USC already has the number one ranked international business school for both undergraduates and graduates, and the Darla Moore School of Business will now have food to fuel those rankings.
“We (Sodexo) are being encouraged and we are challenging ourselves to look at that operation and really showcase our culinary staff to bring international food, flavors and ethnicities to Columbia,” said Dave Sauers, District Manager of Sodexo. “We’re probably going to be talking about blending what we grow and what we purchase, using other cuisines from around the world.”
The Global Café will be the newest addition to campus. Sauers said it is “specially, conveniently located” in the new business school building and will be opening at an indefinite time early this semester.
The restaurant will feature a “global chef scholar in-residence program,” which will bring international Sodexo chefs to Columbia. These global culinary experts will stay for periods ranging from a month and a half to a semester at a time.
“That will help us learn some skills that we may not have and learn some techniques that we may not know and also bring the real international value of the Sodexo organization to the business school,” Sauers said. “The thought process is health-focused, environmentally sustainably-focused, and as much international mix in the menu as customers really want.”
But even Sauers is not completely sure how to pin down exactly what Global Café will be. Sodexo, Sauers said, wants to be very flexible with this new endeavor, and is looking for clients to get involved and make it their own.
“It’s a work in progress,” he said. “Once we get in and start operating we’re going to hear a lot from our customers in the building, and they’re going to help us decide what we’re going to become.”
But if you’re worried about trying foreign foods, the Global Café still has you covered. They’ll still offer the basics, like a grilled cheese sandwich or a turkey wrap, but they’ll also be serving some dishes that you can’t get anywhere else on campus.
The idea to open a new, more ambitious dining option originated from Sauers’ conversations with the employees themselves. They wanted a new option that would seek to mirror the excellence of USC’s academics with great food.
“It’s coming from people at the university who share with me what their hopes and dreams are, and then on the Sodexo side, it’s what do we think we can do to complement that,” Sauers said. “It probably originates or germinates from those folks at the university who really want to be recognized for excellence.”
It is unclear exactly when Sodexo will open the new site, but according to Sauers, the kitchen is currently expected to be completed some time in September.
“I think everyone wants it to be ready as soon as it can be ready, and I think the beginning of the school year would be the perfect time, but I don’t think it will be quite that quick,” Sauers said.
It is unclear exactly what hours the Global Café will be open for.
Although Sodexo is currently looking into holding all three meals at the kitchen, according to Sauers, only breakfast is currently guaranteed; meal plans and Carolina Cash will be accepted as payment.
Even though students might have to wait awhile for the Global Café, Sauers thinks it will be well worth the anticipation, especially with the chef scholars in-residence and the stark differences between the new eatery and all other options on campus.
“The fact that we really do have a new and state-of-the-art kitchen, where in so many of the other facilities which are so much more outdated,” he said, “we’ve got the capacity to do more and different things than we have in a number of the other facilities on campus.”