Dining Services

Chefs prepare all meals from scratch and in small batches, so that the last student who arrives in the Dining Hall experiences the same level of quality as the first student. By preparing food in batches, the chefs only prepare what is needed, reducing waste and minimizing leftovers.

We offer real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives, including roasted deli meats, freshest local produce, cage-free, Certified Humane® eggs, antibiotic- and hormone-free milk, and trans fat-free oils and MSG-free seasonings.

We purchase as much as possible from local, sustainable providers, including using food grown in our own school garden. For the 2016-2017 school year, 37% of the products SAGE purchased were manufactured, produced, or grown within a 150-mile radius of each school.

To support local purchasing efforts, SAGE’s Purchasing Department collaborates with the director and chefs at each school to identify potential partners and suppliers. SAGE Purchasing Representatives visit each local purveyor to ensure that each manufacturer, farmer, or supplier is using Good Agricultural Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices, or is Third-Party Certified.

SAGE emphasizes the importance of sustainable sourcing through on-site signage highlighting organic items, sustainability programs, local farmers whose food is featured, and produce grown both on campus and within 150 miles of campus.

Learn more about SAGE’s approach to local sourcing.

Free Style Menu

SAGE's Free Style® menu offers items made without the 12 most common allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, milk, gluten, eggs, fish, wheat, sesame, soy, mustard, and sulfites. To prevent cross-contact of allergens that can occur at self-service bars, menu items here will be served by a SAGE Team Member, pre-plated, or offered as grab-and-go. Because this station offers delicious variety and is open to all community members, you’ll get a true sense of belonging as you enjoy meals together with your peers. To find Free Style® menu items, simply look for the Free Style® logo in the servery.

Allergy Safety

In order to keep all students safe in the dining hall, all dining team members are extensively trained in food allergy awareness, and menus provide complete ingredient lists - and something for everyone! 

Since peanut allergies are the most common and severe, our dining team does not serve peanut or tree nut products, or any products with a warning label for potential cross-contamination with peanuts or tree nuts. This policy reduces the possibility of potentially fatal allergic reactions—but as a precaution, all managers are trained to recognize anaphylaxis and use an EpiPen^®.

An expert team of five registered dietitians reviews every ingredient used in recipes, and tags them with the 12 main allergens recognized in the U.S. and Canada. During service, all menu items in the dining hall that contain the 12 main allergens are labeled so that students and faculty can identify allergen-free items easily, and vessels and utensils are chosen carefully to prevent cross-contact at food bars.

Learn more about SAGE’s approach to food safety and allergy management.

The backbone of our nutrition program, the team of registered dietitians create educational materials, review each menu, and work closely with our school's dining team to ensure balance across the board. They analyze recipes for nutritional content, and assign color-coded Spotlight dots based on that data. SAGE dietitians also work closely with school nurses regarding food allergies.

Meet SAGE’s Registered Dieticians.

Students can make informed decisions about what to eat using the Spotlight Program®, a color-coded system that shows the nutritional value of each item offered. Students are encouraged to “build their plates” with a variety of green-dot foods every day, to balance their plates with yellow-dot foods most days, and to consume red-dot foods in moderation.

Spotlight colors are assigned based on the amount of saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium a food item contains. In response to the most recent USDA Dietary Guidelines, SAGE is updating the criteria to evaluate nutrient density and the relative healthfulness of a food, rather than evaluating for negative nutrients alone.

In addition to learning about healthy, balanced eating habits, students will be exposed to historical, cultural, and culinary topics each month through the SAGE Educational Seasonings program. Through informational guides, creative displays, taste-testing, and hands-on preparation, SAGE will present a variety of topics next academic year, including: Moroccan Cuisine, Thanksgiving in the Early 1900's, All About Gluten, and Waste Not, Want Not.

Parents and students can use the Touch of Sage app via their mobile devices to get information they need, whenever and wherever they need it. The app allows users to view menus and nutritional details, access the allergen filter and build a custom allergen profile, and view information on upcoming events.

Students can also submit ongoing feedback on menu items they like or dislike. This feedback is then used by chefs to build future menus that appeal to EA students.

Learn more about the Touch of SAGE App.