As Hector Del Toro, manager and cook for both Burrdog and The Bowl (Fresh and Natural), has been at Cerritos College for a month, and he expressed a few thoughts on how it is serving the students.

“I love to make people happy,” he said. “I love to make people smile when I cook for them.”

Del Toro started cooking in Mexico at the age of 15. He came to America in 1989 and continued cooking for a wide range of restaurants.

“I’ve been cooking for [about] 40 years and it’s something I love to do,” he said.

With his years of experience in cooking, he’s able to “serve up” a variety of food besides the popular teriyaki bowl at the Bowl, such as tacos, burritos or pasta.

“Yeah, I don’t mind. I’ll cook whatever for the students. If they want a taco, I’ll make some tacos. If they ask for some chilaquiles [fried tortillas topped usually with cheese or sauce] I’ll make some,” Del Toro said. “I like to think as if I’m cooking for my son, my family.”

Since the vendor opened in August, most people are hesitant to try the food because of the “C” rating that it received during the semester, but Del Toro explains how he wasn’t even present when it got graded.

“I don’t know what happen. I wasn’t here when they (inspectors) graded the restaurant,” he said.

Burrdog, one half of Fresh and Natural, is a traditional fast food restaurant that usually serves burgers and fries.

“The fries – those are ones that most students go for,” Cesar Sanchez, employee of both restaurants and computer engineer major, said. “Fries go quick.”

He also expresses how it is to work for both restaurants.

“I love it. Customers turn into friends and the employees here are like family,” Sanchez said. “We feel connected when we work with each other.”