Championship Chili

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

Welcome to October, such a great time of year! I personally love this time of year when the weather starts to get a bit colder and I can start to prepare some of my favorite braises in the slow cooker and Instapot. I am inspired by the change in weather and the great local produce we are still able to get.

Another great seasonably appropriate dish is chili. What is your favorite kind? With or without beans? Spicy or mild? Meat or plant based? So many possibilities. Well we now have an award winning recipe, rightfully dubbed "Championship Chili", that I would like to share with you!

Our Championship Chili recipe won us first place in the Vegan Chili Beanpot competition at The Let’s Talk About Food festival last week. It was a competition among the “Beanpot” schools” of Harvard, Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern. As you may know these are called the Beanpot schools because the four schools compete in the much coveted annual Beanpot Hockey tournament in February. Northeastern's Men's Hockey team won the Beanpot this year and we had the trophy on full display on our table at the chili competition. The votes were cast by people who tasted each of the entries and I am happy to report that we were the overwhelming favorite! 

Our Championship Chili included four different beans, fresh char grilled corn, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and seasoned with toasted ground cumin, chili powder, garlic and finished with a bit of hot sauce. I do have to say that I think the piece de resistance was a cashew ranch dressing that was placed on top along with pickled jalapenos, more char grilled corn and a miniature pepper for garnish. Folding in the cashew ranch I think is a great way to bring all the flavors together and perhaps slightly mellow the heat along with accenting the umami flavors of the mushrooms.

Please join us Friday October 19th at Curry Dining from 12:00PM - 1:00PM to celebrate the victory and sample some of our Championship Chili!

- Tom 

Championship Chili Recipe

Ingredients — yields 6-8 portions

Chili

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter (can sub vegetable oil)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 3 ears charred corn, removed from cob
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 14 ounce cans fire-roasted tomatoes
• 11 ounces cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 11 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 11 ounces pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 11 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 to 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce (i.e. Frank's Red Hot)
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Cashew Ranch Sauce

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4 to 8 hours
• 1 cup unflavored soy milk
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives 

Garnish 

• 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos
• 1 tiny pepper
• 1 ear charred corn, removed from cob 

Instructions

Making Championship Chili

1. Place the butter into a large pot and set over medium heat. Melt the butter, then add onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute until the veggies begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, cannellini beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, black beans, charred corn, 1 cup of broth, cumin, chili powder, tamarind paste, and 1/4 cup of hot sauce to the pot. Stir to incorporate the ingredients. Raise heat and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 60 minutes. Add up to an additional cup of broth during cooking if the chili becomes too thick.
3. Taste test and add up to an additional 1/4 cup of hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Making the Cashew Ranch Sauce 

1. Place cashews, milk, lemon juice, garlic, and salt into a blender and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the pitcher as needed.
2. Add parsley and chives, then pulse until finely chopped and incorporated into the mixture.

Serving 

1. Ladle chili into serving dish. Top with dollop of cashew ranch sauce.
2. Garnish with pinch of charred corn and pickled jalapenos. Top with tiny pepper.

Adapted from https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/three-bean-spicy-vegan-buffalo-chili/ 

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Limit Potatoes

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

Who doesn’t love a potato right? Especially here in New England where Maine is ranked 10th in potato production nationwide.

There are many varieties and colors to choose from, all having their own various health and nutritional benefits. So potatoes can definitely be good for you but sometimes we tend to eat too many which can leave us feeling a bit lethargic and overly full. I’m not suggesting we give up these tantalizing spuds but change how we think about our intake.

Perhaps putting a smaller portion of potatoes on our plates along with some fresh vegetables is something to consider with the warmer weather coming quickly. Or another idea might be to think of some alternatives to potatoes like chick pea fries!

Here’s a delicious recipe from one of my favorite websites Food52 https://food52.com/recipes/9642-chickpea-fries-with-yogurt-dipping-sauce. These are so easy to make and so tasty! The optional cumin in this recipe really gives it a special flavor.

Still have a hankering for mashed potato but want to try something different? How about mashed cauliflower or mashed celery root? Celery root is delicious and a totally under-utilized vegetable. These both lend themselves nicely to adding any herbs and spices you may have.

