Dartmouth College’s kosher dining station has moved to Orthodox Union supervision this fall. The change matters for students who could not previously rely on the on-campus kitchen under their kosher standards. The Pavilion, inside the Class of 1953 Commons in Hanover, New Hampshire, now operates with a mashgiach on site whenever food is prepared and served.
What changed at The Pavilion
The Pavilion previously held Tablet K certification. Under the new OU arrangement, the station cannot open or operate without a trained kosher supervisor present, Dartmouth Dining director Jon Plodzik told The Dartmouth. Two new mashgiach positions cover preparation through service. The supervisors work with the cooks on ingredients, food preparation and serving, and dining employees have also been trained on the requirements.
The work went well beyond a new sign. Dartmouth cleaned and kashered the kitchen and equipment, replaced pieces that could not be kashered, bought new utensils, pots and pans, and installed another sink for washing vegetables. According to the campus paper, the process began with discussions in January and involved Dartmouth Dining, the Rohr Chabad Center at Dartmouth and the Roth Center for Jewish Life.
A long-running student concern
The Pavilion’s roots go back to a joint kosher and halal dining effort in the early 2000s, but its previous certification remained a barrier for some Orthodox students. A 2015 petition calling for Orthodox certification drew 716 signatures. The college later offered prepackaged meals with another certification instead of changing the kitchen’s supervision.
YeahThatsKosher covered Dartmouth’s Vermont Kosher grab-and-go meals in 2016. The new move brings OU supervision to food prepared in the dining hall itself. One Orthodox student told The Dartmouth that the new certification figured into his decision to stay at the college after he considered transferring over limited kosher food and community options.
Dartmouth Dining describes The Pavilion as a dairy-free OU-supervised kitchen in ’53 Commons. During regular term hours, it serves dinner Sunday through Thursday and lunch Monday through Friday. The Commons accepts meal swipes, Dining Dollars, Discretionary Dollars and credit cards, and is open to the public. Pavilion hours differ from those of the overall dining hall, so check Dartmouth’s holiday closure schedule before visiting.
Dining and Cooking