On March 26, UGA Dining Services hosted its annual Taste of Home event, transforming Bolton, Oglethorpe, Snelling, Village Summit, and The Niche dining commons into a showcase of comfort food drawn from the family recipe boxes of students, staff, and alumni. The event is in its fourth decade at UGA, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes that give students a taste of home while they’re away.
According to Dietetic Technician Jessica Harris, around 230 people submitted recipes this year, with around 80 selected for the event. Winning recipes included Elvis muffins, Cajun potato salad, and hot honey peach cobbler. Families of the selected recipes received a commemorative plate for their contribution to Taste of Home.
Many recipes featured unique ingredients and combinations, keeping the experience fresh for Dining Services staff. Adonis Allen, Unit Manager at The Niche, agreed, “It’s the fact that you get to cook something different. You get to say, ‘This is unique. I want to try this.’”
A special part of recreating heirloom recipes is honoring those who created them. Bolton Dining Commons Chef Justin Robbins explained that the most important part of Taste of Home is making sure the finished products “live up to the recipe and the person who originally made it.”
That sense of connection carries personal meaning for those who help bring the event to life. “Taste of Home is something that is really special to me,” said Harris. “A magical part of Taste of Home is that you get to see your family’s recipe in the dining hall and on a larger scale.”
Transforming the recipes is the job of the Dining Services nutrition team. A family recipe for green bean casserole that serves eight people, for example, must serve 1,200 customers in the dining commons. The nutrition team uses FoodPro food management software and their own knowledge to convert the recipe, taking it from four cups of green beans to 600 cups and adjusting the other ingredients accordingly.
Chefs from each dining commons collaborate to distribute recipes across locations. “There is some camaraderie around the event, to get the most unique recipe or the most creative recipe,” Harris said. Head chefs have even passed recipes to one another if a dish doesn’t fit their location but another team would love to see it made.
On many occasions, winning recipes have been incorporated into the regular meal rotation in the dining commons, extending the spirit of the event beyond a single day. As the recipe pool continues to grow, Taste of Home shows no signs of slowing down — only getting more delicious each year.
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By Abby Payton & Lindsey Rice