The idea for the farmer's market has been in the works for about two years, Wechsler said. The major difficulty was coordinating local farmers through a single vender. Small farmers will go to restaurants and sell what their supply allows. At a large university like BC, dining services need "hundreds of cases of lettuce," all guaranteed, a quota that can be difficult for local farmers to meet.
Through Costa Produce, a local vendor with a buyer that specializes in locally grown produce, BC Dining was able to pull it all together at the end of this summer. The idea wasn't conceived alongside the Undergraduate Government of Boston College dining committee because Wechsler didn't know if it was even feasible yet. "We had the idea for a while, but we weren't sure if we could make it happen."
Students around campus appeared excited at the prospect of making eco-friendly, healthy choices when it came to their food.
"I worked on a farm this summer, and I got really passionate about where my food comes from," said Danielle Cortesa, A&S '09. "Buying locally is a step in the right direction."
Carly DeFilippo, A&S '09, spoke highly of both the reasonable prices and how the market will help to diversify options for students and attract more vegetarians. "It can be hard to find fresh produce, and this is cheaper than Campus Convenience," she said.
BC Dining continues its new focus on local foods by featuring burgers at Hillside Café for dinner. The all-natural beef comes from Wolfneck Farms in Maine. The cattle raised at Wolfneck Farms have been fed a strict vegetarian diet, treated humanely, and are free of growth hormones. Wechsler is visiting the farm in the near future to look more closely at the dairy and other cuts of meat that the farm offers.
At the Eagle's Nest in McElroy, Wechsler's team looked to satisfy the customer by evening out lines and diversifying options. An additional specialty sandwich line has been added, along with a dessert station, hot press station featuring sandwiches on foccacia bread, and a soup station with six different soup wells. The Toss It and deli stations remain as old favorites.
At Corcoran Commons, Stuart Dining Hall, and Carney's, Wechsler enlisted the help of her employees in an attempt to add more varying and international cuisine to the World Market menu. "We have 33 different nations represented in our kitchens," Wechsler said.
She asked her employees to cook a dish that they enjoy or that comes from their nation of origin, as long as it could be mass produced. The result was an array of many delicious meals, ranging from Thai dishes at Carney's, to Latin dishes at Corcoran Commons, to Moroccan dishes at Stuart.
Ultimately, Wechsler said she looks to the students to supply her with as much specific feedback as they can, so that new initiatives like the farmer's market can come to fruition. "We rely on our customers to tell us what's important," she said.
Spring Break
