Richard “Rick” Leonardo

Auxiliary Services welcomes Richard “Rick” Leonardo as executive chef for Syracuse University Campus Dining.

Leonardo’s culinary path began in his teenage years, when he worked at his family’s Central New York restaurant. He received his culinary degree from The French Culinary Institute in New York City, then honed his skills working with the Daniel Boulud Restaurant Group.

Leonardo returned to Central New York to work as an executive pastry chef, then found his passion in collegiate dining with American Dining Creations, where he has spent the last 10 years developing menus for 29 colleges and universities.

Read on to learn more about his goals and initiatives:

Criteria for grading include:

• Offers at least one vegan entrĂ©e at every meal
• Promotes vegan options
• Labels vegan entrees and desserts
• Offers nondairy milk
• Participates in Meatless Monday
• Offers an all-vegan station
• Offers egg/mayonnaise replacements

Ruth Sullivan, a registered dietitian with Food Services, explains that they go above and beyond these guidelines. “Each dining center has an area dedicated to vegan foods that includes a wide variety of choices at each meal. We have seen an increase in the number of vegan students, as well as those who want to include more plant-forward menu items in their diet. Food Services is committed to providing delicious vegan options that meet the needs of these students.”

The Food Services menu committee is always looking to enhance their vegan options. If you have a vegan recipe that you would like to see offered in the dining centers, fill out the for menu consideration.

To see the vegan options offered daily in the dining centers, visit of the Food Services website.

“It is an honor to be recognized with this award,” says Ruth Sullivan, Food Services registered dietitian. “Food Services is committed to providing a safe, worry-free dining experience for our students, faculty and staff. This recognition provides our students with special diets, an additional level of comfort when choosing foods served in our facilities.”

“Food safety is one of Syracuse University Food Services’ highest concerns, and we continually strive to reduce the risk hazards in the food we serve,” says Mark Tewksbury, director of dining and stadium concessions.

Food Services has established standard operating procedures for the handling of food from the moment it is received through storage, production and serving. In addition, Food Services uses the food production program FoodPro to help identify food allergens that may increase the risk of cross-contact in dining centers. These items are replaced with other lower-risk items. To maintain the standard for the certification, weekly food allergen testing is done by Food Services staff.

Consistent training is used to ensure management, cooks and line staff understand the risk of cross-contact. Sullivan is a certified AllerTrain Master Trainer through AllerTrian by MenuTrinfo LLC. This means she is qualified to train Food Services staff members on allergy sensitivities using the AllerTrain U program.

Sullivan points out that Food Services’ dynamic allergy program wouldn’t be possible without the support from several University offices alongside the Food Services management team. Auxiliary Services has encouraged Food Services to get the certification and training necessary to build a successful program. The Office of Student Living, Parents and Family Services, Office of Disability Services, Risk Management, Public Safety and Health Services have all had a part in assisting Food Services in this endeavor.

In order to spread the word to students, Food Services has created signs, food allergy guides, an updated online menu and communicated frequently with students and parents. The management team at Food Services has empowered supervisors and sous chefs to recognize food allergy issues before they become a problem.

Other universities have expressed interest in learning about Syracuse University Food Services’ practices. This past summer, Sullivan was asked to present at The Chef Culinary Conference hosted by UMass Auxiliary Enterprises. The conference is an opportunity for chefs to discuss how to provide great tasting, sustainable, safe and healthy food choices in college and university food services. This year, the conference added nutrition sessions to share effective ideas on how to manage food allergies, intolerances and autoimmune diseases in a college and university dining setting.

Food Services continues to improve our allergy resources through training and certification. The department strives to provide the Syracuse University community with delicious, healthy food options while maintaining its successful approach to food sensitivities. For more information or questions about food allergies, contact Ruth Sullivan at resulliv@syr.edu or contact mealtalk@syr.edu.

