Freshman in computer engineering Dante Buckley enjoys some spinach with melted cheese and salad greens at Fountain Dining Hall Tuesday. Buckley said that the spinach tastes really good and especially liked the cheese with it. University Dining held a focus on kale and collards during lunchtime at the dining halls and the cheese proved to be a great way for students to eat their greens." />
Sam Feldstein
Freshman in computer engineering Dante Buckley enjoys some spinach with melted cheese and salad greens at Fountain Dining Hall Tuesday. Buckley said that the spinach tastes really good and especially liked the cheese with it. University Dining held a focus on kale and collards during lunchtime at the dining halls and the cheese proved to be a great way for students to eat their greens.
University Dining hosted a “Focus on Local! NC Kale & Collards” event in the dining halls from 11am to 1pm. on Tuesday.
Presented by the My Roots program, the goal of the event was to promote the local, sustainable practices of University Dining.
Produce is chosen based on what is in season, and this event included ingredients from Birch Farms in Duplin County, NC. This week the spotlight was on kale, with collard greens also making an appearance on the menu.
Menu items included stuffed collard wraps with creole sauce, pork barbeque wrapped in collard leaves, kale and spinach salad, kale and quinoa stew and pizza bianca with kale.
These new menu options were available in addition to the traditional dining hall menu.
“It was actually pretty good,” Albert Dinh, a junior in accounting, said. “I expect Case to be pretty good, so I thought I’ll just try it. It was better than I expected.”
Lisa Eberhart, University Dining dietician, helps in planning programs like this across campus.
“The purpose of the kale program was to raise awareness,” Eberhart said. “University Dining uses local and sustainable produce. This kale was grown at our very own agroecology farm here at NC State.”
Tyler Bogert, a junior in agricultural and environmental technology, has had experience eating kale in the past and also tried the pizza bianca with kale.
It had a great flavor, according to Bogert.
“I would definitely say I’d eat it again,” Bogert said.
These events seek to promote each food and where they come from, how sustainable they are, and how they fit into eating nutritiously, according to Eberhart.
“We like to focus on what is in season, highlight its nutritional value, and show students different ways it can be prepared,” Eberhart said.
Kristen Whitworth, a sophomore in construction engineering and management, visited Case Dining Hall without any knowledge of the event.
Whitworth tried both the stuffed collard wrap with creole sauce and the pork barbeque wrapped in collard leaves.
“I just wanted to see what they tasted like,” Whitworth said. “The creole wrap was my favorite.”
Whitworth had tried kale before, but didn’t believe she had much experience with the flavor.
“I’ve put kale in smoothies before with other stuff so I don’t really taste it, but this is my first real meal with it,” Whitworth said.
Whitworth considers the recipes she tried at Case worth trying again.
“I would eat more kale and collards after this,” Whitworth said.
In the upcoming weeks, apples and sweet potatoes will be among the seasonal foods promoted. While the “Focus on Local” events are held in the dining halls on Tuesdays, “Taste the Difference” events are held in the Brickyard each Wednesday from 11am to 1pm.
“This Wednesday students can stop by and get samples of kale smoothies and salads,” Eberhart said. “We’ll be there every Wednesday.”