Anya Cohen
Managing Editor
Based on feedback from Wooster’s Food Committee and comment cards in the two Lowry suggestion boxes, Campus Dining services has implemented myriad changes this semester.
While some of the changes are hard to miss — for example, the addition of a second toaster and the lemon wedges on the fruit bar — other new campus dining features may prove more subtle.
Among the many change, the salad dressings at Kittredge have changed in brand from Chelten to Marzetti’s, the frozen Philly Cheesesteak meat has been swapped out for freshly chipped Certified Angus Beef and 24 new menu items have been added to Lowry’s rotation.
Some new dishes to prepare your taste buds for include a chorizo grilled cheese sandwich, Kansas City style spare ribs, broccoli bacon salad and Danish glazed mushrooms.
“We always add new items for spring semester as a mid-year fresher,” said Director of Campus Dining and Conference Services Chuck Wagers. “But I think this time is exceptional. Our new chefs, Executive Chef Pete Wallin and Sous Chef Ricky Curie, have been testing new recipes since summer.”
In addition to the hard work of Wagers, Wallin and Curie, the Food Committee, which is made up of Wooster students from all class years, has taken on a bigger role this year.
“I believe the dining committee has been more engaged and has provided more feedback for improvements this year,” said Wagers, “especially with new recipe testing.”
According to the Wooster website, the Food Committee, which boasts 54 members, looks to “collaborate and engage in open dialogue to continually evaluate, improve and market the food and services provided to Wooster students.”
Two of the Food Committee student members, Daniela Bartlett Asenjo ’14 and Rita Frost ’14, stress the importance of student input in campus dining services.
“Lots of people who are on the food committee have lots of food restrictions and are very aware of Lowry and Kittredge’s limitations,” said Asenjo. “The food committee helps to give people like that more of a choice.”
One of Frost’s goals as a food committee member has been to make Wooster’s dining more local.
“As college students, we care a lot about where our food comes from, and students like to know that they are eating locally,” said Frost. “Getting local foods has been vamped up a lot recently. I think that we have been able to accomplish a lot in terms of giving people in dining services the students’ opinions about the importance of eating local foods.”
“It’s awesome how open Dining Services is to giving the students what they want,” Frost added.