Shaffer has worked at Harvard for 14 years and at the Union for the past four. Before coming to Cambridge, he worked in the Navy and as a cook at Brandeis. His current duties as supervisor--besides, of course, his daily studio recording--include ordering food and equipment and scheduling.

When Shaffer is not around to make the dial-a-menu recording, Gomes, who is also a Union supervisor, takes his place. The Portugese native came to Harvard seven years ago after working in Boston's clothing industry. The need for a more comprehensive health insurance plan forced Gomes to look for a new job.

"Harvard offered better coverage," she says. "And it was very close to my home." Gomes worked at the Business School first, and then moved to Adams House and finally to the Union.

She says she likes her job because "it's very exciting. I get to meet a lot of different people." Working at the Union makes Gomes "feel good that I can be of help [to others] with little things." Which is really what Dial-a-Menu is all about.

Gomes says she was wary when Shaffer asked her to make a recording for the first time because she is not a native speaker of English. "You'll notice my English is terrible," says Gomes, who speaks perfectly good English.

Her nerves were so bad, she recalls that "the first day was a wreck. I had to [say so much] in 30 seconds, it was a nightmare."

But Gomes was not going to let a little embarrassment get in the way of her duties. She says she has overcome her initial fear of recording. "It's part of my job," she says, adding, "I'm glad to do it."

Gomes, who has lived in the United States for the last 21 years, hopes to improve her recordings by bettering her English. Working with students has "helped improve my vocabulary," she says.