We're happy to welcome Nina Merrill as our intern this summer at the Bon Appétit Management Company corporate office. It's only her second week and already she has jumped right in with much enthusiasm and has contributed great ideas. Here's Nina's story about how she became interested in college food service and how she crossed paths with Bon Appétit: As […]
What does socio-diversity have to do with sustainable seafood?
Among environmentalists we hear a lot about the importance of maintaining biodiversity in a given forest or fishery, but less about maintaining the variety of skills and jobs within a specific community. That’s starting to change. As marine scientists, fishermen and regulators debate what is ‘sustainable seafood’ and advocates work to promote understanding of the […]
USF Celebrates Low Carbon Diet Day!
Last week the University of San Francisco (USF) celebrated Bon Appétit Management Company's 2nd annual Low Carbon Diet Day with an early kick-off event (Low Carbon Diet Day is April 22nd) at The Market Café. We were onsite to taste all the delicious food and see first-hand how a café that feeds a whopping 8,000 hungry students each […]
Advances in the Science of Climate Change
Last weekend I joined six academics on a panel at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The focus of our talks was on emerging science of the food system’s contribution to climate change – and my role was to talk about how Bon Appétit Management Company has been implementing […]
Calling All Student Activists
Okay, I admit it, I wasn't a politically active student. I was involved in many clubs and student organizations but they were all focused on my own career development or social life. Thankfully, today's young adults are more globally-minded (maybe it's the difference between the group-focused millennial generation and my cynical gen x attitude). Almost every week […]
Sea Changes Are Happening
Gulls beckon as they swoop down over Bodega Bay, hoping to find lunch in the water or among diner’s crumbs. I watch them as I’m standing on one of the few areas of the California coastline that still has an active fishing community. It is smaller than it once was, but there are no trawlers […]
Is ‘Large-Scale Organic’ An Oxymoron?
The Sacramento Bee reported news last week that caught my attention (and raised my ire): for up to seven years, many large-scale organic farming operations used an approved fertilizer on their organic crop land that was effective and inexpensive. A state investigation caught the product’s manufacturer spiking it with ammonium sulfate, however, a synthetic fertilizer […]
Students rally for Most Vegetarian-Friendly College title
In my role here at Bon Appetit, I focus on communications to the customers who eat in our cafés. It’s always interesting to me when we hear back from these customers about the issues that motivate and inspire them. This year, students at American University and Wesleyan University were loud and clear as they rallied […]
Eat Local Challenge: Deepening community, curriculum, consciousness
A month ago, we challenged all of our chefs to prepare a meal consisting entirely of ingredients from within 150 miles of their café (read Maisie’s post for details of the event). As I collect the great stories about our fourth annual Eat Local Challenge (ELC), I continue to be inspired by the creativity and […]
Policy Talk Was Dinner’s Entrée at Oberlin College
A few days before Election Day, I had the privilege of eating dinner with Marvin Krislov, President of Oberlin College, and Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, who was the College’s convocation speaker that evening. Over a low-carbon diet meal prepared by Bon Appétit's team at Oberlin, Michael discussed some of the nuances of […]