Navigating the Culinary Centers with Dietary Restrictions
Our Goal
Our goal is to provide each person with the resources needed to actively manage their food allergies while enjoying the Wellesley College dining experience. Wellesley Fresh recognizes that some students may have one or more food allergies that require them to carefully manage their food selections in the culinary centers. Students with special requests due to food allergies or dietary restriction are strongly encouraged to make Wellesley Fresh aware of these needs as early as possible. We make every effort to provide helpful information to our campus community. Our dietitian is available to work with individual students to determine the dining strategy that best meets their personal food-related needs. Connections will be made with chef managers as needed.
What to do if you have a food allergy or dietary restriction?
Students that require accommodations for their dietary restrictions are encouraged to contact Wellesley College’s Accessibility and Disability Resources (ADR) at accessibility@wellesley.edu and notify them prior to arriving on campus. For more information about ADR, please visit their website. Our Wellesley Fresh dietitian, Hannah Soifer, is also available for guidance and can be contacted at hs104@wellesley.edu
Menu Labeling
Menus are displayed at every station in the culinary centers. The “Food Allergens & Preferences Guide” illustrates the icons used on menus to identify the top nine food allergens (eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, wheat, and sesame) as well as vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-sensitive options. The gluten-sensitive (GS) icon indicates that a selection does not contain gluten in the ingredients, such as wheat, barley or rye. Wellesley College is not a gluten-free campus and incidental gluten may still be present in GS labeled foods. Menus are posted online and can be filtered for allergens by selecting “My Preferences”. Student are encouraged to speak with the manager on duty should they have any questions while visiting the culinary centers.
Our goal is to provide each person with the resources needed to actively manage their food allergies while enjoying the Wellesley College dining experience. Wellesley Fresh recognizes that some students may have one or more food allergies that require them to carefully manage their food selections in the culinary centers. Students with special requests due to food allergies or dietary restriction are strongly encouraged to make Wellesley Fresh aware of these needs as early as possible. We make every effort to provide helpful information to our campus community. Our dietitian is available to work with individual students to determine the dining strategy that best meets their personal food-related needs. Connections will be made with chef managers as needed.
What to do if you have a food allergy or dietary restriction?
Students that require accommodations for their dietary restrictions are encouraged to contact Wellesley College’s Accessibility and Disability Resources (ADR) at accessibility@wellesley.edu and notify them prior to arriving on campus. For more information about ADR, please visit their website. Our Wellesley Fresh dietitian, Hannah Soifer, is also available for guidance and can be contacted at hs104@wellesley.edu
Menu Labeling
Menus are displayed at every station in the culinary centers. The “Food Allergens & Preferences Guide” illustrates the icons used on menus to identify the top nine food allergens (eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, wheat, and sesame) as well as vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-sensitive options. The gluten-sensitive (GS) icon indicates that a selection does not contain gluten in the ingredients, such as wheat, barley or rye. Wellesley College is not a gluten-free campus and incidental gluten may still be present in GS labeled foods. Menus are posted online and can be filtered for allergens by selecting “My Preferences”. Student are encouraged to speak with the manager on duty should they have any questions while visiting the culinary centers.
Food Allergen & Preference Guide - Look for these icons
Dining with Food Allergies
Tower Culinary Center
Tower Culinary Center features our Clarity station, which serves meals prepared without the use of the top nine allergens (egg, fish, milk, peanuts, soy, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, and sesame) and gluten. Additionally, Tower is a nut-sensitive facility, meaning no peanuts or tree nuts are used in the preparation of meals served here, and features homemade sunflower butter as an alternative to our traditional peanut butter.
Claflin Bakery
Claflin Bakery is our nut-sensitive bake shop on campus; nuts are not used as part of our bakery program. Pastries and breads baked here are featured at Tower, Bates, Bae Pao Lu Chow, and retail locations.
Campus Wide
All four culinary centers offer several plant-based milk alternatives including soymilk, oat milk, and chocolate pea milk. Lactaid and rice milk are also available. A variety of other options will be available throughout all culinary centers for those with food allergies. The “Food Allergens and Preference Guide” will help identify suitable choices.
