Fresh at Harvard

Harvard’s two farmers’ markets returned to campus last week. The Farmers’ Market at Harvard (in Cambridge) kicked off its fourth season on June 16, and runs Tuesdays from 12:30-6:00pm until October 27.

Located between the Science Center and Memorial Hall, the market features farmers, bakers, and rotating specialty vendors. The regular lineup includes Lanni Orchards (Lunenberg), Silverbrook Farms (Dartmouth), Plato’s Harvest Organic Farm (Middleboro), Flats Mentor Farm (Westminster), Ward’s Berry Farm (Sharon), Mariposa Bakery (Cambridge), the Danish Pastry House (Watertown), When Pigs Fly Bakery (Somerville), and The Herb Lyceum at Gilson’s (Groton).

Chef/owner Jody Adams of Rialto offered the first cooking demonstration of the season, and drew a crowd as she demonstrated the simple excellence of a salad of fresh greens. This week (from 12:30-1:30pm), HUDS’ own Food Literacy Project Administrator, Theresa McCulla ’04, will share a cold strawberry panzanella salad.

In addition, Harvard’s Allston Farmers’ Market, located on the corner of North Harvard Street and Western Avenue, runs Fridays from 3:00-7:00pm. This Friday, June 26th, the market will host a sustainability fair celebrating green living. This family-fun event will feature food tastings, games for kids, and interactive displays of some of the sustainability measures under way at Harvard — including energy- and money-saving how-to-tips, as well as organic composting and fertilizing techniques.

Check out the bounty:

































Stop by the market and see what’s fresh in Massachusetts. You can also learn more at http://www.dining.harvard.edu/flp/ag_market.html.

Also, join us at twitter.com/HUDSInfo for details about what the farmers are bringing to market, or about other events and activities on campus. And there’s always Facebook: join the Harvard University Dining Services group, or become a fan of the Harvard Farmers’ Markets page.

Q&A Re. Dining Changes

Q: Will you give us a refund since we have less meal options?
A: Your board rate has been reduced by 7.5% for next year, while still providing three substantial meals a day plus a late-night snack. The breakfast transient meal rates will also be adjusted.

Q: Can’t you offer breakfast in a single “neighborhood” house each morning?
A: The College considered several scenarios for cost-savings in dining, including “neighborhood” breakfasts. This one was selected because it provides the best opportunity for a diverse menu with a balance of options but also because it provides the best opportunity for a long-range financial “right-sizing” without progressively chipping away at the dining program.

Q: Why didn’t you ask for student input?
A: The College invited recommendations beginning in September, through an online portal. The College and FAS had many difficult choices to make and student feedback was an important part of that process. In also speaking with House Masters, we weighed all of the feedback as to the opportunities for the least impact on House life and maintaining the most broadly acceptable breakfast choices. The new breakfast menu and enhanced Brain Break provided the best overall solution.

In addition, the College is establishing two working groups for next year that will consider further recommendations for change at Harvard. One of these working groups focuses on Student Life. You can volunteer to participate through either the College or the UC.

Q: Can’t you just keep scrambled eggs and bacon/breakfast meats? Or already made oatmeal? They don’t cost much.
A: All of these kinds of options were looked at. The breakfast menu presented provides for a diverse menu with a balance of options that does not require any cooking.

Q: Can you cut more expensive foods, like local produce and organics?
A: HUDS’ local and organic foods do not cost more than their “traditional” counterparts.

Q: Can you reduce the number of options, like entrees or vegan foods, at a meal?
A; Again, we looked at various options that balance both the cost of foods in addition to the cost of labor to prepare them. We believe we’ve arrived at choices that continue to provide nutritious options and variety.

Q: Where’s the protein?
A: The new weekday House breakfast menu provides protein in the forms of hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, lean ham, cheese, and peanut butter, as well as other dairy sources.

Q: What’s different about the enhanced Brain Break? I get these foods already in my House.
A: Enhanced Brain Break now features juice, cold cereals, and hand fruit as daily staples, as well as scheduled and cycled rotating specials. Your House may have featured these items periodically, but they are now a part of the standard daily menu.

