^{Essentials encompasses Gourmet Dining education and outreach programs.}

^{Through these programs, we promote our core values of healthy and sustainable living.}

^{The icons represent our integrated focus on Sustainability, Nutrition and Outreach and Education}

^{Sustainability}

^{At Gourmet Dining, our commitment to sustainability is stronger than ever.}

^{While we are greening our business, we believe the word “sustainability” encompasses our overarching goals of building community on campus with mindfulness of our students, the environment, farmers and all of our partners who help us achieve our sustainable goals. We foster a wholesome environment where the communities we serve can feel good about how we eat.}

^{We do this in building our local food network, designing and building Gourmet Campus Gardens, and through educational marketing, outreach and workshops with students. We incorporate sustainable solutions on all of the campuses we serve because we know that sustainability is an essential to operate an efficient dining service and respect the environment in which we live. However, our commitment to the environment is not only important for this community, it represents who we are and what we strive to do.}

^{By practicing sustainable living, we can do more than reduce our impact on the environment, we can actually improve it. We strive to create an environment wherein sustainable planning and operation thrive, and we hope you will join us in doing so. As part of our weekly food service committee meetings, we will team up with students to increase sustainable awareness and create engaging projects for the campus community.}

^Nutrition

<sup>Our Mission is to build a healthy foundation in nutrition knowledge, increase awareness of health issues, and expand the palate while improving food choices.  Understanding nutrition and special dietary needs is an integral part of how we craft our services at Gourmet Dining. One on one nutrition therapy counseling is available to all students without charge.  With a team of nationally accredited Registered Dietitians to lead the program, counseling encompasses a wide range of concerns, including:
- how to maximize dining hall options for the student with allergies
- navigating the challenges of ‘carb counting’ with a diabetic student faced with vast dining hall options
- teaching healthy cooking techniques to the inexperienced ‘picky’ eater at the self-operated wok and omelet stations - counseling on team training issues and nutrition to athletes.</sup>

^{Group nutrition outreach sessions are provided during meal times in dining halls at each of the 8 university campuses monthly.  Topics change with current research updates and newsworthy health concerns, and content is provided in a fun and informative manner. Equipping the students with expanding nutrition knowledge is essential to a producing a healthy adult down the road.}

^Outreach

^{Outreach, education and collaboration are the primary ways we seek to interact with each of our host colleges and universities.}

^{We partner to find on-site composting solutions, build edible community gardens, and connect with each department on campus to create custom catered events for various student groups, Athletics, Admissions, and Student Life.}

^{The educational component stems from our conscientious and knowledgeable management team. Ask any of our chefs- they are passionate about creating local and seasonal meals, talking with students and communicating the message. Our chefs also hold cooking demo sessions to assist students in how to use our make your own stations including the Wok, Pasta and Omelet stations. Gourmet Dining does more than serve great food, we create the commensurate dining experience.}