SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS — MADE WITHOUT GLUTEN
• A Closer Look: Lesley University
On Dec. 20, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced an agreement with Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., to ensure that students with celiac disease and other food allergies can fully and equally enjoy the university's meal plan and food services in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The university and the DOJ reached the agreement following an investigation by the department stemming from a student's complaint in 2009 that the university had failed to make necessary reasonable modifications in its policies, practices and procedures to allow students who had celiac disease and other food allergies to “fully and equally enjoy” the university's dining services. The agreement was entered into voluntarily between the parties and without any admission of wrongdoing on behalf of the university.
On-Campus Hospitality spoke with Terri Brownlee, MPH, RD, LDN, national nutrition manager with Bon Appétit Management Company, the campus foodservice provider at Lesley, about how they are meeting students' special dietary needs at the school and on a national level, and how the agreement may have changed that. ...Read more LESLEY UNIVERSITY ...
• Philadelphia University Hosts Gluten-Free Event
Philadelphia University in Pennsylvania recently held a Traveling Chefs event that not only offered a variety of international dishes, but in a first for the series, offered them as gluten free.
“Traveling Chefs is a unique Parkhurst-sponsored promotion that touts the culinary talents of several chefs from Parkhurst Dining who travel from other Parkhurst-managed locations to prepare healthy and delicious foods from around the world,” said Bill Zimnoch, senior general manager with Parkhurst, the campus foodservice provider. “Chefs provide a culinary 'education' as they describe the fresh and authentic ingredients used to prepare the selections.”
This Traveling Chefs event featured the added twist of only offering gluten-free items because Philadelphia University is a gluten-free friendly campus. “One of the things that we pride ourselves on here at Philadelphia University is doing gluten-free items,” said Gerald Hunter, executive chef. “Bill approached me with the date and time and suggested we do the whole thing gluten free. I thought it would be a great idea. That way anyone who has a gluten intolerance can also take part in the event and not have to worry.” ...
TECHNOLOGY:
Buffalo Opens State-of-the-Art Crossroads Culinary Center
The new $12 million Crossroads Culinary Center (C3) at the University of Buffalo (UB) in New York is a unique facility — and that is just the way that they wanted it to be.
“We took a completely different approach on building this,” said Jeff Brady, executive director of UB Campus Dining and Shops. “Two years prior to the groundbreaking, we assembled a team of upper management and started touring the country. We went to 20 different universities, 12 independent restaurants and three or four chain restaurants. We painted a vision of what we wanted to do.”
After these tours, the team sat down with students, who Dining refers to as “stakeholders,” to find out what they were looking for. “We heard things from our stakeholders that were really loud and clear,” he said. “They wanted a place that was going to offer fresh food, healthy food, the ability to customize their own plate and a restaurant environment. It is what they grew up with. It was what they were looking for.”
With these thoughts in mind, Dining searched for a team to design a facility that met its vision. “What was very important to us, when you deal with architects, a lot of times, they want to sell you their vision of how the dining center should look,” said Brady. “We wanted to make sure the architecture firm we hired understood that it was going to be our vision.”
After interviewing many potential partners, the school hired Kideney Architects, a local firm, and Roth Consulting Group. ...