{"id":9996,"date":"2020-10-08T15:11:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T19:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/?page_id=9996"},"modified":"2026-07-31T13:45:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T17:45:54","slug":"about-us-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/about-us-2\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We offer a variety of selections daily to accommodate students\u2019 needs. We realize every person has different preferences, and we strive to provide every student with healthy and enjoyable meal choices. An operation&#8217;s culture personifies and personalizes a team&#8217;s existence.\u00a0 It offers feeling, caring, emotion, enthusiasm and passion for its mission.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-bates-shortcodes-btn btn-wrap\">\r\n<div class=\"btn-action\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"e85206c4-673d-48cd-a8e5-2c99bbc3e9d8\" aria-pressed=\"false\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\r\n<h3 class=\"btn-title\">Our Mission<\/h3>\r\n<div class=\"btn-arrow\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"e85206c4-673d-48cd-a8e5-2c99bbc3e9d8\" class=\"btn-content\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\r\nÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College Dining, Conferences and Campus Events supports the college mission by transforming dining and events into spaces for learning, connection, and community. We foster collaboration and growth by providing locally sourced, expertly prepared food. We are committed to student, faculty, staff, and alumni success while serving as responsible stewards of our environment.\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-bates-shortcodes-btn btn-wrap\">\r\n<div class=\"btn-action\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"e85206c4-673d-48cd-a8e5-2c99bbc3e9d8\" aria-pressed=\"false\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\r\n<h3 class=\"btn-title\">An Award Winning Team<\/h3>\r\n<div class=\"btn-arrow\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"e85206c4-673d-48cd-a8e5-2c99bbc3e9d8\" class=\"btn-content\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College Dining Services&#8217; high standards and commitment to excellence have earned us recognition for a job\u00a0well done!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2026:<\/span><\/strong> Niche, Rated #7 Best College Food Service!<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2025:<\/span><\/strong> D3 Direct, Rated #1 D3 Dining Hall!<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2025:<\/span><\/strong> Rated #6 food service in the nation by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.princetonreview.com\/college-rankings?rankings=best-campus-food\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.princetonreview.com\/college-rankings?rankings%3Dbest-campus-food&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1725035234501000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2YCX8-j8yg2wZ53Pn7Fyz7\">Princeton Review<\/a>!<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2025:<\/span><\/strong> Niche, Rated #6 Best College Food Service!<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2024:<\/span><\/strong> Niche, Rated #7 Best College Food Service!<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2023:<\/span><\/strong> Niche, Rated #1 Best College Food Service !<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2022:<\/span><\/strong> Niche, Rated #6 Best Food Service!<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2021:<\/span><\/strong> Niche, Rated #10 Best Food Service!<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2020:<\/span><\/strong> Niche, Rated #5 Best Food Service!<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2016-2017:<\/span><\/strong> Niche, A+ for campus food!<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2013-2017:<\/span> <\/strong>Green Restaurant Association &#8211; 3 Star Certified<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">*<\/span><\/strong> The institution moved to AASHE (Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) Rating System for Sustainability. The AASHE Rating is TBD.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2009-2012:<\/span> <\/strong>Green Restaurant Association &#8211; 2 Star Certified<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2007:<\/span> <\/strong>American Culinary Federation Maine Chapter, Inc. &#8211; Associate Member of the Year<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2005:<\/span> <\/strong>Princeton Review &#8211; #7 of 351 Colleges for Great Food!<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2004:<\/span> <\/strong>Princeton Review &#8211; #10 of 351 Colleges for Great Food!<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2003:<\/span> <\/strong>United States Environmental Protection Agency &#8211; Best Management Practices for our Composting Program<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2002:<\/span> <\/strong>Green Restaurant Association, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College Dining was the first College to become a member<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2001:<\/span> <\/strong>National Wildlife Federation &#8211; Leading School on their Report Card on Environmental Performance and Sustainability in Higher Education<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2000:<\/span> <\/strong>Stanton Environmental Award for Advancing the Goal of the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Green Action Plan<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">2000:<\/span> <\/strong>Best of the Best Earth Day ReNew America National Award for Sustainability &#8211; category of waste prevention \/ recycling<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">1999:<\/span> <\/strong>Special recipient of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Award for Environmental Leadership<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">1999:<\/span> <\/strong>National Award for Sustainability &#8211; Recognized for best practices that encourage environmental sustainability by ReNew America and the President&#8217;s Council on Sustainable Development<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #851326;\">1998: <\/span><\/strong>Recognized in &#8220;Greening the Ivory Tower&#8221; (MIT Press, 1998) a book by Sarah Hammond Creighton on best environmental practices among colleges, universities and other institutions.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ earned a Gold STARS rating and was in the top ten baccalaureate institution performers in the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aashe.