By: Julie Cipoletti

“I always look forward to the warm tomato basil soup on Mondays,” says sophomore Political Science Major, Maggie Gates of suburban Denver. “The soup is so good… I love it.”

Maggie isn’t the only Gonzaga student who looks forward to the Monday menu. The tomato basil soup and grilled cheese happens to be the #1, most popular lunch offering on campus. It may sound like simple, comfort food, but it’s part of an intentional, new approach to how Gonzaga is feeding your student.

Gonzaga University has attracted some of the region’s top, fine dining chefs to now feed and nurture the palates of today’s students with a completely different culinary mindset.

The vision came as the idea of the Hemmingson Center was being formed with its six, restaurant style offerings, filling two floors of this state of the art building.

“We actively went looking for the most qualified culinary professionals or top chefs so that we could serve students restaurant quality food. We wanted Zag Dining to be a different experience than what anyone thinks of when they think of residence hall food,” said Patrick Clelland, Resident District Manager of Zag Dining.

With state of the art, cutting edge opportunities in the futuristic Hemmingson Center, it became clear that eating residence hall food at Gonzaga was never going to be the same. To lead and staff this new culinary experience, the Zag Dining team decided to “go big” and went after some of the top chefs in the Northwest.

One of those culinary artists is Thomas Morrisette, whose top chef background includes exclusive Seattle area restaurants like the Tulalip Bay Restaurant and Spokane area restaurants like Mizuma and the Downriver Grill. He also served “foodie clients” on the Oregon coast, making everything from breads, desserts and sauces, all from scratch.

Morisette loved living the dream of preparing fine cuisine, but rarely saw his young family that included a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old.

With a workplace like the new Hemmingson Center and the opportunity for a work/life balance and career path that was more “family friendly” than a non-stop, traditional restaurant schedule, Morrisette couldn’t resist diving in to the challenge and being a part of the sea change that was about to happen to mealtimes at Gonzaga.

“No one becomes a chef to do traditional cafeteria food. We had to change our approach and mindset. We’re not just trying to feed students. We’re trying to nurture them.”

Morisette, Resident Dining Chef, Tom All, and their culinary team came up with this different, “nurturing” approach to preparing daily meals for Gonzaga students.

“The biggest step is treating the food properly. We came up with a new culinary planning process.  Our team talks about today and tomorrow so we make use of more fresh and local foods and be true to the ingredients. The extra time spent planning, buys us the time to peel our own fresh potatoes and veggies instead of relying on pre-cut or frozen. When you plan and treat the ingredients with respect, you can put the care in to make quality, nourishing meals that satisfy.”

Our “student fan” of the tomato basil soup has taken notice.

Maggie Gates is also gluten free for health reasons and has found that, “In the last two years the Zag Dining food has really been improving. They added a salad bar after the students asked for one. There’s a “simple servings” station where I can get a protein, a simple carb and a vegetable. Downstairs, near the Agriculture Station, they have a fridge filled with food for people who are vegan or have an allergy.”

The national “sport” of complaining about residence hall food may never go away, but this top chef focus at Gonzaga has been a game changer with almost daily compliments on the quality of the food and the least number of complaints, according to Patrick Clelland, Resident District Manager of Zag Dining.

“Parents comment that we really are taking care of their students. We’re embracing the opportunity, as this contributes to the success of their students and that’s what we’re all about.”