To the laity, the castle menu may feel chaotic, or even random, with seemingly infinite meals, side dishes, and desserts. While every member of the Nobles community eats these meals daily, most are completely unaware of how the menu is curated and the identity of the mastermind behind its creation: Director of Dining Services Matt Burek. One of the most redeeming aspects of building the menu is student responses.
“There is nothing better for me and my team than to actually see the students enjoying the food and to receive all kinds of compliments about the meal,” Burek said.
How does Burek create a perpetually shifting menu that is beloved by the Nobles community, consistently provides the proper nutrients, and encourages a varied diet?
Students and faculty desire healthy food and agree on what constitutes a balanced meal.
Director of Sports Medicine Gwen Chiaranda said, “A balanced meal looks like a subjectively correct proportion of carbohydrate, protein, and fat, because every person’s needs are going to be different.”
Students agree that a mix of macronutrients is critical for a balanced meal, including Sebastian Guzman (Class I), a captain of Wrestling and Boys Crew.
“When I think about what I need for practice and for games, mainly what I’m looking for is enough carbs and protein,” Guzman said.
While Flik meals align with this definition of healthy eating, Burek’s view of a balanced diet differs slightly from that of Chiaranda and Guzman. Rather than focusing on which dishes and options provide each necessary macronutrient, he instead focuses on the quality and variety of the food itself.
Each meal will ultimately include the necessary nutrient types like proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, but Burek approaches this process by primarily maximizing dietary value.
“When we write a menu, we also have a whole set of standards and guidelines that are laid out by the company,” Burek said.
These rules mandate that Flik-made meals use low-sodium products, have desserts with reduced sugar, and avoid butter, among other regulations. Chiaranda appreciates how Flik avoids unhealthy foods.
“There are not a ton of desserts or sugary beverages like sodas or heavy juices. It’s not just what they serve but also what they don’t serve that ensures that healthy lunch options are available,” she said.
Having a variety of food choices is another priority for Burek. He focuses not only on serving dishes that change daily and weekly, but also on offering meals from various cultures or that may be new to some students.
“You want the students to explore, such as with Moroccan or Korean chicken. Maybe they’ve never had it before,” Burek said.
Doing so aims to instill important eating habits and an open-mindedness towards food. Still, there are certain meals that Burek states are necessary to serve frequently due to their popularity. Burek said,
“There’s probably three or four meals I have to hang my hat on, such as chicken fingers, pizza, and burgers.”
While the food offered in the castle contains a myriad of options, the choice to eat healthily is ultimately up to each student. Some students, like William Johnson (Class III), take full advantage of the different food groups and macronutrients available.
“There are always multiple different ways to get the type of food that you want,” Johnson said.
“It’s up to your creativity to make whatever you want on that day.”
Other students possess a limited perspective about where different macronutrients can be found, which thereby restricts their ability to curate a balanced meal.
“Sometimes on pasta Thursday, it can seem difficult to find a protein source on the hotline. That being said, it depends on the type of protein you’re looking for. There’s often hot cauliflower available on pasta Thursdays, which has a good amount of protein in it,” Chiaranda said.
Being more open-minded about new food and different sources of nutrients can allow students to take full advantage of the meals. Burek works incredibly hard to design a menu filled with tasty, nutritious food from which students can build balanced meals, but as with most else in life, its value ultimately depends on what you make of it.