How good is the food? Is a common question asked on all of the tours and overnight stays that Holy Cross offers. While food may not be one of the first things that comes to mind when considering which school to attend, once one has curated a short list of viable college options, food becomes a potential deciding factor. With this being said, Holy Cross’s dining has consistently been getting better over the last few years.
As a freshman, I asked a senior student in my Chinese class how the current dining experience compares to when he was a freshman. He said that the difference is massive. He highlighted specifically the large increase in the number of choices one has on a daily basis. I only have two years to use for comparison’s sake, but I too, have witnessed an improvement in selection and quality of food.
Kimball, the main dining hall, has to represent the overall dining experience at Holy Cross since that is where a majority of students eat the most meals. Over just one year, Kimball has significantly increased the vegetarian and vegan options, cut down on their use of sodium, added many great options to the salad bar and started offering new, unique entrees. Moreover, Kimball is using ingredients normally found in expensive health food store such as tempeh, farro and quinoa. A healthy option that has been improved is the salad bar. This year the salad bar has regularly offered avocado and hummus, two very popular options.
Of course, Kimball is still offering the crowd favorites such chicken parm, steak and cheese and improved grilled chicken. No matter what type of food to which one is referring, Kimball has committed itself to a healthy and sustainable initiative that looks to source more local ingredients, use more whole foods and less oil and salt. This is great news for Holy Cross as an institution, and those students considering attending. Holy Cross’s academics set it apart from other schools, but the food is in no way a weakness.
