To celebrate the grand opening of the Trailhead Café, 380 eager customers filled the open seating area in the Gateway Center.

It was quite apparent the opening of the cafe was a long-anticipated event, said Diana Johnson, director of dining services at the Morrisville Auxiliary Corp., which runs the cafe.

“It was a lot of fun,” Johnson said. “Everybody was eager and enthusiastic on both sides of the service line.”

Soon after the opening on March 18, a group of about eight students and faculty members from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry met with Johnson to give feedback about the cafe from multiple campus perspectives. This Food Advisory Board will meet again on April 2.

The Food Advisory Board was formed in February, Johnson said, and had its first meeting March 20. Johnson said she hopes the board can meet every two weeks to ensure the cafe is meeting the wants and needs of ESF students and faculty.

“Feedback is always good,” Johnson said. “What aren’t we doing? What would you like to see? How can we work together to bring these things forward for you?”

Owen Hunter, a graduate student in environmental resources engineering, is a member of the Food Advisory Board.

He became involved with the board after hearing that Johnson and Shannon Richard, the executive director of campus operations for the Morrisville Auxiliary Corp., were looking for students and faculty to provide continuous feedback about the Trailhead’s operations.

Hunter said he wanted to help the cafe become a comfortable meeting place for students and faculty. The board has offered suggestions about cafe hours of operation, display items and staffing issues, such as providing an additional cashier to improve the flow of service, he said.

“They are really nice and they are very open to suggestions,” he said.

One of the main topics discussed at the meeting was how to provide more local and organic food without scaring away customers with higher prices, Hunter said.

There are already many local and organic options available at the cafe, Hunter said, but with more advertising about the sustainable sources of the food, he believes customers will be able to see beyond the dollar signs on the menu and the cafe can expand its sustainable offerings.

“I feel that ESF students as a whole would be willing to pay more,” he said.

Hunter said one of the strengths of the board is that it represents the views of many groups on campus.

Emily Bielejec, a junior natural history and interpretation major, represents the view of the Green Campus Initiative Group. GCI is a student organization that leads initiatives to encourage ESF students and faculty to live more sustainably.

Bielejec said she’s interested in helping the cafe provide more local and sustainable food options in the future, particularly more meat from New York state.

The cafe is already a much better option than the Gallery Snack Bar in Marshall Hall, she said. The food is fresher and there are more vegetarian and vegan options, such as fresh herbs from local farms, she added.

“The Trailhead Café is actually catering to what a majority of students want to eat,” Bielejec said. “They have clearly done their homework.”

Richard, executive director of campus operations for the Morrisville, said the company already supports local and organic products through its five other facilities at Morrisville State College.

“We have the same goals in mind,” Richard said, “but each campus has their own culture. I think there is a lot we can learn and gain from each other.”

Published on April 1, 2013 at 1:30 am

Contact Shannon: smhazlit@syr.edu