Food Committee Meeting, Notes for Tuesday, September 17, 2012
Attendance: Maria Cruz, Jerry Byers, Mark Thompson, Gayle Donohue, Jerry D’Achille, Jr. Chris Moresi, Molly O’Brien, Jacob Blar, Katie Holmes, Erica Lansberg, Kelsey Giaetjens, Tyler Sparks, Sara Clark, Brent Wasser
Chris Abayasinghe
- Welcome
Roundtable of introductions
Co-council presidents
Last year’s food committee – Chris Abayasinghe. Opportunity to peruse the mission statement. We want students to communicate to others as a unified committee
Some recommendations make sense. We would love to have student help and getting the word out. Use social media that we would want to see. The mission statement also talks about crafting menus. We need to speak in detail about the menu planning that we do in the summer
Maria Cruz – student dining services committee specific – not relationships with purveyors. What do the students want? Is there a place for students – bids, how food is sourced and purchased? This is part of the operational discussion.
Spoke about the possibility of students being involved with purveyor bids. This is a significant commitment which ties in to the real food challenge
One student, Sara, is on the food challenge so she can represent them.
Is there someone who would want to take on this commitment? We are open to that piece and how that functions. For example, a request for proposal, ask a student to come in and help represent it. Possibly Sarah
Second semester for food planning local menus. We go through that certain phase in February which is pretty dry. Brent and Mark have been working on a local plant. Ginsberg is trying to process and freeze more local vegetables for us. The real food challenge – will help us as well.
Mark – we use Paradise farms. Green River, Moses farms. Moses beefsteak tomatoes are just gorgeous. We try to put that in our menu planning. PVF Bill more greens and squash. High lawn creamery – we use all their cream that helps out with the gelato program as well. Local from Lee, MA
Nitty Gritty flour for our Pizza program is a great product
Also sourced as gluten-free flour – making it in our bakery – as close as we can get it. excellent quality.
Maple Brook Cheese – mozzarella out of Bennington VT and feta, smoked mozzarella
Dole and Bailey Meats have become a huge part of this Boston distribution. They have a quality house. Tested before it walks in the door
Ioka farms – local
Golden Acres – 80 miles in NY
Misty Knoll – Manchester NH
Burgers at Mission on Wednesday – local grass-fed burgers as well
Food day event – Dole and Bailey some sort of beef we can use and to use their product
If we plan in advance – it does work out. We have made a really good start in moving in the right direction – try to do the best we can within budget.
Myron soy sauce – local produce, organic line as well. We are in the process of using Sweet Brook and Ioka farms for maple syrup. Brent has been very helpful as well with some great ideas. Hopefully we can incorporate this into our menus. We just have to find a way to make it happen – boneless verses cut-up organic, local
Chis Abayasinghe – we could use help in fall menu planning if possible.
Brent and Chris shared our resources. Eric is also part of the dining services collecting allergen information for Net Nutrition – primary goal for the first phase. Assessing the origins of the foods we purchase and how we compare to other schools. 3 students on the real food challenge likely before Thanksgiving.
Certain collaborative approaches. Can continue to support and collaborate with Zilhka Center. The student can go between 2 departments and realize the links and the shared goals
Chris – asked if we would we approve the mission statement or reconvene for next time?
Meal Plan
One student wondering about guest meals. Roll-over program within a week. If you don’t swipe for a couple of dinners, can you use it to get a more substantial for the snack bar at night? Interested in changing the 21 meal plan as a freshman. Explore a 5 meal plan. Block points offered more widely. Why can’t everyone choose a 2 block? They are for commuter students. Chris – 21 meal plan – probably here to stay. Possibilities exist to up the 10 to a 12 or a 5 to 7. Maria Cruz: Too low a meal plan creates a scavenger food mentality for some students.
Chis – Middlebury – open plan. Students can dine as many times as they want.
Everyone is charged the same amount – comprehensive fee structure.
Williams’s students – fundamentally important to have a choice. Various questions to Chris about meal plans – to be considered….. We should look at exploring more options…
Student Questions
Weekly special for late night snack bar? – Jerry B – we will be implementing them this week. Net Nutrition is being developed for this.
Paresky side salad bowls are too small. Better to have the medium sized bowls. Jerry D said there were cereal bowls nearby that students can use.
Why do we not get more green tea for the dining hall? Buy more green tea… Students choose the higher end gourmet teas that cost more. Goes really fast!
Greylock Dining hall – what is the status of that is it coming back.. Can we open it again? Chris, – Greylock is not slated to open again at this time. We have seen both a decrease and an increase in the dining hall numbers since closing Greylock.
Jerry D – Express breakfast at Paresky in the morning. Some want a more traditional breakfast for students who are in a hurry.
Explore vegan options from Grab and Go – Paresky vegan options. Need to explore healthier non-vegan/vegetarian options. Paresky food does not appear to be as healthy…….
Healthier sandwich option too!!
Mission and Driscoll have very separate identities …Possibly replicate some items towards Paresky. Maria – go to Paresky out of convenience – not necessarily what is on the menu.
Jerry remembered the huge bistro burger at Mission park in the good old days…
We want to be able to provide as much choice as possible. End of Meeting
