<yles ladies are reassuring constants in the life of a hungry Carl.
Students can count on taming those late-night munchies by placing their orders with Joan Jandro and Kim Little, two familiar faces in the Sayles Café. For those who find themselves living further south of campus, the college now offers the Weitz Café, abundantly stocked, in a convenient location, and operated by Cherrie Hollister, former Sayles lady extraordinaire. While these ladies come from a variety of different backgrounds, the qualities they share are their dedication to students and their enthusiasm for getting to know them as people, rather than just for their muffin preferences.
Joan Jandro
Joan Jandro has lived in Faribault for her entire life and has been working at the Sayles Café for four years. At Carleton, she spends her days preparing food, doing dishes, washing tables and working the register. She says her favorite item on the Café menu is the turkey burger, and the only complaint she can offer about her work is that, “some students should talk louder. That’s about it!”
Before coming to Carleton, Jandro worked as a paraprofessional at an elementary school and at the town’s “Cheese Cave,” a gourmet cheese shop. In accepting a job with Bon Appétit, however, she’s been able to take on more hours and says, “I really enjoy working with people… The best part is working with students, getting to see and talk to you.”
Jandro especially likes the student-run events that her job’s central location allows her to enjoy. “I really like the Ebony dancers,” she says. “I stick around for it. it’s fun having all the excitement up here,” she says.
On her days off, Jandro enjoys “gardening, going on bike rides and going to the lakes in Faribault. I like to go out swimming and fishing.” She also loves spending any free time she has with her two new grandchildren, one of whom lives with her.
Kim Little
When she’s not working the evening shift at the Sayles Café, you can probably find Kim Little on her family’s farm just outside of Northfield, looking after the many cats, dogs and chickens, or helping her four children get ready for school. “I’ve lived in Northfield all my life,” she says, “I love this town.”
Little has given birth to three of her four children in the 11 years that she’s spent working at Carleton in Food Services. She explains that spending her evenings at the Sayles Café allows her to save on daycare and to have time “just to keep up with my kids.”
As summer rolls around and she and the kids all have more time off, Little keeps herself busy with family activities.
“A lot of farmwork… drive-in movies in Cottage Grove, and going to parades and events like Jesse James’ Days.” Working evenings during the academic year, Little explains, “summers are nice because I get to go and see the kids’ sports games…”
While she cherishes the ample time she has to spend with her kids in the summer, she also says, “I love working with the students.” Before coming to the Café, Little worked in the dining hall and found that she didn’t have as much of a chance to work one-on-one with students.
Since moving to Sayles, Little has made many lasting friends, even visiting alums Margarita and Michelle Cruz in Chicago one summer.
“They both worked in the snack bar and always offered to help with the kids and babysit,” she says.