By Elias Pike | News editor | epike2@mail.smcvt.edu
“You’re gonna get sick of the food fast” and “save your money for when you get sick of the meal plan.” These are warnings I heard often about college dining hall food before I even arrived on campus. Now that I have been here for over a semester, I find it hard to believe people really dislike the food that much.
While the food, is not as good as home cooking, my meals in Alliot are enjoyable more often than not, and I look forward to the variety of options the dining hall offers like the grill and taco bar.
To better understand how other students feel about the food in Alliot, I spent a few meals unscientifically gathering feedback from other Alliot regulars. Most students feel that the quality of the food leaves much to be desired.
“They’re making mistakes in the food. I think the quality of the food itself is too low,” said Tanner Carpenter, ’28.
Sophia Nelson ’28 said she would like to have “more meatless options and more proper vegetables.” and “The rice is always undercooked.”
Anthony Morales ’25 said there were always options for him. “There’s always one vegetarian soup, there’s always a stir fry option. There’s veggie burgers, and then the international bar normally has a vegetarian option also. And if all else fails, there’s always good cereal.” However, as he wanted me to point out, he is a senior and only eats there once a week.
Morales also offered insight on the quality of the food. “So, the quality of the meal is dependent on two things, the quality of the cook and the quality of the ingredients.” Morales said “And sometimes, when you’re cooking, for a lot of people, the quality of the ingredients is sacrificed.”
When I asked students what food they enjoyed, they provided a wide range of responses. “I’m gonna say, I’m gonna say the meatballs,” said Carter Reese ’28
“Potato Wedges,” said Tanner Carpenter ’28
“I like the chicken patties, and pasta,” said Griffin Dupuis ’28
“I wish I had unlimited swipes, they have lots of options and you have to be creative,” said Sophia Lynch ’26.
“I just love it in here, I like to eat with my friends. I love the sandwich ladies,” said Layne Doherty,27
“Alliot is the greatest thing since sliced bread.” said Vinny Armellino ’28
In order to better understand how things work behind the scenes in Alliot, I sat down with Jeremy Metcalf, General Manager of Sodexo at St. Michael’s. We discussed the origins of the food and Sodexo’s approach to cooking for 1200 people.
“We buy the food from everywhere other restaurants buy the food,” Metcalf said. Most of the supplies come from Cisco in Albany, New York. In addition to purchasing food from Cisco, $2,215 was spent on food from local Vermont farms in 2023 according to statistics from the most recent Vermont First report.
Also, in 2023 The Farm at St. Michael’s College supplied the dining hall with 983 pounds of food. Sodexo also takes part in the Vermont first initiative. A “first-of-its- kind program committing Sodexo to increase local purchasing across its Vermont institutional markets,” as stated is their mission statement on the Vermont First Initiative website. This means that they endeavor to purchase food from local vendors and farms to provide quality home- grown food. I come from a small farm where my family grows a lot of our own food and I am quite happy knowing that the food that I eat here comes from local farmers who are not only supported in their endeavors but take pride in their work as all true Vermont farmers should.
On a recent day in Alliot, as I sat down in the back of the dining hall,my friend Joe Donahue ’28 walked up to the small round table with his plate containing a single chicken patty on
a bun. He plopped down in the seat opposite of me and after one bite ofhis chicken patty he said “yeah no”, as his face contorted in disgust. That was his first and last bite of the patty.
Though the chicken patties were not particularly to his liking, he also said “You really can’t complain too much about the food.” He believes that there is “a decent variety,” offered, as far as college food goes at least.
Metcalf encourages students to provide feedback. “We enjoy the feedback,” Metcalf said. “The feedback helps us do a better job. I tell students all the time, if something is on the menu, if you like it, write a comment card. If you don’t like it, don’t want to see it again, also write a comment card.”
While student reviews of the food are scattered, one thing many seem to agree on is the quality of the staff. “The people who work here are amazing,” said Nelson.
“Oh,oh,oh yeah they are amazing,” said Abigail St. John ’28, “Absolutely phenomenal” they said in unison.
This enthusiasm and trust in the staff is also echoed by Metcalf, “Everyone comes to work with a love of food, and we want you to be happy. You know, that is our goal.”
While some students get sick of the dining hall food fast, I am content with my go to meals that feature some of the local food from the Vermont First initiative. I think I will save my money for my weekend treats.