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Tompkins County
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Manndible Cafe
Listed Date: August 4th, 2008
Contact:
Pam Gueldner, Owner
Manndible Cafe, Ithaca
p.gueldner@gmail.com
607-280-0351 (phone)
Project Objectives:
Our objective
is to run a cafe in the lobby of Mann Library. Our focus is to source
locally for the food and beverage we serve, use compostable utensils
and containers, use recyclable food containers, and to operate with
sustainable practices.
We offer ready to eat food, which ranges
from Tempeh and Seasonal Veggies (from Stick and Stone Farm) over Rice
to Sesame Kale (from Dilmun Hill Student Farm) to sushi (made locally
by Macro Mama) to Kung Pao Chicken (Asian Taste) to Fritatta (local
eggs from Interlaken). We have a Burrito Bar where you can get local
grassfed beef in an Enchilada sauce, organic anti-biotic free chicken
in Yucatan sauce, NYS black beans with chipotle peppers. Our coffee is
roasted locally by Gimme! Coffee, and we serve many other locally
produced drinks and snacks.
Our
challenges have been to find food sources locally for what is
convenient for students to eat, or that holds up well over a few days,
or people who are willing to deliver. Sometimes the supply is
unpredictable, so we have to have back up plans for the food we really
need. It has been really wonderful working with small producers because
they really appreciate our business. Everyone wants to get an "in" with
Cornell, and our cafe is a great way to set an example for the rest of
the University.
Our packaging continues to change, because we
have to combine containers that look good, and can show the food, with
options for recycling or composting. We had containers that we thought
were recyclable, but recently found out they are not in our area. We
are switching to corn containers, but also understand the stress that
puts on food supplies. Our compostable utensils are all made in China
and shipped long distances to get here. But so are the plastic ones!
Every decision is complicated.
We are very proud of the
environment we have created and Cornellians have been very appreciative
of our efforts. We continue to solicit feedback from our customers and
work together to have great local food available in a convenient place.
Plans for the Future:
We will continue to look for new sources of products in order to increase the variety of our offerings. We are learning all the time about how to make choices based upon what is available. We don't always have all the information we need to choose the food or container source with the least impact on the environment. We welcome feedback and information sharing from our community. Please email us from our website!
Project Partners:
CALS, CU Co-op Extension (Monika Roth), Farm to Cornell, Dr. Rangaragen of Plant Science, Tompkins Trust Co.
Project Website:
www.manndiblecafe.com
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Project at Beverly J. Martin Elementary School
Listed Date: August 4th, 2008
Contact:
Amie Hamlin, Executive Director
New York
Coalition for Healthy School Food
amie@healthyschoolfood.org
607-272-1154
Fax: same, call first
Project
Objectives:
The project objective is to provide fresh fruit and
vegetables to children and their teachers in an entire elementary school. The
project started April 19, 2008.
Goals:
-To increase fruit and vegetable consumption in school
children by two servings per day.
-To create a habit of eating fruits and vegetables as a snack
-To decrease intake of less healthy foods during the school
day
-To include local and organic produce when available and affordable
Key challenges so far have included recruiting staff for the
project, and the fact that preparation of the produce took much longer than
expected.
Our great accomplishment is that children ate about two
servings of fruits and vegetables a day more than they otherwise would have.
Another key accomplishment is that we introduced some fruits and vegetables
that children had not had before. We found out that many children had never had
beets, and now love raw beets, as an example. Teachers and students alike were
thrilled with the program. We will continue to work to develop more standards
for evaluation, and to include educational components to the program
Future Plans:
The project is scheduled to continue through the end of the
2008/2009 school year. During that time, we will work with the district to
turnkey the project so that it can continue with technical, but not financial
support from NYCHSF. During the 2009/2010 school year, we will seek a middle
school in a different district to pilot the program, and during the 2010-2011
school year we will seek a high school in yet another district to pilot the
program.
Project Partners:
Greenstar Community Projects, United Way, Gannett Foundation, Howland
Foundation, Ithaca Public Education Initiative, Rotary, and another foundation
which wishes to remain anonymous
Cornell Dining Local Foods Advisory Council
Listed Date: August 1st, 2008
Contact:
Doug Lockwood, Office Manager
Cornell Dining, Cornell University, Ithaca
dhl34@cornell.edu
607-255-5952 (phone)
Project Objectives:
The Cornell Dining Local Foods Advisory Council aims to
improve quality of life for the Cornell campus and surrounding community by
supporting efforts to increase University procurement of locally grown food and
providing education and outreach related to sustainable food and agriculture.
Plans for the Future:
The Council will be managing a grant for students in
Tompkins County to pursue a project related to local food, agriculture and
sustainability. The funding, which will
extend up to $1500, is provided for from the sales of a cookbook calendar
created by students from the group Farm to Cornell. The application will be available in
September 2008.
Project Partners:
Students, Graduate Students, University Faculty, Dining
Administrative Staff, Dining Chefs, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Ithaca
Produce, Farm to Cornell, Campus Life Marketing and Campus Life Business
Services.
