Healthy Jay Spotted on Campus
From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. students wander in and out of the Elizabethtown College’s Marketplace. In that time students come and go everyday expecting a fresh, well prepared meal; but now, more then ever, students are expecting their meals to be healthy as well. In the past freshness and nutrition have been a criticisms of dining services both by The Etownian and by the student body at large.
“A big part is educating students on what is actually healthy“ said Charles Downs, Residential Dining Chef and Production Manager. In the past it has been difficult to determine what was healthy and what was not. “We always try to take students suggestions and improve.”
Addressing nutritional concerns, “We do not have the budget to have a nutritionist on staff,” said Downs. Which is why in March Dining Services brought in a nutritionist to see where they could improve.
“What [the nutritionist] found was that we have the options, they are just not as apparent as they could be. We needed to do a better job showing students where their options are.”
“We have always done egg white omelets at the omelet bar for instance.” The schools Cafeteria staff aims to improve on this by introducing the Healthy Jay. Students may notice the Healthy Jay throughout the cafeteria pointing out healthy choices for the day. This includes nutrition facts as well as appropriate portion sizes. Other healthy choices include whole-wheat pasta at the pasta bar and more healthy options in the main rotation. The Marketplace will also continue to innovate; students should be on the look out for the Healthy Jay in other areas such as the hearth.
Despite budget limits this year, the staff is always determined to improve on the quality of food . This includes making soups from scratch, as well as using batch cooking to improve freshness and appeal. “We have an exceptional staff” says Kathy Buffenmyer. “Everyone is always working hard to improve on quality.”
The hard work seems to be paying off as students have taken notice,
“The healthy Jay really helps, I don’t always want the healthy option, but when I do I can know proper portion size and what I am consuming.” said Junior Travis Enyhert. Many other students feel that the Healthy Jay is a step in the right direction for dining services and look forward to what will be offered in the future.
Ben Brewer
