As part of President Raynard Kington’s GrinWell Challenge, Dining Services will be catering an event called Veggie Fest on Monday, Nov. 24 in JRC 101 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The College’s wellness team planned this event, intending to improve healthy eating habits among students. This event is the first of its kind at the College.
Wellness Director Jen Jacobsen ’95 said that during the event, Grinnellians will have the chance to sample different vegetable dishes and learn about common preparation methods for a variety of vegetables.
“There will be [two] stations with popular vegetable dishes from the dining hall, and [two] stations with easy-to-make vegetable dishes with the recipes included,” Jacobsen said. “We really wanted to do a blend of showcasing what’s available in the dining hall, [and] also giving people who don’t eat in the dining hall options.”
Executive Chef Scott Turley stated that popular dishes that are commonly on the menu would be served, in addition to new and exciting dishes that students have not seen before. Out of a total of four dishes, the culinary staff is still exploring its options and deciding which vegetables it wants to serve as the latter two dishes at Veggie Fest.
“We are planning on serving the red curry with butternut squash, which is popular at the dining hall,” Turley said. “For the new recipe, we are going to [serve] quinoa with spring rolls that are stuffed with vegetables such as kale, carrots and bean sprouts.”
Veggie Fest is part of a series of events being hosted by the GrinWell Challenge. Jacobsen stated that part of the plan is encouraging students to develop healthy eating practices by paying attention to what they’re consuming, which is the main purpose for Veggie Fest.
“One of the goals in the President’s Wellness Challenge is encouraging folks to be more intentional about incorporating fruits and vegetables in their diet,” Jacobsen said. “We thought a way to encourage that is to have a kind of an open house to have people come in and eat good food.”
According to a recent survey, only 11 percent of students in Grinnell College self-reported eating the recommended amount of servings of fruits and vegetables in a day. Although this is higher than the national average of five percent, Jacobsen said that she would like to see that number grow.
“It’s November and we’re headed towards Thanksgiving, so this would be a great opportunity to get people [to] think about incorporating more vegetables in their diet,” she said.
Jacobsen added that another aim of Veggie Fest is to create a space for social interaction based around healthy food.
“It’s an opportunity for fellowship, and is an intentional social space as well,” Jacobsen said. “There will be tables there to sit and eat, and [you might] see friends or professors you don’t normally see.”
In the future, Jacobsen stated that she would like to see more fruit and vegetable options at events and around campus in general, especially for students who don’t have access to the dining hall.
“Unless it’s in the dining hall, it’s really hard for students on campus to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” she said. “I would love to see more of our talks at 4:15 offering a fruit and veggie tray along with the [usual] cookie tray.”
