Cal Poly Partners

“Learn by doing” is the official mantra of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, California and the school’s foodservice provider, Chartwells Higher Education, is embracing that mantra with its student cooking classes.



“Part of our mission is to be aligned with the university,” says Director of Campus Dining&nbsp;Jess Dozier.&nbsp;&nbsp;“We&#8217;ve got a really strong culinary team, and so it&#8217;s just been a fun way to involve students.”



The one-hour classes are held once a month and offer 20 to 25 students a chance to learn new culinary skills that they can take back to their dorm rooms.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="Teaching students real-world skills ">Teaching students real-world skills&nbsp;</h3>



The dining team has been offering the classes for several years now. Each class begins with the instructor sharing the history behind whatever dish it is that they will make as well as how the dish is prepared in different cultures.



From there, the chefs walk students through how to prepare the item, and the students cook right alongside them. Earlier this semester, for example, Dozier taught students how to make their own omelets and even showed them how to flip them.



“It&#8217;s interactive. You&#8217;re doing it with them,” says&nbsp;Dozier.&nbsp;&nbsp;“It&#8217;s not just, ‘this is how you do it,’ it&#8217;s meant to be very fun and engaging, and very, very low key.”



The team tries to pick dishes that use simple ingredients and basic techniques that they know students will continue to make on their own once the class is over.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="Forming a connection">Forming a connection</h3>



The classes have become popular with students and generally sell out. The team is currently looking at ways they can grow the program, so they don’t have to turn students away who want to participate.



For fellow dining teams looking to start their own cooking classes with students, Dozier recommends not to overthink it and just have fun with it.



Even though setting up and running the classes takes time, it is worth it for the opportunity to get in front of students and form a connection with them.



“If you can make a connection with students, then you&#8217;re more apt to get feedback from them and things like that. And that&#8217;s what you need to make your program better,” says Dozier. “This is just another avenue to do that too but have some fun. It&#8217;s mainly just for fun.”

Professor teaching students culinary skills.

Cal Poly Campus Dining’s cooking classes serve up life skills with a side of connection

<a href="https://new.dineoncampus.com/calpoly/campus-map/poly-choice" data-type="link" data-id="https://new.dineoncampus.com/calpoly/campus-map/poly-choice">Poly Choice</a>, Cal Poly Dining&#8217;s newest venue at 1901 Marketplace, is bringing a new energy to the campus lunch scene. Replacing Poly Deli this year, the restaurant was brought to life by student feedback and features a rotating menu every six weeks to keep choices new and exciting.



The current menu consists of build-your-own poke bowls, priced at $13.95, along with grad-and-go items, around or under $7. Students can order ahead through Grubhub, and early results show that Poly Choice is quickly becoming a fan favorite. 



The food shop is open Monday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and Friday until 1:45 p.m.

The Poly Choice dining venue at Cal Poly’s 1901 Marketplace, featuring a clean, modern counter setup with hanging lights, menu boards and food stations.

Poly Choice replaces Poly Deli at 1901 Marketplace 

<a href="https://calpolypartners.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://calpolypartners.org/">Cal Poly Partners</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://new.dineoncampus.com/calpoly" data-type="link" data-id="https://new.dineoncampus.com/calpoly">Cal Poly Campus Dining</a>, has opened Hilltop, a new grocery store in <a href="https://housing.calpoly.edu/student-housing/residence-halls-and-apartments/poly-canyon-village-apartments" data-type="link" data-id="https://housing.calpoly.edu/student-housing/residence-halls-and-apartments/poly-canyon-village-apartments" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Poly Canyon Village</a> designed to give students access to more affordable goods.



The store offers fresh produce, deli meats, toiletries and dry goods, with a focus on keeping prices low. Director of Commercial Services Russell Monteath said the idea came directly from student feedback, with many expressing concerns over high on-campus prices.



Hilltop’s affordability comes from working with suppliers such as <a href="https://www.foodbuy.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.foodbuy.com/">Food Buy</a>, <a href="https://www.jdfood.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.jdfood.com/">JD Meats and Seafood</a>, and Cal Poly Products. Looking ahead, Cal Poly Partners is exploring a grocery delivery option, and Monteath is encouraging students to share feedback to help improve the store.

