The Peak

D-Hall Superstars

By Kelly Thoreson, Will McGraw

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Rosa

Where you can find her: Furiously making McFrasers on her tippy-toes behind the grill

Hometown: Southern Italy (you know, where the Mafia is from)

Fun fact: Likes to play the slots

Rosa, who Stavroula calls “Bella” — which means “beautiful” in Italian — is known for being short and eternally adorable. She claims that the kids that frequent the dining hall like her for two reasons: for being short, and for dealing with Stavroula all day — who is really a great friend of hers.

She moved to Canada with her husband, Vincent, 31 years ago. Rosa is quite the romantic and loves to tango, but her husband is notorious for his early bedtime. This, however, does not keep Rosa from putting on her dancing shoes and having a good time. Aside from tango, Rosa claims to adore all kinds of music, especially Bryan Adams.

Like most stereotypical Italian mothers, Rosa loves to cook and couldn’t even begin to name a favourite food. She loves them all.

Rosa agrees with Stavroula when it comes to Mediterranean people and their loud voices. Apparently she and her husband have been known to create a police-worthy ruckus when it comes to watching soccer games in their home.

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Stavroula

Where you can find her: Handing you your McFraser before you even order it

Hometown: Athens, Greece

Fun Fact: Her nickname from Rosa is “Brutto” — which, in a playful way, means “ugly”

You might be intimidated by the shocking volume of Stavroula’s voice. This, she claims, is normal for the Mediterranean; they say that those who talk loud have the sun in their heart. So next time you think that she is yelling at you, or “being mean,” remember that she is just bathing you in her inner sunshine — and you better appreciate it.

Stavroula moved to Canada 15 years ago after meeting her husband, George, in Greece and falling in love with him in “the sun and the sand.” They have a 12-year-old daughter named Pamela — who is, quite literally, what Stavroula’s life revolves around. When we asked what Stavroula likes to do on the weekends, she said “whatever my daughter wants to do,” with a genuine smile on her face.

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Leota

Where you can find her: Making the best dang-tootin’ sandwich you’ve ever tasted

Hometown: Calgary, Alberta

Fun fact: Tried out for the Olympic gymnastics team

Despite having worked in the food industry for some time now, Leota started her working life as an entrepreneur. She used to own a wedding decorating business. After she started having children with her husband Neil, however, this business proved to be too high-stress and time-consuming.

Leota enjoys watching Ellen DeGeneres and listening to Don McLean, Fleetwood Mac, and Hall and Oats.

When making sandwiches for her husband, Leota says that he tries to give her very specific instructions — to which she responds, “What do you think I do all day!”

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David

Where you can find him: You can often catch his chef’s hat bobbing around the kitchen, and serving at dinner

Hometown: Montreal, Quebec

Fun fact: Shot hoops with A Tribe Called Quest.

David, the head chef of the dining hall, moved from the East to B.C. after trying out for the national rugby team. He stayed and studied at UBC for sports medicine, but was soon distracted and dropped out.

If you ever have the chance, this chef has some juicy stories to tell about his travels, the Beastie Boys, Sarah McLachlan, and the restaurant scene in Vancouver.

Right out of high school, he and some friends hopped on a plane and did the traditional Euro-trip. They quickly ran out of money and worked peeling potatoes in a restaurant in France to replenish their funds. Here, he met a typical tourist couple wearing socks with sandals that apparently had lots of moolah in the bank. They played cards every day on his break from work, and when the southern couple departed for America, they left envelopes for him and his friends — each with $5,000 and a key to their villa in Nice. This led to all sorts of trouble and shenanigans including an accidental run-in with the police during a soccer riot in Yugoslavia and a trip to Soviet prison. This did not go over well with the Canadian embassy, which was convinced that they were spying for the Reds.

Another wild tale involves platinum blonde hair, sneaking into a music festival, and rocking out on stage with A Tribe Called Quest. Oh, and getting paid for it too.

David has been married to his wife for 10 years, and has a stepson and two children with her.

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Navjeet

Where you can find her: With a friendly hello and quick swipe of your meal card at the cash register

Hometown: India

Fun fact: Likes to watch Just for Laughs

Navjeet emigrated from India in 1994 and married her husband Jagjit. Together they have three kids — one girl and two boys.

She enjoys Indian music and sitting down to indulge in a number of Indian soap operas. Navjeet also likes to cook traditional Indian food, her favourite to make being butter chicken, despite being a vegetarian.

Navjeet has travelled to New York as well as California, but claims that California is hands down a better trip due to the sun, Hollywood, and, of course, Disneyland.

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Sofia

Where you can find her: At the cash with a big smile on her face, always prepared for early morning banter

Hometown: Soviet Union

Fun fact: Sometimes listens to heavy metal

Sofia is always there to remember your name and make you feel like you never left home. She grew up in Soviet Russia and knows how to speak English, Hebrew, Russian, and Romanian. She moved to Canada with her Belgian husband Pierre around 30 years ago. In addition to a stepson, Sofia and her husband have two children, a son and a daughter, and a granddaughter whom Sofia plays with on a daily basis.

Sofia worked at a state warehouse in Moldova after graduating university. This, she says, was her favourite job. It entailed distributing raw materials to make goods with. A young girl at the time, Sofia admits that she was susceptible to compliments and flirting from the men who she dealt with and often gave them more than the state allotted. One time, her boss asked her to write a letter to the ministry explaining her habit. Instead of writing the letter, she told her boss that her mom was waiting for her for dinner and she couldn’t possibly write it. Sofia was never punished for this.

While biographies are her favourite books to read, Sofia claims that Jane Eyre is “the only book [she has] read twice.” It is her absolute favourite, and she has seen every movie made based on it “at least 10 times.”