Tower Culinary Center features our Clarity station, which serves meals prepared without the use of the top nine allergens (egg, fish, milk, peanuts, soy, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, and sesame) and gluten. Additionally, Tower is a nut-sensitive facility, meaning no peanuts or tree nuts are used in the preparation of meals served here, and features homemade sunflower butter as an alternative to our traditional peanut butter.
Claflin Bakery
Claflin Bakery is our nut-sensitive bake shop on campus; nuts are not used as part of our bakery program. Pastries and breads baked here are featured at Tower, Bates, Bae Pao Lu Chow, and retail locations.
Campus Wide
All four culinary centers offer several plant-based milk alternatives including soymilk, oat milk, and chocolate pea milk. Lactaid and rice milk are also available. A variety of other options will be available throughout all culinary centers for those with food allergies. The “Food Allergens and Preference Guide” will help identify suitable choices.
Dining with Celiac or Gluten Sensitivity
Bates Culinary Center
Bates Culinary Center provides a Gluten Sensitive Room designed specifically for students with diagnosis of celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity with prior approval*. This space has a microwave, toaster, and refrigerator. Gluten-free bread products, cereals, and additional items are available. The refrigerator contains items to prepare a gluten-sensitive plate, reflective of the meals offered in the culinary center each day.
*Please note: To obtain access to the Gluten Sensitive Room, students must be approved for use by Wellesley College Accessibility and Disability Resources (ADR) and attend a training session with the Wellesley Fresh Dietitian before being granted access to use the room. Please contact Wellesley College ADR at accessibility@wellesley.edu for more information.
Tower Culinary Center
The Clarity station at Tower accommodates those with gluten sensitivities. Additionally, there is a refrigerator stocked with gluten-sensitive pasta, tomato sauce, tofu, condiments, and other rotating items.
Campus Wide
In each dining location, a designated gluten-sensitive area is available that includes a toaster, gluten-free bread products, and pre-packaged gluten-free desserts. Gluten-sensitive cereals can be found across campus, and rice cookers are available in every culinary center.
Vegan and Vegetarian Dining
Throughout campus you will be able to find a variety of vegan and vegetarian dining options. Look for the V (vegetarian) and VE (vegan) icons indicated on menus. Stone-Davis is a designated vegan and vegetarian culinary center that offers a wide range of rotating vegan and vegetarian dishes on a daily basis. In addition, Tower Culinary Center features a vegan deli bar, and Claflin bakery prepares assorted vegan pastries throughout the week. All four culinary centers offer several plant-based milk alternatives including soy milk, oat milk, chocolate pea milk, and rice milk.
Kosher Dining
For those who keep kosher, Stone-Davis culinary center operates as a kosher kitchen with all ingredients certified under the supervision of our campus rabbi. As a dedicated vegan and vegetarian location, this guarantees that there is no mixing of meat and dairy products. In adherence to kosher guidelines, outside foods, containers, and utensils are not permitted in this culinary center (water bottles are fine).
Halal Dining
Tower Culinary Center serves halal meats. All food items are prepared without the use of alcohol and pork products. Bae Pao Culinary Center offers late night halal chicken and burgers available upon request.
Share your Thoughts
Looking for something you do not see? Ask a manager; they would be happy to assist. Our Text-the-Manager program also allows students to ask questions or voice concerns anonymously by texting 781.531.9113
Safety Protocols
We adhere to ServSafe practices and regularly train our team members on food allergies and how to prevent cross-contact. All culinary centers separate any items with nuts and gluten to one side of the salad bar to reduce the risk of cross-contact. At self-service areas, students are instructed to only use the serving utensil designated for each food item and to use a fresh plate for each visit. We recognize that salad bars may be a hot spot for cross-contact. Those with severe food allergies are encouraged to ask managers for a separately prepared plate to avoid the potential of cross-contact in self-service areas.
Questions? Please contact Hannah Soifer, our on-campus dietitian, with any questions regarding food allergies, intolerances, or other dietary preferences. Hannah is here to help you manage your food-related needs in the culinary centers and is available for private consultations.
