Cuscuz. Empadas. Mousse de Café.
Though these dishes may sound completely foreign to some Fairfield students, they are part of an everyday diet for Brazilian chef Bruno Rios, who is coming to Fairfield to give students an opportunity to taste a bit of his culture.
This Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Sodexo will be hosting a special program in the main Dining Hall called Global Chef.
At the U-shaped servery, students will be able to try multiple South American items at different meal times.
Wednesday evening will include a dessert sampling. Thursday evening will include both dinner and dessert dishes, and Friday will include lunch and dessert items. By offering a variety of meal times, the programmers hope that students can attend one of the meals to see what Global Chef has to offer.
Due to the success of Sodexo at Fairfield, the company hand-selected the University to host the program. “As a Sodexo account, Fairfield University has certain goals that it actually meets and surpasses,” explained Matt Olschan, retail marketing manager of Fairfield Dining Services. “Therefore, we stand out to get ‘x’ amount of programming … kind of like a sample school. We showcase things often.”
Through this program, chefs travel around the world to provide authentic food from their country to different schools and organizations. Because the foods presented are standard for the home country of the chef, host schools must order ingredients outside of their regimented routine to allow the chefs to prepare their dishes the way they would at home.
“[Rios] customizes his own menu to what he feels represents his profile best, so not only is he making stuff he is familiar with, I think he is making stuff he feels best represents him as a chef,” said Olschan. Rios is currently working his way down the east coast through Global Chef, beginning at schools in Massachusetts and eventually ending in Florida.
While this program is different than most of the promotions that Sodexo offers, it is part of a larger calendar of events that Fairfield’s Sodexo branch provides for students. For example, last month showcased Indian food and a Hispanic cultural celebration for Hispanic heritage month. In the upcoming weeks, students will notice that Sodexo is presenting fall promotions, including a Halloween theme.
Incorporating multi-cultural food is part of the larger goal of Fairfield to create a more diverse campus. Olschan commented, “I think as a partnership with Sodexo and Fairfield what this program brings to the table is just something that goes to show that all students are represented.”
Upperclassmen had mixed reviews because they do not necessarily go to Barone on a daily basis. “Since I’m a senior, I don’t have a meal plan, but if I did, I would go because I think it’s exciting that they have cultural food like that,” said Gabi Tozzi, ’13.
Junor Reece Breault disagreed, saying, “I don’t really go to Barone so it doesn’t really make a difference to me.”
Most students, though, are excited about Rios coming to Fairfield. “I definitely would look forward to it, because it’s a chef from a different country. I think it would be interesting to get a taste of how he prepares their food,” commented Joseph Patalano ’15.
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