The Cisco Foodies

It’s no secret that Cisconians are fueled by creativity, collaboration, and innovation – but did you know there’s something else that keeps us going too? FOOD!  Not only are we surrounded by delicious meals throughout our Cisco cafes daily – we also have dedicated Cisco Foodies on our teams as well!

Food and nutrition help to maintain our productivity and provide energy throughout our work day, (naturally, we’re okay if you Instagram it too! ) and, in true Cisco Fashion, our Workplace Resources team thought, “Why shouldn’t every trip to the café be a culinary adventure?!”

Want to travel around the world? You can do that through the Cisco cafes! From comfort food like the American grilled cheese, to adding a little spice to your day with authentic carnitas tacos – we love having a global approach to the flavors we bring to the table.

Here’s a few of our favorite stops:

1.Fresh Fish Market: The east coast docks come to life at café 11 as Chef Juan and his team make these incredible made to order dishes (poached salmon or freshly marinated ceviche, anyone?) right out of the Fisherman’s Wharf!

2.Seasonal Pho Bar: Café 21 might offer the Pho Bar of your dreams as it’s not only made to order, but build your own! Yes, please! Or, when Pho’s not in season, what you find might take you to a different part of the country. For the months when fish is at its best, you’ll find Chef Joe playing around with his famous Poke Bowl.

3.The Republic of Spice: What’s special about this location? Featuring Indian cuisine, this station has lifelong Indian chefs preparing and cooking all of these recipes, and for an extra added dose of authenticity? They’re sharing recipes from their own families that have been passed down over the years! Now that’s love you can taste! Come say hi to Anita in café 11, Amar in café 21, or Mohammed in café 17.

Justin Riray, a Cisco employee for Customer & Partner Experience, appreciates that the diversity we have on campus, is also reflected in the daily cuisine offerings, “My go-to for lunch spot has to be Café 11 – they’ve got a great variety of cuisine. Sometimes I just want a cheeseburger, cheesesteak, or a pizza. But if I want chicken tikka masala, a burrito, or teriyaki bowls? They have those as well. Chef Herb and his staff are awesome and are very open to feedback from us Cisconians on meals we’d like to try.”

Umashankar Meda, who’s the Global Lead for ICON (Indians Connecting People) an employee resource organization (ERO) at Cisco also shares similar sentiments, “Dining at Cisco is not just about eating but an opportunity to explore diversity and multiculturalism, I see the specialized chefs in our own Cisco Cafes always thinking of ways to reinvent standard favorites by adding flavors and ingredients found in recipes from other countries and cultures.”

Food can also be the staple that brings people (and events) together! Any time a campus-wide event is being planned Cisco’s HR team partners with the campus dining providers, LifeWorks Restaurant Group, to take the culinary experience to a brand new level. Recently, we were focused on our Parties on the Patio (POP) events. The POPs this past summer challenged the head chefs to think outside the box and featured cuisines from the Caribbean (Jamaican Beef Curry with Plantains) to Midwest Barbeque (Blue Moon Drunken Chicken). One word to describe these events? “Yum!”

Katie Meitzler from Cisco’s HR team spearheads all the Parties on the Patio events in San Jose, and is constantly coming up with new and innovative ways to increase attendance – and unique storytelling through food is just one of those ways! She shared a recent favorite POP event called “At Your Service” which celebrated a new 5-star support service for employees.  The theme for this POP was “upscale” so our chefs had to come up with a 4-course tasting menu, complete with amuse bouche tasting shooters, a seafood, meat or vegan entrée, side dishes, and dessert! Employees loved the creativity behind it, and really enjoyed selecting their food choices.

You may have heard that Cisco loves celebrating diversity. Now you know that Cisconians also come to work knowing that their company celebrates that diversity – even as they sit down to lunch. Here at the Cisco cafes, we think there is no better way to celebrate the richness of culture and community than to taste it.

Are you ready to order up the Cisco Life and join us? We’re hiring! Apply Now.