Meet the sous chefs of Forest, each of whom brings his signature style to a space that feeds 4,000+ students a day. Greg Rockett, Pedro Ramirez, and Shawn Doyle talk influences and inspiration, share advice for new cooks, and tell us what they like most about cooking at Indiana University.
'We are continuously experimenting with new dishes’
Sous Chef Greg Rockett has worked at IU since 2002, when he entered IU as a first-year business student. He started out in the dish room. “I asked the cooks if I could help. They mentored me and taught me from there and the rest is history,” said the Washington, Ind., native, known to students and co-workers as Chef Rockett. Greg worked as a student employee through 2007 and returned as a full-time cook’s assistant in 2009, quickly moving up the ranks. As a sous chef at one of IU’s busiest locations, he is known for his chicken and noodles, flank steak, and brisket.
Q: Describe the work path that led you to IU. What does a typical day look like in your world?
A: My career at IU Dining began as a cook's assistant when I returned to work here full-time. From there, I advanced to become an assistant team leader, a team leader, and then a sous chef. I am currently in my third academic year as a sous chef. Since my dad is from San Francisco, I enjoy eating food with a Latin influence and smoking meat. If you've had the pot roast here at Forest, I likely was the one who cooked it!
Q: What do you want people to know about your work that they might not know?
A: Every day, we serve over 4,000 students at Forest, which is hard work. We can marinate up to 300 pounds of pork steak for a dish at Spice Road, and it will be gone before we even close.
Q: What are your favorite things to cook?
A: I enjoy cooking for my wife and our six-year-old daughter on my days off. My daughter loves anything I make, and my wife especially enjoys my homemade alfredo. I love using my smoker!
Q: What’s new at Forest and where/when can students find it?
A: To keep our menus exciting and meet the ever-evolving preferences of our students, we are continuously experimenting with new dishes. Chef Jack and our team have put much effort into updating Spice Road recipes to be authentic. We gather feedback and great ideas from all our staff.
Q: Hobbies outside of work?
A: I enjoy visiting new restaurants, enjoying a large meal with friends, and listening to live music.
Won a culinary competition in which SPAM was the main ingredient
Pedro Ramirez, of Texas, joined IU Dining as a team leader in August of 2023. His work ethic and cooking skills rapidly led to his promotion to sous chef. “Cooking has always helped me decompress and express my creativity,” said Pedro, who continues his family’s longstanding tradition of cooking together with his own kids. Pedro’s Wednesday, March 27, pop-up will feature Texas-infused flavors including plantains, chicken, carne asada, and tortas.
Q: Describe the work path/career that led you to IU. What does a typical day look like in your world?
A: I studied writing in college and have a graduate degree in journalism. I worked as a journalism professor in several states and enjoyed teaching at the college level. Cooking has always helped me decompress and express my creativity. I have also participated in several culinary competitions. One of them required SPAM to be used as an ingredient, and I won that competition.
I am thankful this job fell into my lap. I started with IU Dining as a team leader. Throughout my time here, I asked for increased responsibilities, which led me to where I am now as a sous chef.
Q: Who or what inspired your interest in cooking, and what led you to pursue it as a career?
A: Watching my grandmother grew my interest in cooking . My family has always cooked a lot together. We enjoy exploring new foods that we watch chefs prepare on television. I make cooking enjoyable to get my kids to join me in the kitchen and try to instill in my kids a love and curiosity for food.
Q: What are your favorite things to cook?
A: Being from Texas, I love to season everything with flavor and spice. I'm constantly trying new techniques with my dishes.
Q: Any tips for students looking to master the basics (hard boiled eggs, pasta …)?
A: I urge students to take advantage of all the resources at their disposal, including YouTube. Take it one step at a time and choose a cooking style that suits your lifestyle and that you enjoy. When learning new recipes, keep track of what worked and what didn't.
Q: What’s new at Forest and where/when can students find it?
A: My pop-up on Wednesday, March 27, is centered around my Texas roots. I will make plantains, chicken, carne asada, tortas, and other Latin dishes.
‘We carry up to 300 recipes at Spice Road—and all are primarily cooked from scratch'
Shawn Doyle grew up in Salem, IN and graduated from Bloomington High School South before completing culinary school in Kentucky. After a series of internships and jobs out of state—he met his wife when both worked at a four-star hotel in Nashville, Tenn—Shawn moved back to Indiana and started working at IU in 2023. “We love to know from the students themselves what’s important to them and what they would like to see ... We have talented staff at IU who have fine dining experience and can translate that craft into foods students love.”
Q: Describe the work path/career that led you to IU.
A: I have experience working in the hotel and restaurant industry, from resorts to country clubs and private restaurants. I learned a lot in an apprenticeship I did in the past and have even been involved in consulting and cooking for college-level sports teams. I met the famous fiddler Charlie Daniels when I lived in Nashville.
Q: Who or what inspired your interest in cooking, and what led you to pursue it as a career?
A: I was very inspired by my grandmother. My dad was a farmer, so I remember cooking country style breakfast with her such as biscuits & gravy. She made great desserts (peanut butter fudge, candies, etc.).
Q: What do you want people to know about your work that they might not know?
A: We love to know from the students themselves what’s important to them and what they would like to see. It’s so helpful to hear their challenges and interests so we can help.
Q: Why is this work important to you? What do you like most about your job?
A: I am detail oriented because of my experience in fine dining. The quantity of food produced is different, though we use high-quality ingredients here also. We carry up to 300 recipes at Spice Road and all are primarily cooked from scratch. It is extremely different than fast food. We have talented staff at IU who have fine dining experience and can translate that craft into foods students love. I love learning from other chefs from various backgrounds and picking their brain to gain knowledge.
Q: Where do you like to eat most on campus and what are some of your favorite dishes?
A: I keep an eye on the pizza at Slice to observe for quality, and love what we do at Spice Road.
Q: What are your favorite things to cook at home and at IU?
A: I’ve enjoyed gaining experience cooking Indian cuisine here. We have a lot of student interest, especially with the population of students from India who attend IU. At home I do a lot of cooking and value work-life balance. My wife has a culinary degree and I trust her palate. I want my daughters (ages 11 and 14) to understand what good food is. I cook some nice dishes at home with fresh ingredients. I value health and stay aware of what goes into my body.