Capital Court offers variety of selections
Jessica Battersby
Issue date: 10/9/08 Section: News
The food served in the main dining room of the Capital center has always received mixed results. Some believe it to be incredible and worth going to for three meals a day, seven days a week. Some, however, believe that there is not enough variety.
"When students ask for more variety, I ask them what they want but, many of them don't know," said head chef of Parkhurst dining at Capital, Scott Rattan. "The majority of the students who say this are the ones who go to the same area of the dining room everyday instead of looking around."
Students have a wide variety of foods available to them in the MDR and many don't even realize it. One student even created a "survival guide" several years ago consisting of foods you can make yourself from what is available in the MDR. For example, if you want chicken parmesan and it is not being served, you can ask for it made, and almost any kind of sandwich you could want can be made over at the deli.
Also, there are several programs which feature new foods everyday, such as the Hemis-flavors program and recipes from home. In the Hemis-flavors program, the cafeteria features a new authentic world cuisine from a different country every Wednesday. In the recipes from home program, students' parents send in recipes, and the Parkhurst staff tries their best to replicate it. It is a great way to add variety while helping with nostalgia for some students.
"It is my goal to try to feature more health foods and whole grains, but almost no one takes advantage of them when they are there," chef Rattan said. "Ninety-five percent of everything in the MDR is made from scratch right there in the kitchen. The meat is never frozen; everything is fresh."
The chef decides what is served each week based on three criteria. One, what students demand; two, what is available fresh; and three, the variety on the menu created. Chef Rattan strives to make as much variety in his menus as possible, so students are not eating the same things over and over again.
The Chef highly encourages students to be creative and try to make things not on the menu from what is available and add it to the previously mentioned "survival guide" located to the left of the check-in area.
jbatters@capital.edu
"When students ask for more variety, I ask them what they want but, many of them don't know," said head chef of Parkhurst dining at Capital, Scott Rattan. "The majority of the students who say this are the ones who go to the same area of the dining room everyday instead of looking around."
Students have a wide variety of foods available to them in the MDR and many don't even realize it. One student even created a "survival guide" several years ago consisting of foods you can make yourself from what is available in the MDR. For example, if you want chicken parmesan and it is not being served, you can ask for it made, and almost any kind of sandwich you could want can be made over at the deli.
Also, there are several programs which feature new foods everyday, such as the Hemis-flavors program and recipes from home. In the Hemis-flavors program, the cafeteria features a new authentic world cuisine from a different country every Wednesday. In the recipes from home program, students' parents send in recipes, and the Parkhurst staff tries their best to replicate it. It is a great way to add variety while helping with nostalgia for some students.
"It is my goal to try to feature more health foods and whole grains, but almost no one takes advantage of them when they are there," chef Rattan said. "Ninety-five percent of everything in the MDR is made from scratch right there in the kitchen. The meat is never frozen; everything is fresh."
The chef decides what is served each week based on three criteria. One, what students demand; two, what is available fresh; and three, the variety on the menu created. Chef Rattan strives to make as much variety in his menus as possible, so students are not eating the same things over and over again.
The Chef highly encourages students to be creative and try to make things not on the menu from what is available and add it to the previously mentioned "survival guide" located to the left of the check-in area.
jbatters@capital.edu
Be the first to comment on this story