A Question For Food Writers

[BryanZ]

[ go to Duke.  We put out one of the better student newspapers in the Southeast.  I don't really see it as harsh, since I didn't know that kids at other schools got paid or got credit.  Go figure.  I enjoy it and eat out a lot anyway, so yeah.

I think the reason we don't get credit or pay is because we're independent.  As in, we're not explicitly sponsored (though we are the official student daily newspaper) by the school so that means we aren't pressured to write according to the bias of the school's administration.  It's a lot of political b.s. but I think we do a good job.

What's a lot of political b.s.? Not being pressured to toe the administration line?

I would think that independence would serve you well. I can't think of a student newspaper at an Ivy League-class university (a group that includes Duke, Stanford, MIT, Caltech and Chicago) that isn't. (I think the student newspapers at the "public Ivies" -- Cal-Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Virginia et al. -- are connected to their universities' J-schools, but I'm not absolutely certain about this.)

Which isn't to say that the administration doesn't try to influence what gets in the papers.

If you're so inclined you can find me at www.chronicle.duke.edu and search for my last name "zupon."  I've got some decently big stories coming up in the next couple weeks, and I'm doing everything I can to expand my role as both a student voice and student educator.

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I plan a surfing safari within the next few days. Could you do us a favor and give a heads-up on the important stories that are upcoming?

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The reason I made the point about being an independent student newspaper was in regards to getting pay and course credit. I believe that jkonick goes to a state school which would have a higher chance of being affiliated with the school's administration. This gives them less freedom of press but a greater chance for pay and credit. I like being independent, I think it adds to our cred.

I'm not sure what a "surfing safari" is, but I'm assuming you're referring to the world wide interweb. If that's the case, in the next couple weeks I've got a story coming out about Iron Chef America. A local chef recently finished taping an episode, and I was able to get an interview with him. I'm also working on a large piece on the future of "green" dining at Duke. Although the subject of green dining is hot on many campuses (greater recycling initiatives, responsible waste disposal, sustainable farming, traceable ingredient identification), I plan to focus on the recent push toward local, artisinal products now being featured at many of our new eateries. These aren't exactly big issues on the national scale but they're cool for our community.

[jkonick]

BryanZ: I do go to a state school, but The Daily (our paper) is not really affiliated with the administration. Here's an excerpt from the new writer's guide:

" The Daily is not a publication of the Department of Communication, nor is it produced by the ASUW. The nine-member Board of Student Publications oversees the newspaper, reviews finances, resolves disputes and selects the editor and ad manager of The Daily every quarter. The board is comprised of representatives from the administration, the Faculty Senate, the Department of Communication, ASUW, GPSS, a profesional pubication, and The Daily newsroom. The Daily is produced almost exclusively by students, with the exception of the Publisher, Office manager and the accountant."

And as long as you're going to be surfing, you can check out some of my articles here: http://thedaily.washington.edu/intermission or by searching for my last name, Konick. The biggest thing I have coming up is an article about a big kosher dinner/fundraiser at the campus Jewish orginization with a local big-name chef coming in to cook. Nothing on par with Iron Chef, that sounds cool though. Aside from that, comfort food today, good on-campus food next week as well as an aphrodisiac article for the sex issue, plus hopefully the tracing of food article mentioned earlier in this thread.

Also, if homework doesn't totally kill me this weekend, I'm going to set up (or rather, start using again, as it's been neglected) a food blog.

Edited January 27, 2006 by jkonick (log)

[chefzadi]

Many people entertain romantic notions about being a food writer, like you eat for free in restaurants. Nothing could be further from the truth.

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Ahem.

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You become a cook/chef to eat for free. Work for food.

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Y'know, "Will Work for Food" would make a great title for a chef's autobiography.

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Y'know the title would be fitting in my case.

Anyway, the food world is not all about chefs. I'm working on a project for a documentary series with maybe a companion book about the foods of the African continent and the diaspora. It's a group effort and the contributors include chefs and scholars of African descent. We come in many colors and speak many languages, but none of us has a flat ass.

