News Metz Culinary To Provide Gc Food Services - Garrett College
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Campus News

August 30th, 2022

Metz Culinary to provide GC food services

College officials laud partner’s higher ed experience and reputation

Metz

Photo by John Rudd

Metz Culinary Management will be Garrett College’s new food services provider as of September 1. Pictured, left to right, are Garrett College Dean of Business & Finance Dallas Ouellette, Metz General Manager Matthew Novosel, Metz District Manager Ken Stablein, and Garrett College President Dr. Richard Midcap.

Garrett College announced Tuesday that it will be partnering with Metz Culinary Management to provide dining services for students, employees and campus guests beginning September 1.

“We’re very pleased to be partnering with Metz, which has an outstanding reputation for its food services operation,” said Dr. Richard Midcap, Garrett College’s president. “It was very important for the College to find the right food services partner, and I’m confident we’ve achieved that goal.”

Dallas Ouellette, dean of business and finance, said food services is an important facet of the Garrett College student experience.

“We’re one of two community colleges in the state with on-campus residential housing, and we want to ensure we’re providing healthy, high-quality and varied food options for our students,” said Ouellette, who will serve as the College’s administration liaison with Metz. “I know from our discussions leading up to this agreement that Metz is committed to providing a positive dining experience for our students, employees and College visitors.”

Metz – which will be known as Garrett College Dining Services – has developed a personalized dining approach to GC that includes:

  • Menus that change seasonally (fall/winter and spring/summer). Consideration is also given to the seasonality of food and the growing season of produce.
  • Utilizing just-in-time or batch cooking which means the culinary team prepares food in small batches as needed throughout service. This allows food to be at its peak quality when served to guests. It also prevents waste due to leftovers.
  • A majority of menu items that are made from scratch. Metz practices the 80/20 rule, where at least 80 percent of its food is made using fresh, seasonal – local when possible – produce that is prepared just before service.
  • Menus that offer choices for all guests, including vegan, vegetarian, kosher, halal, and gluten-free options.

Metz and Garrett College officials said they will be actively seeking ongoing online and in-person feedback from students and other customers.

“Students will be able to rate their daily experience, provide comments and make suggestions utilizing the mobile technology within our guest feedback program,” said Ken Stablein, Metz district manager for higher education and independent schools.

“We’re planning to launch a cross-divisional College advisory group that will include student input,” said Ouellette. “Our goal is to ensure the dining experience meets our students’ expectations.”

Based in northeast Pennsylvania, Metz provides on-site dining services to more than 70,000 students at 60 colleges and universities in 22 states, including Allegany College of Maryland.

“While the name Metz might be new to the Garrett College community, we are a family-operated company providing on-site dining and support services to colleges and universities like Garrett for more than 25 years,” said Stablein. “Our passion is to exceed our guests’ expectations of quality and service.”