Our Team

Originally from Hawaii, Patti Klos arrived in New England (via Indiana) to work at Tufts in 1989. Salmon of all types and the Spiced Chickpea Taco Salad are her favorite Tufts Dining items.  She loves creating a community for Tufts students and the smart, hard-working, and dedicated staff she works with.  In her more leisurely moments, she designs and constructs quilts – mostly for friends and family – with more than 70 quilts to her credit.

A long-time fan of pork char siu, Connie enjoys a variety of dishes at Tufts Dining as well as the ever-popular gluten-free lasagna. Tufts has been her work home for over 35 years – the last 7 of which have been with Tufts Dining.  A long admirer of Queen Elizabeth, she has enjoyed her travels with her family, walking and getting together with friends. In Business Operations, she constantly sees how business changes as well as the people within it – thoroughly appealing and interesting every day.

“Hospitality” and Customer Satisfaction are the reasons Dante works at Tufts Dining. He enjoys all sports – from basketball to ping pong to street hockey - especially when playing with his family. Soups of all kinds with a special preference for Ginger Butternut Bisque and Ceviche are his favorite foods at Tufts.

Since Cape Cod is Amy’s favorite place to be, it makes sense that New England seafood is her favorite fare. She is passionate about creating innovative ways to promote the success of Tufts Dining, and Grain Bowls from Hodgdon. Running, gardening, and coordinating her busy family’s activities, keep her occupied when not working at Tufts.

Being Scottish, Brian loves fish – smoked, of course!  What he likes most about working with Tufts Dining are the fantastic people he interacts within every facility.  He is a professional percussionist, a private pilot, and plays soccer, and coaches Senior Babe Ruth baseball.  He enjoys spending time with his family – especially fishing with his father.

Sonya has a passion for intricate things that go together. In both her work with Tufts Dining’s point-of-sale and meal plan technology and her off-work love of completing complex puzzles, she exhibits how connections resolve issues. A New England favorite – Chowders -  are one of her go-to menu items in Tufts Dining.

“No two days are the same”, says Gary about working in Tufts Dining. “I enjoy the variety of daily challenges”.   After joining the dining team in 2011, he has worked in various roles.  Currently, he supports Tufts Dining through procurement and contracts in the Tufts Finance organization. Home improvement projects keep him busy in his time away from work – especially with his family and dog, named Finn!

As a nutritionist, it is no surprise that Kelly enjoys helping others find foods that are best for them. Her favorite foods include the fresh strawberries from a local farm to the Carmichael tamales and Diwali Dinner at Dewick.  Outside of work, she enjoys exploring New England with her family.

Al is inspired every day by his amazing Tufts Dining co-workers. He is an avid fan of Japanese food, the Boston Red Sox, and making furniture. At lunchtime you can find him enjoying the fresh, local, seasonal produce at the kosher vegan station at Dewick, a love of his since he was as a young student in Mexico where his school had a garden. In his leisure time, Al volunteers to bring awareness of food insecurity in marginalized communities.

Jesse is a complete BBQ enthusiast! Not only does he participate in BBQ competitions, but his favorite foods at Tufts are also all things BBQ.  He is equally fond of all Mexican Foods and watching football. Jesse’s favorite part of work is that the job always provides the ability to be creative and developing exciting new concepts.

A firm believer in “anything is possible” (the impossible just takes a little longer), Chef Jonathan truly enjoys working and interacting with so many different people at Tufts. A forever-fan of all Boston Sports Teams, he also enjoys anything Mexican – especially the Taco Tuesday Bar. Family, friends and the beach are his favorite activities.

“I love food and food loves me” is a mantra Chef Corey relates when talking about favorite foods. She enjoys developing new recipes that are healthy – but more importantly, flavorful and colorful! When not at work in the summer you can often find Chef at local farmer’s markets picking out the freshest of the fresh!

When not at work – Pasquale enjoys a round of golf or playing football with friends. What he loves most about Tufts Dining is the continuous opportunity to be creative every day. He is a real fan of Mexican and Italian cuisines especially Tufts Dining pizza and all the different Asian foods offered here.

Sabato enjoys collaborating with his Tufts Dining colleagues and appreciates how the team shares the same vision. His favorite Tufts Dining dish is the brisket at Carm, it is slow-roasted for 16 hours and seasoned to perfection. He was born and raised in Naples, Italy, which greatly influenced his passion for pizza! His time outside of work is spent playing the clarinet, video games, and practicing martial arts.

