Laurie Spaulding: FHL Dining Hall Guru
by Rachel Anderson
When you arrive at Laurie Spaulding’s office door in the historic FHL Dining Hall, you are greeted by a charming faded image of a cookie with the fortune "You are loved by your employees." If you know Laurie, you totally understand why one of her employees affixed this fitting tribute to her door.
Laurie, the daughter of well-known artists, grew up on San Juan Island. In 1985, she joined the ranks of island teenagers who spent their summers working at the Friday Harbor Labs. Back then, the Dining Hall was managed by the department of Housing & Food Services on UW's main campus. The cook traveled north from Seattle for 10 weeks every summer.
Throughout her teen years, Laurie continued to work at the Labs. When she returned to the Island as a college student, she was asked to try her hand as a cook. Laurie's talents were quickly noted. In 1990, fresh back from a trip to Europe, she was suddenly summoned to main campus UW for a crash course and in one week she was given the green light to run the show in the FHL Dining Hall. She has been running the Labs’ Kitchen ever since. In fact, she has only missed one summer and that was in 1991 when her daughter, Ashleigh, was born. Laurie did return in the fall of ‘91, the year the FHL Kitchen opened for the Autumn and Spring quarters for the first time. Laurie was hired full-time that year — and the rest is history!
In the past 23 years, Laurie has included hundreds of employees in her Labs Kitchen family. She continues the tradition of hiring local high school students and also hires teenagers of visiting faculty. Several Kitchen staff members, like Laurie, have been at the Labs for many years.
Laurie is known for her warm, anything-is-possible attitude. She has a ready smile, and she and her staff are willing to go the extra mile to make sure that everyone has an amazing dining experience at Friday Harbor Labs.
Laurie also has a knack for making things special. Why not have Wednesday ice cream socials in the summer? Bake a dozen quiches at 4 a.m. for the annual FHL Beach Walk — no problem! In addition to her Labs Kitchen family, Laurie has two children of her own, Ashleigh and Robert. She loves island life including spending time on the beach and spending time with family, and (believe it or not) cooking and baking. (Both art and cooking are passions passed down from her parents.)
Thank you, Laurie, for all that you have given us these past 23 years. You are loved not only by your employees but also by your co-workers and everyone that interacts with you in the FHL Dining Hall!
