New chef heats up North Servery

By Jane Su     1/9/13 6:00pm

As students at Rice greet their new semester, North Servery is joining in on the fun by welcoming a new chef.

Executive Chef Corey Dalton stood out among the 40 applicants in the three rounds of selection last year and earned his position as the executive chef of Rice University's North Servery, according to Residential Dining Director Johnny Curet, who oversaw the chef selection process.

"We were looking for something more than culinary skills and patience in a chef; we wanted someone who truly cares about the students - their wellbeing and their needs," Curet said.

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Trained in a professional culinary school, Dalton has worked across the United States. He started off preparing European foods in prominent restaurants like Bon Appetit on the East Coast and then moved on, devising hotel cuisines and corporation meals. After supervising delicate diets for hospitals in California, Dalton said he was glad he finally came back to Houston, the city he grew up in as a teenager, and could settle down with his family.

Although Dalton has spent the entire winter break at Rice familiarizing himself with the staff and the work, he said he was still amazed by the diversity of food served at the six Rice serveries.

"The Rice kitchens are like [the] United Nations," Dalton said. "We use our imagination to create a wide range of menus."

Dalton said his goal is to create a combination of style and nutrition for Rice. He said he hoped he could carry on the tradition of a large menu by further enhancing the Asian foods offered at the North Servery.

"We call that our 'Far East Corner'; that's our specialty at North," Dalton said.

Despite the diversity Dalton said he observed, Brown College freshman Larisa LaMere complained of a lack of vegetarian options.

"I think they should increase fruit and wheat choices," LaMere said.

Jones College junior Shrine Xiong said he was concerned about the food ingredients and often wondered why the foods in North Severy were generally sweet.

Manager of Communications for Facilities Engineering and Planning Susann Glenn said the serveries are planning to address ingredient issues by labeling the ingredients of the food being served.

"Complaints and suggestions are great things, which we'd love to hear," Glenn said. "Students can leave their suggestions on the Rice Dining Services website. They can also talk directly with the dining director or the chef - our staff is always willing to help."

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