Andy Alander was promoted to Executive Chef of Residential Dining in 2024 after joining our team as a sous chef in 2021. He has shown immense passion for collegiate dining.
Prior to joining UMD, Andy had a long and successful career in and out of the food service industry. He worked as the Operations Manager at Downtown Computer in Duluth, the Assistant Fire Marshall at Rice Lake Volunteer Fire Department, the Foodservice Director at St. Ann’s Home, a Production Supervisor at Essentia Health, an Executive Chef at Tycoons, and a Chef de Cuisine at Northland Country Club.
Andy is an honors graduate of the Arizona Culinary Institute where he earned a degree in Culinary Arts, Baking, and Restaurant Management. He also received the Life Saver Award in 2019 from the Rice Lake Fire Department for successfully resuscitating a pulseless patient in cardiac arrest!
When he isn’t working, Andy enjoys reading, tabletop and role-playing gaming, rucking, powerlifting, and playing outside on his farm.
Andy says he enjoys working for UMD Dining Services because after over a quarter of a century in food service, primarily in restaurant settings, he has finally found a healthy work/life balance. He has experienced a degree of personal and professional happiness that he hasn’t felt in many years. His short time at UMD has already provided him numerous opportunities for professional development in a growth-oriented and supportive environment. “I wish I would have come to work at UMD a decade ago,” said Alander.
