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International Cuisine

UMass T terranean cuisine. Tavola recently opened as the

he Mediterranean has come to the University of
Massachusetts - Amherst — or, at least, Medi-
Opens latest retail foodservice concept at the Blue Wall, on
the second floor of the university’s Campus Center.
Tavola replaced the pizza and pasta station that was
the last remaining holdover from the Blue Wall before
Tavola its renovation in 2013.
Tavola — “table” in Italian, and colloquially “come and eat” — offers
a variety of items from Southern Europe and Northern Africa. Among
the options are hummus, fresh-made pita, falafel, kofta skewers, small
at Blue flatbreads called pizzettas, three pasta choices, and several hot and cold small-plate dishes,
such as marinated cipollini onions, Brussels sprouts, beets, olives and mushrooms.
Customers can create their own mezze platters by combining three small plates with hum-
mus and pita. Pizzettas and pasta dishes are made to order, and people in a hurry can grab
Wall pizza by the slice. Prices range from $3.50 for an individual small plate to $9 for a mezze
platter or a pizzetta.
Van Sullivan, director of retail dining for UMass Dining, said hummus has been “a huge
hit, and the small plates are really starting to gain acceptance. It’s like Mediterranean dim sum,
a viable fresh option.”
Ken Toong, executive director of Auxiliary Enterprises, said Tavola is a much-needed ad-
dition to the multi-concept Blue Wall.
“It fits with our philosophy of healthy, sustainable and delicious,” Toong said. “We needed
to reenergize and refresh that space, and we already had Asian in three separate concepts, so we
needed something different. And the awareness and acceptance by students has been tremendous.”
Among the comments students have made about Tavola: “great selection, new taste profile and
small servings,” “restaurant-quality food, high quality and tasty,” and “best options for vegans.”
The inspiration for Tavola came from a UMass alum, Joanne Weir. The world-renowned
chef and culinary instructor said her interest was sparked a little over a year ago by an article
she read online.
“The article was about this foodservice concept at Boston College, and it was all about
tapas and how it was the most successful part of their student union,” Weir recalled. “It really
excited me and I sent the article to Ken and said, ‘we need to do this at UMass.’”
Sullivan noted that the timing was right. UMass Dining personnel had begun to realize that
the previous concept was dying, wounded by students’ increasing desire to eat more healthfully.
“When we built the new Blue Wall, we portioned out the typical space for a pizza kitchen,”
he explained. “It was double the size of the other concepts, but sales were roughly a quarter
of the sales at other concepts. And when students were faced with all the other hot-and-ready
choices available, when faced with gluten, carbs and healthy eating, old-fashioned pizza just
nose-dived.”
So Weir came in and worked with UMass Dining managers and chefs to help develop the
space and the recipes. She also suggested that the large pizza oven be used to make pitas fresh
daily, in addition to the pizzettas and the old-fashioned” pizzas.
“That is a huge draw,” she said. “Customers choose their hummus with a salad on top and
a piece of pita.”
In addition to authenticity and freshness, brand recognition is a key component of Tavola,
Toong said. As a result, not only do the recipes at Tavola use Greek olive oil, Italian flour and
Italian tomatoes, but those brands are prominently displayed at the station.
UMass Dining understands that, as with most restaurant
concepts, Tavola is a work in progress. So Sullivan already has
begun to examine ways to tweak the menu. For example, he
said he is considering removing pizza by the slice and offering
it in Harvest, the convenience store/grab-and-go concept across
from the Blue Wall.
In addition, Weir — who operates her own restaurant in
Sausalito, Calif. — is committed to coming in at least four
times a year to massage the menu, on at least a seasonal basis.
Overseeing Tavola on a daily basis is Nabil Fahmy, which
pleases Weir. “He’s Egyptian, and he jumped on this because he
understands the flavors. That, for me, was a godsend.”
—OCH

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