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Sustainability

A Sustainable Philosophy fed beef that we utilize. It is all here
within striking distance of all of our
Sustainability flows through almost every aspect of academic accounts.”
Dining Services at Dominican University in San
Rafael, Calif. Buying seasonally has a number of
benefits. “We don’t have cycle menus.
“The importance of focusing on sustainability re- We do seasonal menus, so we are sourc-
ally begins on the purchasing level: how we purchase ing what is in season,” said Julian. “We
it, where we purchase it and understanding that when are not buying strawberries in Decem-
we are working with local farmers and local vendors, ber, and we aren’t looking for oranges
it really brings it down to a community level,” said Jim in the middle of summer. It is those little things that allow our
Julian, district manager with Epicurean Group, the campus chefs to be creative. We do menus six or seven days out. We
foodservice provider. “Then carrying that on to an aca- are working on next week’s menu right now. We are able to
demic environment like Dominican, it is the education of adjust to the reports that we get from the fields every day or
the students, because today’s students every other day of what is going to be available Tuesday of
are much more engaged in where their next week. It allows us that much more creativity.”
food comes from. They want to know He continued, “It allows us to keep it fresh because as we
where that radish comes from or where know, college students can get bored with the same offerings.
that chicken comes from, and for us Pushing the envelope as far as food and those things is very
to be able to give them specific farm important. I say it all the time: education doesn’t end just
names where these products are com- because it is lunchtime. It has to be an ongoing conversation
ing from, really helps them understand with breakfast, lunch, dinner and the other opportunities we
that we are doing what we say we are have to impart a little wisdom.”
doing. We are following through on our Seasonality has a bottom-line benefit as well. “It allows
pledge to them to be fresh, local and
honest in our food. It is both ways —
it is educating the students, and then
following through on our promise to be that right vendor.”

Dining tries to purchase all of its items locally and season-
ally. “We do our best to source within 150 miles year round,”
he said. “Especially this time of year, right here in the middle
of California, we have access to incredible farms, incred-
ible produce, literally nine to 10 months of the year within
a 75-mile radius, even going into the winter. Our winter is
almost always delayed in the Bay area, so we are getting fresh
produce sometimes as late as November out of a local field.
It is because we have Indian summer here. But even during
the wintertime, we are still able to source fairly regionally.
We are still able to source from central California, which is
still within our 150-mile radius. That is not just our produce,
it is all the way down to the free-range chickens and grass-

18 | OCTOBER 2016 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY