Sodexho, Fordham's food service provider, recently allied with Fordham students to create a Student Culinary Council.
Brian Poteat, General Manager of Hospitality Services at Fordham University, said the "purpose of the Student Culinary Council (SCC) is to create a platform where students have the opportunity to work with Fordham University Hospitality Services to help enhance all the aspects of Dining Services here at Fordham."
The concept for the SCC originated when Sodexho Management felt that it needed more effective communication with the students of Fordham to allow for more student feedback and representation in the dining program.
The SCC will be divided into various subcategories, each focusing on a particular aspect of the dining experience at Fordham. These sub-committees include customer service, food quality, consistency, menu variety and publicity - all aspects of Fordham's culinary program that students have voiced concerns about in the past.
The full council will officially meet once every month to discuss these various aspects and to present Sodexho management with feedback and suggestions.
All students were invited to participate on the council through flyers that were posted around campus and in the various residence halls. Sodexho's only requirement for participation, according to Poteat, "was that the individual be interested in affecting positive change and be not afraid to voice their opinion in a group setting."
Chris Mihalyi, FCRH '09, and a member of the SCC, anticipates that the council will bring positive change to the Fordham dining experience.
"The council has already begun progress on trying to address the needs of the Sodexho - going student. I've found that the student body has lost a lot of trust in Fordham University Hospitality services, so that's what we are trying to do - gain the trust back," Mihalyi said. "We're just trying to improve the overall experience of Fordham's dining establishments, from the caf to the deli and grill," he said.
The council will act as a liaison between the students and the management at Sodexho, and will depend on student input in order to communicate suggestions to Sodexho.
Poteat stressed Sodexho's commitment to complying with these student contributions.
"We are committed to providing the best services we can to the Fordham community as well as to the success of this ongoing initiative, and we will work with the Council to achieve those goals. We hope to have the Student Culinary Council become a permanent fixture at Fordham University," he said.
The council's goal is to create continuous dialogue with students so that food service at Fordham becomes more enriching and enjoyable.
2008 Woodie Awards
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