Two Cal Poly students holding grocery baskets and shopping at Cal Poly's new on campus store in PCV.

Campus dining to open a new, cheaper grocery store in PCV

SAN LUIS OBISPO &#8211; On Friday, February 23, Campus Dining raised $500 for hurricane and wildfire victims during San Luis Obispo Responds, a benefit concert.
Hosted at the Performing Arts Center, the concert raised more than $36,000 for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara. Campus Dining, which oversees concessions at the Performing Arts Center, donated their sales from the evening.
“Watching natural disasters play out is always so heart wrenching, and seeing it happen so close to home makes is all the more painful,“ said University Catering Manager Cynthia Stocker. “So, when the idea was floated for the concert we jumped at the chance to do what we love to do to support our neighbors and fellow Americans.”
Organized by Cal Poly Music professor Craig Russell and PAC Outreach Services, the benefit concert sold 1,150 tickets for a show that brought together local musicians Inga Swearingen with Guy Budd, Louie Ortega with the Canzona Women’s Ensemble, Central Coast Children’s Choir, Vocal Arts Ensemble, and vocalist Kathryn Summersett. San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon emceed the event.

Campus Dining donates $500 to SLO Responds

SAN LUIS OBISPO — On March 1 Campus Dining, in cooperation with The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Cheerios, will participate in the One Million Acts of Good movement, creating healthy food boxes to support students in need.
A partnership between Cheerios and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, One Million Acts of Good is a national movement aimed at inspiring kind acts and encouraging good deeds. As one of only 50 universities selected in the nation, Cal Poly will be participating in the campaign and taking another step at eliminating campus hunger.
For one hour on March 1, 11 a.m. – noon, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to come by the University Union and show support as students build 300 MATTERboxes that will be distributed to Cal Poly students struggling with food insecurity.
The MATTERboxes will be packed with healthy snacks including Cheerios Singlepak boxes, Nature Valley bars or LARABARS as well as nutrition education materials and YOU MATTER Notes.
Campus Dining’s participation in this movement will further drive the university’s campaign to end hunger on campus and support the Basic Needs Initiative, which is a commitment to ensure that finances, mental well-being and access to food and housing do not become obstacles to student success.
To participate, the campus community is invited to cheer on the team creating the boxes and share their enthusiasm on social media using #OneMillionActsOfGood and #CalPolyDoesGood. Cal Poly’s participation may appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen’s social media or in an Ellen web video.
This is the latest of a number of initiatives that Cal Poly and Campus Dining has launched in the past year to support students struggling with food insecurity. Other campus food programs include an on-campus representative who can offer information and help students enroll in CalFresh, access Cal Poly’s campus food pantry, and the recently launched Mustang Meal Share program.

Campus Dining Supports Students Through the One Million Acts of Good Movement

Campus Dining Supports Students Through the One Million Acts of Good Movement.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Cal Poly Campus Dining 
Feb. 7, 2018
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly has launched a meal-share program that aims to ensure all students have access to nutritious meals every day.
The Mustang Meal Share program allows all freshmen with a meal plan to donate up to 10 meals per academic year and help fellow students who are struggling with food insecurity. The program is self-sustaining, and provides an easy way for food insecure students to receive support while remaining anonymous. All unused plan credits will be rolled over to provide continued support to students on campus.
“This program empowers students to be part of campus-wide student success on a very personal level,” Campus Dining Director Spyros Gravas said. “And it further supports our Mustang family by expanding access to healthy and delicious food that will nourish students and promote success.”
The program supports Cal Poly’s Basic Needs Initiative, which is a commitment to ensure that finances, mental well-being, and access to food and housing do not become obstacles to student success. Campus food programs include an on-campus representative who can offer information and help students enroll in CalFresh, access Cal Poly’s campus food pantry, and the Mustang Meal Share program.
To donate a meal, students can go to <a href="https://www.calpolydining.com/diningprograms/freshman/mustangmealshare/">https://www.calpolydining.com/diningprograms/freshman/mustangmealshare/</a>, download the Mustang Meal Share form, fill it out and email it to <a href="mailto:campusdining@calpoly.edu">campusdining@calpoly.edu</a> from their calpoly.edu email address.
Students in need of a meal can contact the Dean of Students office at <a href="mailto:deanofstudents@calpoly.edu">deanofstudents@calpoly.edu</a> or (805) 756-2472.