From the birth of mankind, great civilizations, the Moors, the slave trade, etc.

Watchout, the Africans are coming...

[pam claughton]

I'd also strongly suggest getting a part-time (or full-time in the Summer) job in a restaurant. Either the kitchen or serving, or both at different times. Both jobs will give you great hands on experience in understanding food and service, and will add depth to your food writing. I learned more about cooking just from being friends with the kitchen staff, and watching and learning by osmosis.

Pam

[jkonick]

Thinking just slightly outside the bento box, you may want to interview the director of UW food services and find out where the campus buffeteria food emanates from (probably a warehouse in Auburn) and trace it back, in staggering quantities, onto the plate. Ditto food production in a Frat House, if they serve meals at UDub.

For anyone still interested, I did this story. You can read it here: http://www.thedaily.washington.edu/index.php?storyID=15631

Part two, what happens to the food once it gets here will be in next week's entertainment section on Thursday.

[jamiemaw]

Thinking just slightly outside the bento box, you may want to interview the director of UW food services and find out where the campus buffeteria food emanates from (probably a warehouse in Auburn) and trace it back, in staggering quantities, onto the plate. Ditto food production in a Frat House, if they serve meals at UDub.

For anyone still interested, I did this story. You can read it here: http://www.thedaily.washington.edu/index.php?storyID=15631

Part two, what happens to the food once it gets here will be in next week's entertainment section on Thursday.

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I'm really delighted that you were able to follow up on this story concept. It might give the piece an even stronger line (next week) to take a menu item and follow it from field to plate, mentioning the amount of money the farmer is paid, the mark-up that the whoesaler/distributor takes, what the university pays, what the student pays etc.

Well done!

Edited March 3, 2006 by jamiemaw (log)

[BryanZ]

Good story. College dining is going through a lot of changes right now in all fronts. Things are getting smaller, more local, at a lot of schools, with a more pronounced stance toward sustainability. Universities like Yale and Brown, though they have very different setups for their dining services programs, place a clear emphasis on organics and supporting local agriculture. Duke, too, is moving in this direction, and, in my opinion, brings a lot to the table with its diverse mix of independent, local retailers and somewhat larger food service vendors.

For anyone interested, here's a story I recently wrote on the changing perceptions of college dining.

Here's another piece by a colleague of mine that documents the possibility for campus (and, I suppose, any other institutional) dining program beyond massive corporations like Aramark.

[Carrot Top]

Here's another piece by a colleague of mine that documents the possibility for campus (and, I suppose, any other institutional) dining program beyond massive corporations like Aramark.

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Once upon a time, about. . .well. . .a long time ago , there was a guy named Rudy Flik. He was attending college and was unhappy with the food that was being served there (the usual yucky cafeteria stuff).

Rudy decided to form his own company that would provide a better sort of food service for schools and universities. He had been a chef.

So he put together a company and sold this idea of using his smaller, more intimate and finely wrought services to the university.

Flik International grew from this seed, and became not only a well-respected name in B&I foodservices, but was sold finally for a pretty penny to Compass International.

It *can* be done.

But then sometimes the dog turns round and becomes the tiger. . .

[jkonick]

Thinking just slightly outside the bento box, you may want to interview the director of UW food services and find out where the campus buffeteria food emanates from (probably a warehouse in Auburn) and trace it back, in staggering quantities, onto the plate. Ditto food production in a Frat House, if they serve meals at UDub.

For anyone still interested, I did this story. You can read it here: http://www.thedaily.washington.edu/index.php?storyID=15631

Part two, what happens to the food once it gets here will be in next week's entertainment section on Thursday.

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I'm really delighted that you were able to follow up on this story concept. It might give the piece an even stronger line (next week) to take a menu item and follow it from field to plate, mentioning the amount of money the farmer is paid, the mark-up that the whoesaler/distributor takes, what the university pays, what the student pays etc.