So give any of these alternatives a try…I think you’ll be glad you did and if you just can’t give up a spud think about having a little less of it.

-Tom

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Cut The Salt; Rethink Flavor Development From The Ground Up

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

As a chef, seasoning and flavoring of food is one of the most important things that we do.

What is the difference between seasoning and flavoring? 
Seasoning is enhancing the natural flavor of a particular product while flavoring is changing the natural flavor of that product.
For example: when roasting a chicken simply adding salt and pepper enhance the natural flavor of the chicken but if you were to enhance with a BBQ rub, that would change the natural flavor.

Knowing when and what to season and flavor foods with is a skill that I am constantly working on. Hopefully at this point everyone knows that excessive use of salt is a health issue that should be taken seriously. As someone who prepares food for others, we have an obligation to serve tasty food that is also good for you.

Here are a few ways to reduce the amount of your salt intake:

Read nutritional labels
You would be amazed at the amount of sodium in some of your favorite foods especially those that are pre-prepared. If you do buy pre-prepared foods compare a few different brands as they typically vary between brands

Prepare foods
Prepare foods yourself as much as possible that we you have direct control over seasoning and flavoring. Experiment with using fresh herbs to enhance flavors

Reconsider portion sizes of your food

Try making herb salt

1. Take 2-3 cups loosely packed herbs such as parsley, oregano, sage, thyme, cilantro, rosemary or basil and combine with ½ cup coarse salt such as kosher salt. 
2. Place in food processor and pulse until you have achieved a course grind being careful not to process into a paste. 
3. You can spread evenly onto a baking sheet and leave at room temperature for several days until the mixture becomes dry or alternatively you can place in a 200 degree oven and for approx  one hour or until dry. 
4. In either case place into an air tight container and can be stored for up to 6 months.

The most important thing is to experiment and see what tastes good and what flavor profiles you enjoy and have fun!

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National Seafood Month

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

Hi everyone! Did you know October is National Seafood Month? We will be celebrating on Tuesday the 24th at both International Village and Levine Marketplace (Stetson East) with delectable menus and  a display of fresh caught seafood. Get ready to see – and touch – the seafood display as well as enjoy some locally caught sustainable seafood!

All of the fish we serve daily is verified sustainable as well as the tuna is FAD free. We are proud to partner with companies like Red's Best, which is a local fish and seafood provider that focuses on working with local family fishermen. Red's Best guarantees they will buy the fishermen’s catch and get them a fair price, which is typically a concern for the fishermen. Another awesome thing about Red's Best is that they have a program that focuses on underutilized species.

I know here on the east coast we tend to love all of our traditional white fishes like cod, but unfortunately they have been over fished and the government has put many restrictions and quotas in both fishermen and traditional fishing areas. Red's Best is leading the way with colleges, universities and restaurants is serving many of the underutilized species such as haddock, Pollock, ocean perch and dog fish. Red's Best also focuses on locally raised shellfish such as oysters and mussels.

From a  chefs perspective, one of the cool things about working with Red's Best and their underutilized program is that often we do not know what they have until hours before our order arrives. Mostly because they do not know the catch of the day until the local boats unload at the pier. Our order comes with a QR code that specifies the particular species, name of the boat, captain and the fishing method used to catch the fish which is becoming more and more important.

Red's Best owner and founder Jared Auerbach will be on campus Tuesday at International Village and Levine Marketplace along with a few other staff members from Red's Best to help us celebrate National Seafood Month. Be sure and stop by and say "Hi" and get a taste of some of this awesome product, prepared into delicious dishes by our culinary team!
  

Tom

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Fun with Food

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

Have you been to Xhibition Kitchen lately? Or have you ever been? Whenever I ask I am always amazed that there are many students who still do not know about the amazing Xhibition Kitchen, or "XK" as we like to call it. The XK is located at 11 Speare Place inside Stetson West Eatery and is a state of the art demonstration kitchen - which is currently in full swing!

We host many cookbook authors, and local and nationally acclaimed chefs. Sometimes our guests stop by because they are in the area and they have heard about what an amazing space it is. Inside the kitchen itself we can seat approximately 60 people with additional seating in the outside room. How cool is it to be watching a demonstration up close and personal to many of the areas most recognized chefs?

