THE Kinkaid School
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Mark Harris
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hen Kinkaid was looking for a new food services director six years ago, former Kinkaid parent and restaurant executive Chris Pappas had just the person in mind. Mark Harris had recently talked with Chris about wanting to return to work as an Executive Chef after 20 plus years in the hotel and resort business. At the same time, Kinkaid had chosen SAGE as its new food services provider. Chris suggested that Mark interview with SAGE, and he was soon hired to come to Kinkaid.
Mark first arrived in Houston from Connecticut in early 2002. At the time, he was working for Dolce International, a hotel/resort management group. Dolce had just acquired the Warwick Hotel and asked Mark to come to Houston for a few weeks and see if he liked working and living here. He was sold on the friendly people – and the fact that he could play golf all year long! After a stint at the Warwick, Mark went on to Lakeway Inn in Austin and then the American Airlines Resort and Conference Center in Dallas. But he was happy to get back to Houston when the job at Kinkaid was offered. Coming to Kinkaid was a huge change from the nonstop pace of the hotel and restaurant business. “I used to work 60+ hours a week, 51 weeks a year, plus every weekend and holiday,” says Mark. “Now I work a normal schedule.” He also enjoys the camaraderie of the faculty and staff, who are “like a big, extended family.” Mark and his cafeteria crew serve about 800 meals daily, including omelets made to order each Tuesday and Thursday morning. He constantly brings new and healthy choices to the lunch menu and recently added sushi twice a week. “It’s all about options; that’s what keeps people interested,” Mark says. “Mark has been a great addition to Kinkaid, both as a top-notch chef and colleague,” says Joanne Margraves, Kinkaid’s Chief Financial Officer. “He has a cheerful, can-do attitude and has been known to produce a lunch for 30 with only 45 minutes notice.”
Mark is blazing a “new culinary trail in an educational setting.
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Mark’s arrival at Kinkaid also heralded in-house catering for campus events, which is where he gets to unleash his talent and creativity. His duck quesadillas with mango salsa and famous bread pudding are two Kinkaid favorites. “I love cooking, creating and making people smile,” Mark shares. The increase in attendance at faculty and staff functions since he came has not gone unnoticed! Off duty, Mark likes to cook Italian food for friends and family. “Growing up in the northeast there is a huge Italian presence, so that’s had a big influence on the way I cook.” Besides golfing, Mark enjoys fishing in Galveston and riding his bike. Yet even though he loves Houston, he stays faithful to his favorite New England
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teams. “The Patriots were a disappointment this year, but we’ll be back even stronger next year,” he says. And maybe he’ll get to see more of his beloved Red Sox now that the Astros are joining the American League… With early planning for a new school cafeteria underway, Mark is working with Chris Pappas on the design. Chris shares, “Mark is blazing a new culinary trail in an educational setting. He’s creating an experience that students will remember, just as an earlier generation remembers Georgia and Eddie Leonard. The new Kinkaid eatery will be the centerpiece of that experience in the future.” Mark is excited about the possibilities the new cafeteria presents. “We hope to increase the square footage of the existing building and create more inviting spaces for students to gather, kind of like Starbucks,” Mark says. “I’d also like to be able to introduce as much ‘green’ equipment and procedures as possible.”