FPU dining services dishes out changes
by Alison Jankowski
edited by Paul Lambert
Many changes have been implemented in the dining hall, reflecting an increased interest from students in ethnic foods and trends towards healthy eating.
(Photo: FPU Dining Instagram)
Along with the recent facelift to the marketplace, Sodexo introduced a Mindful health and wellness approach, committed to limiting calories, lowering fat, sodium, and cholesterol contents. They recommend that students and staff try to make at least one healthy food choice a day. Vegan and vegetarian options choices are now also available daily. According to The Culinary Institute of America, today’s students expect healthy options that aren’t short on flavor and provide variety as well as great quality.
My Zone is an area in the dining hall that has gluten-free and nut-free food options for students. Sophomore Rayna Spoon, who is gluten intolerant, was thrilled to discover that gluten-free foods were now available. “I think it’s great that the dining hall provides a safe area where we can come and everything is gluten and nut-free. It’s a welcome change,” Spoon said.
Another of the changes, The You Asked For It program, allows students to inspire some of the specials offered in the marketplace. Pizza Feature Friday recently featured honey-roasted chicken and BBQ mac and cheese pizzas, courtesy of student suggestions. Sodexo also plans to continue the celebrate heritage cuisines which have also proved to be quite popular with students.
Clarissa Chisholm, marketing intern for the FPU Dining team said, “Our staff always tries our best to fulfill reasonable student requests and most of the time we are successful in doing so.” She also credits general manager John Benouski who she feels genuinely values the opinions of students and is eager to do whatever he can to make their experiences a great one.
How I got this article: I first contacted Rayna and Clarissa and checked to see if I could schedule a meeting time with both. I met with each separately and brought questions I had already written with me. While interviewing both I took notes on what they said. After each interview I got both of their contact information in case I needed to contact them with any further questions. I did have to contact Clarissa after the interview to ask one final question that I had thought of after the interview.
