Nicholls, others, promoting wellness

When one walks through Nicholls State University’s Galliano Dining Hall, tantalizing smells capture the nose.

These scents are intruders, foreign to the usual smells at the cafeteria. They could be coming from any number of things: fresh-cut beef, a hummus bar, a wide array of vegetables or delectable Gulf fish.

The new menu offerings are part of Nicholls’ new healthy eating initiative at Galliano it unveiled this semester. The cafeteria now has locally-sourced beef, potatoes and fish, expanded vegetarian and vegan options like the hummus bar and a nosh bar. Russell Barrios, general manager of Food Services at Nicholls, said his staff made changes after receiving feedback with students, faculty and staff about the dining hall’s offerings.

“When we interviewed students, a lot of their wants, when we’re talking about Generation Z, they like sustainability, they like local, they like vegetarian options, vegan options. They may not choose it, but they like to see it,” Barrios said.

Austin Wendt, Student Government Association vice president, served on the Food Advisory Association that voiced praise and criticisms of the cafeteria. According to him, the results have been impressive, as he has heard rave reviews from his fellow students since the changes were implemented.

“I think it’s so important [Food Services] care what the students think. They’re not just another cafeteria company or catering service. They’re committed to enhancing the student experience across campus,” Wendt said.

Wendt said he has enjoyed seeing beef prepared in front of him as he orders. The peak performance station features hormone-free beef, with dining staff cutting the meat and cooking it to order. Executive Chef Norman Hunt said that station focuses on providing high-quality meals prepared simply, so active students can get their carbohydrates, vegetables and proteins without any of the extra, unhealthy trappings.

“If we put beef out here we’re not going to put barbecue sauce on it. If we put fish out here we’re not going to put butter on it,” Hunt said.

The changes are part of a district-wide plan by Sodexo, a food services company that manages Nicholls’ campus dining. The company is also pushing healthier dining at New Orleans universities such as Loyola, Tulane, Xavier and Dillard. In addition to healthy eating, Sodexo has also had sustainability efforts for a few years. Such efforts include recycling the grease it uses as biofuel and its cardboard.

Nicholls has been able to buy local on many goods while not increasing its price. According to Hunt, local farmers have to travel shorter distances to deliver their food, so delivery prices are cut. Combined with Sodexo’s large, corporate buying power, and the fresh food has not caused a budgetary shock for Barrios’s department.

“It’s something that is fresh. It’s something that is at the same price point, so why not do it?” Hunt asked.

Wendt said that shift to keeping money in the Bayou Region makes dining at Galliano even more attractive.

“At a time when the state is doing so badly, it’s very important that we are supporting local business here,” Wendt said. “I think it’s important that as big a company as Sodexo is, it’s willing to invest in the local community that it serves.”

The expanded menu with no additional cost is already reaping dividends for Nicholls, as both student meal plans and cash sales from locals stopping by for a meal have increased.

The improved menu at Nicholls is part of a collection of emphases across the Bayou Region on health and wellness. Thibodaux Regional Medical Center’s new Wellness Center is the first of its kind in the region and promotes a preventive healthcare through physical activity and healthy living. Businesses and governments in Terrebonne Parish have also been working with state officials on its Well-Ahead program, designed to make work and public spaces healthier environments.

Part of the Well-Ahead efforts is to designate those spaces at WellSpots, meaning they have completed a certain number of benchmarks for the designation. The benchmarks include a smoke-free property, access to smoking cessation care, workplace wellness programs and being breastfeeding-friendly. Jeanne Solis, Well-Ahead coordinator for Region 3 of the state, including Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, said she has not worked with Nicholls on designating the campus as a space, but the improved menu surely puts them on the right track.

“They’re not designated yet. However, by taking this move to create healthier options for the students, staff and faculty, they’re absolutely accomplishing the benchmarks to be designated as a college WellSpot,” Solis said.

Solis said recent designations in Terrebonne include Powerhouse Gym, the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce and Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government buildings. According to Suzanne Carlos, president of the CoC, the designation did not require much adjustment for her organization. The property was already smoke-free, and the chamber added a pumping room in 2014 when an employee had a newborn to breast feed. Carlos said the chamber also recently hosted a marketplace on wellness, designed to inform businesses about the benefits of health initiatives on for both employees and employers.

“The bottom line is if you have happier, healthier employees, productivity is better. And they will typically stay employed with you longer, so there’s not as high a turnover rate,” Carlos said. “If an employee knows you care about them truly, they’re more likely to be loyal to you and the company and know what’s going on.” •

Norman Hunt, executive chef of Dining Services at Nicholls State University, shows off pasta at the school’s cafeteria. Nicholls has implemented healthier eating options, including hormone-free beef and more vegetarian and vegan options, this semester.

KARL GOMMEL | THE TIMES