Food Studio North opened its doors to Geneseo’s local diverse food profiles on March 23 with its Restaurant Takeover event.
Partnered with Campus Auxiliary Services, participating restaurants included Sweet Arts, the Big Tree Inn, the Village Tavern, Village Café and Catering, Questa Lasagna and other popular local restaurants.
For the price of regular admission to upstairs Letchworth Dining Complex, over 600 students had the opportunity to dine on food provided by the town’s community-based restaurants. The event—which Letchworth hopes to make annual—was an immediate success.
Lines to enter upstairs Letchworth pooled around the stairs; the lines to find seating, however, were even more formidable. Students making their third and fourth trips around the dining hall—all looking for something new to sample—drowned out the sounds of campus cash cards furiously swiping.
The types of cuisine served ranged from Asian, American, Italian and everything in-between, with choices to surely satisfy all tastes. Even the pickiest of eaters, whether a Buffalo wing purist or a Long Islander food critic, had nothing to complain about.
Burgers, salads, breads and chicken made their way to almost every student’s plate, each offering something new to Food Studio North. While the option of a traditional Letchworth ice cream dessert was still open, some students opted for Sweet Art’s rice pudding instead.
To those who attended, this was more than an opportunity to safely experience non-CAS food.
“I think it’s a great way to support local businesses,” political science major junior Remington Spoor said. “And it’s a fantastic means of community outreach by bringing the school closer to the greater community.”
But the food was, by far, the main attraction to the event.
“This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life, and I’ve been to Disney World,” psychology major freshman Madeline Reichler said. Her plate consisted of two veggie wraps, a chicken wing and egg rolls—a perfect image of the diversity of the event’s offerings.
“It was a nice change-up from the regular menu,” international relations major freshman Maryn Chmielewski said over a plate of pasta. “I brought my friends from high school, and they loved it.”
Her friends seemed to agree. One, a fan of the chicken wings, even asked how they could apply to Geneseo.
Some of the restaurant stations offered more than just food. A bakery station had a basket of postcards laid out. If filled out and brought to the participating bakery, they would mail it out for free. Additional stations had coupons for free loaves of bread and other goodies, provided with the intention of promoting outreach between students and the community.
Geneseo’s Restaurant Takeover event offered a fun, exciting new way for students to experiment with off campus food, all while giving local businesses a chance to showcase some of their specialties.