted to feed as many as possible while giving the staff time to be with their families. There were six people in the kitchen, including Joseph, who normally cooks three or four days a week, alternating with Chef Bobby Mainor who cooks on the other days. In addition, Joseph does

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