Q: Brain Break is heavy on the sweets.
A: The enhanced menu includes fruits, unsweetened cereals (as well as sugar ones), and a number of healthy specials, such as veggies and dip or hummus and pita. It also has sweets – something for the range of community tastes.

Residential Dining Changes

As outlined in today’s communications from Dean Michael Smith and the Dean Evelyn Hammonds, HUDS was asked to make changes to Harvard’s residential dining program. Changes reflect a 7.5% decrease in the 2009-10 school year board rate, which was decreased in an overall effort to maintain essential services while defraying the cost of attending Harvard for families, and to devote more funding to academic areas.

Breakfast was identified as the best area for reduction because it is the greatest opportunity for savings with the least impact on the House and student experience. Only 30% of students participate in breakfast; and of that, only a small fraction use the grill or grill-based food options. For most students, breakfast is a grab-n-go experience.

So beginning next year, on weekdays the Houses will feature a menu of proteins, fruits, waffles, yogurt, baked goods, hot cereal and beverages. The breakfast remains hearty, but achieves efficiencies in both food waste and production. (See the detailed menu below.)

Annenberg Hall will remain open to all undergraduates, and will continue to serve grill-based items such as eggs, breakfast meats, homefries, and specials such as pancakes.

Hours of operation will remain the same, and on weekends the full morning menu, be it breakfast or brunch, will be available in all locations.

As we refocus budgets to both look for efficiencies and support the needs of our students we know that many of you continue to lead busy lives well into the night, and have expressed a need for greater late-night dining options. As such, Brain Break will be enhanced with the addition of cold cereals, hand fruit, juice, and rotating specials such as veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, or hummus and pita. (See the detailed menu below.)

Many of you are concerned with the implications for our staff. HUDS was part of the second wave of the voluntary early retirement incentive program, and as such does not yet know the complete results. We will not know for certain until final budgeting is completed in June.

Dining is regarded as a core component of House life, and I hope you will agree that these changes preserve the values of each House community within a new economic reality.

New House Breakfast Menu
• Proteins & Cheese
- Hard boiled eggs
- Sliced ham
- Sliced Vermont cheddar
- Fat-Free cottage cheese
• Fruit
- Hand fruit – 4 varieties, to include bananas, apples & oranges
- Sliced fruit – 2 types, to include melons & grapefruit
• Yogurt
- Low fat plain
- Low fat flavored
- Granola
• Veritas Waffles
- Regular and whole grain batter
- Syrup
• Hot Cereals (packaged)
- Oatmeal
- Cream of Wheat
• Cold Cereals
- 12 varieties, including sugared, sugar free & high fiber
• Pastries
- Assorted muffins, regular & low fat
- Bagels – 6 flavors
- Breads – 8 varieties of plain, wheat and whole grain
• Condiments
- Butter
- Margarine
- Cream cheese
- Peanut butter
- Grape jelly
- Strawberry jelly
• Beverages
- Regular and decaffeinated coffee (Tasting for new blend Thursday, May 14)
- Selection of hot teas
- Hot chocolate
- Juice – Selection of 4
- Soda – Selection of 8, carbonated and non carbonated
- Milk – 1%, skim, chocolate, soy & Lactaid
- Water

Enhanced Brain Break
• Beverages
- Milk
- Soda
- Coffee
- Juices
• Pastries
- Bagels
- Assorted breads
• Condiments
- Peanut butter
- Jelly
- Butter
- Cream cheese
• Assorted Desserts
• Hand Fruit
• Cold Cereals
• Rotating Specials:
- Veggies & Dips
- Pita & Hummus
- Cheese & Crackers
- Chips & Pretzels
- Chips & Salsa
- MYO Cupcakes
- Ice Cream Novelties
- Strawberry Poundcake Bar

A New Brew

Harvard University Dining Services is considering a new coffee program for the undergraduate residential dining program. We have invited several vendors to submit their programs for consideration within our parameters for cost, equipment, service, variety, sustainability, and of course taste.

Now we need volunteers to help us select the right vendor. We will host a tasting on Thursday, May 14, from 11:30am-12:30pm, on the main campus.

