A Visit from Bon Appetit
On Tuesday November 29, Holly Winslow, general manager of campus dining, spoke to ASUSF, urging senators to give thought to forming a food committee that would help to uncover and resolve issues related to on-campus dining.
The big issue centered on café hours. After Outtahere and Crossroads moved their café hours from 2 a.m. to midnight for safety purposes, Winslow said she remains open to extending the hours again. “Students want longer café hours, but it’s just a matter of safety. We would need to work together with student leaders to extend hours.”
Representatives from Bon Appetit also fielded questions regarding the purchasing and production of meals. Executive Chef John Hall said requests for Bon Appetit to buy local and organic are always taken into account.
“Sixty percent of our produce is from local farmers and they tend to practice healthy farming techniques and these farmers tend to be within a 150 mile radius,” said Hall, adding that being situated in Northern California makes things a lot easier for buying local and organic. “Bon Appetit makes a string effort to buy organic, even the food items may not be labeled as so. It’s just our standard operation,” Hall said.
Hall and his staff are wary of the effect that soaring food prices could have on pricing. “Food is more expensive then it was just a few years ago and we are sensitive to pricing meals out…we haven’t passed on the cost to the consumers,” said Hall.
As for the types of meals that are being marketed, the chef cited a variety of sources that generate ideas for different servings.
“We will get feedback from students and often times some of the cooks will recommend a plate that students might enjoy. We try to throw things in that might be fun for the students, and if it catches on we will stick with it,” said Hall.
Executive’s Report
ASUSF President Lexington Wochner held a meeting with School of Management Undergraduate Assistant Dean Dayle Smith to discuss several methods of communication that the school plans on implementing next semester in an effort to relay important messages to students and create a stronger sense of community within the School of Management.
Wochner also submitted his report to the winter meeting of the Board of Trustees, in which he highlighted the increased role of student senate at both USF and on a national level, particularly on affirmative action issues . .
The president also proposed his plan to pursue a referendum in the spring. The referendum calls for an increase to the student activity fee by $15 to cover the growth of current and future student leadership organizations.