Having joined the team in 2014, Melody has enjoyed the various cultures represented by the foods and people of Tufts Dining. Often found at the Pita station at Hodgdon, her favorite foods include Sushi, Korean BBQ, and Hot Pot. She leads all the retail dining on campus including Kindlevan, Hotung, Pax et Lox to name a few. In her rare spare time, she enjoys boxing, and of course – cooking!

Ally enjoys spending time at the beach and hiking. She is a fan of so many different items at Tufts Dining that she can’t pick just one favorite! She is passionate about working with her team to help nourish the young minds of the future. Her all-time favorite dish is her mom’s jerk chicken and rice as it reminds her of her island heritage.

Tony especially likes the camaraderie he gets with his teammates at Tufts Dining. He’s a do-it-yourself-er who creates paintings, carvings, glass etching and more.  With family and friends, he also pursues photography and family projects. At work, you can find Tony enjoying the chicken shawarma as one of his favorites.

A true fan of Mediterranean food, Turo especially finds lamb pitas at Hodgdon a favorite. He has a great love of cooking and traveling but loves to snorkel. Spending time with his extended family keeps him busy in his time away from work.

Street foods are a real favorite for Chef Steven – much more so than fine dining. He is especially fond of Latin, Italian, and BBQ.  He can’t identify his go-to foods in Tufts Dining because the variety is awesome!  Traveling and spending time with family keep him busy away from work.

Chef Walls thoroughly enjoys really hot spicy foods.  His favorite cuisine is Louisiana Cajun and the hotter - the better.  In fact, he makes his own hot sauce because no one else can make it with as much heat and spice as he can.  When not with his family and family of pet dogs, his other passion besides cooking is his Harley.  Motorcycling is his great leisure past-time on the rare times he has time to spend.  He enjoys creating new recipes for Pax et Lox Glatt Kosher Deli and cooking with and for friends.

A self-described proud “Disney adult”, Michelle can be found reveling in the Chocolate Mousse from the Tufts Dining Bake Shop or the Chicken Broccoli Penne. She enjoys keeping up with food trends and food photography. 

The Somerville Bagel from Hodgdon and the Strawberries & Cream Smoothie from Kindlevan Café are Michelle’s go-to favorites of Tufts Dining. The people she works with every day are her inspiration. She enjoys all-things baking and going out to her favorite restaurants in the area.

Chef Lei enjoys pineapple, ice cream and the Rice Crispy Treats from the Tufts Dining Bake Shop and the Boba Teas at Hotung Café! She is an avid gardener in her spare time along with spending a great deal of time with her very large close family. She’s fond of stand-up comedy shows.

Making impactful changes and providing excellent service energizes Justin in his work with Tufts Dining. A golfer and salt-water fisherman, he enjoys sharing these and Street Foods with his family. At Tufts, you can find Justin enjoying Sundried Tomato and Seafood Pasta and Thai Shrimp Chowder.

Susan enjoys almost all types of foods; the falafel bar at Dewick is her go-to at Tufts. Her favorite thing about working at Tufts Dining is working with other people that are passionate about food and hospitality. When not at work, Susan enjoys spending time with her family, taking day trips, and listening to true crime podcasts.

While at work and while away, Eric likes to “eat, drink & be merry” in the wonderful world of food. His passion for fine foods spans the globe with favorite restaurants from New York to Nashville. He enjoys learning and teaching about food with his adult children and always being a part of the Tufts University Family.

If there’s Chicken Carnitas on the menu, you can be sure, Michael will be there. An avid runner, he also enjoys being the captain of his local kickball team. Working with a team that is both diverse and creative is a major reason he works with Tufts Dining.

Chef Carlos is fluent in 3 languages and has triple citizenship acquiring his last – American – just several years ago. He follows many famous chefs and political figures and enjoys reading books and spinning music (as a former DJ). His favorite food at Tufts is the Egg Shakshuka and slow-cooked short ribs sandwich. But to Carlos – it’s all about Brunch!

As the Catering Sales Manager for Tufts Catering, Heather can combine her two passions: making a client’s vision for their event into reality and her love of food. Her favorite food at Tufts is the Tuna on Rye with extra pickles at Pax et Lox. When not at work, Heather's three kids keep her busy with their many activities.