Eating at the same university dining halls throughout the school year can really make you crave a home-cooked meal. Unless you attend one of these schools with amazing food on campus, that is. From cooking competitions to food studies classes, these ten colleges each have an exceptional culinary presence, not to mention delicious cuisine.
10. GRINNELL COLLEGE (Grinnell, Iowa)
Grinnell College is unique in that it has an incredible Culinary Intern Program. This program provides students with unique opportunities for learning, and gives them hands-on experience in the kitchen. Grinnell’s award-winning dining program also has a Dining Services Committee, which works to identify and meet the needs of students, faculty and staff.
9. OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE (Los Angeles, California)
Do you think you have what it takes to be the next top chef? If so, maybe Occidental College is the school for you! The college has a school-wide cooking competition called Oxy Iron Chef, and a Chef's Showcase where staff chefs prepare their favorite recipes for students. Occidental also has tons of food studies courses available to students, including “Restaurant Culture” and “Music and Food.” There is even a student-led class that aims to teach sustainable food practices, and takes place in the student-run FEAST organic garden. Individuals enrolled in the class learn cooking and gardening skills, and have the opportunity to listen to guest speakers lecture on topics ranging from nutrition to the restaurant industry. How cool is that?
8. YALE UNIVERSITY (New Haven, Connecticut)
Do your college goals include becoming a wine connoisseur? If your current experiences with vino are a little less “sommelier” and a little more “Barefoot and The Bachelorette,” you should consider applying to Yale University. Yale has tons of food-related events every year, including the 'Reality Bites' series, which offers programs on mixology, wine and meal pairings and formal dining etiquette to graduating seniors. There is also an annual, school-wide student culinary competition. Additionally, the Yale Dining mobile app, website and dining newsletter help keep students up-to-date on what there is to eat (and do!).
7. TUFTS UNIVERSITY (Medford, Massachusetts)
Tufts University has a “Think Global, Buy Local!” motto, which is carried out in several ways. There are weekly on-campus farmers' markets, a Trayless Initiative and a Mug Discount Program that provides discounts for students who utilize reusable mugs and water bottles. We’ll drink to that!
6. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY (East Lansing, Michigan)
If you’re interested in learning how some of your favorite foods are made, you need to check out Michigan State University. The school has its own dairy plant, which produces various types of cheeses and ice cream. The products are then sold at MSU's Dairy Store. There are tons of flavors of ice cream and varieties of cheese.
According to Caitlin Taylor, a junior at Michigan State, “The MSU Dairy Store is absolutely amazing! All of the ice cream, cheese and milk is made fresh from MSU dairy cows raised on our agricultural land,” she says. “There are tons of different flavors of ice cream, many that are representative of different universities. A few of my favorites are the Sesquicentennial Swirl, Buckeye Blitz and Purdue [Tracks].” Plus, the store serves as an educational and outreach center. “Our campus is huge on anything agricultural,” Caitlin says. Moo-ve over Ben & Jerry’s, looks like there’s a new ice cream manufacturer in town!
5. VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY (Nashville, Tennessee)
If you’re all about local and organic food, Vandy’s the place for you. Vanderbilt University's Taste of Nashville program gives students up to $250 per semester (depending on their meal plan) to spend at participating local restaurants. “Even when we’re not eating in our award-winning dining halls and [enjoying] specialty food options, we’re eating world-class cuisine in the South’s finest eateries,” says Vanderbilt sophomore Christina Albert. Delicious home-style Southern cooking? Count us in!
Vanderbilt’s on-campus eateries are indeed fantastic. “Vanderbilt's vegetarian restaurant, Grins, was voted the top vegetarian restaurant in all of Nashville, which is a pretty hip city that has a lot of trendy food options,” says Christina. Grins is also accessible to the public.
4. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES (Los Angeles, California)
UCLA is one of the most vegan-friendly universities in the country. A delicious, healthy dining hall called Bruin Plate, or BPlate for short, is a student favorite. “Dining services totally changed the game with Bruin Plate,” says UCLA senior Iris Goldsztajn. “Everyone fights to eat there—it's just that good! It features only wholesome ingredients and innovative dishes. All the dining halls are good, though, and offer a vegetarian version of every entrée,” Iris says. Of course, sustainability is also an important aspect of BPlate. “Students have an intense allegiance to BPlate,” says Christina Rice, a junior at UCLA. “All the ingredients are classic LA.” We’re talking quinoa, kale and oats.
There are more than 500 staff members (as of 2013) working in dining services, plus a dietician right on campus. As if all that wasn’t enough, UCLA students “are in the heart of LA surrounded by Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Venice with all the best restaurants and dessert spots,” Christina says. Like we needed yet another reason to dream about moving to sunny CA!
3. EMORY UNIVERSITY (Atlanta, Georgia)
Are you passionate about Thanksgiving food? Would you attend an entire event celebrating tomatoes? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you should add Emory University to your list of potential schools. Emory has awesome dining events throughout the year, like a Welcome Street Fair (the food has a different theme each year), a Heritage Harvest Feast in November and an Heirloom Tomato Festival. Emory's Student-run Food Advisory Committee brings students together with dining staff. The committee holds monthly meetings open to the public. Just writing this is making us hungry!
2. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS (St. Louis, Missouri)
With more than five events per week, including interactive cooking classes and chef demonstrations, Washington University in St. Louis is on top of the dining game. Not only are there themed dinners like Dr. Seuss night, but Wash U also has a strong commitment to sustainability. They compost as well as turn fryer waste oil into biofuel, which powers campus trucks!
1. BOWDOIN COLLEGE (Brunswick, Maine)
Is outstanding cuisine a top requirement for your future school? You’ll be drooling over Bowdoin College, our number one #foodie school. The dining halls have tons of gourmet options, and most of the vegetables are grown in Bowdoin's own organic gardens. There are on-campus farmers’ markets, too. “Common meals include parmesan risotto, white wine mussels and New England clam chowder,” says Bowdoin junior Phoebe Bumsted. “The Bowdoin Logs are infamous. I’ve even seen the dining hall serve roasted bacon-wrapped quail.” Sophomore Isel Fitzgerald agrees. “There is such variety among the dining options, which is great because meals never get repetitive,” she says. “One of my favorite meals is the annual home recipe dinner, where dining cooks meals from recipes submitted by students or their family. It’s delicious!” Sounds like we would barely even have room to be homesick for our parents’ cooking.
The Bowdoin Dining website tells students what’s on the menu for each meal, plus it has favorite recipes that you can make at home. There’s even an iPhone app! “The Bowdoin Dining website is my most-used site because I'm constantly checking to see what’s for lunch or dinner,” says sophomore Wendy Dong. “Students are actually excited when it comes to meal times and are always satisfied.”
