RISD Works Series: Maureen Young, Menu Management Specialist
From the dining hall to the mailroom and beyond, RISD staff work hard to make the campus a home for our students.
Maureen Young
Menu Management Specialist
Years at RISD: 8
Favorite RISD meal: Mango chickpea curry
What do you do?
My focus is working with the culinary team to ensure that we follow regulations about ingredients, allergens, and special dietary requirements. I walk through the dining halls, making sure all the signage is clear so students are sure about what they are eating. For students who have medical or religious dietary restrictions–like having Celiac disease, being vegetarian, or following halal and kosher laws–I work one-on-one with them so they understand what they can safely eat or create individual meals that meet their needs.
Can you share examples of how RISD meets the needs of different students?
We try to have options for everyone. We have a lot of meals based on vegan proteins popular around the world, like beans and lentils. We have students who love things like vegan nuggets and meatballs, so we offer those too. And students love mac and cheese–it’s so funny, they sing a mac and cheese song when the chefs bring it out.
We have a number of students from China, South Korea, and India and if I hear that the food we’re serving isn’t authentic, I say, “send us your recipes!” We can’t always replicate the same ingredients from a recipe’s country of origin, but we can try.
A few years ago, a student reached out ahead of Persian New Year with recipes for braised Persian spiced lamb, served with herbed rice and Adasi-Persian lentils stew. John Calia, Kitchen Manager at the Met, is a world traveler and loves trying to make recipes as authentic as possible. So, he and the student collaborated and it was a hit. We ended up putting the dishes on our regular menu.
What should families know?
The best thing is for students to reach out early. The students who succeed the most are the ones who develop the relationship with us. Families should encourage students to reach out before they arrive on campus so they have the opportunity to know how our system would work for them. Some students want to pre-order food and others want to grab and go. Either way, I can give them strategies to still eat safely.
RISD Dining and Catering is one of many offices at RISD that support students. If your student has questions about their dining options, they can contact Maureen Young at myoung01@risd.edu or David Gould, Executive Chef, at dgould@risd.edu.
