Beau Gerarde, executive chef of Dining Services, showcased Aramarks efforts to bring healther foods into ETSU’s Market Place cafeteria to a group including students, faculty and a nutritionist.”The purpose of this meeting is to get together and introduce some healthy options,” Gerarde said. “That is one thing we need to do a better job of up here.”

The idea of bringing healthier food has been a collaborative effort between several individuals leading up to the taste testing that happened last Friday.

Shae Keane, a sophomore and the brainchild behind the idea of implementing healthier choices in Market Place, had this thought over the summer.

Keane said once she contacted a few other people and found that they had similar feelings towards the eating choices in Market Place, she began to look into making this idea happen.

She started by getting in contact a person from the Obesity Task Force in Nashville, who help promote healthy eating at Vanderbilt University. They gave her the names of people who work in the College of Public Health at ETSU that could help make her idea a possibility.

Some of those individuals who have been helping in this process include Deborah Slawson, Eileen Cress, Jodi Southerland, Robert Pack and two graduate students, Elizabeth Lowe and Kasie Richards, who turned it into a research project.

Keane said that after several meetings with Aramark and Gerarde, the new options were tested.

Gerarde gave a layout of the foods that he would be allowing the group to taste test.

All of the items that were made on this occasion were vegetarian.

Some of the foods included in this taste testing were:

Whole-wheat pizza with a basil pesto instead of marinara, mozzarella, tomatoes, onions, and garlic,

Fresh cucumber and onion salad,

Tofu chocolate pudding that is completely vegan with no dairy,

Basil pesto potato salad,

Eggplant parmesan with grilled eggplant instead of the traditional fried,

Roasted sweet potatoes with fire-roasted red peppers and green onions,

Balsamic grilled vegetables with balsamic vinegar, oil, salt and pepper, and

Stuffed tomato with bread crumbs on top.

While people were eating, some of the conversation surrounding the meal focused on what people think of when they think about eating healthy.

Roger Thompson, a junior and a member of SGA, thought it was about an all-encompassing diet.

“Balance,” Thompson said. “That is the first word that comes to mind, and you have to have a little bit of everything.”

Sam Hiester, freshman, commented on the quality of the pizza that was served.

“It’s nice that it is not greasy like a lot of pizzas,” Hiester said. “I find myself, a lot of times, dabbing the grease off of the top before eating it when ordering a pizza.”

One of the questions asked of Gerarde was regarding the frequency in which this food, of a healthier variety, would be served.

“I would like to do the pizza as a pizza feature,” Gerarde said. “It doesn’t cost me that much more and it gives people a different option.”

He also commented on meat options as opposed to the vegetable options that were given at this specific food testing.

“We can do more grilled and roasted and try to get away from the fried items that we have,” Gerarde said. “We’ll always have fries, hotdogs, and hamburgers because that is a part of our contract.”

Shae Keane has made note of the people that would like more variety in Market Place.

“There is a bunch of people that want expansion of the sandwich bar,” Keane said. “Which is a big thing at other schools, where they have a lot more to offer with different breads and different meats.”

Keane said people have opinions and they just need an opportunity to share them with people like Gerarde.

“I think a suggestion box would be really good because people have things to tell me when I ask them,” Keane said. “They just don’t know who to talk to.”

Gerarde talked about the various ways in which he is trying to make the eating selections healthier in Market Place, while not completely changing the menu in Market Place.

“We want everyone to feel like they can come up here,” Gerarde said. “Whether they are a vegetarian or they like steak and potatoes.”

He is still understanding of the fact that this will not be an overnight change.

“I would like to start putting some of these items into my cycle menu since none of these items are actually on that cycle,” Gerarde said. “I have been putting something vegetarian out there in addition to what is on my menu.”

Gerarde is not na’ve to the fact that it is a choice and it is more about the students than the food that is placed in front of them.

“It’s a state of mind,” Gerarde said. “It something that people are becoming more aware of with diabetes and heart disease and people are starting to pick those healthier items.”

Keane addressed the issue of how Market Place is more than just a place to eat, but also a chance to be educated in daily eating habits.

“We’re looking into promoting information behind what you are eating,” Keane said. “It’s not only about having the options out there, it is an educational process as well because healthy eating is a lifestyle and it’s not anything that can be changed in a person of it is not on a regular basis.”

Keane said she is excited about the direction that this ongoing project is taking

“The next step would be to make it implemented into the food that is offered in Market Place for the majority of people on a regular basis,” Keane said. “The point is not for it to be a once-in-a-while choice but to make it a lifestyle and a decision that students can make on a daily basis.

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