"Every time I've worked for Mike, he's genuinely demonstrated a very giving nature to all the people who've worked around him," Miller says.

"I came to work for him here about a year after he came," says the chef. "I walked through dining halls and after a while I said to him, 'Everyone's happy here, cooks, dishwashers, everyone.' Mike just kind of fosters that kind of good feeling."

Most agree that Berry's innovations are the central factor of his success at Harvard and elsewhere.

"He was really great," says Cockcrost, who has worked for HDS for 40 years. "I've worked for many managers, and I liked his style best of all.

He gave us more freedom to try things. If it worked, it worked. Otherwise, he knew not to try it again."

Evolution in Dining

Berry began changing things at HDS as soon as he arrived at Harvard.

The course of his innovations can be traced through the pamphlets titled "Dedicated to the Liberal Art of Eating," that HDS sent home to incoming first-year students each summer.

The pamphlet for the academic year 1991-1992 highlights the new programs that the director, one semester into his tenure, had instituted based on student feedback and his own observations.

In the flyer, HDS promises Harvard students "a sandwich bar at every lunch," "a wider range of items on the salad bar" and a request grill in dining halls for hamburgers and other barbecue foods.

The 1993-1994 brochure draws attention to vegetarian stations, Kosher tables in some houses, the "Recipes from Home" program, exam-period late night snacks and festive specialty meals.

The following year HDS promised more variety in food presentation, including "authentically seasoned" ethnic foods and a newly renovated college bakery.

This year's pamphlet announced a pasta bar at every lunch and dinner, a weekly Chickwich entree, expanded Sunday brunch offerings and 120 new items, such as polenta with grilled vegetables.

Additionally, Berry was intimately involved in the organizational shift toward healthier, lighter foods and away from heavy, traditional fare, according to Condenzio. As director, Berry also advocated the move to self-serve dining halls with more choice for the diner.

Beyond improving food quality, however, HDS also increased its commitment to environmentalism and community service under Berry. In conjunction with Phillips Brooks House and other student and community organizations, the dining halls and restaurants gave away leftover food to the hungry and participated in waste awareness programs.