If you can participate for the full hour, and want to join in deciding the new coffee program, please email crista_martin@harvard.edu. We can accommodate up to 50 people. Crista will send you a confirmation and the tasting location if you are among the first 50 people to RSVP.

Top Chef Harvard

Competitions have been brewing all over campus this semester, and on Wednesday, May 6, at Annenberg Hall, contenders come together to compete in Top Chef Harvard. House and Annenberg based contests determined 13 individuals or teams who will vie for the title, and I have the honor to be at Judges Table. I hope you will come and watch, and cheer on your favorite team.

Contestants will begin cooking at 5:00pm, and will have 30 minutes to complete their entry. This is a “quick-fire” challenge, and the contestants must:

• Prepare one entrée and one dessert.
• Make a minimum of three plates for each dish, one for each judge.
• For each dish, incorporate ingredients from at least two stations: hot entrée, grill, soup, salad, deli, fruit, dessert, and beverage.

They can use any of the appliances in the servery, including the microwave, panini press, and toaster (only for toasting). They cannot use any kitchen supplies or appliances, nor can they bring their own equipment or food.

Judging, which starts at 5:30pm, will be based on four criteria:

1. Taste
2. Creativity
3. Presentation
4. Sustainability (minimal food wasted in the preparation of dishes and incorporation of foods that are grown or produced locally and/or sustainably)

We have great judges, and yummy and/or fabulous prizes.

This program was coordinated by your Food Literacy Project Reps, and has been a lot of fun – for them, for us, and hopefully for you. Please join us for the toque-ing of Top Chef Harvard.

Swine Flu

The University is closely monitoring the current concerns regarding swine flu and is updating the community through the Harvard homepage. University Health Services is emphasizing good hygiene as the best preventative measures generally for the flu. We continue to maintain our stringent safety protocols around food handling and sanitation in public spaces. For the latest information regarding swine flu, visit the UHS website at:
http://www.uhs.harvard.edu/NewsAndEvents/Announcements/Announcement.aspx?id=200141

Quick Updates

It’s going to be a busy week on campus for HUDS, so I wanted to share some quick updates and reminders with you:

• Our Advisory Council begins its work today, and will be n campus until Friday. This group of foodservice professionals (chefs, foodservice directors from other colleges, service providers) and parents examines HUDS’ work and provides a report to the Vice President for Administration regarding our program. Members of the Council will visit every residential dining hall and most retail locations. They will be at Annenberg and Quincy on Thursday, from noon-1:30pm, specifically soliciting student feedback. If you see them, do not hesitate to share your thoughts.

• Thursday night (April 16), the Food Literacy Project (FLP) is hosting several activities:
• Both Leverett and Kirkland will host “Iron Chef” competitions. Likewise in the coming weeks you’ll see such competitions at other dining halls, leading up to a late spring “Iron Chef Harvard.” Contact your local FLP Rep to enter.
• At 7pm in Boylston Hall’s Ticknor Lounge, the FLP is hosting local food writer Linda Bassett as she talks about “Apple Pie to Pad Thai: The influence of immigrant cuisine on local food.” She’s especially talking about pie – a favorite subject here on campus – so be sure to come by. This event is free and open to the public.

• On Sunday night, we’ll help you celebrate Yardfest with an outdoor picnic. The weather is supposed to be great, so please join us in Tercentenary Theater. Only Currier and Mather will be open for dinner.

• Next week, on Wednesday, April 22, we’ll honor the 29th anniversary of Earth Day with a sustainable dinner in the dining halls. We particularly emphasize foods that come from New England and are lower on the food chain, as both help reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions.

Finally, we have begun to look toward the fall and our partnerships with local farmers. Last year’s inaugural experience with Ward’s Berry Farm (in Sharon, MA) was a great success, but one thing we heard loud and clear – less squash! So we want to continue that partnership, and forge some new ones as well, to bring in more produce grown just for you, from farmers you can get to know. We hope to expand the program to include brussel sprouts, potatoes, dark leafy greens, and hard greens such as cabbage, all of which can grow in New England’s cooler fall months. We’ll still have squash on the menu, but not as often.

Keep sharing your feedback, and we hope to see you at some of the upcoming events.