Cal Poly Creates Mustang Meal Share to Support Students Struggling with Food Insecurity

SAN LUIS OBISPO — In the past academic year, the Cal Poly Corp. assisted with more than 100 student projects, providing vital information about campus services and operations.
Aligning with its goal to help Cal Poly achieve its educational mission, the corporation fields various student project and student media requests. Corporation services have become a common topic for research papers and other projects, with students frequently reaching out to the corporation for data on dining, retail and other campus operations.
“We strive to be highly responsive and transparent with the information we provide to students,” said Ellen Curtis, director of marketing and communications for the corporation. “It is one way we can support student success while increasing their understanding about campus services.”
And many Cal Poly students have made meaningful connections through these projects, putting Learn by Doing into action. “The information was really helpful for my project as well as for my general knowledge of Campus Dining,” said Ashlyn Chow, a first year civil engineering student at Cal Poly.
Students can make student project requests through the corporation’s Marketing &amp; Communications website. Requests require one week of lead time and a list of pre-determined questions.
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Cal Poly Corp. Fulfills 100-Plus Student Project Requests in 2016-17

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly has won four awards &#8212; three best practice awards and an honorable mention for its sustainability programs in food systems, student leadership, innovations and waste reduction &#8212; in the 2017 Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Best Practice Awards Competition.
The competition, hosted by the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC), recognizes California universities that demonstrate effective energy efficiency projects and innovative sustainability practices in operations and academics.
Cal Poly’s Campus Dining received a Best Practice Award in the Sustainable Food Systems category for its food sustainability program to reduce Cal Poly’s overall ecological “foodprint.” The program aimed to increase food sustainability through procurement, production and waste practices, build partnerships across the campus and employ community outreach and education to promote food sustainability.
The student-run Cal Poly Green Campus Program received a Best Practice Award in the Student Sustainability Leadership category for the initiative Inspiring Action Early: 2016 Student Sustainability Leadership Summit. The two-day summit at the beginning of the school year educated student club leaders on organizational strategies to inspire their peers to get involved, improve coordination and communication, and be more impactful in program planning and implementation.
The Cal Poly <a href="https://calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2017/April/Solar.html">solar farm</a> project received a Best Practice Award in the Sustainability Innovations category for representing a creative solution for large-scale renewables. The solar farm, situated on a sheep pasture, will also foster research opportunities for students in the university’s Animal Science Department.
“The solar farm will provide a unique, hands-on opportunity for animal science students to learn best practices related to managing the vegetation of solar farms using herd management techniques,” said Jaymie Noland, head of the Animal Science Department. “We are proud to partner in this sustainability effort that will benefit all Cal Poly students well into the future.”
Cal Poly’s Zero Waste Collaborative received an Honorable Mention in the Innovative Waste Reduction category for its Cooperation Makes it Happen initiative. Cal Poly developed a long- term collaborative partnership with Waste Connections, its waste hauler, to establish an innovative compensation structure that provides incentives to drive meaningful progress toward Zero Waste.
“There is so much great work in sustainability and energy efficiency happening across our campus,” said Dennis Elliot, director of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability at Cal Poly. “It is an honor to be recognized for these worthwhile efforts, and it reinforces Cal Poly’s commitment to environmental leadership.”
Award contributors will be presenting their projects at CHESC on June 27-28 at UC Santa Barbara. A group of Cal Poly faculty will also be presenting their sustainability research at the conference. For more information on the conference, visit <a href="https://chesc.org/">https://chesc.org/</a>.

Cal Poly Wins Four Awards in Sustainability Best Practices Competition

Going to The Avenue to grab late-night munchies on the weekend? Check their new operation hours before heading out.
<a href="https://mustangnews.net/avenue-changes-operation-hours/">Read full story here</a>