Kennesaw State’s farm-to-campus program kicks it up a notch
Kennesaw State University, recently ranked among the top 25 colleges for best food (13) by Newsweek in its 2011 rankings of best colleges, is taking that trend to the next level. The university’s farm-to-campus program, which launched with two-acres of farmland, recently announced the addition of 40 acres, which is expected to provide 20 percent of the produce used in The Commons — the campus dining hall.
The acquisition comes from a partnership between Kennesaw State and a local established farming family. Through the partnership, the Knupp family granted the university use of its 40 acres in Ball Ground, Ga., which includes 10 acres of heirloom apple trees and two 1,500 square foot greenhouses, all irrigated by a 1,000-foot deep spring-fed well on the property.
“We first launched our farm-to-campus program in January 2010,” said Gary Coltek, chef de cuisine and director of Culinary and Hospitality Services for Kennesaw State. “As a result of the success of the pilot growing season that summer, we decided to expand and were thrilled when we found the Knupps. This partnership will enable us to grow ten times what we harvested that first year, and allow us to grow crops year-round.”
Kennesaw State’s farm-to-campus program is just one of the things that make the 54,000 square foot Commons, which now feeds 6,000 to 8,000 guests per day, unique. Opened in August 2009, it was designed with the concept of fresh eating and utilization of local, mostly organic produce in mind. Kitchen and service design was based on the concept of ‘small-batch’ cooking, where main entree dishes and sides are cooked to order, instead of cooked in large batches and held hot for service throughout the day.
According to Coltek, the idea of farm-to-campus was at the forefront of his mind even as the facility was being built.
“We began reaching out to local farmers and producers of meat and dairy products right away because we wanted to establish relationships with local suppliers early on and we still continue and value those relationships,” he said. “By sourcing locally from the onset we were able to familiarize ourselves with what’s grown in the area. Now that we are able to farm more for ourselves, we can grow what we need and want.”