CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The grills are already fired up as I approach the Meat Science Laboratory on the U. of I. campus. It’s midmorning on a spring day that’s chillier than it should be.
Well-worn charcoal and gas grills are stationed in a wide arc on a lawn flecked with violets. In front of each grill stand three students for whom eating burgers for breakfast is now commonplace.
Jenna Spangler battled a bit to be here. The coveted Grilling and BBQ Science class fills up in minutes during registration each fall and spring. That she snagged a rare open spot will not surprise those who know her. When it comes to creating and sharing delicious food, Jenna stands first in line and is fully focused.
“I’m always thinking about food. I might be a little obsessive,” she says.
Grilling and BBQ Science course instructor Brandon Klehm supervises as Jenna Spangler, center, and student Miriam Sadkhin put the finishing touches on a group project as the school year winds down.
Photo by Michelle Hassel
Edit embedded media in the Files Tab and re-insert as needed.
Jenna is finishing her first year studying hospitality management in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. For her, the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is a perfect fit in every way.
Today, her tools are a set of tongs and a silver spatula that gleams despite a complete lack of sunshine. In Illinois, the gloomy clouds could leave as quickly as they arrived.
Brandon Klehm, right, schools Jenna Spangler on the finer points of flavor at the University of Illinois Meat Science Laboratory.
When it’s time to check progress on the pork loin that she and her teammates are grilling, precision matters. The 20-second countdown ends. She lifts the grill lid, and we’re bathed in the scent of pork rubbed with garlic, paprika, celery powder and ginger. Olive oil holds the spices on the thick cut so the flavors combine using just the right grill placement and heat.
After she makes sure all is well, Jenna cues a teammate to close the gas grill’s lid.
“Drop her down,” she says.
Cleanup and food safety, Jenna knows, are key to quality work as she power-washes her grilling tongs.
Photo by Michelle Hassel
Edit embedded media in the Files Tab and re-insert as needed.
When the pork is nearly done, it’s time to shift culinary gears from meat to fruit. Jenna steps away from the grill to gather supplies from the simple brick building nearby. Slices of bright yellow pineapple sharply contrast the meat lab’s somber space.
Not always as serious as when she’s making sure meat is grilled to a safe temperature, Jenna giggles. Shaking her head, she tells me a story about the turbocharged sprayer she’s holding.
“One time, I somehow blasted this thing right in my face. I got soaked. And that water is hot,” she says, wrapping up her cleaning and making a beeline for the fruit.
Back at the grill, she wields her tongs without hesitation. In moments, pineapple and pear pieces ring the pork loin, which now boasts a crust that will crunch when bitten.
Exactly two minutes later, she turns over a pineapple piece to reveal perfect char marks that turn its tang into something more.
“Isn’t she pretty?” Jenna purrs to her teammates.
As the fare experiences its final minutes on the flames, the wind picks up. Jenna tries to tame the hair Mother Nature coaxed out of place. She clacks her tongs like castanets, apparently unaware of the metallic tapping as she eagerly waits out another grill-side countdown.
Her team checks the temperature, and course instructor Brandon Klehm arrives to confirm the pork is 3 degrees from goal. Klehm, an animal sciences instructor and Illinois Extension educator, advises removing the mass of meat. It will continue to cook as the students prep for a mini-feast on paper plates.
Not bound for fine china but rather paper plates, pork slices prove out the skill and science needed for the grilled meals that fill Illinois summers.
I’m surprised to see that Jenna is slow to dig in, and then I understand. She’s the consummate host, making sure everyone has what they need to enjoy her creation.
“Where did your hospitality come from?” I ask. The answer: home.
“My family cooks a lot. We’re always cooking and baking, making food for people,” she says. “There’s so much joy and time with family centered around food. I want to create good food and those moments of happiness for others.”
From the first time I spoke with her, I could tell Jenna was a force. At 19, she knows what she wants – from college, her career, her life. She already operates a homemade ice cream business she launched in high school.
“I plan to have two stores in 10 years. I plan to be selling my ice cream on other people’s shelves,” she says. Her most popular flavor? The Breakup, a delicious mess of cookie dough, brownies, caramel and cheesecake.
Walking back to my office in historic Mumford Hall, I feel a renewed connection to the science and artistry of food. And I am buoyed by the confidence and class of a student who knows where she’s going.
Editor’s note:
Subscribe to Behind the Scenes for short blog posts, photos and videos from Illinois faculty, researchers, students and staff about their work and lives. Send an email with “SUBSCRIBE BTS” in the subject line.
