Construction is underway in Brown’s Sharpe Refectory, the largest dining hall on campus, to create a dedicated kosher kitchen, an enhanced halal station and an allergy-friendly kitchen.When the new spaces open in time for the Fall 2023 semester, they'll provide consistent, easy access to high-quality meals for students who observe Jewish or Islamic dietary laws, or who have food allergies and other specific dietary requirements — and for anyone enrolled in a Brown dining plan.George Barboza, Brown’s vice president of dining programs, said the new facilities come as part of the University’s commitment to supporting community-building among students who represent a wide range of religious identities and cultural backgrounds. “We know that the shared experience of gathering for meals is tremendously important in creating connections,” Barboza said.While the University currently offers dining options for students with allergies, as well as those who follow Jewish and Islamic dietary laws, those options require enrollment in specific dining programs that often involve advance ordering or outsourcing to caterers.“It’s going to be amazingly positive for the student experience here at Brown,” Barboza said. “This really allows for a robust community where students of many religious backgrounds and ethnicities can get good meals and share them in a dining hall, without the restriction of having to eat certain meals in particular places or at certain times.”
This really allows for a robust community where students of many religious backgrounds can get good meals and share them in a dining hall, without the restriction of having to eat certain meals in particular places or at certain times.GEORGE BARBOZA Vice President for Dining Programs Rabbi Josh Bolton, executive director of Brown-RISD Hillel, said the new kosher kitchen, which will include a full kitchen for the preparation of meat and a separate full kitchen for the preparation of dairy items, is rare for colleges and universities. As part of a partnership with the STAR-K Certification agency, the on-site dining team will include chefs who are trained in kosher menu concepts, as well as a full-time mashgiach — a supervisor who oversees the preparation of kosher meals.“I just love to think that among the great economists and physicists and historians at this institution, we will now add the mashgiach,” Bolton said. “It reflects the collaboration between the Jewish community and the University in building a kosher facility that is both delicious and strictly observant.”For members of the Muslim community at Brown, a new halal station will serve as a dedicated space for all students looking to access food prepared in accordance with Islamic dietary law. All meat purchased and served throughout the week will be certified as halal. All fresh chicken currently served in Brown facilities is already certified halal, but the creation of the new station will allow for more variety and consistency.Bolton said the dining additions will benefit not only those already on campus, but generations of students, alumni, faculty and community members for years to come.“The flourishing of any community is an important element in the flourishing of our University community,” Bolton said. “So this is an investment in the Jewish community and the Muslim community, and it’s an investment in Brown.”New allergy-free kitchen will offer safety, varietySeparately, on the main level of Sharpe Refectory, a brand-new kitchen will accommodate the dietary needs of students with many of the most common food allergies. Even if a meal doesn’t contain a specific allergen, these students still need to be cautious of cross-contamination, said Director of Wellness and Nutrition Michelle Blais. A pair of tongs that’s touched other food, for example, or a pot that’s stored among cookware used to prepare meals containing allergens could pose a risk to their health.To reduce that risk, the new allergy-friendly kitchen will have its own dedicated cookware, utensils, pots, pans and other cooking equipment, and all meals prepared there will be free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy, fish, shellfish, soy, sesame and gluten.The flourishing of any community is an important element in the flourishing of our University community. So this is an investment in the Jewish community and the Muslim community, and it’s an investment in Brown.RABBI JOSHUA BOLTON Executive Director of Brown-RISD Hillel Currently, students with allergies participate in a custom ordering program in which they choose their meals in advance and pick them up at a designated time.“This will definitely offer more variety, and students won’t feel like they have to go pick up their food separately just to be able to find a safe meal,” Blais said.The new spaces follow a series of new offerings and enhanced services implemented in recent years — from refreshed food options at Andrews Dining Hall and the Blue Room, to mobile ordering and extended hours at dining facilities, to a recently completed renovation at the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall — to strengthen the dining experience for Brown community members.Barboza said he’s excited to be able to bring the inclusive options — which were developed in part based on community feedback — to campus. In addition to marking a major step forward in how Brown Dining Services supports students from different backgrounds, he stressed that the new menus will at the same time be delicious.“The recipes are great, and it’s going to be good food that most people want to eat,” Barboza said. “Even without looking through a kosher or halal lens, it’s simply just good food!”
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