易胜博官网

Grilled swordfish with roasted tomatoes, sliced London broil with听mushroom potato hash, cheddar ale soup, sweet potato sage butter ravioli with toasted pumpkin seeds, BBQ venison pizza, chocolate explosion cake and many more mouth-watering items made an appearance in the 易胜博官网 dining halls on Wednesday, Nov. 16. The best part of it all?听Almost 70 percent of the dishes were made with local ingredients.

Held each fall, 易胜博官网鈥檚 Local Harvest Dinner听is an evening of gourmet dining using fresh, locally produced food. This hugely popular event aims to educate community members on the importance of supporting local food producers, while also giving them a taste of items that aren鈥檛 typically offered. However, this year was special, as most of the ingredients came from within a 150-mile radius of 易胜博官网, in recognition of the university鈥檚 150-year celebration.

鈥淭he harvest dinner is a testament of our commitment to sustainability and supporting the local economy,鈥� said David Hill, assistant director for culinary operations at 易胜博官网 Dining听Services. The dining team plays a huge role in supporting 易胜博官网鈥檚 promise to help the state鈥檚 agricultural economy. On a daily basis, they source 25 percent of all purchases from local vendors, Hill noted, and they are trying to grow that number every year.

鈥淭his whole event, and especially the ravioli, are by far my favorite.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to make connections with local producers,鈥� Hill continued. 鈥淲hen we started this event, we struggled to find enough vendors to contribute. Over the years, local producers have grown enormously, giving us more sources.鈥�

The Local Harvest Dinner began in 2005 on a much smaller scale. At first, it was only offered in Philbrook Hall. Due to its success, it now takes place in all three dining halls. Holloway Commons alone saw 3,400 diners during this year鈥檚 event; HoCo staff assembled an upstairs buffet to prevent long lines.

The dining staff prepares months in advance for this dinner, meeting with vendors and creating recipes that will resonate with the community. Executive chef Christopher Kaschak noted that they brought in 1,200 pounds 鈥� twice the amount of any other item 鈥� of the butternut squash ravioli because of its continued popularity.

鈥淭his whole event, and especially the ravioli, are by far my favorite,鈥� said Brett Labnon 鈥�17 a marketing and management major. 鈥淚t reminds me of my Thanksgiving at home.鈥�

鈥淧eople really love this event,鈥� said Deborah Scanlon, Holloway Commons鈥� manager. 鈥淪tudents get stressed this time of year with finals, and we love doing something fun, while also educating them.鈥�

Locally produced food is better for the environment because it typically doesn鈥檛 travel as far to reach the consumer, requiring less fuel for transport.听Local food is also fresher and, therefore, tastes better, as it hasn鈥檛 been packed away for days or weeks. Freshness not only affects the taste of the food but the nutritional value as well; certain products lose nutrients the longer they are stored.

鈥淗aving meals like this highlight what we are already doing,鈥� said Scanlon. 鈥淲e just want a greater awareness of what we are serving in our halls, and how it promotes being sustainable. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e here.鈥