Cabrini Activities and Programming board took an indulging and exciting trip to Shady Maple Smorgasbord in Lancaster, Pa. The word “buffet” does not do the variety of food offered at Shady Maple Smorgasbord justice. Walking into Shady Maple Smorgasbord can be fairly overwhelming because of the amount of food offered and the endless servings. The different kinds of food consists of grits and eggs, scrapple, biscuits and gravy, waffles, donuts, fruits, yogurts, ham and eggs, tarts and various types of pancakes including blueberry, banana nut, chocolate and many more. The pancake bar somewhat resembles an ice cream shop. An endless amount of toppings are offered and the sky is the limit when it comes to creativity with pancakes. After everyone enjoyed the breakfast courses, the lunch tables became available. “The food was really good but it was hard to narrow it down because there were so many selections. The atmosphere was busy but family oriented. I can definitely see my friends and I going back,” Donald Powell, sophomore criminology major, said.
Most people went back for three or four servings because there was not enough room on their plate to enjoy everything they wanted.
“I had such a hard time trying to decide where to start and what to eat,” Chelsea Cornacchia, sophomore special education major, said.
CAP board brings in new ideas to engage students on campus and takes trips to surrounding areas. Jamie Santoro, Emily Fiore and Peter Morrison, members of CAP Board, worked together to put this event into motion. They orchestrated this event to give students some time off campus and get another outlook on a different environment.
“We chose Shady Maple because a lot of Cabrini students go there so we knew it would be a good turnout. Roughly 20 people came to the event… considering the fact buses left campus at 8 a.m., that was not a bad turnout,” Fiore, vice president of CAP Board, said.
“I used to go when I was younger with my family. It lives up to its acclaim I was still excited to go,” Kimberly Carlson, junior political science major, said.
Something unique about the Shady Maple Smorgasbord is that they offer parking for Amish horse and buggies since the Smorgasbord is located in Lancaster County, a well-known Amish community. Shady Maple has been in existence since 1970. Most cooks come in at 4 a.m. to begin preparing food and people stay overnight to cook the meat for the next day. It is a family attraction known all across Pennsylvania.
“I have never been to Shady Maple but it is a really big tourist attraction in Lancaster, especially on Saturday mornings,” Mary Kate Miller, sophomore psychology major and a resident of Lancaster county, said. Shady Maple also has a 40,000- foot gift shop, which includes furniture, candles, rugs, toys, posters and much more. There are a variety of homemade products as well as items you could find at your local Wal-Mart.
“A lot of the food is made by employees in the farm market and the furniture is delivered from crafts man in the area,” Jason Ruhl, employee in the Shady Maple gift shop, said.
Many Cabrini students enjoyed the gift shop as much as the food. Most students left with memorabilia from the gift shop.
“I bought a lime green tie dye tee shirt that said ‘Amish country’ with a horse and buggy on the front and a bonnet,” Mimi Moore, junior
history and American studies, said.