Hannah Soifer, RD, LDN
hs104@wellesley.edu
781.283.3933
Bates Culinary Center provides a Gluten Sensitive Room designed specifically for students with diagnosis of celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity with prior approval*. This space has a microwave, toaster, and refrigerator. Gluten-free bread products, cereals, and additional items are available. The refrigerator contains items to prepare a gluten-sensitive plate, reflective of the meals offered in the culinary center each day.
*Please note: To obtain access to the Gluten Sensitive Room, students must be approved for use by Wellesley College Accessibility and Disability Resources (ADR) and attend a training session with the Wellesley Fresh Dietitian before being granted access to use the room. Please contact Wellesley College ADR at accessibility@wellesley.edu for more information.
Tower Culinary Center
The Clarity station at Tower accommodates those with gluten sensitivities. Additionally, there is a refrigerator stocked with gluten-sensitive pasta, tomato sauce, tofu, condiments, and other rotating items.
Campus Wide
In each dining location, a designated gluten-sensitive area is available that includes a toaster, gluten-free bread products, and pre-packaged gluten-free desserts. Gluten-sensitive cereals can be found across campus, and rice cookers are available in every culinary center.
Vegan and Vegetarian Dining
Throughout campus you will be able to find a variety of vegan and vegetarian dining options. Look for the V (vegetarian) and VE (vegan) icons indicated on menus. Stone-Davis is a designated vegan and vegetarian culinary center that offers a wide range of rotating vegan and vegetarian dishes on a daily basis. In addition, Tower Culinary Center features a vegan deli bar, and Claflin bakery prepares assorted vegan pastries throughout the week. All four culinary centers offer several plant-based milk alternatives including soy milk, oat milk, chocolate pea milk, and rice milk.
Kosher Dining
For those who keep kosher, Stone-Davis culinary center operates as a kosher kitchen with all ingredients certified under the supervision of our campus rabbi. As a dedicated vegan and vegetarian location, this guarantees that there is no mixing of meat and dairy products. In adherence to kosher guidelines, outside foods, containers, and utensils are not permitted in this culinary center (water bottles are fine).
Halal Dining
Tower Culinary Center serves halal meats. All food items are prepared without the use of alcohol and pork products. Bae Pao Culinary Center offers late night halal chicken and burgers available upon request.
Share your Thoughts
Looking for something you do not see? Ask a manager; they would be happy to assist. Our Text-the-Manager program also allows students to ask questions or voice concerns anonymously by texting 781.531.9113
Safety Protocols
We adhere to ServSafe practices and regularly train our team members on food allergies and how to prevent cross-contact. All culinary centers separate any items with nuts and gluten to one side of the salad bar to reduce the risk of cross-contact. At self-service areas, students are instructed to only use the serving utensil designated for each food item and to use a fresh plate for each visit. We recognize that salad bars may be a hot spot for cross-contact. Those with severe food allergies are encouraged to ask managers for a separately prepared plate to avoid the potential of cross-contact in self-service areas.
Questions? Please contact Hannah Soifer, our on-campus dietitian, with any questions regarding food allergies, intolerances, or other dietary preferences. Hannah is here to help you manage your food-related needs in the culinary centers and is available for private consultations.
Hannah Soifer, RD, LDN
hs104@wellesley.edu
781.283.3933
Disclaimer: While we do our best to accommodate the dietary needs of our customers and maintain safety protocols, please be aware that our kitchens use ingredients that contain all nine of the major FDA food allergens. Wellesley College is neither an allergen-free nor gluten-free campus. We offer gluten-sensitive options; however, we cannot guarantee food items to be 100% gluten-free. Both Tower Culinary Center and Claflin Bakery are nut-sensitive, as we do not serve nut products or use nuts to prepare food items in these facilities. We encourage students to refrain from bringing outside products containing nuts into Tower Culinary Center; however, we cannot guarantee that any culinary center is nut-free.
While we make every effort to provide accurate information, the manufacturers of the commercial foods we use could change the formulation of, or substitute, products at any time, without notice. Substitutions may also be made during food preparation. Each student must take ultimate responsibility for selecting foods that are safe for them. When in doubt, ask the manager on duty for assistance or select a different food.
