Savor a meal with local ingredients Sept. 29
Duke community members may not have local treats like fresh butter and cream from Hillsborough or royal burgundy beans from Browns Summit on a regular basis, but on Sept. 29, faculty, staff and students can savor fruits, vegetables and meat from around the Triangle brought right to them.
Duke will take part in the annual Eat Local Challenge, which highlights local produce raised within a 150 mile radius of campus. The event is part of a national campaign organized by Bon Appétit, the food vendor for the Great Hall and Marketplace, as well as the Freeman Center for Jewish Life, Subway and Chick-fil-A. About 500 other Eat Local challenges are taking place across the country, including on other campuses.
Sarah McGowan, marketing manager for Bon Appétit, said the benefits of using local foods not only supports local farmers and gets money back into the community, but helps the environment because small farmers typically use fewer hormones and antibiotics and food doesn’t travel far to get to Duke.
She also said foods are more flavorful because it’s brought in fresh and doesn’t spend days on a truck. According to Worldwatch Institute, an environmental and social policy research organization in Washington, D.C., food in the United States typically travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles from farm to table – an increase of 25 percent farther than in 1974.
“This is a great way to raise awareness of the importance of buying local foods and to support North Carolina agriculture,” McGowan said. “Even the soda machines will be taken out, and we’ll make drinks from fresh fruit and water.”
Duke’s Eat Local Challenge will highlight more than a dozen locally-owned farms with specialties like smoked beef brisket from Pinetops-based Harris Acres Farm and roasted vegetables from Timberwood Organics Farm in Efland.
Eat Local menus will be offered from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Great Hall on West Campus and noon to 2:30 p.m. at the Marketplace on East Campus. Prices for entrees average about $6.
In addition to the annual event, other Duke eateries like The Refectory and Nasher Café use local products and seasonal foods on a daily basis. Duke also features two community gardens run by employees and students that share its produce with students at the Home Depot Smart Home and the Freeman Center.
Check out the Eat Local menus for the Marketplace and Great Hall.