Where’s the best place to eat on campus if you are on a budget? The Coffee House wins hands down.

Where’s the best place to work at UC Davis? Ditto, as 225 student employees will attest.

After 40 years, thanks to an enduring esprit de corps, the Coffee House continues to remake itself while maintaining the claim of being the largest student-run food service on a university campus in the United States.

In fact, this spring managers and employees at the Coffee House (nicknamed the CoHo) are juggling virtual apples, oranges and bananas as the central campus facility feeds thousands of people a day, plans for a yearlong remodel and publishes its 40th anniversary cookbook.

Serving 7,000 people

“The unique thing about the Coffee House is we’ve got 225 part-time employees working and interning here, but these are nonculinarians,” said Sharon Coulson, Coffee House director. “They are math majors and biology majors learning all about how to be good workers and leaders, and they take this experience with them into the work world.”

Students learn how to be responsible, arriving as early as 6 a.m. to prepare for the lunch rush that will serve 4,000 people, although in any given day more than 7,000 people frequent the CoHo for their nourishment.

As a place that prides itself in serving the highest quality of food at the lowest possible prices, the CoHo gives healthy food choices as an alternative to a deep-fryer, according to Cecilia Landholt, Coffee House special projects intern.

“By using organic vegetables and fruit and ingredients that people can actually pronounce, the CoHo is able to offer delicious vegan, vegetarian and meat dishes that keep people coming back for more,” she said.

Landholt pointed out that 95 percent of the food served at the CoHo is made from scratch.

That pledge for quality meals will continue when the Coffee House closes down after the first summer session, July 31, for a year’s remodeling.

The organization will take over a number of rooms in the east wing of the Memorial Union, including the post office and the bookstore “buy back” room across the hall. There, people will be able to find baked goods and some other CoHo favorites.

Planning committees, with substantial student participation, have been working on the changes for the past few years.

“We wanted more efficiency for our customers in the service areas and more seating,” Coulson said. “It’s going to look great with electronic menu boards, and we’re bringing in sushi.

“We’ve had a lot of fun planning this,” she added.

Photo slide show with video takes you behind the scenes at Coffee House.

Coffee House cookbook from 1986, now available as a reprint.

Three CoHo recipes.