Tonya Besancon, a staff member at the College, talks about working in the new Knowlton Café, her hobbies, her family and what it is like to live on a farm.
Where are you from?
We live on a dairy farm on the Back Orrville Road.
How long have you been working at the college?
18 years.
What has it been like to start working at Knowlton Café this year?
I love it! It’s so — the atmosphere is amazing. It’s got all the lighting and all the students, I just love it. It’s really nice here.
What are some of your favorite hobbies or ways to relax?
Spending time with my grandchildren, spending time with my kids and cooking. That’s about it!
What do you like to cook?
Italian food.
Are you Italian?
I’ve got Italian in me, so, we like to make homemade spaghetti and lasagna.
What’s it like to live on a dairy farm?
Busy, very busy. My two sons, they’re 33 and 32, they help run the dairy farm, and it’s a 24 hour a day job. Yeah, there’s always something going on. We milk three times, around the clock. It’s wonderful, it is.
How long have you lived there?
Probably 16 years. We had a gentleman’s farm in Ashland for 11 years, and then we bought the dairy farm.
What’s a gentleman’s farm?
Just grain farming, and it just was real pretty. It wasn’t the milking aspect, so it was a little different.
Did you grow up on farms?
I did not, I grew up in town! Right by the park in Marshallville, and I married my husband, who grew up on a farm, born and raised, and so that was his way of life. I changed. It was a change, a big change.
And did you think it was a positive change, did you like it?
At first I was a little lonely back on the farm. You know because I was used to people around all the time, and walking down to the park. But after I started having babies, it was so quiet and peaceful, I got used to it.
Interview by Zoe Covey, a Features Editor for the Voice (Photo courtesy Blair Besancon).