© 2011 NCSU Student Media
Hannah Freyman, a freshman in First Year College, nabs some cranberry sauce at Case Dining Hall's annual Thanksgiving dinner. Freyman is a member of the NCSU swim team and the Thanksgiving dinner was much needed after a hard practice. Photo by Sandra Edwards
The dining halls on campus were packed with students Thursday evening for the annual Thanksgiving dinner sponsored by University Dining.
From 5 p.m . to 8:30 p.m ., Case, Clark and Fountain Dining halls provided students with a plethora of traditional Thanksgiving favorites, including carved turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and pumpkin pie.
Every year, University Dining funds the dinner that, according to Josh Heath, the lead cook at Case Dining Hall, brings students together for a hot, fresh meal and a chance to take a break from hectic end-of-semester work.
Heath said the Thanksgiving dinner usually has good student turnout and is enjoyable for him because he gets the opportunity to give dinners an “at home” experience.
“We do this and we make the traditional foods because we want them to feel at home. Some students don’t get to go home for the holiday,” Heath said.
In preparation for the dinner, Heath said University Dining came up with a predicted number of students who would attend, and had dining hall cooks make food based on that number.
“They give us a number and we decide how much food to make. We usually prepare as needed so everything is as fresh as possible,” Heath said.
To be ready at 5 p.m . for the influx of students, Heath added that the cooks typically begin food preparation at about 12 p.m . He said the dining hall normally feeds 250 students throughout the dinner rush, but expects approximately 300 for the Thanksgiving dinner.
While most of the foods remain the same from year to year, Heath said the cooks will always add something new or different. This year, the menu included everything from the traditional turkey and dressing to vegan and vegetarian options like ziti with roasted peppers and butternut squash risotto.
For the final course of the meal, students had their choice of carrot cake, pumpkin pie or pecan pie. They did have the option though, Heath said, to have all three if they desired.
In addition to the annual Thanksgiving dinner, University Dining also sponsors a holiday feast in December that gives students yet another classic meal.