SMU Staff of the Month: Hilbert Kaste

By Lauren Rothering
Cardinal Staff

You may have seen him gathering silverware off of trays during a typical Wednesday lunch. Or you may have seen him scraping plates on the occasion that the dish room door was open. Or you may just recognize him as ‘that nice man who works in the cafeteria.’ Who is the man behind this mystic?
Read more...His name is Hilbert Kaste, and he is a husband, a father, a grandfather, and, if I do say so myself, quite the jokester.

Hilbert Kaste has been working at Chartwells Campus Dining for twelve years, and every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the past two. Originally from a dairy farm in Alma, Wis., Kaste worked in a factory and as a manager in a retail lumber yard for over 15 years before his current job at Chartwells. He now lives in Cochrane, Wis., with his wife Colleen, and the pair will celebrate their 48th wedding anniversary this month. “We must be doing something right,” said Kaste. They have two daughters, Cheryl, who lives in Sparta, Wis., and Lori, who lives in St. Anthony, Minn. They also have one granddaughter, Lindsay, who is a sophomore at Huntington University in Huntington, Ind.

Kaste enjoys the “upbeat” atmosphere of Chartwells. He also likes being able to “work with the students.” Kaste has a reputation for being a comedian among kitchen staff, and during the course of our interview, it was not hard to see why. Kaste repeatedly made jokes about how he hoped this issue would still distribute well, despite the fact that he was going to be featured in it. He was also sure he had broken the staff camera when he had his picture taken.

More about Kaste:
Favorite Music: Easy Listening, mostly from the 50s and 60s
Favorite Food: Chicken, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie
If you could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, who would you choose?Harry Caray (Chicago Cubs radio announcer), Charles Osgood (CBS news anchor), and Art Linkletter (TV personality and author, host of “Kids Say the Darndest Things”)
Advice for students:“Life is what you make it.”