By Aesha Desai, ’18
This interview is the second piece in a series on dining at CA – check out our first edition for an opinion article related to this topic of discussion.
On February 20th, Danielle Carr (’18) and I conducted an interview with Chef Sam Monsour about vegetarian and vegan food representation as part of CA dining and its diversification. Chef Sam clarified that the system for providing vegetarian or vegan meals for CA students is the same as for the rest of the menu.
Chef Sam explained, “After I build a menu, all the menu items are put onto a production sheet and the recipes are put online. For instance, last time when we made risotto, we made six whole tub pans. For next time, if we made too much, we’d be like what a waste, you know?” and a smaller amount of that entrée would be made the next time it was served.
We also asked how the current dining plan might allow for the opportunity to increase the number of vegetarian or vegan options on the menu. Chef Sam told us about how the system for serving vegetarian and vegan students has changed over the years: originally, there was a single vegetarian entrée every day that students had to sign up to eat. Now, vegetarian options are integrated into the regular menu, and many students who aren’t vegetarian can (and like to) eat the vegetarian options.
“The mac and cheese is the most favorite thing ever, but some of the risottos are really popular too,” said Chef Sam about the most popular vegetarian dishes. “Everybody eats it. You couldn’t just make an entrée for vegetarians because not everybody likes that, you know?”
In response to adding more vegetarian and vegan options to the menu, Chef Sam said, “We’re always trying to add more just by making healthier food. So in that way, I can’t tell you that we’re going to add more, but I see more healthy items coming to the menu soon.”
Our biggest concern has been finding a variety of hot vegetarian options, especially on days like February 20th, when the entrée options included sausage, bacon, chicken, and eggs. While most days we can find enough to eat with the salad or pasta bar, we asked about increasing the number or amount of vegetarian entrées or making it easier for students with dietary restrictions to find hot food. Chef Sam showed us the Sage Dining app, which allows users to filter out allergens and dietary restrictions on each day’s menu.
“Look at the app, that might help you. You can always have a soup or one of those nice salads and call it a day, right? There’s going to be days like that,” Chef Sam said of days when vegetarian options are scarce. “On the app, you can check what’s coming up, pick your favorites, and if you don’t like something you can let me know and I’ll get a notice of feedback. I love it and a lot of people do.”
Thank you so much to Chef Sam for talking with us!