The university’s hospitality group—Harvest Table—hosted a ‘Welcome Home’ event for community members in Fellows Garden on Sep. 15. 

Allison Deyo—Harvest Table’s Sustainability Manager on campus—talked with The Hoot about the hospitality group’s hopes to increase transparency and conversations between the hospitality group and community members through pop-up events like this. 

The event featured various drinks and snacks for community members to dine on that showcased the group’s initiative to procure local foods in support of sustainable dining. The event had apples from Carlson’s Orchards, which is located in Harvard, MA, only 18.37 miles away from campus. 

The event featured the hospitality group’s Sweet Loren’s cookies which are also in Sherman and Usdan Kitchen dining halls. The cookies are vegan and gluten-free—though Deyo noted they are not made in a gluten-free facility. The cookies are also free of the top 8 allergens, Deyo told The Hoot. The event also featured zucchini bread and pumpkin quick bread, with ingredients that were also locally sourced. 

The event also featured QR codes linked to the hospitality group’s webpage, to increase transparency with the community on their culinary commitments.