Homestyle meals are considered a commodity in a college setting after too many nights of pizza and take-out Chinese food. Auburn Phi Gamma Delta brothers do not miss out on hearty meals, thanks to their house chef, Luther Deangelo Ford.
Ford is 78 years old and will have been employed by the FIJI fraternity house for 28 years this June. To Ford, the job is convenient and keeps him learning. Ford has always been around young adults, which makes FIJI a good fit for him, he said.
"My favorite job so far, in the course of my career, has been working in this fraternity," Ford said.
He began working in food service management for a company called Service America. He worked in cafeterias in LaGrange, Georgia. Along with working with FIJI, Ford cooked for the Navy, high class country clubs, nightclubs and roadside eatery joints.
"(Cooking) is all I've ever done," Ford said. "I did 26 years of it with the Navy, and when I left the Navy I continued to work around restaurants and food service operations."
When he first started, he said there were no menus or plans made. It was a meal service based off what the cook felt like serving that day. According to Ford, that usually meant a hamburger and a slice of chocolate pie. Today, Ford serves breakfast, lunch and dinner almost every day of the week.
Joe Timberlake, junior in accounting and chapter president, said that Luther's poppyseed chicken, a regular dish, is his favorite.
"It's always entertaining to talk to Luther," Timberlake said. "I'm pretty sure we drive him crazy, but he's been putting up with us for a long time and he's great at it."
According to Timberlake, brothers typically move into the house their junior year and live till the end of their senior year at Auburn. Although not all of the members live in the house, practically all of the 190 brothers stop in for breakfast, lunch and dinner weekly.
For special holidays and events, Ford pulls out all the stops to serve the brothers a special meal. The Christmas and Thanksgiving meal brings the brothers together for the holidays.
The most popular meal is the GPA dinner held semesterly. Brothers with a 4.0 are given a 10 —12 ounce ribeye steak, baked potato, beans and a dessert. Those with a 3.9–3.0 receive a steak, potato and beans. Lastly, those with a 2.9 and lower are stuck with a bowl of beans. Ford laughed and said that members with a 2.9 or lower don't usually show up for dinner that night.
Life in a fraternity house is interesting, to say the least. Ford spends more time in the FIJI kitchen than his own home. Hanging in the kitchen is an Auburn jersey from 2006, signed by the team members from that year. He said he typically cooks what the brothers request and enjoys getting to know the guys.
"You deal with a lot of kids just leaving home that don't know how to live on their own," Ford said. "You kinda' stand over them and say, 'Hey, don't do it that way. Do it this way,' and you get used to the life with them."
Before Ford, the members of FIJI would cook what they could get their hands on at any specific time.
According to Ford, some of the brothers have somewhat of a tradition of making fried pickles and leaving the kitchen covered in flour. Ford said those who help in the kitchen do a fine job when he's around. Nonetheless, they are lucky to have his skills.
"If I'm standing right there they do an outstanding job, but turn your back, you come back in there and that food might be at the top of the ceiling," Ford said.
Porter Martin, junior in building science and kitchen manager, said that working with Ford has been a great experience. Martin's favorite dish is fried catfish, and he recommends everyone try some if the chance ever arises. While doing dishes and closing up the kitchen nightly, Ford helps make working in the kitchen a bit more enjoyable.
"He's always got some good stories, and he keeps the job lively," Martin said.
Luther Ford has been around the FIJI house longer than anyone else currently living there, which makes him a big deal to those who are a part of the fraternity. According to Martin, one tradition that hasn't changed in the gift of a soft pack of Marlboro Lights cigarettes on Ford's birthday.
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