Spicing up menus

October means Oktoberfest. A time for German culture, food and entertainment, and Dining Services has planned an authentic German menu this week in honor of Oktoberfest.

Every month dining services puts on a “Change of Taste” event that is designed to break the monotony of the usual foods provided and provide a different palette for students to sample foods from different cultures. Some previous themes have included national nutrition month, celebrity chef recipes, and regional focuses like southwestern.

This year chefs like Howard Campbell, the executive chef at North Side cafe, plan to produce a completely authentic German menu. Campbell spent 10 years in Germany as a chef and has an appreciation for the intricacies of German cuisine.

“With change of taste we’re taking the opportunity to liven up our selections and put an expanded emphasis on our key ingredients,” Campbell said.

There will be three meals this week, one at each dining hall: dinner at Northside on Tuesday, lunch at Hillside on Wednesday, and dinner at Southside on Thursday.

The menu for Northside’s dinner covers a wide variety of tastes and preferences. One of the star dishes this year is Sauerbraten mit Blaukraut, a braised marinated beef with red cabbage and apples that took 72 hours to marinate. Off the natural menu comes Brathendl, a roast seasoned chicken quarter that’s heavy in protein. For a taste of international cuisine there’s the Weiner Schnitzel vom Schwein, a pan-fried breaded pork cutlet.  Putting a spin on an American tradition is European pizza. Toppings include salmon and leeks or tuna and egg.

Not wanting to leave out students with food sensitivities or religious stipulations, Campbell has provided a host of alternatives for those students. Many of the dishes provided will be allergen specific or be vegan. All dishes will be labeled with the ingredients it contains so students know what they’re eating, such as pork or gluten.

For the chefs involved, the process of learning new recipes and practices can be difficult. Corey King is the associate director of culinary operations and can speak firsthand to these challenges.

Following the SPE and its strict guidelines can confuse chefs who aren’t used to the system. Another challenge is determining how to translate the recipes into portions that can be served to a large group of people, as opposed to a restaurant-sized portion of two people. The benefit is the number of chefs on staff and their expertise and personal abilities.

“All chefs bring something different to the table so it’s cool to be able to collaborate in one room with every chef,” King said. “It allows the caliber of culinary talent we have on campus to shine.”