Well done!

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Thanks! And thanks too for giving me the idea! I originally intended for the series of articles to be similar to what you described, but as I did more research into where the food came from, I realized that it would take longer than two weeks to write the story (our editors change every quarter, and these two articles are my last of the quarter so I can't plan past these).

Next week's article will focus more on what happens to the food once it gets to the UW. Today I spent the afternoon/evening with one of the campus' chefs, and interviewed one of the chefs who watches over the whole operation. The article will mostly be about the process of raw potatoes in the storage area to plate, rather than soil to plate. I wish I could've done it that way, but it just didn't seem feasible with the time constraints and finals week looming. I'll post a link to next week's article though.

[jamiemaw]

Looking forward.

[MarketStEl]

Good story.  College dining is going through a lot of changes right now in all fronts.  Things are getting smaller, more local, at a lot of schools, with a more pronounced stance toward sustainability.  Universities like Yale and Brown, though they have very different setups for their dining services programs, place a clear emphasis on organics and supporting local agriculture.  Duke, too, is moving in this direction, and, in my opinion, brings a lot to the table with its diverse mix of independent, local retailers and somewhat larger food service vendors.

For anyone interested, here's a story I recently wrote on the changing perceptions of college dining.

Here's another piece by a colleague of mine that documents the possibility for campus (and, I suppose, any other institutional) dining program beyond massive corporations like Aramark.

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Good luck in your campaign to replace Aramark.

I now work at a small university where Aramark handles food service. The terms of their contract are such that even if an office like mine wanted to support a small restaurateur or caterer in Chester by hiring him or her for a function (civic engagement with our dollars, dont'cha know), we couldn't.

Maybe you need to be a larger institution in order to get the freedom to use alternate food services?

[Carrot Top]

Maybe you need to be a larger institution in order to get the freedom to use alternate food services?

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Virginia Tech is self-op.

I don't think they are a large university, in comparison with some others. . .(?)

[MarketStEl]

Maybe you need to be a larger institution in order to get the freedom to use alternate food services?

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Virginia Tech is self-op.

I don't think they are a large university, in comparison with some others. . .(?)

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25,000 students--"the largest [university] in the Commonwealth"?

No, that's not small at all. That's about 2.5 times the total student enrollment (including part-time students in our University College) at Widener University's four campuses (the link gives you info about the main campus in Chester, home to the undergraduate college, which has an enrollment of about 3,000).

Smaller still is Swarthmore College, about 10 minutes up Providence Avenue/Chester Road. I should ask how they handle their campus food service.

[Carrot Top]

25,000 students--"the largest [university] in the Commonwealth"?

No, that's not small at all.  That's about 2.5 times the total student enrollment (including part-time students in our University College) at Widener University's four campuses (the link gives you info about the main campus in Chester, home to the undergraduate college, which has an enrollment of about 3,000).

Smaller still is Swarthmore College, about 10 minutes up Providence Avenue/Chester Road.  I should ask how they handle their campus food service.

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I guess it's all relative. After mostly "growing up" in NYC and living in Paris among other places afterwards, this place is uh. . ."the sticks".

Not that I don't LOVE it, you know.

I hope that it's okay that we've gone slightly off-topic here, since the original topic was writing, but it did start angling towards college foodservices stuff since there are two college-based writers discussing things here. . .

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It's my understanding that most places (business and industry, colleges too) that *were* self-op originally started outsourcing their foodservices and dining services

in the early late 1980's to early 1990's, when the byword was OUTSOURCE for savings by employers particularly in the category of employee benefits.

This happened at Goldman Sachs, also. The management of the (self-op) private dining rooms was outsourced to ARA (who had provided the cafeteria services as subcontractor previously) about half a year after I left. . .and the original staff that remained had the opportunity of joining ARA or leaving employment.

With reduced benefits (medical completely different) and loss of the usual twenty three to twenty five percent annual bonus that was paid based on performance, many left.

