Caroline Bryant
Editor-in-Chief
Food Service Director Tim Raible begins his retirement on April 5 after 18 years at Florida Southern College.
Raible began his career at FSC as the catering director under Guest Services, Inc., a non-profit hospitality management company. He worked in this role for years until he retained the Food Service Director position after temporarily filling it when his boss left.
In this position, Raible is the liaison between Guest Services and the college. Compared to managers and culinary staff who run daily operations, Raible’s job is to propel food service in the right direction to make students happy.
“When I started here at FSC there was only Wynees Bistro, College Terrace, Freshens, Moc Mart and Tutus,” Raible said. “Since then we added Grill Master, Athletic Concession, Buck Stop, Kachin Sushi, Steak n Shake, Happy Place Food Trailer, Boar’s Head Deli, Roberts Academy Cafeteria, FreshTwist by Pretzel Maker, Mocket Ship Food trailer and now vending machines.”
Mocket Ship was one of the most recent concepts Raible brought to life after students expressed wanting healthier options on campus. He collaborated with SGA to survey students on desired healthy food, finding açaí bowls and chicken dishes were popular answers. The same process occurred when Super Bowls premiered in Wynee’s Bistro.
In return, a menu full of Açaí Craters, smoothies and the Chicken and Avocado Cone found their way onto the menu after approval from the administration and success from student testing. Now, the cone is one of his favorite campus meals.
Alongside past president Dr. Anne B. Kerr, Raible also brainstormed BuckStop at a Florida Southern Board of Trustees party.
“[Mr. and Mrs. Buck] had the most beautiful outdoor kitchen set up that had a pizza oven and so we were doing flatbreads…” Raible said. “During that event, Dr. Kerr comes over to me and asks, ‘Do you think the students would like something like this?’ And I said, ‘Dr. Kerr, it’s been my vision always to bring a pizza place here to campus.’”
Three weeks later, Kerr called Raible to greenlight the project. She explained to Raible that she envisioned an outdoor setting like the Buck’s and thought it would sit perfectly under the oak trees where the College Terrace Grill once stood.
With the funds, they installed the brick ovens and built the building now home to BuckStop. They kept the grill and grill menu, serving hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and more.
Some of the biggest challenges have been accommodating student allergies and dietary restrictions. While Raible says the demand to serve these needs has drastically increased since his start, he’s worked with students and parents to prioritize safety. Food for these students is prepared meal-to-order.
Outside of FSC, Raible connected the school with Lakeland’s Premier Caterers servicing the greater Lakeland area.
“We support the local community through our long term partnership with VISTE providing over 500 hot meals every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the year,” Raible said.
Besides reminiscing about the changes and his accomplishments, Raible says he’ll miss collaborating with students and staff the most, calling his team “his family.”
“Working so closely with the administration here that it is a family. It is something whereas my days become more numbered, it’s sad…” Raible said. “Even though I’m looking forward to my next phase, it is very sad to know that I’m not going to be working with these people, even my own staff. We are a close-knit family.” Dean of Students Mike Crawford and Vice President of Finance and Administration Terry Dennis are some of his greatest supporters, he said.
Raible plans on maintaining contact with the FSC community as he transitions his successor, John Lopez, over the next few months. For the time being, his goal is to either join his wife’s business or “just go along for the ride” when she travels for work.
