Program Spotlight: Dining Services At W&L, Dining Services offers a variety of options to meet any palette or eating preference.
Over the academic year,(l. to r.) Derrick Smith, Zach Funkhouser and Chris Vozzo of Dining Services prepped hundreds of meals for students.
Washington and Lee University’s Dining Services team is committed to preparing food from scratch in small batches as close to service as possible. With seven on-campus dining venues, students have a variety of options to choose from for each meal.
Venues include The Marketplace, Café 77, Fieldside, E. Café, Tea House, The Brief Stop and Sorority Dining. The Marketplace is the main campus all-you-care-to-eat dining facility. From favorite homestyle entrees to global cuisine, students can find fresh and nutritious meals to satisfy any palette or eating preference.
The more than 200 members of the university’s dining team are passionate about food and take pride in serving skillfully prepared fresh, and hand-crafted meals from the highest quality ingredients. W&L’s dining services operation includes a catering department and bakery function. Catering personnel facilitate hundreds of events per year that are attended by students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors. All of the baked goods used in our dining venues are produced in the university’s bakery. Nearly every item the bakery prepares is made from scratch, which for a university W&L’s size is pretty rare.
The menus across the venues emphasize fresh, local and healthy options and are available in various formats, from all-you-care-to-eat to on-the-go selections. W&L has established numerous partnerships to obtain menu elements from local vendors: fresh beef from the Potter Family Farm, ice cream from Sweet Things and sushi from Sushi Matsumoto, a local Japanese restaurant. In addition, many of the venues utilize fresh produce from W&L’s own Campus Garden when in season.
Dining options on campus are also mindful of allergies, and venues offer a proactive approach for students, faculty and staff with special dietary needs. The “Allergy Friendly Zone” in the Marketplace provides a safe area for students with food allergies and sensitivities, including dedicated allergen-free equipment and allergen-free food options. There are also daily nutritious and delicious options for vegan and vegetarian diets.
“At W&L, we want our students to enjoy their culinary options and know their dietary needs are fully met in our venues,” said Ryan Miller, director of Dining Services. “From the cozy vibes of the E. Cafe to a late-night snack after the game at Fieldside, we believe our food can help bolster the fond memories students have of their time at W&L, and it’s a privilege to help create that experience.”
Dining Services also offers a variety of special events throughout the academic year. Some of the annual events students, faculty and staff look forward to every year are the Thanksgiving Dinner, various international-themed lunches, the Winter Wonderland Family Dinner and multiple cooking classes offered free of charge.
With final exams around the corner, Dining Services also offers personal care packages for students. Family and friends can customize a sweet and salty treat for their students as a kind of “thinking of you” treat before the big exam or even a birthday cake for their special day.
“The holiday season is an exciting time in Dining Services,” said Miller. “While it’s one of our busiest periods, we look forward to preparing the fun menu options that have become traditions over the years. Winter Wonderland, in particular, is an event folks look forward to every year, and it really helps to kickstart the festivities on campus.”
Learn more about Dining Services here!
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