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baked goods the whole winter. We also do menu engineering so we can best utilize root vegetables, for instance, during colder months.
We’ve partnered with local protein farmers to simplify the supply chain. We order primal cuts of beef or pork and process them on our end. We grind our own meat, breaking down large cuts, and in doing so, the cost goes down, and engagement from the culinary standpoint goes up.
DUTTON: We also source whole chickens, rather than pieces, which we rotisserie cook and carve.
TOONG: Working with Joe lets us receive deliveries every day, and we quickly incorporate whatever surplus he has. If he calls to say that he has extra asparagus or brussels sprouts, we will have it on our menu that afternoon or the next morning.
IDEAS: How does this intersect with ideas of sustainability?
DUTTON: UMass Auxiliary Enterprises has its own sustainability department, which means we have four full-time employees dedicated to increasing sustainable practices for residential and retail dining services.
DISTEFANO: Seafood is a good example. All the seafood we source here is sustainable, such as salmon and cod. We’ve also, however, started to work with local fisherman to use underutilized fish. That is, buying fish that would otherwise be considered bycatch and never brought to market. So, for instance, redfish or pollock. We’re introducing students to these fish in order to make them more acceptable and mainstream.
The average UMass student consumes about 21 pounds of fish per year compared to just 14 pounds by the average American. So we’re influencing healthy eating but also doing it economically because the cost of underutilized fish is significantly less than other meat proteins. And we’re stimulating the market by purchasing seafood that otherwise isn’t used.
IDEAS: Is buying locally more expensive?
TOONG: Not necessarily. We’ve found local vegetables, for instance, are cheaper or at least very competitive compared to produce that comes from much farther away. Sometimes it is all about making
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