Students at Worcester State University in Massachusetts are enjoying a new dining facility. Chartwells, Worcester’s foodservice provider, recently opened Pulse On Dining in the new Sheehan Hall dormitory.
The 650-seat dining space offers six culinary stations, each with chefs preparing food in front of the customers.
The featured stations are:
- theKitchen: An American cuisine platform that features grilled and roasted entrees, as well as sautéed made-to-order dishes.
- Hearthstone Ovens: An Italian station using a wood-fired oven to make pizzas, strombolis, calzones and individual pasta dishes served in ceramic casserole crocks.
- myPantry: A breakfast station that replicates the feel of a home kitchen, featuring made-to-order eggs in the morning and a specialty dish at lunch and dinner.
- Baker’s Crust: A made-to-order deli station that doubles as a gourmet dessert stop.
- F.A.Z.E. 7: The acronym stands for Food Allergy Zone Eatery, and diners can get items made here without any of the seven main food allergens. It’s also where students with celiac disease or gluten intolerance can have premade gluten-free foods cooked for them.
- Eat.Learn.Live: An international cuisine station where chefs not only prepare meals in front of customers, but also educate diners about the foods. Chartwells will also host cooking classes and stage Iron Chef-style competitions here.
The facility itself sports floor-to-ceiling glass along the length of the dining room, looking out on the home field of the Worcester State Lancers. Besides indoor seating, there’s an outdoor patio.
“The culinary vision for this facility was to create a restaurant-quality experience,” says Director of Dining Services Richard Perna. “One goal was to expose the culinary production areas so guests can view their food being produced and to provide the ability for each venue to have a made-to-order option.”
Perna says the department sources as much local food as possible, has a sustainable seafood purchasing policy, and uses only cage-free eggs and rBGH-free milk and yogurt products.