It’s well known that Yale Hospitality is a diverse organization with a strong culinary background and passion ingrained in its team. Throughout the month of February, all 14 dining hall teams hosted special dinners to commemorate Black History Month through their culture, heritage, and pride. Using food as a universal language, teams were overjoyed to ‘honor the past’ with recipes that grandparents passed down to them from Jamaica, Haiti, Sierra Leone, and ‘celebrate the future’ with innovative twists to traditional favorites from Soul Pizza, Fried Ribs and Blazing Banana Pudding.
The idea of showcasing this tapestry of meals during Black History Month was an organic and shared vision that resulted in an explosion of ideas, recipes, and engagement. “Black History Month is not about one experience, one culture, and one food. It brings together so many elements that enrich our community and shared experiences. We wanted to implicitly and explicitly bring these voices and meals into students’ lives,” says Christelle Ramos, senior manager of marketing and communications for Yale Hospitality. “What was truly special was that many of the recipes featured throughout the month were from cook’s helpers, GSA’s, and pantry workers who are often behind the scenes and don’t get as much facetime with the students. This cross-section of roles reflects the multi-layered shared experiences of Black voices and culture – they can’t be bucketed into one category.”
Although many will simply see the recipes that were shared – which were delicious – it’s bigger than the food. The experience of deepened connection and belonging truly went both ways, as students have shared their gratitude and insight about how impactful it was to have authentic meals from their home countries or dishes their parents or grandparents have made. A student who enjoyed the dinner at Davenport shared that “It was amazing! As a Jamaican student, I really appreciated it! My friends also loved it!!” Overall, they reflected that it felt like a comforting taste of home here at Yale. It further created a space for common ground to be shared; it’s about connection, engagement, curiosity, and learning. With February coming to a close, many team members expressed that this shouldn’t be bound to one month – it’s cause for celebration each day!
The goal of this entire campaign was to amplify the faces, names, and stories of many team members. Highlighting their recipes was not only an exciting experience but created a deeper connection to the college community they’re such a vital part of. “Our team represents the faces and names which welcome, nurture and support Yale students each day. It was important to put the spotlight on our amazing dining hall teams who brought a unique passion to meals that don’t necessarily appear on our regular menus — bringing a unique taste of their story and heritage to campus. Because of this, we were able to bring this celebration to life in only the way our college communities can,” shared Jovan Bloise, Culinary Excellence Manager at Davenport.
There is such rich history of food as a cornerstone of culture, family, and love in the Black community – all things that we stand for here at Yale. The Yale Hospitality team hopes that they were able to raise awareness of the complexities of Black cuisine; demonstrating global influences from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Jamaica – as well as traditions from Louisiana, North Carolina, and right here in New Haven.
The impact that these dinners had on Yale’s student community and Yale Hospitality team struck a chord that was felt widely throughout the colleges. As part of students’ ‘home-away-from-home,’ the Yale Hospitality team truly takes their care to heart. Ramos notes, “These are the faces students are greeted by each day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, who know student names and their preferences like the back of their hand. This provided an environment for students to also get to know our team on more of a personal level – learn where they’re from, what inspires them, what their hopes are for the future. The opportunity to celebrate diverse cultures while deepening the sense of belonging on this vast campus is part of ensuring students are at home with us in more ways than one.”
Yale Hospitality is a transformational organization with a passionate team of 800 supporting over 23 residential and retail dining operations and dedicated catering services at Yale University in New Haven.