One of the best parts of my job is that I get to meet these chefs and authors as we prepare their mise en place (all their prep). I cannot even begin to tell you how many wonderful people I have been able to meet and not to mention the education I have received by seeing all of their demonstrations. Many cool tips and tricks.

I particularly enjoy the planning process of these event. It is very interesting to learn how each guest like their mise en place organized. Often times the planning process begins months in advance. Our marketing team is responsible for programming the space and then from there the entire team meets to discuss all of the details. I almost forgot to mention that we also prepare samples of what is being demonstrated so you can not only watch but taste as well! I am also lucky enough to conduct some demonstrations in the XK myself. No two events are the same so it is always fun to see what will be next. None of these events would be possible without the help and expertise of our Marketing team and team at Stetson Dining.

I encourage you all of you to stop by to catch an event or two before the end of the semester. We all really enjoy bringing these events to you and look forward to seeing you there!
    

Tom

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3 Things We're Cooking Up for the End of the Semester

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

Hi all! It’s quite busy around here and I wanted to let you know about a few of the things we have going on around campus.

In January, we started doing Foodie Tours of each of our dining locations. These are in depth tours with our nutritionist Christine Clark and me. We select a dining location and go station-by-station talking about the back stories of how are menus are created, where we source many of our products from, and, in some cases, the science behind some of the things we do. We have received great feedback from the tours we have done and anticipate continuing this initiative next semester. They are open to all students, faculty, and staff and are – of course – free!

We have also been busy planning for our upcoming Lobstah Night. We are happy to say that we will be working with Red's Best to obtain the 1,000 lobsters needed for this event. It is certainly one of the highlights of the school year so be sure to get to Stetson West early on Tuesday night!

Our last event of the semester will be our 16th(!) annual Educate Your Palate. I wish I could tell you more about the theme of this year's event but then you wouldn't be surprised! Seeing how International Village has been transformed when you walk in on the night of the event is definitely a "wow" — if you have been to EYP in the past you know what I mean. This is a can't-miss event so please put Thursday, April 20 on your calendar. As chefs, we love this event because – as sort of a culmination of a year's worth of culinary trends – we get to create a menu that is unlike anything you've seen all year. Additionally important to us is that even though the event is held at International Village it is a collaborative effort with our culinary teams from International Village, Stetson, and Curry. Working together as one large team is always very exciting for us.

I hope to see you at these extraordinary upcoming events!
Tom

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Implementing Menus of Change this December

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

As you may have already seen or heard, Northeastern is actively participating in something called Menus of Change. This initiative is a collaboration between the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America.

Menus of Change is built on twenty-four principles that revolve around sustainable eating and education about making healthier food and drink choices. Northeastern Dining has been involved with Menus of Change – and its companion educational initiative, the Menus of Change Research Collaborative – for well over a year. We typically focus on two principles a month. This month we are focusing on "Leverage globally inspired, plant-based culinary strategies" as well as "Serve less red meat, less often."

One of the exciting and unique things about all of the principles is that the schools participating in the initiative each interpret them slightly differently. A dish that we have on our menus that I think exemplifies these globally inspired plant-based culinary strategies is a turnip osso bucco. Osso bucco is traditionally a meat dish made with either veal or lamb shanks and slowly braised with wine, tomato, vegetables and stock. We have taken this same technique and applied it to certain vegetables, namely turnips and carrots. We like to use purple top turnips and leave the skin on for flavor and nutritional benefit. The turnips are first seared to give a nice golden brown color and, like the more traditional dish, slowly braised with vegetables, tomatoes, and vegetable stock until tender. We also do this dish with carrots and I have to say the results are stunning. Even those who don't like turnips (me included) have gone back for seconds!

Another example on the menus of actually both principles we are featuring is some of our "blended" dishes. Our version of blending involves reducing the amount of meat in something and replacing it with ground mushrooms. For instance, our meatloaf is a blend of 60% beef and 40% ground mushrooms. We are currently using this blending technique in many other dishes as well, including chili and meatballs.

More information on Menus of Change can be found on our website at www.nudining.com/menusofchange and www.menusofchange.org.

