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Vanderbilt University Campus Dining celebrates Earth Week with Menus of Change

Vanderbilt University Campus Dining is proud to celebrate Earth Week by offering a special week of menu items that represent various principles of the Menus of Change, a groundbreaking initiative created by The Culinary Institute of America and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that aims to support healthier, more sustainable and more delicious food choices. It is based on 14 principles of healthy, sustainable and delicious food, as well as a focus on cultural diversity and discovery. As a member of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, Vanderbilt University is committed to promoting sustainability through its award-winning dining program. 

To showcase the Menus of Change principles, three dining halls at Vanderbilt University are offering food that highlights different aspects of the initiative. Here are the details of the menu changes for the week of April 17–21: 

  • Rand Dining Center will be celebrating cultural diversity and discovery with dishes such as Asian garlic tofu, curry chicken, potato curry, southwest quinoa cakes, and Mediterranean vegetables and falafel. These dishes will be available at various stations throughout the week. 
  • Rothschild Dining Hall is promoting the principles of serving more kinds of seafood more often and serving less red meat less often. The dining hall will be serving Mediterranean baked fish, Myanmar shrimp curry, chili lime pollock, fish masala, and cajun vegetable tortellini. The only red meat offered for the entire week is the popular blended burger on the Gourmet Grill Station. 
  • The Kitchen at Kissam will be promoting the principles of moving legumes to the center of the plate, serving more kinds of seafood more often, and cutting the salt while rethinking flavor development from the ground up. On Wednesday, April 19, Kissam will be serving a cold minted poached prawn salad with romaine heart, lacinato kale with crispy black-eyed peas, shiitake bae’con with citrus-miso dressing. 

These chef-curated menu items showcase Vanderbilt University’s commitment to sustainability and healthy eating. By promoting the Menus of Change principles, Campus Dining hopes to inspire students, faculty and staff to make a difference through healthier, more sustainable food choices. 

For more information about Menus of Change and Vanderbilt University Campus Dining’s other sustainability initiatives, please visit vanderbi.lt/sustainabledining.