The goal of the event was to match job seekers from local area community job readiness agencies with hiring authorities within the University to fill numerous temporary positions in Food Services and Facilities Services. The agencies represented included: Catholic Charities, The Salvation Army, the Syracuse Rescue Mission, Women’s Opportunity Center, JOBSplus and the New York State Department of Labor.  These agencies provide occupational training programs and were asked to invite their clients with culinary, maintenance or administrative skills. By leveraging the agencies’ existing programs, the University is hoping to meet its upcoming labor needs for the fall semester.

More than 100 job seekers received on-the-spot interviews with hiring managers. “This event provided an opportunity to put the personal touch in Syracuse University’s hiring process to fill entry level positions,” says Sharon Cole, talent acquisition manager in the Office of Human Resources.

“This second Building Local initiative event enforces our mission on how we can work together in the Syracuse community,” says Mark Jackson, executive director of the University’s Office of Community Engagement. “It provided a solution to what to do after job training, enabling agencies to offer their clients this next step to get employed. Early returns are positive.”

Participants displayed excitement as they discussed job opportunities the University has to offer. Patricia Bailey learned about the event through her culinary arts class at Catholic Charities. Bailey wants to own a food business someday. She expressed that working for Food Services would give her the knowledge and experience needed to pursue her dream. Bailey left the event saying, “I’m ecstatic and feeling good!”

Another applicant, Levekie Beaufort, has been searching for a job for six months after her previous employer relocated its office to Rochester. “I went to the Women’s Opportunity Center, and I’m so happy that I did,” Beaufort says. “They told me about this event and now I’m hopeful that I have a job to look forward to!”

Says Mark Tewksbury, director of dining for Food Services: “I’m excited to see such a great turnout. The opportunity to screen new employees and streamline the hiring process will be helpful as we prepare to welcome our students to campus.”

We would think nothing of walking from Henninger High School to the baseball stadium for opening day, then walk back home after the game! Walking to and from school was the norm, and it honestly didn’t bother me. It was a time to decompress, sort out my thoughts, or catch up with my friends.

I never had a car, so the walking continued through my teenage years. Most weekends, just before curfew, I would sprint, bolt, stroll and, on some occasions, stumble home before the door was locked. Between school and my social life, I would easily walk at least four miles daily.

Fast forward to now. My car has replaced my legs for transportation, and my lifestyle doesn’t allow for a lot of extra time to walk, run or stroll during my typical day.

I decided to use the Orange on the Move Challenge as a way to jump-start my walking, make it a consistent part of my day, and ultimately find the joy walking brought me as a kid.

My Plan

Step 1: I always like to start with the essentials—new sneakers! You absolutely cannot enjoy walking without the proper footwear. So priority one was a well-fitting, good-looking pair of sneakers. These are mine:

Step 2: Remember to pack said sneakers when going to work every day!

Step 3: Find a walking buddy. This is absolutely not crucial. However, I have found that walking and talking is great therapy. My walking buddy and I have a rule: what is said on the walk stays on the walk. Plus, it is more difficult to skip the walk when you have a walking buddy to hold you accountable!

Step 4: I make it a goal to find something beautiful every time I go out for a walk. This small challenge requires me to pay attention while looking for the one thing that will make me smile while walking.

Step 5: Put the walk on my schedule. Just like a regular meeting, scheduling time to walk is one sure way to get it done. No excuses!

When Plan A Doesn’t Work, Go to Plan B

Best laid plans don’t always work out, especially when living in Syracuse, where Mother Nature has a sense of humor. In order to get those steps in even on the days that I don’t get out for a scheduled walk, I have found ways to sneak in extra steps.

Step 1: Park in the farthest spot in the lot. This is my car:

It doesn’t seem like a lot, but these steps add up. I remind myself that I am fortunate to be able to walk, and this may not always be the case. So for now, I will park far away and enjoy the extra steps. When I have meetings on campus (my office is at the Food Services Commissary south of campus), I park in a lot farthest from my destination and walk to all of my appointments.

Step 2: Take the stairs. Some days this just plain hurts! It does get easier. By walking the stairs instead of taking the elevator, I have found that I have more energy to do other things in my daily routine.

