As the cafeteria resumes normal daily service this year with a new head chef, students and faculty were eager for the reopening of the cafeteria and the new meal options that would be available this year. 

One of my favorite meals so far has been the fajitas because the meat is delicious, and it is extremely customizable, allowing for creativity. Additionally, the classic pizza and pasta meal has impressed so far, as Director of Food Services Mark Glauser mentioned that it is by far their most popular meal. 

Another attraction that has been popular with the students has been the salad bar. It includes a variety of fresh colorful fruits, vegetables and dips that can bolster any dish or create a great side salad. 

The menu has added large quantities of plant-based meat to add a vegetarian option to meat meals and add a new aspect to dairy meals. As a result of this, there is now only one meat meal a week to go along with four dairy meals. 

“One reason is that we are trying to be more green and by not serving meat, we are helping with carbon emissions that are linked to raising cattle. Another reason is the cost and availability of meats,” Glauser said. 

The beginning of the year started out with a somewhat repetitive menu. Glauser noted that since the high holidays caused many days off to start the year, it was more challenging for the kitchen staff. They cook everything fresh, so the days off meant that when school reopened after the long breaks, the staff had to start from scratch. 

Also, at the beginning of the school year, the cafeteria faced a supply chain issue, which delayed some food orders over a week. 

Over the past month, there has been more diversity of meals, which has resulted in positive reactions from the JDS community. In addition to a more diverse menu, there have been more options for snacks and drinks, such as chips, coffee and hot chocolate. 

“I’ve really liked the food recently because of the coffee bar and all of the drink and snack options besides just the main meals,” junior Devorah Freeman said. 

While there are people with different tastes and opinions on how the food has been so far, Glauser says that he is open to criticism and is willing to change the menu based on what students are excited about. 

“In the future, we’ll be looking for some surveys, see what the students actually think,” Glauser said. “We are already making some adjustments based on what people aren’t eating and what they want to eat more of.”