Sodexo works to deliver on promises

In an email sent out in early August, Sodexo made a substantial list of promises expected to occur throughout the semester. Few of the items on the list were completed as promised, but Sodexo continues to make adjustments.

First on the list of promised changes was the installment of an indoor garden. With the assistance of C&S Hydro-Huts, a hydroponic farm located just east of Spokane, Sodexo was planning to grow and produce fresh vegetables.

According to Sarah Clifford, the Sodexo unit marketing specialist, Sodexo placed a garden containing tomatoes and herbs near the salad station. Lacking a steady supply of water turned out to be the biggest issue.

"We need to get plumbing to go into the COG by the windows, which would mean the bookstore would have to get on board," Clifford said. "We just need to get water to the plants."

While Sodexo works to resolve the issue, C&S Hydro-Huts will continue to provide the school with lettuce and other vegetables.

Vegetarian options were also expected to improve, becoming available at every station at every meal.

"The biggest thing that people need to remember is that if they ask for anything, for instance tofu, we always have it in the back," Clifford said.

Despite the willingness of chefs to comply with student requests, students with special dietary needs are still unsure of the options.

"For the most part, I feel like I have to make adjustments more so than they do," sophomore Naseeb Bhangal said.

With the improvement of the vegetarian options, Sodexo is now looking to improve vegan options. According to Clifford, 90 percent of the vegetarian station dishes can be made into a vegan option.

A new bakery/dessert station manned by a baker was also promised at the beginning of the school year. Because most of the baking takes place in the back kitchen, Sodexo is unable to showcase a baker at every meal. Despite this challenge, Chef Michelle Magni has been present at the counter for several desserts, including bananas foster.

In addition, baker Andy Corbett was hired in September and works out of Cataldo.

"He works all the time and that's all he does is bake bread and rolls," Clifford said. "Every one of our stations in residence dining is accompanied with the appropriate bread."

Using locally grown Shepherds Grain, Corbett makes all of the bread for resident dining as well as all the cinnamon rolls for retail. He also plans to add sourdough bowls to his list of freshly made breads to replace those currently sold in LoCro.

Sodexo also promised to hold cooking classes taught by Executive Chef Thomas Morisette on Sundays from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. The classes took place as promised, but were moved to Saturdays and taken over by Andre Montogomery.

"We pushed them back to Saturday because it made more sense to be better attended," said Clifford. "It grew and grew as word got out about it."

The classes focused mainly on eating healthy while on a budget and have focused on topics such as nutrition and methodology.

"We want to showcase our chefs," said Morisette. "We want to try and rotate them so people can see different types of cooking."

Another change introduced on campus was the Stay Healthy Campaign. Started in October, the campaign is a computer program intended to help students keep track of their nutrition and exercise.

According to Clifford, the campaign started out strong, but gradually lost momentum. Despite the decline in activity, Clifford hopes to work with students to find ways to encourage students to use it.

As Sodexo continues to try and complete the changes promised at the beginning of last semester, new changes are under way for this semester.

According to Clifford, there will be more whole grain options available, a greater number of organic products, Greek yogurt at every meal, and the salad dressings and hummus will all be made fresh on campus.