For most people, having good taste is a plus. For Rebecca Smith, having good taste is a necessity.

Smith, assistant director of Residential Dining, runs NIU’s test kitchen, which tests foods for eventual placement on residential dining hall menus.

Smith works with outside food vendors and manufacturers to keep up with current trends in the food-service market. She then determines what products and recipes to sample based on the customer demand, current menu needs and the ability to produce the products. Smith creates and tests the recipes but gets ideas and suggestions from all over.

“Ideas for new recipes come from my director, the managers, production staff and even students,” Smith said. “Also, our trade magazines and journals are a good source of new recipes and ideas, as are the food manufacturers’ representatives.”

Products in the test kitchen are tested by both informal and formal sensory evaluation methods depending on which product is being tested. Recipes are tested using informal evaluation forms in the test kitchen and in the dining halls.

Smith said because of the variety of food preferences people have and the more than 6,000 people served every day in the residential dining areas, there will be times there are menu items people won’t care for.

“We try to offer new, ethnic, vegan and sometimes unusual menu items,” Smith said.

Some items tested go on to be big hits while others flop like the newest Ben Affleck release. The St. Louis Pub Burger was a hit at a special dinner, while the Beef Wellington seemed to have reminded people more of former Chicago Bulls center Bill Wennington’s feet.

Test kitchen assistant Tim Burton said Smith has set a good example during the two years he has worked under her.

“Rebecca is a great boss who has taught me a lot about the food testing process and another way to look at food,” Burton said.

Smith said not enough students know about or have experienced the test kitchen at NIU.

“I think the test kitchen, along with the NIU Bakery, are two of the best-kept secrets on campus, unfortunately,” Smith said. “The more student participation in taste tests and product samplings, the more direct input our customers have on what is actually served in the dining halls where they eat.”