Grassroots recruitment
UND Dining at University of North Dakota in Grand Forks also works with staff, facultry and student groups to evaluate the offerings at its Global Cuisine Station.
“We reach out to the International Student Center on campus at student orientation at the beginning of the school year,” says Dustin Frize, FoodPro Administrator for UND Dining. “The chef then recruits small groups of students to come in and help develop menus for special events.”
Ethnic cuisine rotates at the Global Cuisine Station, with Korean, Indian and Brazilian fare showing up in some of the recent offerings. International grad students provided input on the Brazilian menu, steering the kitchen to develop authentic items such as feijoada and shrimp stew. The feijoada is a smoky combo of black beans with beef, pork, sausages and oranges. The spicy shrimp stew starts with a stir-fry of garlic, ginger, jalapenos and green onions in coconut oil; roasted cashews, dried cod and shrimp, and fresh tomatoes round it out, with fresh shrimp tossed in at the end.
International undergrad students also provide input, approaching UND Executive Chef Greg Gefroh when he makes rounds in the dining hall. “They ask if I can recreate a dish that their mom used to cook, so I invite them into our kitchen and have them make the recipe for me," says Gefroh. “A few days later, I will recreate the recipe for them. If we can agree that the recipe is acceptable, then we will menu it." The nice part about the process is that word spreads among students and we get a lot of firsthand input, he adds.