Creativity simmers in D-hall

I'm sitting at the counter at Supremo's, better known as the pizza station in the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall, watching George DeMers shuffle one pizza after another from the oven to the counter. We're talking about music.

"Metal's my favorite, man. I was always into metal when I was growing up in Texas and, when I moved up to New York, I met up with my family here, and my cousins all played guitar. I guess I kinda learned from them, and went on to play in a band, you know?"

George, a short order cook here at Skidmore, plays guitar in a local skate punk band called Buzzard, which just released its eponymous debut album a couple of months back, recorded by the infamous New York hardcore producer Don Fury. He's toured the country as a roadie a couple of times, and is as proud of his musical endeavors as he is of the pizzas he makes behind the glass at Supremo's.

He's not the only one. Jeff Ayers, another short order cook, has played violin since he was in elementary school. His band, Skeletons in the Piano, just released its second album, which was also produced by Don Fury.

"I played mostly classical stuff until I was 16, when I went nuts - I couldn't take classical anymore. So my best friend and I started a metal band, Lore. We played around New York for the better part of a decade - we even played CBGB's, and were ranked No. 13 on www.mp3.com in 1999. After the band broke up, I took a couple years off, but now I'm back at it, playing keyboards and violin in Skeletons."

As I make my way around the Dining Hall, chatting with the cooks, I begin to realize that nearly all of them have at least dabbled in some sort of artistic discipline on the side.

Brian Burr, a dishwasher, and Jason Kerry, a roundsman in the Spa, play together in the local metal band Alchemy of Time. Simon Grimes, a short order cook, just released a hip-hop album under the name Pete Pluto.

Stew Swart, a cook, Peterson Cross, a short order cook and Ben Niese, a senior cook, are all visual artists. Joey Cavalier, the senior cook at Emily's and host of the Chefdad 2000 Show, majored in art during college, had his own band for a while and roadied for several bands, including the Replacements, for a number of years. Mary Ellen O'Connell is a photographer. Trish Eddy makes jewelry. The list goes on and on.

So, what's the connection between the culinary, visual and performing arts? Why do so many artists and musicians also work in the food industry? According to George and Jeff, the answer is convenience .

"Jobs in the food service industry tend to be more flexible with their scheduling," Jeff said. "If you're a musician, it's a good trade to double in, 'cause you can play with your schedule in order to tour or record, and your job will still be there for you when you get back."

"It's a pretty easy trade to get into," George laughs. "You see a guy frying an egg, and you say, 'Hey, I can do that,' and you get the job."

Maybe the correlation is, just as these two say, based on convenience. Maybe those who are creative when it comes to food have a store of creativity for other areas as well, like I'm starting to think. But I'll leave that right-brain/left-brain stuff to the psychology majors. Either way, the art and music that these ladies and gentlemen are churning out is just as worthy of a sampling as the Global Café's latest dish.