The Perfect Parm
When I started working at Swings, the fast-casual restaurant on campus, I could not for the life of me figure out how to make the fan favorite, most commonly ordered item: the chicken parm. Every time someone ordered one, I froze.
Standing in front of the hot oven, sweating under the pressure, I couldn’t remember if the cheese went before or after the sauce, or how long to heat the chicken before it got too crispy. Slicing the bread was its own challenge. It always fell apart or came out crooked. The full-time staff would laugh a little but never in a mean way. They showed me how to slow down, pay attention, and get it right.
It took a while, but eventually I got the hang of it. I learned the order by heart and started feeling more confident behind the counter. After long days of classes, I still showed up for my shifts with a smile on my face, even when I was tired and had mountains of homework waiting for me. There was something grounding about being there, working with my hands, and being part of a team that counted on each other.
The people I worked with became a big part of why I stayed. Most of them weren’t students, and they worked longer hours than I did, but they made me feel like I belonged. They taught me small tricks, saved me food when we closed late, and checked in about my day. Over time, I realized that what mattered wasn’t just making the perfect chicken parm. It was being dependable, showing up, and learning from the people around me.
The 6 steps to making the perfect parm:
- slicing bread and toasting each slice
- placing tenders
- drizzling marinara sauce
- laying provolone cheese
- roasting in oven and taking it out after the cheese starts to bubble
- smothering other bread slice in marinara and then closing the sandwich
- TA-DA!
