For more than 30 years, MSU Culinary Services (CS) has partnered with the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) to enhance academics and provide hands-on experiences for their students.
Registered Dietitian Gina Keilen presents to several classes throughout the year, sharing knowledge about navigating the dining halls, eating healthy on campus and other community nutrition topics. She also assists the Human Nutrition and Foods (HNF) 445 course on foodservice management practicum with their core project for the semester.
Groups of 4-5 students are tasked with planning an event that encompasses budgeting, preparing and serving foods, designing a layout, theme development and marketing. Each team works in a different setting, such as a residential dining hall on campus or the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, for two hours per week to experience equipment, collaborate with chefs and managers and get a feel for foodservice settings. They also meet with Keilen to develop their event menu and incorporate items into the Foodservice Suite® software.
Recent events tied in fun, interactive themes, including a Game of Thrones dinner at Heritage Commons at Landon, a Halloween lunch at ON-THE-GO Food Truck and a football frenzy dinner prior to the Lions vs. Green Bay Packers Monday Night Football game.
Additionally, the Beauty and the Beast dinner event at Hubbard on Oct. 31 tied two HNF classes together. They experienced building scenes and creating their own décor, and Chris Kargl, a dietetics major, had the opportunity to host a Snapchat takeover on the institutional social media account for MSU! With close to 4,000 views per Snap, her behind-the-scenes look helped increase engagement and spread awareness about the event.
After completing the course, students often express that they’re surprised by various aspects of the core project, including the amount of work that goes into ensuring food preparation is completed on time for all menu items. Moving forward, CS will continue to strengthen our partnership with the college, focusing on accounting for dietary restrictions and allergens in the menu planning process.