Sodexo’s general manager said he and the staff try to respond to students’ needs in their purchases and menu selection. Over half the student population at Cabrini College lives and eats on campus.
With variety ranging from each dining option it is interesting to see how the everyday student has been incorporated into the dining selection and to see just how much work goes into creating a menu that will be healthy and pleasing to every student.
Cabrini’s menu offers many fresh fruits and vegetables daily making it possible for Cabrini to support local farmers and companies in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area. Drew Niemann, general manager of dining services, explained the process which Cabrini uses to purchase food .
“We support local farms as much as possible, depending upon what is in season regarding fruits and vegetables. We also have a wide range of organic items available for students such as our spring mix at the salad bar along with our baby carrots, bananas and yogurt seasonally based,” Niemann said.
At Cabrini the health and wellness of students are taken very seriously in the Marketplace and all food is always served at the peak of freshness. USDA beef is the only beef being served at Cabrini. MSG’s are never used in food preparation. Five or more fresh fruits are offered daily and all cooking and frying oils are 100 percent trans-fat free. “We have a promise to keep in offering items that are healthy and meet dietary needs,” Niemann said.
Just like the marketplace, Sandellas and Jazzman’s contain a menu suitable for college students. Serving fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers both dining services also offer many organic selections on a daily basis such as cheese, yogurt and smoothies.
“It would be impossible for our entire menu to be organic due to the cost, but we like to make organic items available for students who prefer them,” said Andrew Culp, supervisor, food services.
Sandellas and Jazzman’s are operated with a contract form Sodexo companies so change to the menus can be difficult but it is possible.
“We get a lot of feedback from students using the comment board and we try to make the changes they request. Next semester we will have turkey bacon and sausage for our breakfast sandwiches,” said Culp.
In the Marketplace, Sandella’s and Jazzman’s each food item goes through a rigorous process in order to be deemed suitable to be served to Cabrini College students. The workers behind the scenes at breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday take great pride in making sure what you want is what you get.
When it comes times to decide what the menu for the week at Cabrini College much has already been predetermined due to an event held every year.
“Global perspectives Student board of Directors is made up of 30 students from all over the United States that come together for a three -day- meeting to discuss what they want to see on the menus for the upcoming school year,” said Niemann.
At Cabrini we pay particular attention to this meeting but the input does not stop there. The Cabrini students are very important to us and their input is what helps keep students happy.
“We constantly get feedback from our students in forms are email, comment forms, hall meetings and even from visiting with ECG 100 classes,” said Niemann.
Our food services team wants you to know they are open to any comments one may have and have been working admirably to produce a menu you are happy with, every dining services employee stressed this importance during their interview. Rodeny Stockett, executive chef, at Cabrini was very pleased to talk about the recent changes made to the Cabrini Menu, and also encouraged students to speak up about what they want to see.
“Last year we have many requests for more chicken. Due to that demand there has been 15 percent more chicken on this year’s menu than last. Along with the chicken our salad bar has doubled in size,” said Stockett.
The menu is becoming more flexible and more accommodating for all students.
“We have met the request for breakfast foods at dinner along with meeting special dietary needs for students with allergies and celiac disease,” Niemann said.
Cabrini College has made a great effort in making food every student will like. The menus vary depending upon where you choose to eat but it is always made fresh with the best ingredients the college can obtain. Students’ opinions and suggestions are always listened to and welcomed. Cabrini College does its best to make the menus of our dinning services appealing to us along with serving fresh food.
What’s on the menu tonight? Check out the Cabrini’s online menu at http://www.cabrinidining.com/. Here you can see the menu each week , manage your flex dollars, view your transactions and more. This new tool added just recently is another way Cabrini is trying to make your life more manageable.
