The Sterling Kitchen
Feeding Our Community
Food is central to life at Sterling College. Not only does it feed our community, it’s also part of our curriculum and our commitment to sustainability. Sterling College manages its own food system from seed to compost.
Sterling College has the country’s top college food system according to The Real Food Challenge, a nationwide initiative to make campus food more local, healthful, and sustainable.
We grow 30 percent of our own food using no pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Sterling College purchases 54% of food locally, either from large farms within a 150-mile radius or from small farms within 250 miles.
Rian Fried Center
for Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems
Sterling’s Rian Fried Center for Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems serves as a locus for programs and national discussions about sustainable farming and food in America. The center has more than 130 acres of farm and gardens, an edible forest garden, the Alfond Draft Horse Barn, hoop houses, and a sugarhouse and sugarbush for maple syrup production.
Our Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems majors are offered through the Rian Fried Center.
Sustainable Sterling
When you fill your plate at Sterling College, you won’t be greeted with the same-old, same-old. Every week the kitchen designs a new menu, keeping in mind the seasonal and local availability of ingredients. This approach to menu design is the most sustainable way to support local economies and decrease our carbon “foodprint” when sourcing and ordering products.
Are you vegan? Paleo? Gluten-free? Dairy-intolerant?
Food inclusivity is a passion at Sterling. The Sterling Kitchen works to accommodate the dietary needs and preferences for all community members. We view this as a challenge and a joy, because we want everyone in our community to be happy and well nourished. We encourage all students to fill out our Dietary Preferences form to ensure that their individual nutritional requirements are met.
I have changes to my dietary restrictions, who do I tell?
Let us know here. If you have any further questions, please contact Chef Liz Chadwick at echadwick@sterlingcollege.edu.
I am a residential student and would like to opt out of the meal plan, can I do that?
Students are only able to opt out of the meal plan if they provide a written letter from a healthcare provider stating the individual’s dietary needs are unable to be met by campus services. As a small institution, our campus services depend on the support of all students.
