Jill Horst has worked in dining at UC Santa Barbara for over 27 years. It’s a dream job, she says, because it blends her two passions — food and teaching — at a dream location. “I get to work at UCSB, which has been my backyard my entire life,” she says. “I feel privileged and honored to be working here.”
A Santa Barbara native, Horst started her culinary career as a high school student. She ran a deli and catering company for five years and worked in restaurants in downtown Santa Barbara. Those experiences spurred her to enroll in culinary school in Portland, Oregon. Then she landed a job back home at UCSB, in the bakery at Ortega Dining Commons. She worked her way up the ranks through the kitchen to management.
Promoted to general manager in 2001, Horst in that role opened Carrillo Dining Commons and introduced a new market-style dining system. She also began to implement practices and procedures that reflected her commitment to sustainability. Her team’s ultimate goal, Horst says, is to “provide the most nutritious, delicious, sustainable food possible. We’re feeding the future leaders of the world. Food nourishes mind, body and soul and plays a big part in their success in my opinion.” Today, campus dining services craft restaurant-quality food, made from scratch with fresh, local, pesticide-free and preferably organic ingredients.
