I know it’s a bit juvenile but I’ve been observing the different changes made to the dinner menus over the semester. During freshman year, I frequented the Risley Dining Hall many times and I found that they had some of the most amazing sauces. When I started to live at Rose House last year, I found that the food, many times, was very fresh and seemed home cooked in comparison to places like Bethe or Becker. It was also amazing to see the sheer amount of fish that the Rose Diner spouts out. I don’t think I’ve seen that much seafood other than at North Star. So, this Rose Cafe was a great experience to formally meet the man we have all seen walking near the dining hall.
Chef Hans made several important points and what I found the most amazing is that the kitchen actually takes notice of what is left off on our plates and make adjustments to our meals. Last year, I used to see small little empanadas on Taco Tuesday and I realized just recently that they’ve been switched out. I know for a fact that people are appreciating the switch because, otherwise, we wouldn’t have the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies around. Many would also notice that the quesadillas are gone which, Chef Hans described as being a very boring process which yields to something that doesn’t necessarily taste good. Chef Hans also pointed out that we actually have fresh fish delivered to Rose due to a partnership and he orders fish two times a week. As a result, finding clam chowder in Rose House is pretty common.
Another small point that Chef Hans made was that he didn’t like having precut vegetables being served in Rose House. As a result, we see broccoli with a substantial amount of stalk attached to them unlike other dining halls. I’ve actually seen a lower frequency of packaged products being served at Rose House. For example, sure, the pies are bought but, we have cookies and brownies that are made very often. My parents and my boyfriend have visited Rose several times and they still find it an amazing eatery.
I agree, I think Rose may be my favourite dining hall too. I really appreciate the work that Chef Hans and the other staff put into the meals, especially the effort to encourage sustainable eating. I have noticed that the broccoli served at Rose is different than that in other dining halls. I was wondering if you had any thoughts about why pre-cut vegetables aren’t used, since they do make food prep easier?
I think I remember him saying that the broccoli tastes better when it is cut by hand and these small things make food taste better and healthier.
I didn’t get a chance to go, but I’m super impressed by Chef Hans just by reading your post. A friend and I were having a conversation about how the food at Rose just seems to taste more ‘thoughtful’– from the menu selection to the greater diversity of cuisine offered. Reading your post, its nice to know that it goes even beyond that with the plate watching and fresh fish orders.
It’s great to hear that Rose Dining really makes an effort to serve fresh and homemade food, as well as to take into account what students are eating and alter the menu accordingly. I currently work at another dining hall that shall go unnamed, and I don’t think we do that… There are dishes that we make pretty much every single week that no one ever eats — it just sits there on the line because we had to put something out, and then it gets composted at the end of the night!