New Catlin Gabel Dining Service Brings in Mixed Reviews From Students

By Chip Downes-Le Guin ‘25

Near the end of the summer, as students hastily finished their summer reading books and faculty reviewed the curriculum, all Catlin Gabel School (CGS) community members got an email; SAGE Dining Services were gone, and a new food service provider, Genuine Foods, was in charge.

Although only announced to the CGS community in the middle of August, this change had begun much earlier in SAGE’s contract.

“Over the course of their tenure here, it seemed like service had gotten poorer [and] the food quality had gotten worse,” said CGS administrative faculty Theresa Giambalvo.

According to Giambalvo, parents also complained that “they [SAGE] seemed to rely more heavily on junk foods, rather than the actual food they were cooking” and the CGS administration found that they didn’t always come through on the changes that were asked of them.

As the contract finished and the administration became less happy with their service, a request for proposals (RFP) was put out to determine potential new food providers for the future.

A committee comprised of teachers, representatives from the business office, and head of school was put together to review prospective vendors looking for a focus on flavor, nutrition, and experience working with schools, Giambalvo said.

After looking through the resumés, the top three candidates and SAGE were invited for a tasting at the barn. Here the previously mentioned committee, members of the Catlin Gabel Student Association (CGSA), and every interested CGS employee were invited to sample and rate them.

Taking the averages of these ratings and qualitative data from the RFPs and interactions with the staff, Genuine Foods was chosen as the newest food service.

Responses to a CatlinSpeak stratified survey of student opinions on the culinary changes are mixed. Ninth grader Gus Hobbs held the opinion of many: “The main lunch at Genuine is better, but SAGE had so much more.”

In a response to the same survey, senior Lyla Wohlgemuth stated, "SAGE had way better options in the grab and go, meanwhile Genuine Foods has nothing I would eat as a snack."

The snack selection of Genuine Foods compared to that provided by SAGE was a much-aggrieved subject with 60% of respondents mentioning the lack of options, however, this has not gone entirely unnoticed.

In the CGS Newsletter sent to parents, “Adding new variety to the snack options” was listed as a priority of the Genuine team in addition to “Increasing portion sizes for lunch,” another common gripe of CGS students among the survey.

These changes were made in response to feedback from parents gathered through surveys and anecdotally; however, Giambalvo stated that questionnaires to collate student opinions are currently being made.

In addition to surveys, Giambalvo shared that “Chef Izzy loves hearing feedback, so they [students] should feel comfortable talking to him, they can always come to me…”

For now, student opinion on the change seems mixed, with about 43% of respondents preferring Genuine Foods, 38% preferring SAGE, and 19% with no significant preference between the two.

As Genuine Foods settles into the CGS community and gets its feet beneath them, ongoing feedback from parents and students alike will hopefully continue to shape the Barn experience for the better.