Food Committee Commits to Tasty Changes

November 16, 2018

Cate students in collaboration with Chef Tim Fox and the kitchen staff formed a new club on campus this fall called the Food Committee. What started as a casual meeting to gauge interest in giving feedback on Cate’s food offerings turned into an enthusiastic conversation of more than 25 students. It quickly became clear that more meetings were inevitable. Since that initial gathering, the Food Committee is slowly changing the way Cate students interact with our dining hall food and our food service provider.

Like any good researchers would,  the Food Committee began by gathering data, and more than 200 students and faculty participated in a school-wide survey and smaller focus groups. As a result, the committee was able to identify down three main themes: our community wants more information regarding to the food we eat; our community wants more opportunities to engage in dialogue about meals and dining experiences; and our community would appreciate help navigating healthy alternative options in the dining hall when they aren’t craving the main meal.

Riding the wave of enthusiasm and community support, the Food Committee got to work. Theo Mack ’20 and Katie Browne ’19 began creating short video clips illustrating how students can easily create a tasty and healthy meal from the salad and sandwich bars. Dana Huston-Chen ’20 designed a committee logo in her digital arts class. Maya Fenelon ’20 began collecting recipes from students to submit to the dining hall. Luke Laurence ’19 formed the “Bread Subcommittee.” Vania Zhao ’20, Hannah Biles ’20, Robyn Collins ’19, and Marissa Strauss ’20 led our initial focus groups. The Food Committee has also spearheaded two “taste tests” during the lunch block, where students and faculty were invited to sample and vote on their favorite Greek yogurt and bread options.

The Food Committee is just getting started, and the group is excited to continue collaborating with the kitchen staff to implement immediate changes in the current dining hall as well as prepare for more improvements and enhancements in the new dining hall.