April 2022
Welcome to Chef’s Corner! Your monthly source for all things dining, plus hear from our team members – their favorite recipes, products to work with, and more!
Improve your cooking skills and check out the new stir-fry station at Marquis! It features a selection of ingredients that guests can combine to create their favorite stir-fry meal. Available during lunch and dinner.
April is Earth Month! What’s happening in dining?
#ChooseToReuse Reusable bags are available for purchase at ECO Café. You can now bring your own mug to Skillman’s Café and receive 10% off your purchase
Every Monday, participate in Meatless Monday – rotating between Upper and Marquis
Wednesday, 4/13: It’s Bubble Tea Time! Pop-up boba tea station on Gilbert’s Patio
April 18th kicks off ISA’s Extravaganza Week! Upper Farinon will be featuring a different culturally-inspired dish every day during the week
Join us at Marquis on April 21st for a LaFarm to Table Dinner – a spotlight on our local Food2Fork Partners. Plus! One of our culinary team members will be demonstrating how to utilize all parts of a vegetable, from root to stem
April 22nd, Happy Earth Day! The Food Truck will be on the Quad. Stop by one of our local food vendors’ tables
Hello Spring! April 26th is Upper Farinon’s Spring Carnival – check out your favorite carnival snacks and treats
April 27th is Stop Food Waste Day – students from the Office of Sustainability will be spreading awareness at Upper Farinon during dinner
Did you know?
In 2007, Bon Appetit Management Company was the first food service company to highlight the connection between the food system and climate change, through our Low Carbon Diet Program. In doing so, we decreased our carbon footprint in the highest impact areas by 25%, the equivalent of 5 million pounds of carbon dioxide each month.
When it comes to climate impact, what you eat matters more than how it got to you!
Transport is a small contributor to emissions. For most food products, it accounts for less than 10% of climate impacts, and even a smaller percentage of the impact of the highest GHG emitting products.
In fact, all the processes in the supply chain after food has left the farm – processing, transport, retail and packaging – account for a relatively small share of emissions.
Diets that are rich in plant-based food emit lower greenhouse-gas emissions than diets that are very heavy in red meat consumption.
When it comes to their carbon impact, not all food proteins are created equal! Cows and sheep have an especially high carbon footprint because they are ruminant animals which means they have unique digestive systems that cause them to emit large quantities of methane gas as they digest their food.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation industry. Activities such as raising livestock, transporting food, throwing surplus food in the garbage, and creating and discarding disposable materials all emit greenhouse gases that cause harmful warming. Research has shown that greenhouse gases created by food production, distribution, and waste are responsible for 1/3rd of global emissions.
Part of our Low Carbon Diet initiative involved building an interactive Low Carbon Diet Calculator to help guests understand how their food choices contribute to global warming. The website offers tips for minimizing one’s “foodprint,” a wealth of external education links, and a fun photo quiz that asks diners to choose which sample meal offers the lowest total of CO2 emissions on their plates.
A quick Q & A with Chef Terry Nielson, Marquis Hall Executive Chef
- What/Who influenced you in pursuing a culinary career?
That’s kind of a two part question. I grew up on a small farm in Texas until I was 7 or so. Since I can remember I was on kitchen detail with my mom since I was too young to help with the livestock or garden. Dinner was determined by which chicken chased me around that morning or which pig we were having problems with. I loved cooking with my mom. She would find a recipe she loved and stick with it. Over the years I expanded her horizons and actually started showing her some tricks whilst cooking Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Her stuffing to this day is still the best I’ve had. The turning point that I knew I wanted to run kitchens for a living was when I was 16 years old working as a dishwasher at a steakhouse. One day, I was the only one in the kitchen to show up to work that day. The chef at the time asked me if I knew how to cook. I replied “kind of.” He said “well, by the end of the night you will.” I remember working the sauté/fry station and seeing him run the grill and expo. The entire kitchen was on his shoulders and he was running it well. I’ll never forget looking at him while he is covered in sweat screaming orders at me and the staff, and thinking “I want to be just like him, I want to be the chef.” 
- What is your favorite recipe and why?
I have lots of favorite recipes of my own, my teriyaki sauce, whiskey glaze, onion soup, demi-glace, wasabi beurre blanc, chili, blackening seasoning blend, and my go to seafood sauce. It’s a white wine and clam juice reduction mounted with butter. I’ve perfected and carried these recipes with me over the years. I love Emeril’s lamb stew recipe and my mom’s green bean casserole (and stuffing of course!)
- What food(s) do you enjoy working with in the kitchen?
I love working with seafood. I spent a lot of time in Florida and I had the privilege of working with fresh seafood daily. It’s so delicate and you have to be careful from the time you receive it until the time it hits a plate.
- What is your go-to restaurant?
There are so many in Easton. I could eat at Black and Blue everyday. I usually order a lot of appetizers so I can have a variety. I get bored with one entree. 3rd and Ferry is the best seafood in the Valley, in my opinion. Porters’ Pub has great chili and clams.
Questions? Feel free to reach out to us at dining@lafayette.edu