Campus Dining Dishes Up the Right Ingredients for The Ingram Commons
More than 1,600 first-year students live on t, and every one of them is required to have a university meal plan. But even if meal plans weren鈥檛 required, it鈥檚 a safe bet that the dining hall in The Commons Center would be full. The food is that good.
, which operates 19 locations across campus, has won numerous awards, including several for its food in The Commons Center. The National Association of College & University Food Services, in fact, named it the best residence-hall dining in the nation in 2009.
What sets Campus Dining鈥檚 fare apart is not just its deliciousness but its variety as well. The daily menus at The Commons Center are, in their own way, as expansive and sophisticated as the 115,000-square-foot, LEED-certified building itself.
鈥淲hen parents touring The Commons hear about the sushi and other unexpected dishes we serve, they shake their heads in disbelief,鈥� says , a certified executive chef who directs Campus Dining. 鈥淎nd alumni inevitably say, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 have this when I was here. All we had were three buffet lines and mystery meat.鈥欌��
For Howard and others on his team, it鈥檚 not enough to be simply a purveyor of food. Rather, it鈥檚 about creating a sense of community, and that means not just feeding 1,600 first-years each day, but feeding them well.
鈥淲e at Campus Dining embrace our role as builders of community,鈥� says Howard. 鈥淔ood brings people together, and creates a sense of place and a feeling of kinship.鈥�
TEXT BY SETH ROBERTSON
Go behind the scenes with Campus Dining and see how they feed thousands of people every day:
Also see a and for your own family.