Step 3: Walk through the neighborhood after dinner. Not only is this a great way to get to know your neighbors a little better, it is fun to look at everyone’s landscaping this time of year.

My Results? I’m finding a bit of skip in my step when walking down the hall. I’m also able to run, not drag myself up the stairs at home to grab those sneakers that I almost forgot to bring to work! There are days when getting the 10,000 steps seems like a breeze, and there are days where the steps refuse to add up. I’m finding that my walking days have become more frequent, and I feel the kid in me shining through. This has helped me to stay motivated and keep walking!

Inside look at Agbotic Farms’ greenhouse.

Students at the University’s dining centers may have noticed a fresh, new item on the salad bars: baby radishes and beet greens. The produce is sourced from , a local farm an hour north of campus in Sackets Harbor, New York. Purchasing from Agbotic Farms allows the University the ability to offer students fresh, locally grown produce year-round—difficult to achieve in the Northeast.

Earlier this year, the in Falk College worked with the Adirondack North Country Association, a nonprofit that connects university and K-12 institutions with local farms, to bring to campus Kevin Richardson, Agbotic Farms executive vice president of sales and operations. Richardson met with and staff, and Food Studies faculty, and a partnership was created.

Food Services and Sustainability Management staff took a trip to the farm to learn more about the operation. “The Food Services team was excited to make the visit to determine if their products would be a good fit for Syracuse University,” says Mark Tewksbury, director of residential dining. The University does its best to serve locally grown produce, but that has proven to be a challenge with New York’s short growing season.

Part of the review process involved learning if students liked the product. Food Services invited Agbotic Farms to share their produce at a Wednesday Feedback event at the Ernie Davis Dining Center this past February. Response to the baby greens was overwhelmingly positive. “The greens are new, fresh and a bit sweet,” remarked one of the student taste testers.

Agbotic Farms began in 2014 when the three owners—Richardson, Cody Morse and John Gaus—created a prototype green house in which they could grow organic baby produce in soil year-round. Their innovative technology is engineered to have environmental control over their product 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This allows produce to grow in nutrient-rich soil, yielding a flavorful product. The farm’s food is organic and . According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, GAP means the produce is grown, handled and packaged in such a way that reduces the risk of microbial food safety hazards.

From seed to harvest, it takes 22 days to grow a single baby radish. On the 23rd day, Food Services is able to serve the baby roots on the campus salad bars. “This benefits Syracuse University because students are able to have the fresh greens in the dining centers within 24 hours of harvest,” Richardson says. To maintain their quality, Agbotic Farms sells only to companies that they are able to deliver to within 24 hours of harvest.

Currently, Agbotic Farms has one fully functional greenhouse, with the structures for five additional greenhouses and a wash-and-pack facility in place. The company plans to have all its greenhouses up and running by the end of August. Other expansion plans include hiring more than 20 new employees and expanding to grow other baby root produce like carrots and turnips.

Fruit platters prepared at the Commissary.

Students with peanut and some tree-nut allergies can feel safer now, more than ever, while eating in Syracuse University’s dining centers. That’s because Food Services’ Production Kitchen and cook chill facility, located in the Commissary, recently became “certified free from”  peanut and tree nut (except coconut) allergens by Kitchens with Confidence (KwC) by MenuTrinfo. KwC is a leading allergen and gluten-free auditing and accreditation firm; the Commissary is where most of the food served on campus is made.

“Food safety is one of our highest concerns, and we continually strive to ensure the safety of our food. Employees are ServSafe trained and we use HACCP [Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point] principles to reduce the risk of hazards in food,” says Jim Ponzi, associate director of production and commissary operations. “The KwC certification is an additional step that we are happy to accommodate to guarantee our students’ well-being.”

Food Services has a robust program to reduce the risk to students with food allergies, including independent verification. Three years ago, Food Services began working to make dining centers safer for students with allergies by eliminating foods with peanuts and tree nuts from its recipes. In January 2018, KwC audited four dining centers to become gluten-free certified. The fifth, Brockway Dining Center, received its gluten-free certification after last summer’s renovation of the facility. It was during the gluten-free certification process that KwC recommended measures Food Services could take to become “certified free from”  peanut and tree nut (except coconut) allergens for the Cook-Chill facility and production kitchen.