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Local Apple Sauce and Transparency in Sourcing

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

As you may have seen – or already tasted! – we are now featuring an awesome, delicious, and locally sourced apple sauce. The sauce is made with apples grown in local Massachusetts orchards. And if that wasn't enough, there is only one ingredient: apples. That's right, just apples. No sweeteners or additives, just 100% locally sourced apples. Currently, it is being made with Macintosh apples but changes with the seasonal offerings.

The sauce is made by Karl Dias – commonly referred to in our kitchens as "the apple sauce guy." Karl reports that he has a steady supply of various varieties of apples and will continue to make sauce throughout the winter. Karl sent me a note over the weekend letting me know that he just finished a batch using macoun apples and thought it just might top his current batch of Macintosh sauce!

Because of the outstanding flavor, clean label, and local regionality of the product, we wanted to feature it as quickly as possible. However, not knowing how well it would be received we started with just a few cases and within a day had to order more. I think the first week Karl delivered to us three times just to make sure we had enough!

The apple sauce is currently being featured in a few different places around campus. It is available in both Stetson East and International Village at the yogurt stations for lunch and dinner. Additionally, we are making "apple sauce parfaits" with apple sauce and either raisins or dried cranberries. These grab-and-go items are available at On The Go, Outtakes, and café716.

Karl also stopped by to talk with and educate students about his product at our recent "Culinary Chat" table at International Village last week (photo above).

These are the types of local, seasonal items we at Northeastern Dining continue to search for and serve on a year round basis.

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Embracing "Menus of Change" In Our Kitchens

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

As you may know by now, the Northeastern dining team has been heavily engaged in Menus of Change. Our latest initiatives include finding ways to move vegetables and legumes to the center of the plate as well as including more globally inspired plant based recipes.

Legumes are packed full of flavor, contain plant protein and fiber and, from an environmental perspective, produce an impressive amount of protein per acre. Some examples of current menu offerings include lentil bolognese, a healthier take on the classic dish made with traditional meat sauce, a delicious Cajun lentil stew, and a refreshing lentil couscous that is perfect for spring time. Many grains and legumes can also be found on the salad and vegetarian stations. Try "hacking" your meal by adding any of them to just about any soup to create a heartier version or try infusing them into some of the brown rice dishes!

We have also been applying some techniques and recipes that have traditionally been used with meat and applying them to vegetables such as slow braising turnips "osso bucco" and Vindaloo of sweet potatoes and spinach. Other plant-based strategies include offering a burger that is blended with mushrooms for added flavor and juiciness and our "Plantiful" grain and vegetable-based bowls. Growing plants for food generally have less of a negative impact on the environment.

We continue to embrace the principles of Menus of Change with the health and nutrition of our students, faculty and staff in the front of our minds as we continue our menu development.

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Healthy Alternatives While Celebrating Culinary Diversity

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

Our latest Menus of Change principle is "Celebrating Cultural Diversity and Discovery" and over the next few weeks our residential dining halls will be featuring menu items that celebrate the cultural diversity of our associates. As I was reviewing recipes in preparation for these events at both International Village and Stetson, it occurred to me that some of the ingredients in the traditional recipes could be swapped out for healthier alternatives while also remaining faithful to tradition. Here are some examples of ways to make recipes even a little bit healthier (which means you can enjoy them even more often!):

• Instead of using butter why not use a fat free margarine? Canola, safflower or olive oils could also be substituted
• Rather than using whole milk try a skim, evaporated skim or even plain nonfat yogurt can be used
• Instead of using whole milk cheeses, look for ones that are made with part skim
• Low fat or fat free sour cream can be substituted for regular sour cream
• 2 egg whites can replace 1 whole egg
• Try simmering vegetables in a fat-free / low sodium chicken or vegetable stock instead of seasoning with many seasonings that have a high sodium content. Lightly tossing with freshly chopped herbs can also add plenty of flavor
• Remove skin and fat from meats before cooking – or if the flavor of the skin is important to the dish try removing the skin before serving it
• When using ground beef, look for a leaner grind such as a 90/10 blend
• Instead of frying foods look for ways to bake, broil, or roast them
• With stews and casseroles that are traditionally heavy on meat and light on vegetables, try changing up the recipe to incorporate more vegetables and less meat protein
• When making salads use lighter vinegar-based dressings instead of the heavy mayonnaise- and dairy-based dressings
• Using fruits that are packed in their own water or their own juice do not contain the added sugar that fruits packed in syrup do
• Try serving half portions of traditional foods and desserts instead of full portions
• Try using leaner cuts of meat such as turkey, chicken, and fish instead of red meats

Hopefully some of this will inspire you to go ahead and try some new ideas when approaching traditional foods!