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SCI-2024-Final.pdf\">2024 AASHE Sustainable Campus Index!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To read more about sustainability at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, be sure to check out the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/sustainability\/\">ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Sustainability website.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-bates-shortcodes-btn btn-wrap\">\r\n<div class=\"btn-action\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"28d0062a-d8d8-420d-9903-612e946732d8\" aria-pressed=\"false\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\r\n<h3 class=\"btn-title\">Dining Contacts<\/h3>\r\n<div class=\"btn-arrow\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"28d0062a-d8d8-420d-9903-612e946732d8\" class=\"btn-content\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"wp-image-6361\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Christine-1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Christine-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Christine-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Christine-1-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Christine-1-133x200.jpg 133w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Christine-1.jpg 1279w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Christine Schwartz<br \/><\/strong>Associate Vice President for Dining, Conferences and Campus Events<br \/>(207) 786-8279<br \/><a href=\"mailto:cschwart@bates.edu\">cschwart@bates.edu<\/a><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-6362 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/John-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"297\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>John Lajoie<br \/><\/strong>Director of Dining<br \/>(207) 786-6052<br \/><a href=\"mailto:jlajoie@bates.edu\">jlajoie@bates.edu<\/a><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14185 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2023\/09\/Justin-Good2-1-e1705678133481-244x300.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"208\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2023\/09\/Justin-Good2-1-e1705678133481-244x300.webp 244w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2023\/09\/Justin-Good2-1-e1705678133481-1222x1500.webp 1222w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2023\/09\/Justin-Good2-1-e1705678133481-768x942.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2023\/09\/Justin-Good2-1-e1705678133481-512x628.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2023\/09\/Justin-Good2-1-e1705678133481-1252x1536.webp 1252w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2023\/09\/Justin-Good2-1-e1705678133481-163x200.webp 163w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2023\/09\/Justin-Good2-1-e1705678133481.webp 1365w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 208px) 100vw, 208px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Justin Good<\/strong><br \/>Associate Director of\u00a0Finance, Technology, and Staff Support<br \/>(207) 786-6118<br \/><a class=\"rABsFf RffVmb AL18ce\" href=\"mailto:jgood2@bates.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" aria-label=\"jgood2@bates.edu From your Google Contacts\" data-tooltip=\"From your Google Contacts\" data-tooltip-position=\"top\">jgood2@bates.edu<\/a><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6359 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/170629_Dining_Services_Staff_0159-1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/170629_Dining_Services_Staff_0159-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/170629_Dining_Services_Staff_0159-1-133x200.jpg 133w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/170629_Dining_Services_Staff_0159-1.jpg 299w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Michael Staffenski<br \/><\/strong>Associate Director of Culinary and Retail Operations &amp; Executive Chef<br \/>(207) 786-6334<br \/><a href=\"mailto:mstaffen@bates.edu\">mstaffen@bates.edu<\/a><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"wp-image-6378\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Chris-1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Chris-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Chris-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Chris-1-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Chris-1-133x200.jpg 133w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Chris-1.jpg 1279w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Chris Davis<br \/><\/strong>Assistant Director of Culinary Operations<br \/>(207) 786-6334<em id=\"__mceDel\"><br \/><\/em><a href=\"mailto:cdavis@bates.edu\">cdavis@bates.edu<\/a><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"wp-image-6370\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Donald-1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Donald-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Donald-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Donald-1-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Donald-1-133x200.jpg 133w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2014\/10\/Donald-1.jpg 1279w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Donald Desrosiers<br \/><\/strong>Catering Manager<br \/>(207) 786-6298<br \/><a href=\"mailto:ddesrosi@bates.edu\">ddesrosi@bates.edu<\/a><strong><br \/><\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-12791 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/files\/2021\/12\/Garrett-257x300.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"270\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br \/><br \/><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><br \/><\/strong><strong><br \/><\/strong><\/h4>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We offer a variety of selections daily to accommodate students\u2019 needs. We&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"bates_author_byline_override":"","_hide_page_title":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"About Us","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"class_list":["post-9996","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","with-sidebar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9996"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15802,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9996\/revisions\/15802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/dining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}