by LENNY KOUPAL, CSU Communications Coordinator

Jonathan Kirchner’s next stage of life may be best termed as a “family affair.”

After 15 years as University Dining catering director, Jonathan will step down March 8 as he, his wife Denise and their 2-year-old daughter Cordelia relocate to northern Iowa. There the couple is shaping plans as new owners and operators of a 118-space RV Park complete with a stocked 20-acre lake.

After serving thousands of meals ranging from “shoestring” box lunches to University banquets, Jonathan may have become Mr. Automatic when it comes to food accommodations for wedding receptions, corporate annual meetings, conferences, galas and dining events on and off campus.

“It’s been a long run. But it’s been good,” Jonathan sums up succinctly.

Before being trained as a chef, Jonathan honed his culinary skills working at restaurants around Mankato. Later, while finishing his tour in Afghanistan with the Army, he joined the Army Corps of Engineers in Kabul as a cook.

Returning to the states, he learned of a catering position with Minnesota State Mankato. He landed the job despite no catering experience. Within the first month, he was called to coordinate the University’s annual Alumni Gala after the catering director quit. Shortly after, he was asked to submit a resume to fill the catering director’s position. The rest is history.

Reflecting on his years with catering, Jonathan and his boss, University Dining Director Jamie Waterbury, shared a bit of tongue-in-cheek conversation about a pivotal position that Jonathan has made look simple.

“You know, Jamie always jokes. He says, ‘You got the easiest job.’ And I tell him, ‘It’s easy because I’ve been here for so long’ and it should be that way,” Jonathan said. “When you’ve done something for so long. It should be easy. Or it should look easy. Right? But it’s not.”

That’s partly because Jonathan’s experience and longevity taught him that attention to details makes the difference between ordinary and memorable experiences–especially where food is concerned.

“I’ve really worked hard to try to cover all of my bases and make sure that that special day was special,” Jonathan said. “And if anything went wrong, it wasn’t because of the foodservice.

“People will tell you that if they’re at a three-day conference, they’re going to remember the food–more than they remember anything about that conference. Food makes the event,” he added.

For instance, the recent Hockey Day Minnesota had catering serving at a banquet in one of the tents set up for the event. A tear in the tent’s roof created challenges for Jonathan’s staff of students who hadn’t faced such complications–particularly in a lean catering year plagued by a pandemic.

“There were literally sheets of frosty ice falling on us as we’re setting up the event,” Jonathan said. “She (the event coordinator) sent us a message that said, ‘You guys did a phenomenal job. The food was fantastic. I can’t talk highly enough about you and your team.'”

Another memorable event for Jonathan and the University’s athletic program was catering to the NCAA Track and Field event.

“We had four buffets set up for 2200 students that we fed,” Jonathan recalled. “Kevin Buisman, the athletic director, had his stopwatch out. He came to us and showed it. He said, ‘I timed that. You fed 2200 people in 22.2 minutes.'”

Jonathan said his most memorable event occurred when he led wedding reception catering at the home of former University President Richard Davenport and his wife Mary. Food and friendship created an ongoing bond with the Davenports through Jonathan’s marriage and parenthood.

“I’ve always been able to share my life changes with them,” Jonathan said. “I have their personal phone numbers. So when we had our baby, I sent them pictures. And they share stories about their grandkids.”

Life Changes: All About Family

Jonathan said he never thought of having a family until he met Denise.

He never thought much about giving up a catering career he loved–and was good at–until his daughter Cordelia was born. Spending five months at home with his newborn daughter during COVID was a life-changing experience.

And he never thought of selling his family farm site until an exciting opportunity for his family presented itself.

With family support, the Kirchners set a new focus on owning and operating an RV park.

The campgrounds itself has a family focus with the same family operating it for the past 30 years.

So after seven other offers to the sellers, Jonathan’s approach stood out.

“They were all business people,” Jonathan said of the other prospective buyers. “I went in and I didn’t ask a single financial question. I spent three hours selling myself.”

He asked about such things as taking care of the pond and the grass. As with catering, he sought the details that keep the seasonal campers happy and coming back year after year.

“They said, ‘You’ve asked every question that shows us you’re interested in running the business and working the business,’ not ‘how can I take the money or make this a business without working it,'” Jonathan shared. “And that’s the biggest thing (for them) because this campground is about family. You have 110 seasonal sites and they spend every weekend they can here.”

Jonathan said he looks forward to working side-by-side with Denise and watching their daughter grow in a family-style setting.

“I don’t want to watch my daughter over Snapchat. We want to be able to take her out and walk around the lake and go fishing and have her be a part of the everyday things that we will do,” Jonathan said. “I want to spend every day together. Where most people say, ‘Oh, I couldn’t spend that much time with my spouse.’ Denise and I do better when we’re together.”

The Kirchners already are making plans for improving the camping experience. More camping sites, a pavilion suitable for wedding receptions and a petting zoo are ideas they hope to make a reality.

Continuing the tradition of enriching the family experience in the great outdoors is a welcoming challenge the Kirchners embrace for themselves and their camping guests.

“Camping is the best family activity that you can have,” Jonathan said. “You’re outdoors. You’re in nature. Sitting around a campfire having s’mores. Unplugging. Making memories. There’s not much better than that.”