H ot what ’ s
Above: Students select ingredients that are combined by a staff member. Left: In LaSalle Action, customers select ingredients for a chef to cook to order. Pho is popular at both stations, according to Empanger. “The pho is made before the meal is prepared,” he says. “Customers select ingredients, which are cooked in the broth in a pot, strained and served. We are fortunate to have two Vietnamese staff members, a mom and son, who prepare the pho broth.”
C ampus D ining today
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Empanger suggests keeping the pans hot throughout service, then rotating and cleaning the pans after each dish is made. “This practice helped us find a way to service all customers even those who have allergies, gluten intolerance, and so forth,” he says.
St. A nselm College
At St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., the chef’s action station features 15 lunch menus and 12 dinner menus. Located in the main dining room at Davison Hall, one of two dining locations, the lunch action takes place Monday through Friday and the dinner action takes place Monday through Thursday. Both rotate on a three-week cycle. “The students surely love anything that is prepared to order and in front of them,” says Rosemary Stackpole, director of dining services.
Dessert crepes continue to wow customers who enjoy selecting their own toppings.