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Build Flavors with Seasoning

with Northeastern campus executive chef Tom Barton

Building flavors and making sure our foods are seasoned properly is a large part of what we as chefs and cooks do and part of that is using salt. Teaching someone how to season is not easy as all of our palates our different; what is enough salt for one might be too much for another. There is much in the news about our salt intake and how we must take steps to reduce it and if you are a label reader then you already know there is sodium in many of the foods that we eat, especially those that are processed or pre-prepared.

We definitely support the notion of using fresh herbs and spices to add flavor rather than increasing the amount of salt to most preparations; however, as a chef I have to say, when used properly, there is no substitute for salt. As a cook coming up through the ranks I learned that salt should be added throughout the cooking process, not all at the beginning or all at the end. Over-seasoning tends to occur when salt is added all at once then when tasting and re-tasting our palates become de-sensitized to salt and the flavor profile we are looking for becomes more difficult to judge. Seasoning throughout the process also encourages maximum flavor from the ingredients by helping to draw out their individual flavors. We also prefer to use salt that has a coarser grain such as kosher salt. The coarser grains make it easier to handle and see how much is being added. Learning how and when to season takes practice and is a learned skill.

Also worthy of mention is the difference between “seasoning” and “flavoring.” “Seasoning” is the addition of basic flavors, such as salt and pepper, to enhance the natural flavor of something while “flavoring” is adding flavors that will change the natural flavor. For example, I would add salt and pepper to enhance the natural flavor of a roasted chicken but if I added a barbecue rub to the chicken I have now changed the natural flavor of the chicken. Also, saltiness might come into a dish from other ingredients such as adding anchovies when making a Caesar dressing, capers to a piccata sauce, or olives into a salad.

Making the decision to use salt or not can be a personal one for sure. With the proper awareness of daily intake, salt can be useful asset to amateur and professional cooks alike.

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What We're Cooking This Semester

with Northeastern campus executive chef Tom Barton

I would like to welcome everyone back to campus. Hope everyone had a great summer and hope everyone is settling in. We have received a few questions about some of our local products that we serve so I thought I would take this opportunity to talk a little more about the products that we do purchase locally.

Right now is a GREAT time to buying local. What we buy changes from week to week based on our menus and what items the farmers feel is in peak condition to send to us. The past few weeks have been filled with potatoes, carrots, onions, beets, kale, chard, lettuces, squashes of all sorts, tomatoes, corn, and, of course, apples. Keep an eye out at Stetson for Chef Sam's fresh corn station – if you like Mexican street corn you'll love this!

Many of the items listed above fit perfectly into our "root to tip" vegetable program. In short, we use as much of the vegetable as possible – including the peel and the tops. Many of the vegetables we leave the peel on for added flavor and nutrition. Carrot and beet tops could be braised with other vegetables or made into a "pesto" and be incorporated back into the preparation.

We are also using some IDP – Imperfectly Delicious Produce. These are items that would have been left in the field because they don't look 100% perfect but they still taste great! IDP items that we have been using include small cut broccoli, baby kale, romaine lettuce, and cauliflower.

We will be buying and using many local products well into November and December. Our choices are certainly limited at that time but we are still able to get many local hard squashes and potatoes.

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Menu Creation on the Food Truck: Spring 2015

Campus Executive Chef Tom Barton here with a behind the scenes look at the Hungry Hungry Husky's new menu for this spring. The food truck is a great place for us to have a little fun and experiment with emerging food trends and with the international theme of the truck we are especially interested in exciting menu items from around the world. This spring's menu features your favorite H3 items – our Famous Mac & Cheese and the Thai Basil Bowl (now with chicken or new sriracha glazed tofu) – as well as two unique tastes from two different sides of the globe: Mexican tortas and Korean chicken wings.

