Gazebo Focuses on Wellness

Made-to-oder campus eatery re-opens with healthier focus

Mark Daniels, manager of Dining Services, cuts the ribbon in a ceremonial grand re-opening of the Gazebo on Oct. 26. (Photo by Darren Heslop)

The Gazebo, a made-to-order restaurant located in the Campus Center at Andrews University, had its grand re-opening on Thursday, Oct. 26, as a part of the first ever Wellness Week at Andrews University. Both the week-long event and the grand re-opening of the Gazebo are part of the University’s initiative to be the healthiest university.

“Both President Luxton and President Emeritus Andreasen have requested that Andrews University become the healthiest university,” says Mark Daniels, manager of Dining Services. “We in Dining Services are an integral part of that becoming a reality and we have worked alongside University Health & Wellness and Human Resources to chart a course to that end.”

Included in this completed phase of change are the following:

• Replacement of standard sodas with healthy sodas and additional juices, fruit-based drinks and flavored waters
• Integration of non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, no high fructose corn syrup snack options along with a decrease of “standard” snacks that are overtly unhealthy, placing a high value on balance and variety
• The addition of a fresh produce section
• An increase in whole grain, house-made baked goods (Whisk program)
• An updated “Farmstand” look to the Gazebo

“The executive chef and I have brought together our senior leadership team and recreated the Gazebo and made future plans for other wellness-focused programs in our department,” says Daniels.

Future plans for Dining Services include:

• A rewrite/update to the Gazebo’s static made-to-order menu
• Nutrition information provided, including posted calorie content (estimated completion date: Beginning of 2017)
• Ongoing updates to menus in the Terrace Café
• “Fully Alive” options on the catering menu

“We are always pursuing better ways to serve our students and the university at large,” Daniels adds. “We are passionate about these changes and have invested large amounts of time in making them happen.”

Dining services excitedly welcomed faculty, staff and students to its grand re-opening, where vendors provided healthy samples and Daniels and his staff were on-hand to answer questions.

“We welcome the opportunity for our campus community to stop by and see what’s changed,” says Daniels. “Of course, this change has been made to positively impact the lives of our students. They are the core of our operational mission statement and we want them to enjoy their experience in Dining Services, as well as receive healthy benefits from it.”

Related Links

• Gazebo hours & menu
• Article: From the Kitchen to the Woodshop: Chef builds new Gazebo shelving
• Terrace Cafe hours & menu
• University Health & Wellness
• Mission: Fully Alive
• Learn more about the campaign for the new Health & Wellness Center
• Office of Human Resources