Behind the Scenes of Sage Dining
Casady School is known for its rigorous academics, competitive athletics, and caring community, but one part of Casady School which is often overlooked is its dining program. Sage Dining has been serving Casady with freshly cooked meals since 2012. However, not many students or parents really understand what Sage Dining represents. So, I took the chance to sit down with Senior Food Service Director Jeremy Canning and discovered what it’s like to prepare meals for Casady School.
Chef Jeremy has been working for Sage Dining for the past five years and previously worked as the Executive Chef for the Dominion House in Guthrie. He currently serves as the Head Chef of Sage Dining at Casady. He and the rest of his staff prepare gourmet lunches for Casady students and faculty. Sage aims to produce nutritious lunches for students, but also hopes to cater to their personal preferences. Chef Jeremy informed me that “Sage wants to give the community what they desire… and at the same time, we want to educate about healthy eating.” The team attempts to offer “comfort foods” as well as healthy options. At the present time, Sage is striving to add more nutritious items to the Upper Division snack bar.
In order to cater to students’ preferences, Sage relies heavily on customer feedback when creating their menus. The Touch of Sage digital app allows students and faculty to rate individual dishes with one through five stars and contact the cooking staff through suggestions and comments. When students rate dishes, not only is the staff able to learn the students’ favorite dishes, but the other Sage chefs from other schools can also view which dishes are the most popular. Although multiple students have downloaded the app, not many utilize it and provide Sage with feedback. Although there are alternative ways to send comments to the cooking staff, the app is the most helpful tool to send ratings to the staff. Chef Jeremy believes that the app “is the best way...to hear the most voices...When it’s written down and collected for me to view, it’s much easier for me to build menus based on what we know people like.”
Sage is currently working on organizing a weekly breakfast for parents, faculty, and students from all divisions. The meal would offer a typical continental breakfast with fruit, juice, muffins, and might also offer a couple hot breakfast items such as eggs and bacon. Students could bring a few dollars in the morning to enjoy breakfast, study, and spend time with classmates.
Sage Dining assembles lunches as well as snacks for Casady students and faculty in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Divisions. It offers multiple options such as the deli bar, the soup bar, and a main entree dish each day. Its staff tirelessly works to communicate with students and craft menus to their likings. Above all else, Sage Dining offers Casady a variety of delicious and healthy meals each day.