The food in school cafeterias has always been subject to scrutiny by those eating there. Options for healthy or diet specific foods may often seem out of reach or not available. However, at Allen, this couldn’t be further from the truth and getting higher quality or diet specific meals is possible, even if students and faculty are not currently aware of them.
Though Allen community college is on the smaller side, the staff and administration have never used that as an excuse to exempt a student’s lifestyle or food preferences. During the month of February, I had the opportunity to speak with Cindy Stanberry, the food service director who runs the Allen dining hall and oversees the dining options provided by Great Western Dining Service, Inc. Stanberry answered questions on how she handles specialty meal events, such as cultural food night, and how she handles food for different religion practices or allergies.
When asked about cultural food nights, Stanberry’s response was that she loves to give students the chance to feel like they are back at home, even if it is just for a little bit. She would also love to expand the number of cultural nights but needs more recipes to make that happen. Stanberry invites students to submit recipes they would like to have made, if they have any.
At the beginning of the academic school year, students received a form that asked about dietary needs. The questions on the form included some about religious dietary needs, especially for diet specific religious holidays such as Ramadan and Lent. These religious holidays can affect a religious practitioner’s diet in unique ways, and Stanberry is willing to work with students and faculty to make those accommodations happen.
Another section mentioned on the form was concerning food allergies, such as being gluten-free. For those students who are gluten-free, Stanberry has become acquainted with them and keeps their gluten-free foods away from other dishes, to avoid contamination, and retrieves the food when students arrive at the dining hall.
All around, the dining services at Allen Community College are inclusive, despite what may diners may initially assume. Before criticizing the school’s dining options, keep in mind that some initiative on students and faculty’s part is required to make food accommodations available. Stanberry asks that any student or faculty with diet specific needs reaches out to her. Stanberry is more than happy to sit down with a student or faculty member to see what food accommodations can be made. To request food accommodations, email [email protected].