Recipe For a New Direction

Maeve Garces, the 3-year-old daughter of Fresno State culinology junior Rance Garces, has a lot to be proud of about her father.

Not only is he a United States Army veteran, but he is one of the food science and nutrition department’s hardest-working yet most modest students. And from a practical standpoint, she and her mother, Ashley, can share their appreciation each day for the delicious and healthy meals he makes, including their favorite barbeque dishes.

Their 31-year-old Atwater native honed his grilling methods while he served his commitment at bases in Fort Knox (Kentucky), Camp Casey (South Korea) and Fort Benning (Georgia) from 2010 to 2015.

“Being in the military was definitely key for helping me get to where I am today,” said Garces. “The experience taught me a lot of leadership skills and helped me decide what I wanted to focus on in college and as a career.”

He earned the rank of specialist, and his scout and sniper platoon trained to perform combat operation reconnaissance and engage enemy forces. The cavalry scout team leader also mentored others in ways that would serve them the rest of their lives.

“Sometimes people in my unit needed help meeting the physical standards,” said Garces, “so I would work with them on their diets and their workouts. The Army cafeteria would have green, yellow and red labels on the food to give a general idea of which foods were the healthiest, but a personal approach helped them better understand the principles.”

Already interested in food and nutrition when he entered the military at 21, he had worked as a prep cook and line cook in area restaurants during and after graduating high school. After initially attending Merced Community College at the age of 20, he enlisted a year later to follow the footsteps of his father, Ruben Garces (a retired Army infantryman) and his grandfather, Clifford Freitas (a Vietnam Navy Submariner).

The move is still paying dividends through the G.I. Bill that covers tuition and helps defray book and housing costs.

After the Army, he attended Merced College for two years starting in 2016 and took general education and nutrition classes. The subsequent choice to transfer between Fresno State or Sacramento State was easy.

Being a Bulldog meant he could still live in Atwater - the place where he grew up working on his grandfather’s beef cattle ranch and almond orchard - and still commute back and forth daily.

He started taking classes towards a dietetics degree at Fresno State in the fall of 2018. He also became a member of the member of the Student Veteran Organization & Student Nutrition Dietetic Association chapters that are active in community outreach projects.

He switched a year later to culinology so he could also study the science behind food and the culinary arts. The new degree also aligns better with his career goals of becoming a research chef that develops new products or starting a restaurant.

“I love the hands-on part of getting into the kitchen and working with new recipes,” said Garces. “I really enjoyed all the dietetic training, too, and especially the case studies where we simulated working with people with certain diseases and conditions, and help plan diets for them and their family.”

Food has always brought his family together, and he has fond memories of his grandmother from her chocolate pie and his mother from her stews. When he was a teenager, he also helped make meals for his brothers that were four and six years younger when his mom was busy at work as a social work supervisor.

That same connection is now shared by his daughter, who helps him make homemade bread or pasta and prep fruits and vegetables.

“Whether it’s a family member, client or customer, it’s always special to create a dish that people really like," said Garces. "It gives me extra pride to see my daughter share that joy, too.”