A brave new world.

Edited March 3, 2006 by Carrot Top (log)

[Megan Blocker]

Maybe you need to be a larger institution in order to get the freedom to use alternate food services?

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Virginia Tech is self-op.

I don't think they are a large university, in comparison with some others. . .(?)

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25,000 students--"the largest [university] in the Commonwealth"?

No, that's not small at all. That's about 2.5 times the total student enrollment (including part-time students in our University College) at Widener University's four campuses (the link gives you info about the main campus in Chester, home to the undergraduate college, which has an enrollment of about 3,000).

Smaller still is Swarthmore College, about 10 minutes up Providence Avenue/Chester Road. I should ask how they handle their campus food service.

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I went to Bryn Mawr and used to eat at Swat from time to time...their food was pretty good, and I remember a number of bars...salad bars, waffle bars, organic foods, etc. I would say they have an excellent food program.

Bryn Mawr and Haverford worked off of the same meal plan, but the food at Bryn Mawr was significantly better prepared. Common belief around this was that since BMC had four dining halls while HC had one (Quaker thing about communal living and dining), the food was being prepared more carefully and in smaller quantities at BMC.

Both colleges made efforts to source their food responsibly. I'll see if I can find more info on this...

ETA: I do think this is getting a bit OT...I will see if we can get split into another thread!

Edited March 3, 2006 by Megan Blocker (log)

[Carrot Top]

It's interesting to me that though VT is really very good with many things, including the foodservices and including being a responsible partner to the community - that this university *is* primarily (besides engineering) an agricultural college, a land-grant college - and although there are annual beef and lamb sales (on the hoof) and a huge poultry department, none of this stuff is sourced as food for the students. Too troublesome, likely.

But there *is* one professor in the sciences who has an annual "Bug-Eating" dinner.

(Easier to slaughter a slug than a steer? )

[BryanZ]

Brown University is completely self-op with a staunch emphasis on local agriculture and in-house production. This system severely limits student dining options, however, and is therefore unpopular. Conversely, Yale uses Aramark, but also places emphasis on organics. Student dining at Yale also isn't all that popular despite the environmental push. Not to start an entirely separate thread but merely offering local products doesn't guarantee quality. In my opinion, on-campus competition must exist to have truly exemplary foodservice. If environmental sustainability can be incorporated into this mix, all the better, but what college kids really care about is food quality and variety. With that said, even though I'm involved in nearly every possible way in Duke's dining servcies, I don't know that much about its large-scale food production. I look forward to jkonick's article.

Edited March 3, 2006 by BryanZ (log)

[jkonick]

Part two!

http://www.thedaily.washington.edu/index.php?storyID=15694

Enjoy

[kumquatmay]

I went to Bryn Mawr and used to eat at Swat from time to time...their food was pretty good, and I remember a number of bars...salad bars, waffle bars, organic foods, etc.  I would say they have an excellent food program.

Bryn Mawr and Haverford worked off of the same meal plan, but the food at Bryn Mawr was significantly better prepared.  Common belief around this was that since BMC had four dining halls while HC had one (Quaker thing about communal living and dining), the food was being prepared more carefully and in smaller quantities at BMC.

Both colleges made efforts to source their food responsibly.  I'll see if I can find more info on this...

ETA: I do think this is getting a bit OT...I will see if we can get split into another thread!

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I went to Haverford--small world!--and while Haverford and Bryn Mawr students could eat at any of the dining centers on either campus, I believe the food services were separate entities run by separate staffs at either college.

At the time, I ran the then-student-run pizza place on the campus, and so got to know the head of the food services fairly well. At Haverford, they ran the Coop (casual cafe) in addition to the main dining center. While I would say they definitely made efforts to source responsibly, the majority of the foodstuffs were from Cisco. My sophmore year they did create a fabulous garden outside of the campus center with tons of herbs and some veggies, grown and maintained for the dining services. Though because of its size, the garden could only really be a supplement, though a welcome one.