Columbia University Dining
About Us
About Us
Chef's Corner
Columbia University Dining Services takes great pride in its people, especially in the culinary talent that drives menu creation and product selection across the campus.
Chef Emilio, Executive Chef
Chef Emilio Deocampo is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute of New York. However, his lifelong ambition was actually to become a fashion designer. He was taking classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology when his twin brother, who is also a chef, suggested that he try culinary school. When he first stepped into the kitchen, he “just knew I was in the right place,” and claims that the most rewarding part of his job is knowing that someone else has enjoyed the fruits of his labor. Chef Emilio most recently worked as a chef at the Peninsula Hotel here in Manhattan. While there, he created meals for a handful of celebrities - although he keeps a tight lip on exactly who he has served.
Family also plays an important role in Chef Emilio’s career. He and his wife, also a chef, enjoy frequenting the Japanese market in Edgewater, New Jersey, where everything is exceptionally fresh and rare ingredients can often be found. He also credits his wife with providing always welcomed input and support. When discussing his goals for the kitchens of Columbia, he expresses his desire to bring the food here to another level, while also being able to pass on his own knowledge to his crew. Columbia is certainly fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated chef on staff, and we look forward to what Chef Emilio will bring to our community.
Chef Amy Goffio, Chef de Cuisine
Chef Amy Goffio grew up in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where cooking was a rite of passage in her family. She fondly recalls her mother stressing the vital importance of slicing potatoes in order for them to cook evenly. These childhood moments served as the catalyst of a lifelong passion for food, both traditional and innovative. Chef Amy graduated from the Academy of Culinary Arts in Atlantic City, New Jersey and also studied abroad in Chambéry, France. Before coming to Columbia, she was a chef with European Gourmet Foods, a company that creates high-quality meals for hotels, airlines, and the New York Yankees. The most exciting thing about cooking, according to Chef Amy, is that “some things just make sense.”
Chef Amy’s work at Columbia is not restricted to the kitchen either. Students can view her pod-cast on Columbia’s Environmental Stewardship website in which she relates organic and sustainable cooking tips that are tailored to residence hall living. Whether it is her grandmother’s recipe for eggplant parmesan or a surprisingly simple recipe with ingredients from the Green Market, there will surely be much to anticipate from this exciting new addition to Columbia.
Chef Emilio, Executive Chef
Chef Emilio Deocampo is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute of New York. However, his lifelong ambition was actually to become a fashion designer. He was taking classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology when his twin brother, who is also a chef, suggested that he try culinary school. When he first stepped into the kitchen, he “just knew I was in the right place,” and claims that the most rewarding part of his job is knowing that someone else has enjoyed the fruits of his labor. Chef Emilio most recently worked as a chef at the Peninsula Hotel here in Manhattan. While there, he created meals for a handful of celebrities - although he keeps a tight lip on exactly who he has served.
Family also plays an important role in Chef Emilio’s career. He and his wife, also a chef, enjoy frequenting the Japanese market in Edgewater, New Jersey, where everything is exceptionally fresh and rare ingredients can often be found. He also credits his wife with providing always welcomed input and support. When discussing his goals for the kitchens of Columbia, he expresses his desire to bring the food here to another level, while also being able to pass on his own knowledge to his crew. Columbia is certainly fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated chef on staff, and we look forward to what Chef Emilio will bring to our community.
Chef Amy Goffio, Chef de Cuisine
Chef Amy Goffio grew up in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where cooking was a rite of passage in her family. She fondly recalls her mother stressing the vital importance of slicing potatoes in order for them to cook evenly. These childhood moments served as the catalyst of a lifelong passion for food, both traditional and innovative. Chef Amy graduated from the Academy of Culinary Arts in Atlantic City, New Jersey and also studied abroad in Chambéry, France. Before coming to Columbia, she was a chef with European Gourmet Foods, a company that creates high-quality meals for hotels, airlines, and the New York Yankees. The most exciting thing about cooking, according to Chef Amy, is that “some things just make sense.”
Chef Amy’s work at Columbia is not restricted to the kitchen either. Students can view her pod-cast on Columbia’s Environmental Stewardship website in which she relates organic and sustainable cooking tips that are tailored to residence hall living. Whether it is her grandmother’s recipe for eggplant parmesan or a surprisingly simple recipe with ingredients from the Green Market, there will surely be much to anticipate from this exciting new addition to Columbia.
