Yesterday, University kitchens were especially stocked with fresh food from North Carolina farms and orchards.
The Marketplace and Great Hall featured specially crafted local lunch options as part of the “Eat Local Challenge” Tuesday. The challenge is an annual, nation-wide event within the Bon Appetit Management Company—who caters both dining halls—that advocates the use of local produce and meat.
“We’ve been doing it for three years now,” Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst said. “It’s an event we really get excited about and look forward to.”
Bon Appetit Resident District Manager Michael Aquaro said that although Bon Appetit constantly tries to focus on sourcing their food from fresh, local, seasonal products, they started the annual one-day challenge to further emphasize the company’s commitment to local foods.
“We really have the opportunity here to highlight the importance of supporting local growers and producers,” he said.
The Great Hall was bustling with people during lunch Tuesday. The entrance was bedecked with large promotional posters of the challenge, as well as a stack of documents listing the benefits of supporting local farmers.
Featured entrees included goat cheese grits cake made with ingredients from Boonville and Rougemont, North Carolina and sauteed purple kohlrabi with ingredients from Edenton and Hillsboro, North Carolina. All the ingredients were produced within 150 miles of campus, Quaro said.
The Marketplace, however, was emptier than the west campus dining hall. Some freshmen said they were unenthusiastic and unaware about eating locally, and formed lines only at the grill section.
“The food looked weird, so I just got sushi,” freshman Colin Heasley said.
Still, Wulforst said he was happy with the general success of the event.
“We had such a great hit with students, and everybody looks forward to it,” he said.
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