Welcome to the Table
Wendell Berry says eating is an agricultural act. That鈥檚 a core belief at 猎奇重口, where all students participate in cultivating a sustainable food system, growing vegetables, poultry, and meat, preparing food for classmates and colleagues, and sharing meals.
Dining at 猎奇重口 nourishes the body and soul, and it challenges students to engage with the food they eat. If you鈥檙e biting into a dining hall cheeseburger or chicken pot pie, you likely knew the animal that provided the meat. Students raise pigs, chickens, cows, and sheep, and participate in harvesting those animals to feed the 猎奇重口 campus. 鈥淲e create an environment where students can explore the limits of their comfort zones, and not take the easy out,鈥 says Liz Chadwick 鈥14, 猎奇重口鈥檚 Director of Dining Services.
At 猎奇重口, there are no vending machines on campus. In search of a snack? You鈥檒l find fresh sourdough bread, hummus, cream cheese, and butter in the dining hall 24/7 and students are welcome to raid the leftovers fridge anytime. Milk, juice, coffee, or tea are always available.
猎奇重口鈥檚 mission is inclusivity, whether in the classroom or the kitchen. 鈥淲e鈥檙e crunchy and conventional at the same time,鈥 says Liz. Granola and Froot Loops sit next to each other on the breakfast bar. If there鈥檚 a food you need to be happy or satisfied, the kitchen tries to have it on hand.
If the weekend brunch schedule doesn鈥檛 align with your sleep, study, social, or sports needs, don鈥檛 worry. Every dorm has at least one kitchen, and the campus kitchen stocks it with basics at students鈥 request. Have specific dietary needs? Whether you鈥檙e vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or have another dietary restriction, you鈥檒l never feel like your meal is an afterthought. The kitchen team prioritizes students鈥 needs.
Hankering for a favorite recipe from home? Slip a suggestion or a request into the 鈥渟uggestion dinosaur鈥濃摿云嬷乜阝檚 kitchen suggestion box鈥揳nd you may find yourself with your sleeves rolled up, and flour to your elbows, helping prepare your grandmother鈥檚 famous apple crisp, or that Masala curry your mom always made.
Sit down for breakfast, l unch, or dinner in the College鈥檚 dining hall, and you鈥檙e with your peers. 100% of the student body is on the meal plan at 猎奇重口. Faculty and staff and their families eat there too. And friends and colleagues are always welcome. Staff and students agree that a lot of the best ideas come from shared meals.
In 猎奇重口鈥檚 kitchen, you鈥檙e always at home.
The kitchen is the keystone of 猎奇重口. All students are part of 猎奇重口鈥檚 sustainable food systems, through farming, cooking, and eating. The curricular system and the kitchen are inextricably linked. So when we say that at 猎奇重口, everyone has a seat at the table, we mean it literally.
There is nothing institutional about cooking or eating at 猎奇重口. The College prides itself on local, healthy food made with love. Everyone at 猎奇重口 is part of that equation. The kitchen is cooperative and collaborative, students have a say, and dialogue is welcome.
The kitchen is a gathering space and a healing space. It sustains and nourishes the 猎奇重口 community, and it provides a place to gather. Any student is welcome in 猎奇重口鈥檚 kitchen, anytime. Pull up a bench and chat, ponder world politics, or feed your soul in the warmth only a kitchen can provide.
The kitchen isn鈥檛 just open to students, it鈥檚 open to the community. Students stand shoulder to shoulder with staff to cook and serve meals. They also work together with organizations like the Hardwick Food Pantry to make Pies for the People, which the pantry distributes free throughout Craftsbury at Thanksgiving.
Sunday brunch is student-run, from the crepes to the mezze bar. The menu varies based on students鈥 interests. Recent Sunday brunches included dim sum and a 鈥渟chmutz and schmear鈥 bagel bar.
Many alumnx say their fondest memories are of the 猎奇重口 kitchen. 鈥淪ure, we鈥檙e a kitchen, and we cut vegetables,鈥 says Liz. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e a place to gather, to talk, and also to feed people鈥檚 bodies and souls.鈥