When Yale University decided to start a sustainable food program on its campus, it took years to get off the ground. When Saint Louis University wanted to start one, the administration contacted longtime local restaurateur Eddie Neill.
“I signed on immediately,” he said. “It’s an immediate impact on our kids’ well-being and, in the long run, our society. I already had all the farmers and suppliers lined up. It took us four weeks to go from concept to reality.”
Not that the concept is fully actualized yet, he continued. “We’re constantly looking at ways to improve the program. Next thing on the list to do is some physical remodeling. You know, some paint, some new furniture that will make the space more attractive.”
Artisan baker Todd Parkhurst and chef Stephanie Russell join Neill, a SLU alum, in maintaining the restaurant and teaching students in the program.
What’s the difference between what you are doing and what Yale did? We are in a free-market environment. Yale’s program attached itself to dormitories. We are a restaurant that must compete with places like Long John Silver’s, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and the like. We are the first sustainable food program in the U.S. to work in conjunction with an academic setting program and compete for a student’s dollars. Currently, we are serving 150 to 170 a day.
What is a sustainable food program? That’s what it’s called internally because it’s one of SLU’s academic programs for dietitians and nutritionists and eventually culinary students. Basically, there are five parallel roads:
• First, we are putting a face on the local farmers and ranchers. The American farmer is all but gone from our landscape. By putting a face with our products, we hope to educate our students on where their food is grown.
• Second, all our plateware and serviceware is biodegradable. Everything will decompose faster (eight to 12 weeks) because it is made from cornstarch, sugarcane reed, corn and corn polymers. We have a garden that is maintained by the students where we compost almost all of our trash.
• Third, everything we serve has been grown locally and
organically – even our meats have been raised in a humane manner. We offer the traditional items college students want; they just taste better because they are grown without pesticides or added hormones.
• Fourth, we are using technology to keep foods fresher longer without the need for preservatives.
• The last road is marketing the concept.
What kinds of items are on the menu? We have a static menu: a salad bar, sandwiches, soups, a variety of meats, breads, cookies. It’s like almost any other menu, except that what we offer is, for lack of a better term, grown organically. Todd makes his breads and pastries using naturally grained flours. Some of the recipes are over 100 years old and are derived from a “starter” mix. He makes about 10 types of breads. The most popular have been a cherry-walnut and a multigrain. We have traditional college food, like hot dogs, brats, etc. They just come from a
healthier product.
Marketing to the late-teen, early-20s crowd can’t be easy. It’s not. We have a lot of kids who come in here and, at first, turn their noses up at anything termed organic. Our job is to not only appeal to their eyes but make it palatable. Once we can get them to try something and enjoy it, they usually come back for more. And we keep our prices in line with a student’s pocketbook. Lunch ranges from $3 to $6, dinner, $6 to $7.
Now that we are headed into winter, how do you plan to offer fresh produce on a daily basis? We are working with a technology called Cryovac, or sous vide as the French call it. The food is prepared in its normal fashion, then put in a bag and all the air is sucked out it. With this method, food lasts up to three times longer than putting it in plastic bags. The pasta salad you had for lunch was made about two and a half weeks ago. Also, we’ll add more wintry foods like soups, squashes and beans.
You’re obviously not in this for the money. Why are you involved? The future is behind us in many ways. Family farms are disappearing, and we must do our best to help sustain them. More important, our kids’ health depends on them learning how to eat. With obesity, diabetes, cancers and all the other health issues facing our kids today, we have to train them that chips and soda aren’t a healthy meal.
Is Fresh Gatherings open to the public? Yes. Stop by anytime or call in a dinner order. We’ll have it ready and waiting for pickup before 5 p.m. We’ll be glad to send home a natural-food meal that looks and tastes great.
This article appears in Nov 1-30, 2005.