Knowing the certification would make the University’s dining program stronger, the Food Services team was driven to meet these recommendations as quickly as possible. Registered dietitian Ruth Sullivan immediately went to work to attain the accreditation by setting up new policies and training staff. Signage was also created to remind all staff of strict policies: thorough hand washing, wearing new gloves and a clean uniform when entering the area, and monitoring equipment in and out of the area.

KwC followed up with an audit of the Cook-Chill facility and Production Kitchen checking 20 main components with over 100 specific critical control points. The assessment included a review of the current policies established for receiving, storage, approving suppliers, manufacturing process, allergen cleaning program, and staff training and education. To earn the status of “certified free from” peanut and tree nut (expect coconut) allergens, the cook chill and production kitchen facilities had to satisfy enough check points to warrant a passing score. In addition, weekly food allergen testing is done by Food Services staff to maintain adherence to guidelines.

This is another step in making sure Food Services serves food that is nutritious, delicious and safe. “We hope that this makes our students with allergies feel more at ease and welcome in our dining centers,” Sullivan says.

Vegan pizza is among the options offered in the University’s dining halls.

For the third consecutive year, Syracuse’s dining centers have received an A+ rating from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), placing Syracuse University on the Dean’s List in PETA’s college rankings. According to VeganReportCard.com, “The Dean’s List includes an elite group of institutions that have accrued enough Vegan Report Card points to rank among the highest tier of A-rated schools. They are the vanguard when it comes to vegan cuisine on campus.”

Criteria for grading include:

• Offers at least one vegan entrĂ©e at every meal
• Promotes vegan options
• Labels vegan entrees and desserts
• Offers nondairy milk
• Participates in Meatless Monday
• Offers an all vegan station
• Offers egg/mayo replacements

Ruth Sullivan, SU Food Services Registered Dietitian, says that SU Food Services goes above and beyond these guidelines. “Each dining center has a large area dedicated to vegan foods. Besides our featured entrées, we serve a variety of grain salads, pizza, deli items and dessert. Our menu committee continues working to eliminate as much processed vegan foods as possible in order to keep the selections fresh and exciting,” says Sullivan.

Emily Gibbs, a junior majoring in nutrition, has been a vegan since she was a senior in high school. Before she came to Syracuse University she was concerned that being vegan would mean not having enough food choices. On the contrary, she says, “I was pleased and surprised at the abundance of vegan food. Plus, I love it. Every time I go into the dining center, I find a new vegan food that I like.” Gibbs’ favorite vegan foods at the dining center include falafel, coconut encrusted tofu, pigeon peas and anything with seitan.

“Food Services is also great about labeling all the food so I know exactly what foods are vegan. Whenever I have a question, the staff is very accommodating,” says Gibbs.

The staff in Food Services welcomes student feedback. If you have a vegan recipe you would like to see offered in the dining centers, email it to mealtalk@syr.edu for consideration by the menu committee. To see the vegan options offered daily in the dining centers, visit . Under “Nutrition” click “Daily Menu and Nutritional Analysis.”

Do you ever wonder what happens to the leftover food in Syracuse University’s dining centers? Food Services does its best to reduce food waste by carefully planning each day’s production and composting. But even so, it’s impossible to end up with zero leftovers at the end of each day. That’s why the Food Recovery Network (FRN) is so important.

Food Recovery Network volunteers are, front row left to right: Becky Stromfeld, Shewa Shwani, Regina Northouse, Haley Gladitsch and Luella Bond; back row left to right: Molly Suba, Zoë Klobus, Angie Espino and Harris Eisenhardt

The FRN is a national organization that donates unused food from the University’s dining centers, cafes and student centers. Locally, the food collected from the dining centers is distributed to social wellness agencies such as homeless shelters, transitional housing organizations, refugee programs, children’s programs and more.

