Organic cuisine, local produce a priority on Vita Nova’s plate

The university has made a long-term commitment to finding and utilizing environment-friendly initiatives through the Path to Prominence, and Vita Nova, the student-run restaurant in the Trabant University Center, is no different.

Vita Nova prides itself on using organic ingredients and locally-grown products, such as the herb roast chicken, the pan seared free-range duck breast and the pine nut and basil crusted Scottish salmon, in its facility for environmental and health purposes, Julie Fagan, the director of restaurant operations stated in an e-mail message.

Organic products or foods are those grown without the use of pesticides, fertilizers, chemicals or engineering of the animals.

"It gives us great pleasure to purchase from relatively small family-run organic farms when possible," Fagan said.

The menu specifies the organic farms or regions the ingredients come from, such as the Pennsylvania Dutch farm where the organic chickens are raised.

Many of the wines served there are also organic, meaning the grapes are grown without the use of chemicals.

She said the restaurant also uses locally-grown ingredients, such as milk from the university's cows to make ice cream and mushrooms from Kennett Square, Pa.

"Anything we can get local we do and anything else we have to buy from our regular producers," Fagan said.

Senior Michelle Gentile, a hotel and restaurant management major said she believes the

"We're doing good things for the environment and trying to make sure our products are environmentally friendly and sound," Gentile said. "We're proud to be a part of it and proud to offer organic food."

Joe Digregorio, the kitchen manager and executive chef, is responsible for the organic menu, as well as choosing where the products used by Vita Nova are purchased. It is Digregorio who taught the students about the benefits of using organic ingredients.

Senior Allison Gran said Digregorio explained the menu to students and said there are three different items that are organic.

"He went over where they came from, why they're organic and the differences in taste," Gran said.

Gran recently tasted the organic chicken and duck and compared it to the taste of non-organic versions. She said both the chicken and duck were much softer because they were organic and the duck was also more tender.

The duck is one of the kitchen's most popular items, and Gran believes this might be because of the organic mention on the menu.

The students recently had the owner of the duck farm come to class to explain more about how the animals are raised organically, with free range and better feed.

Digregorio and the university check out the farms to make sure that their practices are actually organic.

  "They look to make sure that the farms are clean and that the poultry look well maintained and that there's a feel about the farm and the way people are raising them," Gran said.     

While many ingredients on the menu are produced locally or organically, it is not economically feasible or possible to use all organic ingredients. Fagan pointed out that the chocolate-covered strawberries given to diners with their checks would be impossible to get locally  out of season. 

Fagan said the restaurant could not be 100 percent organic despite the staff and students desire for that to happen.

Besides the specificity of ingredients, there are other things the restaurant does to maintain environmental initiatives.

The restaurant has recently changed its to-go packaging from aluminum containers to a biodegradable box and paper bags. Employees have also begun to recycle all of their glass and cardboard.

While much of the organic initiative has been taken by Digregorio, it is also up to the students to produce the food as well as add input about the direction of the restaurant. 

Overall, both the students and the staff are happy to be using these types of ingredients, and keep in line with the university's green goals. Gran believed that this trend is a result of the student population.

"I think our generation is more tuned in to eating healthy and eating organic food, which is definitely better for you," Gran said.