3 Ways the OLu Cafe will Surprise You

Reason 1: Incredible Staff with Decades of Culinary Experience

   The fearless leader of the OLu Cafe, Orange Lutheran’s on-campus cafeteria, is Chef Anthony Chumpitaz. An Art Institute of Los Angeles graduate, Chef Chumpitaz earned a degree in Culinary Arts, which led him to chef positions at many companies across Southern California, including UCLA, The Beverly Hills Hotel, Sodexo at Honda Headquarters, Terranea Resort, and The Ritz Carlton-Marina Del Rey.

Chef Anthony is supported by two talented culinary wizards, Chef Joe Lopez and Chef Ki Rosskopf, as well as a team of food service workers. Chefs Joe and Ki bring decades of experience to the table, with past positions at multiple Southern California hotels and restaurants.

The Cafe’s quality food is complimented by a friendly and welcoming front-of-house staff who quickly make you feel at home. The team helps keep the Cafe fully stocked and moves the student body through the Cafe promptly and efficiently. During the 35-minute lunch break, more than 900 students are served, plus some faculty and staff as well.

Reason 2: Wide Selection with Dietary Needs in Mind

    Students and guests with dietary restrictions or requirements can dine at the OLu Cafe without missing out. The chefs offer various options for those who are vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, or have other allergies. They also do a fantastic job of providing limited-time menu items and seasonal specials with different dietary concerns in mind to keep things fresh and fun for students! 

    The chefs at OLu Cafe have a passion for cooking and creating new recipes, which leads to a very diverse menu of dishes. Walking through the Cafe, you can find many different cold and hot food options, all prepared fresh and often in-house, bakery and snack items, and a vast selection of drink choices. When dining at the OLu Cafe, you can always know there will be great options to help you power up before a test or the big game.

Reason 3: Always Something New to Try

    Feeling like some comfort fast food instead? The Cafe has you covered with additional food options from outside vendors that rotate daily. From Chick-fil-A and Raising Canes to Panda Express and Lamppost Pizza, there’s always something exciting to look forward to.

    The OLu Cafe also takes inspiration from current holidays and monthly cultural observances to create unique, limited-time dishes to help students get into the spirit–certainly not what you usually think of when you think of school lunch! For this past Hispanic Heritage Month, the Cafe presented tasty specials like Wet Burritos, pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread), and Cilantro Chicken Stew. 

Chefs Anthony, Ki, and Joe also shared their specialty dishes with over 600 guests (ages 21+) at Taste of OLu, Orange Lutheran’s annual food and wine festival that features samples from local restaurants, breweries, and wineries. The week after the event, OLu students got to try Chicken Causa, one of the exclusive menu items that the chefs served at the event. This Peruvian-style dish was served with chicken salad, citrus potato cake, pickled red onions, avocado purée, and microgreens in a world-class presentation.

Next time you’re on campus and looking for a bite to eat, stop by the OLu Cafe to be surprised and delighted! You can also follow the Cafe on Instagram at @olu.cafe to keep up on daily specials and new foods on the menu.