A look at UConn’s Dining Services new avocado toast, on the menu in the Student Union as of Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of Dining Services)
Dining Services introduced avocado toast as a new breakfast option at the University of Connecticut’s Student Union on Tuesday.
The avocado is mixed with lemon juice, salt and pepper and served on toasted eight-grain bread. Students have the option of ordering the toast with bacon, tomato or egg.
“It’s simple, but it’s good for you,” Jeff Collins, the area manager for Union Street Market, said.
Collins said that he thinks the avocado toast will become a popular item for those who want a healthier breakfast option.
“It can be eaten as a breakfast food, so, for somebody who’s not looking for an egg sandwich and bacon and cheese, it’s another option,” Collins said.
Collins said that avocado is a good source of monosaturated fats, healthy oils, potassium and other vitamins and is high in fiber.
Dining Services is working with the Menus of Change Initiative, a national project that is working towads making healthy, sustainable menus more prevalent, especially on college campuses.
“It fits into some of the guiding principles they (the Menus of Change Initiative) have, one of those being using minimally processed foods,” Collins said.
Collins said that the new item made its way onto the menu after Dennis Pierce, the director of UConn Dining Services, suggested it be added.
“This is something, I believe, Dennis Pierce saw in his travels and then tasked (Culinary Operations Manager) Rob Landolphi with developing the recipe and determining the nutrition,” Collins said.
Collins said that they will also be featuring a monthly special in the Union, starting with a dish incorperating red lentil pasta.
“We are going to be featuring a special once a month, we’re still working on the development of that,” Collins said.
Collins said that there will be educational materials that accompany the specials to explain the purpose of changes to the menus.
“We’re going to include some educational material with that so people know why we’re doing what we’re doing,” Collins said. “I think that’ll help explain the changes.”
Collins said that he is cautiously optimistic to see how the item is received by the student body.
“I’m excited to see how it goes, I think its great whenever we can add something,” Collins said. “Breakfast is a very important meal, so I think it’s going to be good.”
Students can order avocado toast from the Tostada station from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. every day.
Anna Zarra Aldrich is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at anna.aldrich@uconn.edu. She tweets @ZarraAnna.