On Tuesday evening, over 400 students eschewed the usual campus dinner offerings for something different: a turkey carved by President Doug Bennet.
“Yes, President Bennet was there, and Midge,” said Director of Operations for Campus Dining Bridget Stapleton.
The Bennets and 80 other University faculty and staff donned custom-made aprons at the First Annual Wesleyan Thanksgiving held in MoCon. The guest servers received a quick turkey-carving tutorial from MoCon Executive Chef Allan Potts and began tending to the “campus families,” tables of up to nine students.
“Seeing the level of involvement at the University with alumni and faculty, it seemed like a great way to get everyone together,” Stapleton said. “We were overwhelmed with the response from faculty and staff who volunteered their time, and they’re already asking about next year!”
In place of the usual MoCon appetizers of pizza and greens from the salad bar, each table started with a cheese and cracker platter and dinner rolls. Next came a fresh free-range turkey with the traditional trimmings: stuffing, corn, vegetables, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Apple and pumpkin pie were served for dessert.
Stapleton said she was looking to introduce something unique and different to celebrate the season and had directed similar events at other campuses in the past.
“The problem was not really the food, but would students participate” Stapleton said. “We were getting a little worried, because we were advertising for a while but hadn’t filled up the seating.”
Stapleton said that it was in the last week before the meal that most students signed up.
“The food wasn’t good, it was actually great,” said Essie Lash ’06. “I carried the advertisement around in my bag for a month before, so I was pretty excited, and it still surpassed my expectations.”
In addition to food, an invocation by Roman Catholic Chaplain Louis Manzo and Rabbi David Leipziger reminded students to give thanks. Live music during the meal provided a background for eating.
“What about the off-the hook, crazy-ass music?” Lash said. “It really got me in the mood, the mood for food!”
The novelty of being waited on in MoCon did not go unnoticed.
“I have to give a shout out to [ResLife Area Coordinator] Dawn Brown, our server at table 11,” Lash said. “She was the best.”
Many students mentioned the good price value of the meal, 11 points, which was described as “all you care to eat.”
“When else does MoCon serve a whole turkey for your whole table?” said Thaddeus Ruzicka ’08.
Asked if the meal wound up costing more than it made, Stapleton emphasized that you cannot place a price on community togetherness.
“Cost wasn’t the intent,” she said. “We didn’t hold the dinner to make a profit.”
Is a Second Annual Wesleyan Thanksgiving in the works?
“Everyone’s asking! We’re just going to take a breath and then start for next year,” Stapleton said. “We didn’t have any complaints, and the expectation is there, so maybe next year we’ll have more seats or a second seating so that more students can be a part of it.”
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