In 2014, an FRN student group was formed at Syracuse University and SUNY ESF. At the time, donations were collected two days a week from one SU dining center and the Trailhead Cafe on the SUNY ESF campus. The first year, the group packaged and delivered over 5,000 pounds of food.

Since then, the program has grown substantially. The Food Recovery Network now collects from all five of Syracuse University’s dining centers and Schine Dining in addition to the Trailhead Café at SUNY ESF.

They pick up and deliver food five days a week, up to four times a day. Additional support from several student organizations has helped keep up with the extra pick-up and deliveries. The Syracuse University chapters of New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), Alpha Phi Omega (APO) and Students for Sustainability have all offered their time. Volunteers must go through basic food safety training given by University staff managers before participating in the program.

Each recovery requires a team of three to five students. A typical recovery takes just over an hour. Food Services staff assist the volunteers with food retrieval and packaging.

When the program started in 2014, the FRN delivered to two organizations. Today, they deliver to seven. Shewa Kamaran Shwani, president of the Syracuse Food Recovery Network, keeps all the deliveries and volunteers on track. She and Mark Tewksbury, Food Services Director of Residential Dining, surveyed all the charities last spring to get an idea of their individual needs in order to organize deliveries. Shwani admits that keeping all the volunteers and recoveries organized and on schedule is challenging. “We are fortunate to have a nine-person student executive board that helps keep the FRN working like a well-oiled machine!” she says.

The FRN board members who work together to manage the volunteers, pick-up and deliveries, and client needs are: Angie Espino, Harris Eisenhardt, Becky Stromfeld, Tucker Schnaars, Haley Gladitsch, Luella Bond, Jemila Smith and Lexi Chipules.

The charitable organizations have benefited in many ways. They all face budget constraints, so the food donations help relieve some of the food budget pressure. This enables them to focus on their organization’s primary mission. It also gives their guests access to a wide variety of foods.

A manager from one of the local charities says, “With the rising costs of food, the FRN has really helped stretch our food budget. The student volunteers also make a difference in our community and the lives of our guests.”

As a result of the FRN’s hard work and their partnership with SU Food Services, over 61,000 pounds of food has been donated since October 2014. Future plans for the FRN are to add additional organizations, continue the positive relationship with SU Food Services and recruit more student organizations to help keep the project on track.

To volunteer for the Syracuse Food Recovery Network or to learn more, visit:

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings and an undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic , with a global footprint, and , Syracuse University offers a quintessential college experience. The scope of Syracuse University is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors offered through 13 schools and colleges; nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit .

Vegan pizza is among the options offered in the University’s dining halls.

“Every time I go into the dining center, I notice something else that I could use to make a satisfying meal,” Austin says. “I’m very impressed with the options. The staff has also been accommodating and helpful whenever I have a question. ”

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has also recognized Syracuse University’s dedication to serving the vegan population with its annual Vegan Report Card. For the second year in a row, SU Food Services has received an A+ grade for its vegan food selection in the dining centers. Criteria for grading included:

• promotes vegan options
• labels vegan entrees and desserts
• offers nondairy milk
• participates in Meatless Monday
• offers an all-vegan station

Ruth Sullivan, Food Services Registered Dietitian, says that Food Services goes above these guidelines. “Each dining center has a large area dedicated to vegan foods. Besides our featured entrees, we serve a variety of grain salads, pizza, deli items and desserts.”

“Our menu committee has been working to eliminate as much processed vegan foods as possible in order to keep the selections fresh and exciting.” says Sullivan.

This year, more than 1,400 universities across the U.S. were surveyed. Seventy percent of them now offer at least one vegan option on their dining hall menu, and 19 percent have all-vegan dining stations, like SU.

PETA representative Hannah Kinder says, “Syracuse University is on the forefront of the shift toward more sustainable, healthy and vegan food options.”

If you would like to see the vegan options that are offered daily in University dining centers, visit the SU Food Services web site: . There is a link on the home page to “Daily Menus and Nutrition information.”