Latin food, and especially Mexican food, has always been popular but with the explosion of places such as Chipotle, more and more attention is being brought to these types of foods. While not as widely accepted as the burrito or quesadilla, the torta is a staple of Mexican cuisine. The sandwiches are made with freshly prepared ingredients served on sliced telera, the traditional round torta bread.

We are offering two types of tortas on the food truck, each with their own unique layering of flavors: the Cubano and the Vegetariano. The Cubano combines Mexican flavors with elements of a more traditional Cuban sandwich such as the mustard, pickles, and sliced ham. The pork component of a Cuban sandwich is typically roasted pork but we added a Latin flavor by using a slow roasted pork carnitas. A great complement to the Cubano is the Vegetariano torta featuring "smashed" black beans, fresh cilantro, and a smoky chipotle spread. The star of the sandwich, however, are the mushrooms that we sear in a piping hot pan and toss with a lime-infused roasted garlic. At our taste test before launch, we couldn't stop eating them right out of the pan – they are that good!

We are also featuring Korean-style chicken wings dubbed the "2X Wings." Traditional Korean-style wings are twice fried but after testing the recipe a few times we discovered that simmering them in chicken stock, then cooling them, tossing them in seasoned flour, and finishing them in the fryer produced a crispier wing. Once fried on the truck, the wings are then tossed to order in your choice of three unique sauces: Teriyaki BBQ, Sweet Sriracha, or Zesty Lime Garlic.

So far we have received some great feedback on these items and – now that the weather is warming up – we hope you'll stop by and try out these great flavors from around the world! Be sure to follow Northeastern Dining on Twitter where we post the truck's location every morning.

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2014 Recap, Part 1: January & February

A look back at 2014 and the events that made it special.

- - January & February - -

café716 Renovation

Northeastern University’s 716 Columbus Place is a major administrative building on campus that houses an array of university departments. For years, the only food and drink offered within the six-story building was a small café in the first floor lobby, discernible only by an unmarked doorway in one corner of the space. During the fall of 2013, an opportunity to renovate the building lobby included plans to significantly expand the café’s presence and the new, rebranded café716 opened in January 2014. Many of the building’s employees were counting down the days until café716’s reopening and their patience was rewarded with complimentary sampling events in the days leading up to launch.

Chocolicious Valentine's Day Desserts with Guest Chef Amie Smith, Northeastern Alumnae '87

For the love of cooking we welcomed owner of Lulue’s Patisserie and NU Alumnae Amie Smith back to the Xhibition Kitchen, which was full to capacity. The crowd was greeted at the XK by the sweet smell of cinnamon and piping hot homemade hot chocolate, adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart. Amie spoke to the crowd about her journey through her Culinary Education in New York City. One recipe Smith demonstrated she has dubbed as “The Lazy Truffle”. Amie told the audience that chocolate is a messy business and when she doesn't have a lot of time but wants to really impress someone, she makes these truffles. Amie also demonstrated a velvety chocolate mousse recipe by Nick Malgieri and how to sweet talk with 3D chocolate roses. Modeling chocolate can be used to make various shapes, Smith noted “it looks so hard to make but you’ll see how easy it is to impress your friends and loved ones”.

Aphrodisiac Cooking with Chef Fed

In collaboration with RSA Sex Week, Chef Fed came all the way from NYC to the Xhibition Kitchen.  The audience was eager to watch chef fed live, up close and personal in the XK after having seen him sweeten it up the previous night on Food Network’s CHOPPED “Chocolate Competition”. Fed’s mission is to tantalize his guests’ senses with every dish he prepares. The crowd agreed with an overwhelming consensus “Mission accomplished!” He taught the audience the use of texture to create the right feeling and he incorporated plating techniques that seduced the eye. Fed noted that “the goal is always to perfectly combine the four basic tastes to achieve that ‘Aaahhh’ effect called Umami.”

Cooking with RSA

In collaboration with Northeastern RSA we welcomed Hungry Huskies to the first Cooking with RSA class this semester. Our Executive Chef Tom Barton and Chef Sam showed the audience how to take the chills away with a few healthy soup recipes. The chefs shared their culinary passions while demonstrating a Five Bean Soup and White Bean and Kale Stew with Corn Bread. One lucky student in the room won a NUDining bag of swag!

