MONMOUTH, Illinois - Penny McVey arrives to work before the crack of dawn.
"It`s nice to be out here be with the kids. It nice to hear what they have to say," said Penny.
But, students have another name for her, "Basically I`m the omelet lady out here. I prefer to go by what the kids name me," Penny laughs.
On average, Penny makes about 110 omelets a day. If you add that to the years she's been at the college that's more than 165,000 omelets she's made so far.
You could say cooking runs in her blood. Her great-grandmother worked in the college's cafeteria too back in the 1900's.
"She`s in heaven smiling," said Penny.
However, Penny will tell you cooking is just part of her job. She also serves as an unofficial counselor and adviser to students.
"If they`re having a bad day they tell you. It's nice to allow them to vent. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to," said Penny.
You can guarantee she'll listen too.
"I have an exam coming in like an hour or two and I`m like nervous and she`s over here like how`s your day and then she wishes you luck," said Natalia Bobak, a student at Monmouth.
While students think she's great, they say her omelets are pretty tasty too.
"It`s one of the best things in the café. If I could get it almost every day I would," said Drew Thaxton.
Recently Penny was awarded the Ring of Stars by the company she works for. She was chosen out of the companies' 270,000 employees for her outstanding service skills.
Penny hopes her omelets will do more than just fill bellies.
