Fall 2024 /Back to Nature/
 

How To Become a Beloved Pomona College Cook

Visit Frank Dining Hall for brunch, and most days you will find Teo Ibarra on the back patio, bantering with students while serving up made-to-order omelets. Ibarra has worked at Pomona for 12 years and is considered by many to be a Pomona mainstay.
November 19, 2024  by Lorraine Harry

Visit Frank Dining Hall for brunch, and most days you will find Teo Ibarra on the back patio, bantering with students while serving up made-to-order omelets. Ibarra has worked at Pomona for 12 years and is considered by many to be a Pomona mainstay. It’s hard to tell if students love Ibarra or his omelets more, but it’s safe to say that both have reached legendary status.

  1. Work at Pomona in the ’90s as a dishwasher on the weekends while doing construction during the week.Teo Omelette Bar
  2. Take a full-time position with Sodexo (the food services company at Pomona at the time), who pays for you to attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York. “I couldn’t say no to that,” says Ibarra. “I’d have to be out of my mind.” Become a manager with Sodexo at other universities across the country and eventually at Disneyland.
  3. Apply to work as a cook at Pomona again, seeking a shorter commute and better work-life balance. Cook in Oldenborg Dining Hall for seven years.
  4. Ask to take over making omelets when the current omelet chef retires.
  5. Pour love into your cooking. Ibarra preps at least 20 fresh ingredients for the omelets each day, chopping vegetables and cooking meats to perfection beforehand.
  6. Talk to students while making omelets. Get to know them by name and ask about their interests. “The students motivate me the most,” he says.
  7. Remember people’s orders. Many students are regulars at the omelet bar, getting the same order every day. “I know what they want, what they like and how they want it.”
  8. Gain perspective on life through a major health issue. Ibarra experienced a brain aneurysm during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I really thought I was going to go. They opened my head,” says Ibarra. “Ever since, I see life totally different. And if I can help someone, I can. I go the extra mile. I would do it even if they don’t appreciate it. We’re all humans. We all sleep, breathe, die, so why not be the best you can be?”
  9. Let students reciprocate the care you show them. Ibarra experienced an outpouring of support from students and alumni while in the hospital. A GoFundMe organized on his behalf raised close to $26,000. “I’ve been blessed,” he says.
  10. Make something you can’t eat yourself. Ibarra, ironically, is allergic to eggs. “I get hives all over my body.”