Dining
On-Campus Dining Facilities
Gallaudet University has several eateries on campus: ®® Agatha Hanson Plaza Dining Hall (main dining hall also known as Bon Appétit café) ®® Market Place ®® Java Corner ®® Boomerang Cafe ®® Rathskellar ®® Kellogg Conference Center Bistro
Bon Appétit
Gallaudet’s food service program is managed by the Cafe Bon Appétit Company. Bon Appétit menu items are prepared fresh, from scratch, in our kitchens each day. Our chefs take advantage of local and seasonal ingredients and do not follow specific, standard recipes in which the ingredients are weighed or measured. In fact, menu items that do repeat may be slightly different each time they are served because of seasonality and availability of the freshest ingredients. Chefs cook like many people do at home, tasting and adjusting throughout preparation so that the final menu items meet our standards for flavor and quality. Without a standardized recipe, specific nutrition information is likely to be inaccurate. It is, however, fundamental to the program’s principles to incorporate as many healthy cooking techniques as possible. Chefs are required to use healthy fats, focus on healthy, nutrient-rich ingredients and to consciously put healthy food choices on the menu. Chefs are trained in what we call “stealth nutrition” so that they think about core nutrition principles as they plan their menus. 14 GALLAUDET | reslife.gallaudet.edu UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS ACCEPTANCE PACKET
If you are looking for a calorie-controlled meal choice, think about choosing one of the “In Balance” items, which contain a balanced portion of whole grains, fresh vegetables, and lean proteins all prepared with a minimal amount of healthy fat, and typically contain approximately 600 calories.
Farm to Fork Program
Farm to Fork is a companywide initiative to buy locally, formalized in 1999. The path toward greater social responsibility and sustainability started as a quest for flavor. When you cook from scratch, you want the freshest ingredients. The first choice is to purchase seasonal ingredients from small, owner-operated farms and ranches within a 150-mile radius of your café. The company is committed to supporting local agriculture, serving only seafood that meets the Seafood Watch sustainability guidelines, serving only rBGH-free milk, switching to cage-free eggs, and serving only humanely raised beef. Food grown locally is fresher, better tasting, and often has greater nutritional value. A commitment to local food is about preserving biodiversity, protecting open space, supporting family farmers, and keeping money invested in your community. Bon Appétit aims to spend at least 20 cents of every dollar with our network of over a thousand Farm to Fork suppliers. By doing so, the company aims to strengthen regional food systems so that everyone in the community can eat well not just today, but in the future.
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