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Michael Tamburo may have the best office on campus. It's mobile, has a window and, best of all, comes with a fully stocked kitchen. He's the main man in MSU's Red Hawk Express. King of the one-handed egg crack, Mike begins his day at 6:30 a.m. when he stations the truck outside Dickson Hall to prepare breakfast for the early-morning crowd, who he said eagerly knocks on the window before he has a chance to shift into park.
Before he knows it, it's time to put away the hash browns and break out the French fries for the hungry lunch crew. Fortunately, Mike's assistant comes in at 11 a.m. to lend a hand until the truck shuts down at 7 p.m. "Business is booming. It's non-stop," said Mike as he quickly cooked up the next order of cheeseburgers and the truck's most popular fare, French fries.
No stranger to the mobile food industry, Mike worked with a friend for five years until he saved enough money to buy his own truck. But after a few years being his own boss, Mike called it quits. Selling his truck ironically led to his job at Montclair State. "I was driving along Valley Road on the way to cancel my truck insurance," he said. "Out of curiosity I decided to stop on campus to see if there were any jobs for cooks."
As luck would have it, the University was looking into buying its own mobile catering truck. Montclair State eventually bought the truck and put Mike in the driver's seat. "Best decision they ever made!" a loyal customer shouted as Mike told the story.
It's been a year since the truck and Mike debuted on campus. Although the hours can be demanding-sometimes up to 60 in a week-Mike's lively sense of humor keeps his spirits high and his customers coming back. "I love this job," he said with a smile. "I like the excitement and I like the students."
Although content with his job, the 28-year-old looks toward future opportunities. "I'd like to train people to do this and maybe become a manager one day," he said. But for now, Mike looks forward to his days in the Red Hawk Express. "I know my day is going to be long and busy. That's OK, especially when I make people laugh along the way." Now that's service with a smile.