COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
T he dining director at UC Berkeley, Christopher R. Henning, decided to use data and analytics to make the dining team a more meaningful part of campus culture. “This year, we have leaned into our event menu development and have tried to mirror the celebrations that Berkeley campus as a whole recognizes,” Henning says. The team worked with food trend think tank Datassential on menu ideation and nutrition consultants Menu Analytics on recipe development. Henning keeps a detailed planning document for special times throughout the year, like Ramadan, that the dining team wants to be a part of. The document had all the info on Ramadan Welcome Meal and Eid-al Fitr (which means “break the fast” and comes at the end of Ramadan, determined by the moon’s path.) The welcome meal included masala cauliflower soup, entrees of salmon with olive tapenade, herb-roasted leg of lamb, veggie paella and sides of falafel, roasted garlic potatoes and pita. Also found at the meal: chicken shawarma or Mediterranean hummus wraps, pasta with caramelized onions and brussels sprouts. Dessert was baklava.
Ramadan and Eid-al Fitr food renews the halal-college dining connection By the time the fast was broken this year, college dining was left with new inspiration for standout halal snacks, entrees, sides and fresh flavors all year long.
BY TARA FITZPATRICK
6
QUARTERLY | Q2
PHOTOS COURTESY OF UC BERKELEY DINING
Powered by FlippingBook