Dinner with Six Strangers 09/15/2025

What is better than a really great meal?

If VP John Delate (Student Services) or Tammy Manning (Mail Services) approached me with that question, I’d wait for the punchline to the joke.  Of course I’d attempt to remember the their response so that I could later tell David (my husband), but I’d inevitably forget the entire joke.  Now, I leave the humor to others. Being able to deliver a joke is a skill I don’t have.

I decided to ask ChatGPT the question, and here’s the response: “A rare one that’s well done.” Without the help of artificial intelligence, I would have responded that a great meal is one where the individuals with whom you’re sharing the meal bring joy to the table and the food is infused with lots of love and care…that there is nothing better than that.

Last night, I had a great meal with six others at my “Dinner with Six Strangers”:

Lisa Dubuc, Online Learning

Drew Hynes, Building Maintenance

Nancy Knechtel, Art History

Julianne Masocco, Childhood Education

Daniel Miller, Math Computer Science Adjunct

Elizabeth Sachs, English

These six individuals were a reminder of why I never regret coming to work.  They each brought themselves to the table and were open to sharing pieces of their lives that bring them excitement.  They were willing to share who they would be if limitations/barriers didn’t exist.  They found commonalities in their passions and found interest in their differences.  They laughed with each other. Though I participated, I kept saying to myself:  THIS IS WHO WE ARE!!! We are a “salad bowl” of ideas and passions, and when we come together, we are GREAT.

The staff and students at Savor, once again, displayed why I take so much pride in the fact that NFCI is part of the SUNY Niagara family. The new menu is truly outstanding, and I would encourage each of you to experience it with family and friends, with colleagues from work, or as I do on occasion, solo.  I assure you, you’ll not be disappointed.

I hope each of you will continue to put your name in for these monthly dinners so that I can get to know each of you over a great meal. So, what is better than a really great meal? I’ll await your responses.