Marie Sykes (masykes@ursinus.edu) & Chase Portaro (chportaro@ursinus.edu)
Five Wednesdays ago, on September 14th, The Grizzly news team had the pleasure of sitting down for a gourmet gold-table cloth meal in Upper Wismer, of all places. Carefully prepared by the Wismer Dining Staff, The 1869 Dining Experience consisted of three courses: an arugula salad with grilled peaches and feta cheese, a petite filet over parmesan polenta and roasted carrots, and a strawberry shortcake topped with whipped cream to complete the course. To top it off, the entire meal was served by a full waitstaff.
The 1869 Dining Experience, the first of its kind, was created so that students could enjoy a different perspective on Wismer food. The dinners will occur once a month and they will be open to students and faculty alike to attend.
The students were more than excited for the change of pace. Petite filet? Totally unexpected from a college dining hall. The steaks as well as the dessert were a hit with the students. Hannah Jeffers ‘26 said it was “very exquisite cuisine” and her friend, Levi Fritz ‘26, with his eighteen years of professional dining experience, claimed his dinner was “okay” before clarifying that he and his friends truly did enjoy the night, even though the night cost two meal swipes. Bri Lambright ‘24 said it was “worth the money.” Students were more than satisfied with their meals and will be returning for the next night.
Some faculty and staff were invited to the night as well and were dispersed at student tables around the event space. Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Missy Bryant, joined the Grizzly table and commented “the meal was delicious but I especially appreciated getting a chance to talk with all of you.” Campus Safety Director Gabby Wright also joined the meal and said, “Everything was delicious.” Other faculty members in attendance that night said they planned on returning because the food was such a hit.
When asked why the Wismer Dining staff organized the event, Joe Block, the spokesperson, said “Team effort – everyone [in] dining services wanted to do something special above and beyond, change it up, [and] bring that restaurant experience to Wismer.” Now that Wismer is almost fully staffed again, Block continued, they want to “show everyone what we can do as a team.”
Stayed tuned for more emails from dining services about the upcoming special dinner again. October 19th, the Wednesday after fall break, Wismer will host yet another 1869 Dinner. For more updates, follow @UrsinusDining on Instagram.
