'Crepe guy' up for Penn EVP

*This article appeared in the 4/1/02 Joke Issue*

The University Committee charged with finding a replacement for Executive Vice President John Fry has finally narrowed its search.

"We're looking for someone with brains, a commitment to excellence and entrepreneurial savvy," University President Judith Rodin said.

And Penn may have found just the right man.

Among the names on the short list is crepe-truck guru Andreas Andoniades, the man behind the cart and the Houston Hall operation -- a man who has moved beyond the food truck and into the hallowed halls of the Ivy League in 10 short years.

"Andreas is an established presence on this campus, a well-respected business man and a dedicated member of Penn's food cart community," Provost Robert Barchi said. "I think he's really got a good shot at this position."

According to some Penn administrators, the recent economic slowdown will challenge the next EVP. The University has already been forced to make budget cuts and decrease administrative funding by 5 percent.

Andoniades has laughed in the face of adversity before when he was moved away from Walnut Street and into the back alley of Sansom Street thanks to the construction of the Pottruck Health and Fitness Center.

But this setback didn't cause Andoniades to raise his low price for either the savory or the dessert crepe, a trend officials hope he will be able to replicate with regard to the University budget.

Since he first came to Penn in 1992 with the Spruce Street food truck Pizza Express, and then La Petite Creperie on Walnut Street between 37th and 38th streets, Andoniades has accomplished a great many deeds which officials believe have thoroughly prepared him for the EVP post.

"He is an innovator, and I'm not just talking about the introduction of the Chicken Caesar [crepe] a few years back," Rodin said. "It is way more than that."

It may have been his fortuitous location outside of Gimbel gym and his daily contact with the wide-eyed girls that emerged from inside and cautiously averted their eyes which alerted Andoniades to a need here on campus -- a need he sought to fill. That year, La Petite Creperie switched ingredients to low-fat mozzarella and whole wheat crepes.

And when trends changed in tupperware, Andoniades was ahead of the curve, switching from spork to individual spoons and forks way before the Quaker Shaker and Greek Lady Olga.

"He knows what the students want, and he takes risks to get there," said outgoing EVP John Fry. "I like it. This guy's got some talent."

But the question is whether Andoniades would be open to an offer from the University that relocated his truck and has stalled on PennCard access for his Houston Hall location for over a month.

Others worry that the EVP position will crowd Andoniades' schedule too much in the fall, as the crepe master seeks to take his beloved delicacy national.

"He would be splitting his time between two very time-consuming operations," Barchi said. "It could really sacrifice the quality of those crepes, and that is something the University is just not willing to do."

Andoniades has also come under fire recently from History Professor Tom Childers, who has accused the crepe guru of stealing his trademark slogan, "Escape the ordinary," from Childers' book Wings of Morning.

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