Campus News
August 26, 2011
Food E U is new center of healthy eating
The Food E U interactive learning center recently opened in the DUC. (Photo by ER Photo & Video)
Emory's new Food E U is an innovative one-stop shop for students, faculty and staff who want to eat better, from facilitating the creation of fabulous meals in the residence hall kitchen to growing your own vegetables.
Launched during student orientation, this interactive learning center occupies part of the former Emory bookstore space on the main floor of Dobbs University Center.
Food E U will run one to two programs a week throughout the academic year, including cooking demonstrations by top chefs, screenings of first-run movies about food, and nutritional seminars. Several programs will tie back into campus events, including the weekly Emory Farmers Market and the upcoming Yam Festival at the Carlos Museum.
"Emory students really fuel their bodies to fuel their minds," says Patty Ziegenhorn, executive director of University Food Service Administration and Operations. "We're trying to provide education on sustainability initiatives, good nutrition and healthy lifestyles."
Emory's Food E U organizers say establishing a center devoted to healthy and sustainable eating during college and beyond is a first for a university.
Emory's sustainability vision sets an ambitious goal of serving 75 percent local or sustainably grown food in its hospitals and cafeterias by 2015. In 2007, President Jim Wagner formed a Sustainable Food Committee, which worked to establish food purchasing guidelines and create food gardens.
Food E U comes equipped with a demonstration kitchen to hold cooking classes and to train dining staff on sanitation methods. A 72-inch television affords seating for up to 75 people who want to catch up on their "Food Network" favorites. This year, all students enrolled in the required P.E. 101 course will attend a session at Food E U.
While students generally arrive on campus with a sophisticated knowledge of nutrition, food myths persist, notes Ziegenhorn. Some student athletes, for instance, believe that the only way to get adequate protein is by gorging on chicken breasts.
"There are other options like corn, beans and milk," she says. "We're trying to give them the tools for good, sound nutrition."
Visit Emory Dining online for more information about Food E U.