For the second Cooking with RSA class this semester, our Executive Chef Tom Barton and Chef Sam showed the audience how to make homemade hot pockets. The chefs demonstrated a caprese, chicken parmesan and caramel apple pocket. One lucky student in the room won a NUDining bag of swag!

For the third and final Cooking with RSA class this semester, our Executive Chef Tom Barton demonstrated some "Green" cooking in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day. Idaho Potato Cake, Irish Potato Blintzes, and to put a different twist on the traditional, Irish Soda Bread Donuts were all on the menu.  Yum! One lucky student in the room won a NUDining bag of swag!

13th Annual Mardi Gras Celebration

This was the 13th anniversary of this signature event and the Northeastern Dining team worked closely with Student Affairs and the University administration to make this the phenomenal success it was. Levine Marketplace inside Stetson East was transformed into Bourbon Street, New Orleans. As students entered the dining room, they were greeted by university administrators and the Northeastern Dining team with Mardi Gras beads and novelties. Staff interacted the entire evening with students at this non-stop Mardi Gras party which included contests, the Hot Tamale Brass Band, beads, masks, photo booth, caricaturist, and a menu consisting of King Cakes, New Orleans Specialties and Traditional Cajun Fare. New this year—the EGGSpert YOLKer Contest; contestants had one minute to transfer egg yolks from one plate to another using only a water bottle. Participants won swag including a coveted Mardi Gras t-shirt. The grand prizes for the contests were cash prizes of $100. All attendees received tons of novelties and giveaways including hats, fancy glasses, beads, horns, and feather boas during this festive event. New this year—Bayou Jessi’s Alligator Alley, where students tried to pick a winning duck from the swap in order to win a jumbo plush Gator. A great time was had by all who attended!

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Cooking 101 Recap: Week VIII

by Campus Executive Chef Tom Barton

Well it's finally here -- the final Cooking 101 class. As promised, next week's final session will be the student chefs' chance to utilize the tips and techniques they have learned during the past eight weeks to prepare a complete three course dinner for their invited guests. In this past Tuesday's class, our chefs were busy practicing the surprise menu.

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Cooking 101 Recap: Week VII

by Campus Executive Chef Tom Barton

Last night was week seven of our Cooking 101 class in the Xhibition Kitchen and after learning about knife skills, cold preparations, and entrées over the past few weeks we had finally reached most everyone's favorite area of the kitchen: dessert! We brought in a heavy hitter, Ritz-Carlton Boston Common pastry chef Bouchaib Errafiy, to work with us and show us the finer points of several desserts. Chef Errafiy spoke about the various differences between all of the flours and sugars that we see these days at our favorite market. The discussion was very lively but I could tell everyone was ready to start making (and tasting!) some great desserts.

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Cooking 101 Recap: Week VI

by Chris Jennings, Northeastern Dining Quality Assurance Manager

Braising – Sauteing – Pan Frying – Steaming. These were just some of the cooking techniques demonstrated this week in the latest segment of Cooking 101. The main topic of focus were dry and moist heat cooking methods.

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Cooking 101 Recap: Week V

by Campus Executive Chef Tom Barton

Hi everyone! Last night we had the fifth week of our Cooking 101 class and we had a great time talking with all of our student chefs about the oh so popular subject of side dishes. While it can be a bland topic, we instead focused on some of the more nontraditional, but increasingly popular, starches and vegetables available at your local market.

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Cooking 101 Recap: Week IV

by Northeastern Dining Quality Assurance Manager Chris Jennings

We dove right into stocks and sauces this week. Chef Tom had a beautiful chicken stock already simmering before class started. The aroma filtered thru the XK and set the tone for a stimulating experience on how to create your own stocks and sauces.

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Cooking 101 Recap: Week III

Hi everyone! Chef Barton here with our weekly Cooking 101 recap. After a week off last Tuesday so everyone could enjoy Mardi Gras, we got back on schedule last night with session three of our Cooking 101 series. This week featured the "Garde Manger," or cold section of the kitchen.

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