Project Website:
http://sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/getinvolved/Staff%20orgs/cdlfac.html
Moosewood at Anabel Taylor, Cornell University
Listed Date: August 1st, 2008
Contact:
Anthony Kveragas, Senior Executive Chef
Cornell Dining, Ithaca
ajk9@cornell.edu
607-254-2385 (phone)
Project Objectives:
Moosewood at Anabel Taylor is an exciting partnership between Ithaca's acclaimed vegetarian restaurant, Moosewood, and Cornell Dining. This dining venue features vegetarian cuisine that focuses on local, natural and sustainable menu options from Moosewood Restaurant recipes. The cafe also uses all compostable plates, bowls, and cutlery.
Plans for the Future:
To expand this model of sustainability to other retail dining venues on campus.
Project Partners:
Cornell Dining, and Moosewood Restaurant
Project Website:
http://www.campuslife.cornell.edu/dining/moosewood-at-anabel-taylor.cfm
Cornell Dining and Dilmun Hill Student Farm Partnership
Listed Date: August 1st, 2008
Contact:
Benjamin Scott-Killian, Student Sustainability Coordinator
Cornell Dining/Dilmun Hill Student Farm, Cornell University, Ithaca
bs269@cornell.edu
631-901-2276 (phone)
Project Objectives:
Dilmun Hill is a 12-acre vegetable farm run by Cornell students with resources from the Cornell Univesrity Agricultural Experiment Station. Student farm managers provide organically grown produce to Cornell Dining chefs.
Plans for the Future:
To increase the amount of and variety of produce grown by students for the University.
Project Partners:
Dilmun Hill Student Farm, Cornell Dining, Cornell Dining Local Foods Advisory Council
Project Website:
http://hort.cals.cornell.edu/about/dilmun-hill/index.cfm
Farm to Cornell and Slowfood Cornell
Listed Date: January 17th, 2008
Contact:
Catherine Greeley
cjg93@cornell.edu
Project Objectives:
Farm to Cornell and Slowfood Cornell are
student groups dedicated to encouraging the consumption and enjoyment
of locally sourced foods, and supporting the farms and food businesses
producing and processing those foods. These groups have joined forces
for the Spring 2008 semester and sent out the following announcement
regarding their plans, including contact information, should you wish
to join their efforts.
Farm to Cornell and Slowfood Cornell Spring 2008 Update
Our plans for the [Spring 2008] semester are to have a Farm to Cornell Meeting once a month, a potluck once a month, and attend the Cornell Dining Local Foods Advisory Council once a month- or as often as they plan to meet. The CDLFAC is where we meet with Cornell Dining, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Ithaca Produce (Cornell's produce distributor)
to work out strategies for increasing the amount of local foods on campus. This year we increased our purchases of local produce to 33%, up from 23%last year!
The Director of Cornell Dining, Colleen Wright-Riva, has recently left to take a job at the University of Maryland. Colleen was very supportive of our efforts and we are sad to see her go but this also gives a great opportunity to influence the hiring of the new director. We are working to get a commitment to local foods into the job description and hiring process for the new director.
We also plan on creating a new, 12-month local foods recipe calendar. We've already sold over 400 copies of last year's calendar! It's never too late to start sending in the recipes and artwork for the next calendar. Other plans for next semester include getting a say in the Student Dining Committee, reaching out to other groups on campus, and networking with other local food groups in New York State.
As you can probably tell, we have decided to combine Slowfood Cornell and Farm to Cornell this semester. Both groups share a common love of good food, and we are hoping to reactivate Slowfood Cornell this semester. We have decided to keep both listservs open for different purposes. The slowfood listserv will be open to the entire community with updates about potlucks,meetings, and general foodie updates. The F2C listserv will be just for students and include more frequent communication about the activist related activities (including working with CDLFAC, trying to be involved in the hiring process for the new dining director, etc).
OUR FIRST MEETING IS Tuesday, January 22th at 7:00 in one of the Willard Straight Lofts. We'll discuss when we're having the potluck and plan out all the stuff for this coming semester.
If anyone wants to join either of the listservs, send an email to cjg93@cornell.edu
If you want to get off the listserv, go to:
http://www.cit.cornell.edu/computer/elist/lyris/leave.html
In summary, here's what you can do to help:
- Go to our potlucks (they're the most fun)
- Go to our meetings (first one is Tuesday)
- Go to the Local Food Advisory Council Meetings (The next one is
scheduled for the early afternoon on Wednesday January 23rd. Email cjg93
if you are interested and I will get you the exact time as soon as I know)
- Send us your recipes/artwork for the Calendar!
Please share this information with any friends who might be interested in joining us!
Hope to see you soon!
Cornell Dining's Annual Fall Harvest Dinner
Listed Date: August 1st, 2008
Contact:
Doug Lockwood, Office Manager
Cornell Dining, Cornell University, Ithaca
dhl34@cornell.edu
607-255-5952 (phone)
Project Objectives:
In September each year, Cornell Dining serves its annual Fall Harvest Dinner & Program in the Robert Purcell Marketplace Eatery. The dinner hgihlights Cornell Dining's growing relationship with local producers. The dinner features local and regional fruits, vegetables, cheese, and meats. The annual event is attended by hundreds of people, including students, University faculty and staff, local farmers, and community members.
Plans for the Future:
To continue this annual event as well as include more area farmers and expand the program to offer a wide range of speakers on a variety of related topics.
Project Partners:
Cornell Dining Ches and Staff, Ithaca Produce, Farm to Cornell Student Group, Area Farmers, Cornell Dining Local Foods Advisory Council
Project Website:
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Oct07/local.food.dining.html