Real Food on Campus at Umphrey Lee will launch a spa cuisine on Thursday to celebrate Earth Day. This spa cuisine is because of the positive responses from the Health Up section and will be featured every day until the end of the semester.
Students have voiced that the Health Up efforts held good intentions, but they weren’t enough. This new spa cuisine will expand the Health Up section, offering more organic and natural foods.
“The spa cuisine is very simple and very natural,” RFoC head chef Tim Schaub said. “It’s just fresh, fresh, fresh.”
The spa cuisine will include complete proteins and healthy sides, such as fresh farm-raised salmon, lean chicken breasts and buffalo. Some days, this cuisine will include vegetarian and vegan foods.
Schaub’s idea for this spa cuisine stemmed from his former job as a spa chef. He wanted to make RFoC healthier and has had positive feedback with his spa cuisine idea.
“When I first got here three years ago there was a lot of fried food,” Schaub said. “But we’re moving toward healthier food options.”
About a year and a half ago, under Schaub’s new management, RFoC transitioned to using trans-fat free oil for everything, including the french fries. Furthermore, all pizzas are made with non-fat or low-fat mozzarella cheese. RFoC also recently bought a smoker so that when meats are cooked, their oils fall to the bottom of the smoker, leaving a leaner and healthier meat. RFoC now also offers Kashi cereals and natural peanut butter.
In addition to providing healthier options to eat, Schaub also tries to be as eco-friendly as possible. RFoC offers Tyson chicken because Tyson treats animals humanely. Also, RFoC offers farm-raised fish because wild fish contains bacteria and chemicals from water pollutants.
Schaub plans to buy a rotisserie for next semester. This will provide another healthy way to cook meats. Also, organic berries and more whole wheat and whole grain breads will be provided in the near future.
Nick Errichetto, the mastermind behind the Health Up section and the first person to suggest an organic section, wants the student body to know that RFoC takes “Health Up” seriously.
“They’re really doing everything they can to make our food healthy,” Errichetto said.